Terriyaki Marinated Tofu

I’m skipping dare and double-dog dare, I am going to straight to triple-dog. I triple-dog dare you to make some tofu. Come on its really good and really good for you. Kids love this stuff, babies especially, really they do.
Tofu is not as scary as you think. Tofu is soybean curd, i know, the word “curd” is a bit scary, but tofu is soymilk curd in the same way that cheese is milk curd. The processing is very similar.

Well I have yet to sound convincing, well here goes my ace in the hole, my trump card, my… dang I’m out of card metaphors, anyway, here’s why you really want to eat tofu:
Tofu is low in calories, contains beneficial amounts of iron (especially important for women of child-bearing age) and has no saturated fat or cholestrol. Depending on the coagulant used in manufacturing, the tofu may also be high in calcium (important for bone development and maintenance), and magnesium (especially important for athletes). Tofu is relatively high in protein also, about 10.7% per serving (low) for firm tofu, and the protein from tofu has been proven to reduce LDL cholestrol (the bad cholestrol). What’s not to like?

Still worried about the taste? Have no idea what to do with it? That’s where I come in. Here is a basic recipe for baked tofu. From this recipe you could make cold or hot tofu sandwiches, add tofu to a stir-fry, or simply eat it as a snack with crackers and cheese.

What you need:

The Tofu

Tofu-Try to find extra firm, or high Protein, this has the most pleasing texture for tofu beginners. Trader Joes has a great high protein tofu for cheap, in this case I’m using some Beth bought at Fresh & Easy.

The Marinade

Marinade-Here I’m using Trader Joes generic brand of Soy Vay Terriyaki sauce, this is highly recommended, but you can use whatever marinade you want.

Salt-You may not need this if your marinade is already salty. Soy sauce based marinades such as the terriyaki marinade do not need salt, but a non penetrating marinade like Barbecue Sauce will probably need to be liberally salted.

Here’s how you make it:

Remove the tofu from the package, shake all the water off and place on a clean dry towel. Cut into fillets (sheets, chunks) anout the thickness of your thumb.

Pat Dry

Place flat on a towel and pat dry (for high protein/extra firm tofu) or press to squeeze the moisture out(firm tofu).

Place tofu in a container of your choice, cover with marinade (fully cover) and let sit for at least 30 minutes. I marinated mine overnight in the fridge.

Remove from container and place (preferably) on a roasting rack, or a baking sheet. Salt the tofu if needed (see salt above).

For firm High protein/Extra firm tofu bake 30 minutes at 375, no need to preheat. After 30 minutes shut off the oven but leave the tofu in there for another 30 minutes.

For Firm tofu bake for 50 minutes at 375, shUt off the oven and bake for another 30 minutes.

Ready to eat

Use a spatula (turner) to remove the tofu from the rack or the sheet. Its ready to eat if you want or you can let it cool in the fridge for a cold snack. Prepared tofu will keep in the fridge for a week. I’ll share some recipe ideas for tofu with you soon, I promise.