Tofu Nuggets

I love to snack. My family loves to snack. None of us need empty calories and we can all use extra protein. Enter into your diet Tofu Nuggets! These things are so good that usually they don't make it off the cookie sheet. When my 4-year-old requests for dinner Tofu Nuggets that should give you an idea of how good they are. They are easy to make, but they do take some time. They are worth it! Let me show you how I do them.

Ingredients:

1 lb firm or extra firm tofu

1 tbs oil (olive oil or vegetable oil works)

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp curry powder

Tools:

Stuff to press the tofu.

Bowl

Cookie sheet

Parchment paper

Oven

Spatula

Start by pressing your tofu. I get tofu from a local Asian grocer (it's much cheaper there than anywhere else) and I put 1 lb in a paper towel, on a cloth hand towel, between two plates, and with some oil on top of the plate to press it for 30 minutes. I start preheating the oven to 450°F when I have about 5 min left on the press. When the 30 min are up I unwrap the tofu and cut it into about 1 cm^3 nuggets.

So while your oven is heating up to 450°F get your tofu ready. I would suggest you put the parchment paper down on the cookie sheet first before this step so when you mix the tofu you do it over the cookie sheet so if anything falls out it goes on something clean. So in a bowl put the cut up tofu, the oil, the salt, and the curry. Gently mix with your hand (make sure your hand is clean first) until the tofu is evenly coated and then dump on the cookie sheet.

When the oven is at 450°F and your tofu is ready put the tofu in the oven. 15 min use the spatula to turn the tofu, or at least mix it, and put it back in for another 15 min. Total time in oven is about 30 min but this can vary depending on what consistency you want and also I've found the type of tofu. The corners of the cubes should start to get very brown, but not burnt. Take out the cookie sheet (use a hot-pad) and let it sit.

The tofu comes out almost like chicken (you may not believe me but that is what it's like). If you can stop yourself these make great salad toppings, or even little hors d'oeuvre with a cherry tomato and cucumber. Typically these are just eaten as snacks. I would like to say you can cover and store these in the refrigerator but they must be completely cool first. These are good travel food, and excellent for when we go to an outdoor event.

So total time just over an hour, but in that time you can get the salad and the rest of dinner ready. Since these are good for the car they make great snacks to make the night before a trip. I hope everyone likes them and I can't wait to hear what people to do try and spice them up. Thank you.