Spicy Tofu!

I love spicy food and I love tofu.  This recipe marries the two, and it is delicious. 

When I made it, I used tofu that had been frozen.  I froze it on purpose, in order to get a different texture than tofu which has not been frozen.  I like tofu made both ways.  When the tofu has been frozen, it breaks off into uneven pieces, rather than neat slices or cubes. 

This recipe has a lot of flavor, and by changing the amount of sriracha sauce, it can be mildly spicy or wildly spicy.  Our taste preference falls somewhere in the middle. 

If you haven't had sriracha sauce, give it a try.  It is a type of hot sauce made with chili peppers, vinegar, sugar, garlic, and salt.  I do not say this very often about grocery prices, but I always wonder how they make the sauce so inexpensively.  I even found a brand at Aldi's for a really low price, (can't remember exactly how much), that was really good.  We put it on all kinds of foods.  I even caught my son putting it on his mashed potatoes.  I tried it, and it was quite tasty.

BAKED SRIRACHA TOFU

1 package extra firm tofu, rinsed, pressed, and cut into ½” cubes

3 Tbsp. finely chopped onion
¼ tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. tamari sauce
¼ cup ketchup
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 ½ Tbsp. agave or maple syrup
2-4 Tbsp. sriracha sauce
¾ tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 400. 

Place tofu cubes on parchment lined baking sheet and set aside.

In a small saucepan, saute the onion over medium heat until soft.  Stir in the cumin and let toast for a couple of minutes. 

Add tamari, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, agave, srirache, and salt.  Simmer for 5-8 minutes or until sauce has thickened slightly.

Brush the marinade over the tofu cubes and place the sheet in the oven.  Bake for 20 minutes, then flip the pieces and brush with additional sauce.  Bake for 20 additional minutes. 

If you are surprised that ketchup is in this recipe, think about the ingredients in ketchup.  This is a spicy/sweet sauce, so the sugar in the ketchup blends in really well.  The other ingredients that work well in the ketchup are the tomatoes and the vinegar.  Plus it's really fun when the ketchup bottle makes that embarrassing sound.  Good times in the kitchen!