Sesame Maple Ginger Tofu

For some reason all this healthy eating makes me really crave certain fatty foods - especially pizza and Chinese food. This tofu kind of hits that Chinese food spot, but without near as much grease.

























The pictures are from the first time we made this, but we made it again the following week. For the second time, I added about 2 cups of steamed broccoli and made another batch of the sauce to cover that and the noodles. I found that rice noodles with a little sauce were a great compliment, and the broccoli added a little green to the whole thing. This is so flavorful and easy. I think it will become a regular part of our menu.


























Sesame Maple Ginger Tofu
from Cara's Cravings

1 14-ounce block extra-firm water-packed tofu, rinsed, patted dry and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp sesame seeds and a generous pinch of ground ginger and crushed red pepper
*1-2 cups steamed broccoli florets
*6-8 oz rice noodles

Preheat oven to 475°F.

Spray a ceramic baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and add the tofu cubes; lightly spray with more nonstick cooking spray and season with salt & pepper. Roast for 10-12 minutes, or until the pieces of tofu are lightly browned on the bottom. Turn the pieces over, and roast for another 10 minutes.

Whisk tahini, soy sauce, sesame oil, maple syrup and vinegar in a small dish until combined. Remove the tofu from the oven, and toss with the tahini mixture and the sesame seeds (and ground ginger and crushed red pepper, if using.) Return to the oven and roast for another 5-10 minutes, turning once, until desired crispiness is reached.

*These were my additions, and they're totally optional. They really helped make it into a main dish.