Salt & Pepper Tofu
So often many of the delicious foods that we eat are loaded with fat and so unhealthy for you. Lucky for us though these tofu bites are not only delicious but good for you as well… gotta love win-win situations!
Tofu is a great meat-replacement for those of you who are vegetarians but is totally delicious for you meat-eaters as well (dad!). One of the major benefits of tofu is that studies have shown that it helps lower your cholesterol! Tofu is also quite high in Iron and has many of the same proteins that you would get from your red-meats. In addition to it being a good healthy food choice – it is amazingly versatile and can be used in so many different ways. The fact that tofu is so “plain” makes it the perfect canvas for your culinary creations.
I enjoyed this Peppered Tofu with a friend as a delicious appetizer. I could see this going great as a light meal, maybe with a nice fresh Asian Slaw or something on the side? I promise you that any way you choose to eat this tofu, you will not be disappointed. Feel free to mix up the spices and dipping sauces & enjoy…
- 14 ounce firm tofu (1 package) diced into 1 inch cubes or triangles
- approx. 1/4 cup oil
- 1 Tablespoon fine black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Corn Starch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated Garlic powder
- Drain tofu & remove from packaging. Squeeze dry with a paper towel. Remove as much water as you can without breaking the tofu. Slice & Dice into desired size/shape. Allow the tofu to drain a little more and then toss to coat in the pepper mixture.
- Heat a saute pan on high with the oil heating. Wait until oil is hot and carefully put in the coated tofu. Be careful as oil may slightly splatter. Try to evenly space tofu in pan.
- Do not disturb the tofu for first few minutes — simply let it cook, heat and toast that first edge. When the edges start to appear browned you can flip the tofu to another side. You want to let each side sit for at least a minute – and want to make sure all sides are toasty brown and crisp.
- Remove from heat and cool on a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Serve hot or warm with your favorite dipping sauce
- For Sauces; I love either a good light flavored Soy Sauce or a mixture of spicy mustard & sweet/sour sauce – either way is delicious. If you use the Soy – maybe even go with one of those Soy Marinades, these are delicious and the right sauce just takes them up another level!
Peppered Tofu roughly inspired by Veggie Belly & Babble
And I leave you with this, Today’s Question of the Day… When you are looking for “healthy food” what is the #1 health benefit you are hoping to get from your food?