Inspired by my blogging buddy, Susmitha at Veganosaurus, I signed up for a How Do account about a year or so ago. Susmitha has a great voice and her How Dos are cute, concise, and helpful. So, I made one (Hot Chocolate Mocha),” back in 2012, and while the process was fun, a negative review I got took the wind out of my sails and it was a long time before I tried again. But every time I watched one of Susmitha’s it nagged at me: I wanted to try again.
Lemony Baked Tofu (in turn inspired by Oh Mai in Salt Lake City – but that’s another blog post) seemed like a good candidate for the How Do treatment. It’s a simple recipe that can easily be broken down into short steps. I’m still working out the How Do kinks (Martin Scorcese, your job is safe), but I think these little “videos” are a great idea and add a nice dimension to a blog post. Incidentally, my freebie WP site won’t allow for me to embed the video, which would be super-nifty, but clicking on the image will get you to the same place. (I shared this recipe on Healthy Vegan Friday at The Veggie Nook.)
Watch my How Do video by clicking the image, or you can follow the recipe below.
LEMONY BAKED TOFU a micro guide by Annie on HowDo
Lemony Baked Tofu
Makes ~20 slices
1 14 oz. block extra firm tofu
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. lemon oil
1 garlic clove, minced
Make the marinade:
Whisk together all of the ingredients and store in the refrigerator until needed.
Prepare the tofu:
Press tofu for several hours or overnight. I splurged for a TofuXPress and I’m so glad I did. It does a fantastic job of squeezing out all of that water – but use your own tried-and-true method.
Layer a baking sheet (I used a quarter sheet) with paper towels. Set aside. Cut the tofu into very thin slices. You should get about 20 per block of tofu. Place the slices of tofu onto the paper towels; stacking layers is fine. Cover slices with more paper towels, top with another baking sheet and place in the freezer overnight.
When you’re ready to bake the tofu, remove the pan from the freezer and let the slices thaw. At first the slices will be dark yellow, but they’ll return to their regular white color once thawed.
Preheat the oven to 425F. Place the slices into a baking pan (I used Pyrex) and pour the marinade over top. Again, don’t worry about having the slices in one layer. Bake the tofu for about 20-25 minutes or until the marinade is nearly gone. The edges of the slices should be brown and the tofu should be fairly dry. Let the slices cool; they’ll firm up even more. They are now ready to use in sandwiches (like the Lemony Baked Tofu Sandwiches I’ll be featuring here soon), salads, and in Asian-inspired soups.
Another one of my favorite vegan-friendly restaurants in Salt Lake City is Mazza Cafe. It’s also another great place for vegans and non-vegans to sit down together for some seriously good eats. I’ve never been disappointed. One of my favorites on the menu is their roasted tomato and red lentil soup. It’s rich and dark and warmly-spiced. I have no idea how they make it, but here’s my take on it. Mine is also rich, dark and warmly-spiced. They serve theirs unadorned, but I thought it would be pretty with a little green on top, so I modified the classic gremolata with crunchy pepitas.
The flavor and texture of these simple cookies remind me of macaroons – helped along by the fact that these are coated in flaked coconut. I can imagine easily devouring a plateful of these tiny cookies and you almost could since they contain no added oil or fat, have no eggs and the refined sugar has been whisked away from the original (Bon Appetit) recipe. Perfect little treats to accompany afternoon tea.
2 cups slivered almonds