tofu Archives -

It was my mom’s last radiation therapy appointment and I had wanted to be there with her to hear the doctor’s thoughts on her follow-up cancer care. We were running a bit behind and as I quickened my pace to hurry on ahead, I fell. Hard. Terribly and frighteningly hard. Face first apparently, although I don’t remember the fall. I remember the pain, and for a quick second I thought I might have become paralyzed. The moment my mind regained consciousness I was unable to move a single muscle in my body. To my relief, that feeling was brief. The next thing I knew I was being whisked away to the ER for concussion treatment. The bump on my forehead was about the size of a golf ball, but by some miracle the CT scan showed no internal brain injuries. The whole experience shook me up, put things back into a healthy perspective, and I am overwhelmingly thankful. Recovery has been a bit rougher than I had expected though. While in the healing stage, there is to be no exercise, limited screen time, and a general carefulness not to overstimulate the brain. I am continuing to struggle with lingering headaches and vision problems, but despite all of this, I am immensely grateful.

This Easy Baked Tofu with Soba noodles is one of our new favorite simple weekday meals. Ryan used to be a tofu skeptic, but he has since come around after discovering how flavorful it can be. The whole family loves this dish and the best part is that it only requires only a few ingredients and a few minutes of prep time. After the tofu is baked, it becomes golden brown and crispy around the edges and pairs perfectly with the sesame soba noodles. The key to achieving golden and crisp tofu is leaving enough space between each piece of tofu as it bakes. If the pan is overcrowded, the cooking process becomes more similar to steaming and the tofu will still be flavorful, but the edges will remain soft. This simple and delicious dish can be enjoyed warm or at room temperature.

Easy Baked Tofu with Soba Noodles

Ingredients

For the tofu:

1 pound block firm tofu
1½ tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
1½ tablespoons ketchup
1½ tablespoons toasted sesame oil

For the soba noodles:

9 ounces soba noodles (3 3-oz. bundles), cooked
1½ tablespoons soy sauce
1½ tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
¼ cup chopped scallions

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400.
Cut the tofu into ½-inch cubes and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet.
Whisk together the tamari, ketchup, and sesame oil. Pour over the tofu and use a rubber spatula to turn and evenly coat each piece of tofu.
Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, using a metal spatula to gently flip the tofu once or twice for even baking.
While the tofu is baking, whisk together the soy sauce, olive oil, and sesame oil for the soba noodles.
Pour the soy sauce mixture over noodles and toss to coat. Add the baked tofu and scallions and toss once again. Garnish with additional green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.

Notes

adapted from The Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health