Smoky Tofu Sandwiches

Wow, it is incredible what a bit of sleep can do for you.

The good news is that Baby P is now home from the NICU but he has grown up enough such that his previous 3 hour around the clock feeding schedule didn’t come home with him. It was closer to every 2 hours when we were discharged home and let me tell you, when feeding can take 30-45 minutes and followed by a 20 minute pumping session, this doesn’t leave a lot of time before the cycle resumes once again.

Thankfully the last few days have been a bit calmer at night following his evening “witching hour”. Rob has also been helping with one feed at night, which has helped tremendously. Lookee here, I am actually writing a blog post!

While I haven’t really been cooking these past few weeks (sometimes I am a sous-chef, as I sit at the counter and chop vegetables), I have been lucky to still be eating good food. (Thanks Mom! Thanks Rob!)

When I saw Kari’s Spicy + smoky tofu open sandwich, I knew this could be simple enough to tackle. Fresh from the stovetop, it was perfect. Crispy and warm, sweet yet salty. As Kari astutely put it, “Simple. but amazing”. We didn’t add as much sriracha, so this actually wasn’t that spicy.

We went with classic sandwich fixings (sliced tomato, pickle, spinach and vegan garlic mayonnaise) but Rob knew what would make it incredible: cooked beets. He claimed it always makes for delicious sandwiches. We used some leftover horse radish-beet salad, and it was a lovely combination. Rob was right. Bring on the sandwiches! (PS. the tofu was best fresh and warm).

 

I am sharing this with Meat Free Mondays and Credit Crunch Munch.

Smoky Tofu Sandwiches
Adapted from Bited Sized Thoughts

350 g – 1 lb block extra firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch slices
Drizzle of oil
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sriracha, or to taste
1 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp water

Sandwich fixings and bread, to serve

1. In a large non-stick pan over high heat, drizzle with a touch of oil. Once hot, place tofu slices in a single layer. Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until golden. Flip and fry on the other side until golden and beginning to crisp.

2. Meanwhile, mix together the liquid smoke, soy sauce, sriracha, maple syrup and water.

3. Once the tofu is crisping up, reduce heat to medium-low and pour the marinade onto the tofu. Shake the pan so that the marinade coats every piece. Cook another 5-10 minutes until everything is absorbed and the tofu is browned. Remove from heat.

4. Use the tofu as-is (snack time!) or add to your favourite sandwich fixings.

Makes 4 sandwiches.