Vegan Confessional: Sweet and Smoky Almond Butter Baked Tofu

Welcome to the Vegan Confessional! Where I tell all!

Or I share some. Because if I told all, we’d be here until the world ends. Or there’s an earthquake in Washington, DC. Wait.

A blog is sort of like a confessional booth (is it actually called a booth?). This little piece of internet space is relatively anonymous, though I suppose you could say you already know way too much about me. I come here to share, inspire, piss off, and repent for my vegan mistakes.

Today I’ve come to express my undeniable feelings for the infamous and controversial tofu. Despite its tooth enamel color and its odd buoyancy – to speak nothing of its bad rap in both the health and vegan worlds — I really love tofu.

Behold a panini with Sweet and Smoky Almond Butter Baked Tofu! I don’t see a pitchfork.

For the non-vegans reading, it probably seems like I’m creating some kind of absurdist play where vegans hate on tofu, but unfortunately that seems to be the reality nowadays (before you freak, I’m not talking about people who can’t eat soy because of dietary or health reasons). Tofu in moderation is the key to this vegan’s heart. To me, few things are as happiness-inducing as a tofu scramble and a coffee the size of my giant head. Confession: My head is giant. Confession: I drink a lot of coffee.

Confession: I am a horrible healthy living blogger.

Confession: I am not a healthy living blogger.

I truly do love tofu, though I am mindful of keeping my consumption to a minimum. I’m pretty sure that’s what the experts say to do, but ask them for the real reasons why because I don’t really know and am not sure that I want to know.

When I’m not eating tofu scrambles on the weekends, I like to bake the spongy tooth enamel (yummmm) into a savory topping for salads or sandwiches. The process is ridiculously easy and, for those of who want and or need this sort of thing, it adds a boost of protein to your meals.

Come to think of it, there’s really nothing to confess or repent for here. See for yourself.

Sweet and Smoky Almond Butter Tofu

Prep Time: 35 minutes total, 25 minutes inactive

Ingredients:

• juice of 2 lemons
• 2 T agave
• 4 T Tamari
• 3 T almond butter
• 1/2 t salt
• 3 T nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tsp liquid smoke (make sure the brand is vegan)
• 1 block extra firm organic tofu

1. Preheat oven to 400. Drain and press your tofu. If you’re fancy, use your tofu press. If you’re like me, put the tofu between two plates and stack  your heaviest books on top.

2. Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk to combine well and set aside.

3. Once your tofu is sufficiently pressed in whichever classy way you see fit, cut your tofu into evenly-sized squares. I cut it in half horizontally, then in half vertically, then, keeping all sections together, I cut thin slices off so everything is approximately the same size.

4. Prepare a large baking sheet and make it nonstick. I use a silpat (which is worth every single penny you might spend on it).

5. Dip each piece of tofu in the marinade, ensuring each side is coated. Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat until you’ve covered all the tofu in marinade. Make sure not to pile tofu up on the baking sheet. There should be a little bit of room between each piece.

6. Place in oven and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and serve right away if using in a sandwich, panini, or even in a salad. Keeps well in the fridge to cut up and put into salads for lunch.