This sounds all too complicated, but trust me when I say it's not! I'm a lazy person and if a recipe is taking too long it irritates me and it's never made again. Most of the effort goes into the sauce, the rest is in the oven baking.
I used to hate tofu. Like loathe it. Again it was my issue with textures that held me back. Did you know you can bake it?? I'm sure people who eat A LOT of tofu are probably laughing at that question with sympathy but for my non tofu obsessors, you can BAKE it. I'm still a newbie to this art form of tofu cooking so granted I definitely could have baked my tofu a little longer to achieve a deep golden brown color. I, however, was hungry and could not stop opening the oven door to check on it and concluded that I should just take it out now and pour that reduction all over it and eat it and be happy. Which I did with great delight.
Baked tofu is amazing. You use extra-firm tofu and squeeze all the excess liquid out of it. You can use a tofu press (which I'm looking into getting one) or like me you can use your hands and paper towels. Your tofu won't look asthetically pleasing this way since you smoosh it a little but the flavor is still there!
Tofu is also a great way to get some protein in your diet. Once a week I've been planning either a vegan or vegetarian meal to try and cut back on our meat consumption. This is hard for me. I am a die hard carnivore. But I am not okay with the way industries treat animals and pump them up with chemicals. As I cannot go full vegan personally (kudos to you veganites!) this is my way of taking baby steps. And honestly, I feel so much better health wise cutting down on the meat. I've found I sleep better, my digestion has improved, I don't feel sluggish, and even my skin looks clearer and brighter.
But enough about me, let's talk about tofu...
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup brown rice
1 1/2 lb Brussels Sprouts, knubby ends discarded and sliced lengthwise
1 (15oz) block of extra-firm tofu
1/4 cup and 1 tblsp GF tamari soy sauce, divided
3 tblsp honey
2 tblsp rice vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil
3 tsp chili garlic sauce (or less if you like less spicy)
Olive oil
Salt to taste
Instructions:
1. Bring a pot of 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil, add brown rice. Turn to low to simmer, add salt to taste, and cover. Cook approximately 35-40 minutes or until all the water is soaked up and the rice is tender.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 baking trays with foil or parchment paper. Toss the Brussels Sprouts with olive oil and salt.
3. Cut the tofu in half lengthwise and try to press as much liquid as you can out of it either using a tofu press or your hands and paper towels. Slice the tofu into small squares or chunks and drizzle with 1 tblsp olive oil and 1 tblsp soy sauce.
4. Arrange the tofu on one baking tray and the Brussels Sprouts on the other. Place the Brussels Sprouts on the bottom oven rack and the tofu on the top rack and bake for approximately 30-35 minutes or until sprouts are crispy and tofu is golden brown.
5. To make the reduction: In a saucepan, whisk together 1/4 cup soy sauce, 3 tblsp honey, 2 tblsp rice vinegar, 2 tsp sesame oil, and 3 tsp chili garlic sauce. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat stirring often until the liquid has reduced by at least half (about 10-15 minutes). Remove from heat.
6. In a bowl, put some rice, tofu, and sprouts any way you like and drizzle with reduction. Enjoy!
ADAPTED FROM COOKIE AND KATE
Did you make this? Let me know how you liked it!
xoxo,
D.
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