Meatless Monday: Spiced Tortilla Crusted Tofu

This week I am sharing my all time favorite recipe for tofu - Spiced Tortilla Crusted Tofu! It may be unusual to be this excited about tofu, but I'm telling you it is worth raving about.

The tofu starts out in a simple marinade of lime juice, soy sauce, olive oil, garlic and a touch of sriracha. The marinade not only provides flavor throughout but also ensures a perfectly moist center to compliment the deliciously crisp exterior. Next the tofu gets dipped through flour and egg, reaching its final out of this world coating of crushed tortilla chips. But let's go back to that flour. It is seasoned well with all the good stuff - cumin, smoked paprika and onion powder. All of these layers of flavor and textures results in one unbelievable tofu dish.

I enjoy this tofu many ways but one of my favorites is on top of a Mexican chopped salad. You could also try with a side of Spanish rice and hearty greens. The crispy, fried like exterior also makes them just perfect for snacking on!

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Spiced Tortilla Crusted Tofu
Serves approximately 4

Ingredients

• 14 ounce package of extra firm tofu
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1/2 cup soy sauce (low sodium preferred)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon sriracha
• 2/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 6 ounces tortilla chips, crushed into small crumbs

Directions

First press and drain the tofu. Open the package of tofu and remove the brick. Place it on a paper towel or dish towel lined plate. Place more paper towels on top of the tofu. Set a heavy book or heavy skillet on top. Let
the liquid press out for at least 15 minutes. Alternatively, consider buying a tofu press if you make tofu often

Once pressed, cut the tofu brick in half horizontally then cut each half into 4 sticks of the shorter length

Prepare the marinade by whisking together the lime juice, soy sauce, olive oil, garlic cloves and sriracha in a medium bowl or container

Place the tofu in the marinade and move around so all sides get covered in the liquid. Place in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes and preferably an hour. If the tofu isn't completely covered by the liquid - flip halfway through

When the tofu is almost done marinading, preheat the oven to 400 degrees, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and prepare 3 bowls. Add the flour to a medium shallow bowl and stir in the salt, paprika, cumin and onion powder. Place the beaten eggs in another medium shallow bowl and the chips on a plate

Remove each piece of tofu from the liquid and let any excess drip off. Dip in the flour, coating all sides and shaking off the excess. Move to the next bowl and briefly dip all sides in the egg. Shake off the excess egg and coat all sides in the tortilla chips. Place each on the prepared baking sheet

Bake the tofu for a total of 20 minutes - flip the tofu after 10 minutes

Remove from the oven, allow to cool for a couple minutes then enjoy