Sorry for the radio silence, kids, it’s been a busy one lately. ?The good news is that my Benjamin ?Franklin manuscript has been approved and is moving into production. ?The bad news is that I still have a ton of other things to do before my sabbatical ends and I go back to work. ?Ha. ?I developed this recipe after someone posted on the Facebook page about whether or not I had a vegan pork chop recipe. ?I did not. ?This is something like that. ?Tofu Shake n’ Bake, I guess. ?The secret is brining the tofu, and picking a tofu that is not too firm or too soft. ?Too firm will make for a dry chop, too soft will make them mushy. ?In any event, these chops taste great with a huge side of homemade applesauce.
INGREDIENTS
– 1 pkg firm or extra firm tofu, cut into 12 slices (or more)
Brine
– 2 cups cold water
– 1 tsp garlic powder
– 2 tsp onion powder
– 2 tsp smoked or seasoned salt
– 1 tbsp light soy sauce
– 1 tbsp sugar
Breading
– 1 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
– 1/2 tsp garlic powder
– 2 tsp onion powder
– 1 tsp sage
– 1 tsp paprika
– 1 tsp thyme
– 1/2 tsp salt
– 1/2 tsp ground fennel
– 1/4 tsp nutmeg
– freshly ground pepper
– 1 tbsp all purpose flour
– 2 tbsp oil
Dipping Liquid
– 1 cup plain soy milk
– 1 tsp yellow mustard
– 1/2 tsp lemon juice
– few splashes of hot sauce
METHOD
1. Mix together all the ingredients for the brine. ?Pour into a freezer bag. ?Add sliced tofu and let it brine for 2 hours in the fridge.
2. When tofu is done brining, remove it from the fridge. ?Preheat oven to 400 degrees. ?Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Mix together all of the ingredients for the breading in a large bowl. ?Place about 1/3 of it in another large bowl.
4. Mix together all of the ingredients for the dipping liquid.
5. Dip a slice of the tofu in the dipping liquid, then toss it in the bowl with the smaller amount of breading to coat. ?Place on the prepared baking sheet. ?Repeat with remaining tofu. ?Add a few more panko crumbs in if needed. ?Use one hand for dipping (wet), the other for breading (dry). ?That way you won’t muck up your breading and get it all over your fingers.
6. Carefully re-dip the breaded slices in the dipping liquid then toss in the remaining breading to coat.
7. Bake for 20 mins, flipping the tofu after 10 mins.