Vegetarian Dishes Baked Tofu

Tofu still is the un-favored step-kid for the majority of Americans. Most of us have no idea how prevalent this humble little bean is in many of our prepared foods.

It can and does taste good in many things and prepared many ways.

Let’s de-mystify the soy bean product tofu!

Tofu is made from the soy bean, water and a coagulant or curdling agent. BTW a coagulant may be a salt, an enzyme, or an acid, just like milk is made into cheese. That’s it.

Tofu is high in protein and calcium.

It is the staple of many Pacific Rim cultures. In fact, in China the fast food stalls sell tofu much like we sell our hamburgers and burritos!

Tofu is made with a different soy bean than the commercial animal feed soy bean products. Look for the organic and non-genetically modified soy beans. The non GMO are not more expensive than the others.

Tofu comes in several forms from silken to firm to extra firm.

Four ounces of tofu only has 79 calories. Compare that to 4 ounces of beef at over 300 calories.

Tofu is the chameleon of foods. That is, it takes on the flavor of what it is marinated with or cooked with.

This recipe is mostly a snack recipe in our household. The flavorings used to marinate with are varied depending on what we crave. Traditionally this slow baked method is used with soy sauce and a bit of ginger.

When selecting a marinate flavor, do be careful of how high the sugar content is in the sauce. A high sugar marinate may burn in the baking process. I find that pure cane sugar in a sauce is less prone to burn as easily as the corn sugars. Not to mention how much better pure cane sugar tastes. I also think can sugar is just all around better.

I sometimes go to either Trader Joes or even my 99cent store to look at the various sauces. I have used fish sauce, tomatillo sauce, and others with great to not-so-great success. Check out how high the sugar content is in the sauces.

This recipe used ½ jar of the Garlic Chili Sauce.The brand is Roland and the size of the jar is 6.7 ounces.It is a product of Malaysia.And yes, I purchased it for $1.50 at a discount store.

You may wish to turn the tofu over while it is baking or you may not have the time to do so.Either way works just fine!The turned over tofu will crisp up on two sides, though.I did not turn this at all and it turned out great.

Unfortunately, this snack does not photograph well. It does taste all spicy and delicious though!

The slow and low oven method is a real winner in the winter.It keeps the kitchen warm.You can also bake other items in the oven with the tofu.

Further, it requires little to no attention from the cook.You can go about your day as planned, even going out to the store for a little bit.

We eat this hot from the oven or chilled in the refrigerator. The consistency is much like a spicy cheese. It is a great little treat. It can also be added to various Southwestern flavored soups. It is great in a stir fry too.

Mostly this is a high protein, healthy, relatively low calorie snack.