Dinner, Snack, Vegan, Vegetarian
Baked Tofu
Baked Tofu Bites

Nutrition info:
Vegan
Vegetarian

Rich in protein, calcium, iron

Ahh tofu. Some love it, some hate it. For kids, I think it’s the perfect snack or side, because you can pretty much make it taste like nothing at all, or you can inject whatever flavours your veggie babies like best.

Perfecting tofu is the hard part though. I used to fry the heck out of it, only to be left with the crispy parts stuck to my (non-stick) pan, burnt bits and soggy nuggets. So, after tossing my messy, burnt frying pan into the sink for the last time, I decided to BAKE my tofu. And it worked! Extra-firm tofu seems to work best. 

The most important part of your tofu prep is making sure it’s been pressed of mostly all its water, otherwise, you’ll just have soggy tofu, and your toddlers are not going to eat it. Trust me!

So, what I first like to do is cut the tofu into thirds BEFORE pressing it, so that I have more surface area and therefore more chances to get the water out.

Then, I place the tofu pieces on a lint-free tea towel or stack of paper towels, and cover it again with another tea towel or more paper towels. On top of all that, I place a pan or second cutting board, topped with something heavy, like a couple of unopened cans of chickpeas or diced tomatoes, to put some weight on the tofu to help squeeze out all the water. I will try to press my tofu for at least 30 minutes, and I change the towels half-way through because they are usually soaked.

You can also buy a tofu press, which apparently works really well. But what’s the fun in that?

Once you’ve drained the water from your tofu, you’re ready to go! Cut your tofu into bite-sized cubes.

Ingredients

1 block extra-firm tofu, pressed (see above), and cut up into small cubes
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp tamari (optional)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place your cubed tofu in a bowl and coat in olive oil, then tamari, if using, then finally, the cornstarch. Bake for about 30 minutes, turning over half-way through.

Add salt and pepper to taste, or soy sauce, peanut sauce, hummus, even ketchup! — whatever your veggie baby prefers.

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