Sloppy Tofu Food

SLOPPY TOFU

Steps:

• Place the block of tofu onto a plate, then place another plate on top. Set a 3 to 5 pound weight on top (a container filled with water works well). Press the tofu for 20 to 30 minutes, the drain off and discard the accumulated liquid.
• Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet.
• Cut the block of tofu down the middle, then widthwise into 1/4 inch thick squares. Arrange on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 6 minutes, the turn the pieces over, and continue baking 5 minutes more. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, and allow to cool. Once the tofu is cool enough to handle, cut into 1/4 inch dice.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion and green pepper; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the diced tofu, ketchup, sugar, mustard, and vinegar; season to taste with salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve on the whole wheat hamburger buns.

THE BEST CRISPY TOFU

Steps:

• Wrap the tofu in a clean dish towel and place on top of a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Place a heavy pan on top of the tofu and let it sit for 5 minutes to release as much moisture as possible. Unwrap the tofu and slice lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick by 1 1/2-inch-wide planks.
• Whisk the soy sauce, lime juice, agave syrup, scallion whites and sriracha together in a small bowl and set aside. Mix the panko, sesame seeds, cornstarch, garlic salt, onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper in a pie dish or shallow bowl. Press the tofu planks into the panko mixture to coat on all sides.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tofu and cook, undisturbed, until deep golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the tofu with a metal spatula and continue cooking undisturbed until a deep golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes more. Transfer to a platter.
• Reduce the heat to low and add the soy-sauce mixture to the pan. Cook until bubbling and slightly thicker, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the sauce over the tofu planks and sprinkle with the scallion greens.

TOFU SLOPPY JOES

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add diced onion. Cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add cumin and salt; saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
• Add tomato paste and break up in the skillet, 1 to 2 minutes. Add tomato sauce, ketchup, water, brown sugar, barbeque seasoning, mustard, hot sauce, and paprika. Bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Set aside.
• Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a separate pan over medium-high heat. When heated, add tofu and zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add vegetarian crumbles and sauce mixture and bring to a low simmer. Cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
• Assemble Sloppy Joes on toasted buns.

CRISPY FRIED TOFU SANDWICH

Steps:

• For the tofu: Slice the tofu in half widthwise and then across to create 4 large pieces. Arrange the pieces in a large microwave-safe airtight container (some overlap is ok) and freeze overnight.
• Remove the lid from the container and microwave the tofu on high, stopping every 2 minutes to pour off the water and check if the tofu is thawed, about 6 minutes,. Transfer the tofu to a strainer while making the brine.
• Whisk the pickle juice, chili powder, smoked paprika, sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt in the same airtight container. Gently press the tofu pieces between your palms to expel any excess water, then nestle in the brine in an even layer. Cover and marinate the tofu in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours.
• For the sandwich: Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, smoked paprika, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper together in a medium bowl. Stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of the pickle brine to create clumps. Whisk the Dijon and maple syrup plus 2 tablespoons of warm water together in a separate small shallow bowl.
• Pour 2 inches of oil into a large high-sided skillet or a Dutch oven and set over medium heat until the oil reaches 350 degrees F.
• While the oil is heating, dredge the tofu. Remove one piece from the brine and toss in the flour mixture to coat, shaking off the excess. Dip in the Dijon mixture, making sure all sides are coated, then dredge in the flour again, pressing to adhere the flour. Transfer the coated tofu to a plate while coating the rest.
• Add all four pieces of tofu to the hot oil, leaving space between each piece. (Fry in batches if the skillet is getting crowded.) Fry until the coating is a deep golden brown, flipping the tofu halfway, about 5 minutes. Transfer the fried tofu to paper towels or a baking sheet lined with a wire rack to drain.
• Spread some Vegan Buffalo Mayo on the burger buns, add a piece of tofu to each and layer with some lettuce and dill pickles.
• Add the tofu, hot sauce, Dijon, lemon juice and 1 teaspoon salt to a blender or food processor. Blend on high, stopping to scrape the sides as needed, until the mixture is smooth, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a pint jar or airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

CRISPY TOFU

Steps:

• Drain the tofu, wrap in 4-5 sheets of kitchen paper, put on a plate and put something heavy over the top, like a wooden chopping board, or a tray with a few tins on it. Leave for 20 mins to drain the excess moisture from the tofu.
• Mix the cornflour, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Unravel the tofu from the paper, cut in half through the centre, then cut into triangles, cubes or strips.
• Toss the tofu pieces in the spiced cornflour to coat all over. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry the tofu for 2-4 mins on each side until golden, crunchy and browned at the edges. Smaller cubes will take 2 mins each side, larger triangles will take 4 mins. Cook in batches if you need to, adding a little more oil if the pan gets dry.
• Drain the cooked tofu on kitchen paper and season with a pinch more salt before serving.

SLOPPY TOFU

Steps:

• Heat skillet over medium high.
• Cook onion, pepper, and garlic until soft.
• Add tofu and soy sauce.
• Cook, stirring constantly until brown.
• Add tomato sauce and seasonings.
• Cook 2-3 more minutes to incorporate.
• Serve over hamburger buns (I also saw mom using leftovers as a tortilla chip dip).

TOFU SLOPPY JOES

Steps:

• Crumble the tofu to small bits (this can take a bit of time).
• Heat oil in frying pan and add tofu and chili powder (added to taste, I add tons, about 4-5 tbsp).
• Cook on medium high heat until tofu is crispy.
• Add garlic and onion and cook 5-7 minutes.
• Add tomatoes, a dab of ketchup (the more you add the sweeter it will be so omit it if you don't like sweet) and a dab of mustard and a drizzle of extra oil if you like.
• Let simmer, bubbling until sauce is thickened and tofu is tasty (about 30 minutes).
• I like to give it a lot of time to simmer so it's really tasty.
• Serve on whole wheat buns with salad and homemade fries.
• Enjoy!