Looking for a meatless Monday recipe? Well, everyday is meatless Monday in the Packer household and every holiday is challenging with a menu that needs to cater to a vegetarian, peanut, tree nut and egg free, low sodium, and high cholesterol crowd. Phew. Well, look no further because this recipe fits the bill and BONUS- it's dairy and gluten free as well. So easy, simple and it just may convert all you tofu haters out there. I too use to vocally express my distaste for tofu-but then I created this recipe and suddenly it didn't feel like I was biting into a pillow anymore. This is Golden, spicy (not spicy) tofu just in time for the holidays-especially if you have guests/family members with food allergies or who are simply vegetarian. Try it!!
Golden Spicy Tofu
Ingredients
1 box Mori Nu Extra firm tofu
1/4 Oat Flour (Remember not all oat flours are gluten free-make sure if you need gluten free it says so on the package)
1/4 corn meal
1 TBSP starch (potato, corn or arrowroot)
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. salt
1/8-1/4 tsp. thyme, pepper, paprika, turmeric, rosemary, garlic
Neutral tasting oil-we used organic canola
Directions
Drain the tofu in a strainer with a paper towel
Place a plate over the paper towel and let it drain -if you don't have time to do this-no problem. Just make sure you wipe the tofu off by gently pressing/dabbing it with a paper towel.
Cut the tofu into cubes.
Place all the dry ingredients in a shallow plate (we used a shallow pie pan)
Use a fork to stir all the dry ingredients together
Place cubes (a few batches at a time) into the pie plate and lightly shake. Make sure the cubes are completely dusted and covered.
Pour enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan.
Turn to medium high and wait until oil is hot.
Genly place tofu cubes in the oil and leave on one side until golden and crispy looking.
Using a pair of tongs is ideal, but if not, then use a spatula to lightly turn the cubes over.
Remove and place on a baking rack to cool. A baking rack helps them retain their crispiness, but you can always put it on a plate covered with a paper towel.
The spices left behind tend to toast quickly and sometimes darken-in between frying you may want to move them to the side or get rid of them. We like the toasted spices although we noticed the next batch looks darker than the first. Just an FYI. To prevent that from happening-you can reduce the flour.