Best Baked Tofu With Braised Peppers And Onions Recipes

BAKED TOFU

Steps:

• Slice your block of tofu into 2 or 3 even slabs (depending on the shape of your tofu block, each slab should be about 3/4 to 1-inch thick). Lay some paper towels or a clean tea towel on a flat surface, and place the slabs side by side on top of the paper towels. Cover with another layer of paper towels. Then place a cutting board on top of the tofu, and stack a bunch of heavy cans or pots or whatever you can safely balance on the cutting board. The idea is to put a lot of pressure/weight on the tofu, which will help the excess water to press out into the paper towels. Let the tofu drain for at least 15-30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat your oven to 400°F.
• Once the tofu has drained, remove the weights and paper towels. And use a knife to cut the tofu into your desired shapes. I typically just make little cubes (about 3/4-inch each), but you can cut any size of triangles, rectangles, or other shapes that you'd like.
• Add your tofu to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, and toss until evenly coated. Sprinkle evenly with cornstarch, salt, garlic powder and black pepper. Gently toss until the tofu is evenly coated.
• Turn the tofu out onto a parchment-covered baking sheet, and arrange it so that the tofu is in an even layer (not touching).
• Bake for 15 minutes. Then remove the baking sheet from the oven, and flip each of the tofu bites so that they can cook evenly on the other side. Return to the oven for 15-20 more minutes, or until the tofu reaches your desired level of crispiness. Remove baking sheet from the oven.
• And enjoy!

TOFU SUBS WITH ONIONS AND PEPPERS

Steps:

• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 425 degrees F. Toss the onion and peppers with 1 tablespoon olive oil on a baking sheet. Season with salt and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Bake on the lower oven rack, turning once, until slightly golden, 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, line another baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine 1 tablespoon olive oil, the fennel seeds, remaining 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Brush the tofu pieces on both sides with the oil mixture and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Bake on the upper oven rack until golden, 15 minutes.
• Brush the roll bottoms with the marinara sauce. Top each with 2 slices tofu, some onion and peppers and the roll tops.
• Whisk the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and the balsamic vinegar in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper. Add the arugula and toss; top with the parmesan. Serve with the subs.

BAKED TOFU WITH BRAISED PEPPERS AND ONIONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F
• Drain tofu very well and cut into triangles or slabs about 11/2 inches wide. Place in ungreased pie plate and bake until slightly firm and liquid is released, about 20 minutes. Pour off any liquid. Set tofu aside; maintain oven temperature at 375°F
• In large skillet, heat oil over high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring often, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add bell peppers, mushrooms, 1 clove garlic, parsley, marjoram and thyme and cook, stirring often, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender, about 6 minutes.
• Stir in wine, olives, salt and pepper and cook, until vegetables are tender and coated with syrupy sauce, about 8 minutes.
• Coat 8 x 8-inch square or 2-quart casserole with cooking spray. Add vegetable mixture, then gently arrange tofu pieces in mixture.
• Make sauce: In small bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, tomato paste, mustard, garlic, pepper and soy sauce or tamari.
• Pour sauce over vegetables and tofu.
• Cover and bake until heated through, about 25 minutes. Serve hot.

TOFU WITH ONIONS, PEPPERS AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• Drain the tofu, blot with a paper towel and cut into bite sized cubes.
• Mix the curry powder and half the lime juice in a large bowl. Add the tofu cubes and toss. Let marinate for a least an hour.
• Heat 2 oz of the oil in a skillet, add the tofu and cook over medium-high heat until brown. Then turn off heat, add the remaining lime juice and set aside.
• Heat the remaining oil in a skillet with the cumin seeds. When hot, add the onions and saute over high heat until they're lightly brown. Add the green peppers, garlic, ginger, cayenne, coriander and turmeric. Cook some more minutes until the peppers have softened somewhat.
• Add the tofu and tomatoes and cook until the tofu is heated through. Add the cilantro and serve.

SOY-BRAISED TOFU WITH BOK CHOY

Steps:

• Cut tofu across into ¾-inch-thick slices, then cut each slice in half so you have roughly 12 squares.
• Heat a large (12-inch), deep-sided nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet on medium-high. When hot, add 1 tablespoon of oil and swirl to coat the base. Place the tofu in a single layer, season each piece with a little salt and black pepper, and fry for 3 to 4 minutes until golden and crispy. Flip and cook on the other side for 3 to 4 minutes more, adding more oil if needed. Remove tofu from the skillet and set aside on a plate.
• Make the sauce: Combine the soy sauce, vegetarian stir-fry sauce or oyster sauce, cornstarch and sugar with ⅓ cup of water. Whisk until smooth.
• In the same skillet over medium heat, add the doubanjiang or chile oil (if you're using doubanjiang, add about 1 teaspoon of neutral oil) and stir for 15 seconds. Add the garlic, ginger and white parts of the scallion, and toss for 1 to 2 minutes, until the scallions are softened and everything is fragrant. If the pan starts to look dry, add a drop of oil.
• Add the bell pepper and Shaoxing wine, if using, and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes until slightly softened. Pour in the seasoning sauce and let it sizzle for 30 seconds, stirring once or twice.
• Add the baby bok choy, tofu and green parts of the scallion, toss gently to coat the tofu. Let it simmer on low heat for 1 to 2 minutes until the sauce thickens, the baby bok choy is wilted but still green and crisp-tender, and the tofu has absorbed some of the sauce. Serve with rice or noodles.

STIR-FRIED TOFU AND PEPPERS

Steps:

• Optional step for firmer tofu: Blot the tofu dry, wrap in a clean kitchen towel and place a cutting board on top. Let sit for about 15 minutes. Whether weighted or not, slice the tofu about 1/2 inch thick into 1- x 2-inch dominoes.
• Mix together 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of the brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium bowl. Toss with the tofu, and stir to make sure all of the pieces are coated. Let sit for five to 10 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
• In a small bowl, stir together the remaining soy sauce and sugar, hoisin sauce and sesame oil. Set aside.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet or wok over high heat until a drop of water evaporates on contact. Add the oil, turn the heat to medium-high and add the peppers. Stir-fry for a couple of minutes, until the peppers begin to soften, and add the garlic and ginger. Stir-fry for 20 seconds, until the garlic and ginger begin to smell fragrant, and add the tofu, dried red pepper flakes and green onions. Stir-fry two minutes, give the sauce a stir and add to the pan. Cover and cook for three minutes. Remove the lid, stir the ingredients in the pan, and taste and adjust seasonings. Serve with rice or noodles.