Soy-Ginger Baked Tofu

Tofu can be bland and weird and if you've never cooked with it, it can be quite intimidating. I always tell people to grill tofu first because grilling it really gives it a lot of flavor. But today it is raining and cold and I had this package of tofu calling my name for weeks. I sometimes saute tofu but it just doesn't keep the flavor in like I like so I attempted to bake it today. Here is a step by step recipe for baked tofu and some pointers to help you feel more comfortable attempting your own tofu recipe!

First thing you should know about tofu is that it is a sponge. It soaks up whatever flavor you put on it BUT first you have to squeeze all that water out of the tofu so it can have a chance to soak up your flavor of the week. 

 I drain the tofu, cut it into cubes and place on a paper towel lined hand towel. Fold over the tofu and lightly squish down. I let the tofu stay like this while I'm mixing the marinade.

Ingredients for the marinade:
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced or grated
- 1tsp fresh grated ginger (Side note: I buy ginger root and then freeze it for when I need it!)
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1/4 cup or less of soy sauce
- A pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1tsp honey
- 1tsp canola oil
Mix all of these up in a container that you can easily toss the tofu in.

I use a tupperware container that has a lid so I can (carefully) toss everything together.

Toss and let sit. Toss and let sit. Toss and let sit. The longer you let them sit, the more they will soak up and the better they will taste!

I was impatient today and only let my tofu sit about 15-20 minutes. Now is a good time to preheat your oven to 400 if you haven't already. You can let the tofu marinate while the oven preheats!
Next up, line a pan with foil and coat with non stick spray. Place tofu on pan and bake for 15 minutes. Flip and cook for another 10 minutes. (These times are totally approx. I set a timer for 15 minutes but didn't hear it go off so I just flipped when I smelled the tofu and then let it go for about 8 minutes after that.)
Final product:

Totally delicious little browned soy nuggets. I actually stood over the stove and popped about 10 of these in my mouth in 5 minutes. Lily ate two - cut into four wedges. These are awesome with stir fried veggies and brown rice or tossed into a salad or in a California sandwich!
I had to step away from these before I ate them all. Portion control, Al!

The leftovers. Store in tupperware in the fridge and reheat in the microwave for an easy snack!