brown rice bowl with baked tofu

 

For dinner last night, I made a basic brown rice bowl: brown rice, some seared yellow squash, carrots and onions. The special element of this bowl is the baked tofu. I never fully appreciated tofu until I baked it. If you think you don't like tofu, give baked tofu a chance! When baked, tofu becomes a chewy, toothsome hunk of goodness, almost like a (more delicious) chicken McNugget (minus the mysterious gray matter found in McNuggets). A few squares of baked tofu can turn a side dish into a meal. 

baked tofu: 

Drain firm or extra-firm tofu in a colander in the sink with something heavy on top (I use a pot, you can use a brick covered in foil, or the copy of War and Peace you have on your bookshelves to impress people) for as long as possible (for me, usually about an hour). Chop tofu into squares a little bigger than dice, and then marinate the tofu in a combination of half soy sauce and half balsamic vinegar. This gives the tofu a savory, almost BBQ-like flavor. Marinate as long as you can (for me, usually about an hour) and then toss in vegetable oil or spray your baking pan. Bake in the oven at 400 for about 30-40 minutes, tossing or turning over tofu once or twice so they brown evenly. The tofu will shrink a bit, and caramelize around the edges. Douzo, tabete kudasai.