I like tofu a lot but always end up making stir fry with it. Wanting to spice things up, I turned to Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian and discovered baked tofu. Fabulous! Baking the tofu changes its texture so that it becomes wonderfully chewy and meaty; delicious eaten hot or cold. You can vary the seasoning depending on the dish you are creating.
For this dish, I drained a block of extra firm tofu with some heavy books for 20 minutes. I sliced the block into thirds to create the "steaks." I seasoned the tofu with cumin, chili powder, a bit of cayenne pepper, salt and a squeeze of lime juice then baked the steaks in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour. I topped these off with some mango salsa I had made the previous day. I love the sweetness fruit salsas add to savory dishes.
draining the tofu
I've been on a baked tofu kick ever since I made this dish. The baked slabs also make great sandwich filling, can be cubed and added to salads (or stir frys, of course), or make a great snack on their own. I eat meatless meals a lot, mostly because I love the alternatives (vegetables, legumes, grains, pasta). What I don't care for are fake meat products that try to trick you into thinking you're eating meat. No thanks. I like to know what I'm eating and don't need a eat a long list of chemicals and manufactured proteins disguised as ground meat. Tofu steaks, however, are great; no trickery -- just a healthy, satisfying, hearty meal.
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