Buffalo Tofu

I know people are afraid of tofu so I hope this post will help clear up some misconceptions.

1. Tofu is not bad for you. All those studies on soy being bad for you are based on processed soy (the stuff that makes up chick'n and other fake meats). Tofu, edamame, and soy milk are not considered processed. Granted if you have a soy allergy, obviously, still avoid these three.

2. Tofu does not taste like meat. So if you're expecting it to, be prepared to be disappointed. It is it's own unique food. As mentioned earlier, when it does taste like meat that usually means it's bad for you.

3. Tofu has a weird texture. It can, especially if prepared without fully cooking it or without drying the tofu first.

Now that those three things are cleared up, here's a good recipe to try for anyone who is new to tofu. It's great on it's own or on top of a salad and isn't that hard to make. I usually make a big batch on the weekend and eat it throughout the week. Since I'm vegan, this is a good way to get some protein in that I really crave.

Buffalo Tofu

Ingredients

1 Block of Extra Firm Cubed Tofu (the type of tofu matters!!! If you can't find cubed, extra firm is fine, you'll just have to cube the tofu yourself)

1/4 cup of Frank's Red Hot Wing's Buffalo Sauce (you can get Hot Buffalo or regular depending on how much heat you want)

1 tbs. Olive Oil ( I recommend California Olive Ranch because it's the only olive oil I've had that tastes like the olive oil in Italy)

*Preheat your oven to 400F

Directions

1. Cut open your block of extra firm cubed tofu and drain out as much of the water as possible. 

2. Set out two small towels and layer two sheets of paper towel folded in half on top. 

3. Pour the tofu onto one of the paper towels and put the other paper towel/towel combo on top. Press down lightly to squeeze out any excess liquid. (Be sure to press lightly, tofu breaks easily)

4. Put the tofu in a bowel and pour 1 tbs of olive oil and 1/4 a cup of buffalo sauce over the tofu. Mix up (again mix carefully so you do not break the tofu). You can add more buffalo sauce if you want it to be spicier. 

5. Once mixed, spray a cooking sheet and pour the tofu out on the sheet. (I make big batches, so this picture includes 5 blocks of tofu. Feel free to do as many blocks as you'd like at once)

6. Bake at 400F for 15 minutes. Then remove the tofu and flip as much of it over as you can. Bake another 15 minutes. (If you do big batches like mine, I'd recommend adding 5 minutes to your second round of baking. The tofu shouldn't be crispy, except a few around the sides, but it also shouldn't be watery).

7. Enjoy a bit by itself or on top of a salad! Save the extra for later in the week. This reheats in the microwave really well.