Has it been three months since I posted last? Ooops, I guess so.
Well, I’ll start off 2019 with a bang. This tofu has a low-in-refined-carbs coating, made with ground almonds and polenta. No flour or panko, and baked instead of fried. Why do I care? Because I’ve modified my diet a bit over the past several months and found that reducing those kind of refined carbs/processed ingredients makes me feel better, although it poses a bit of a challenge in the creativity department. Will that stay? For now, yes. Into that? Let’s go!
Grind almonds in a Vitamix, but just to a powder/coarse grind. Don’t make almond butter! Season with whatever you want—I used garlic and onion powders with some nooch for a little umami here. Polenta adds a little crunch and textural contrast. Coat tofu cubes evenly in the coating, tapping off any extra.
Spray with a little oil on all sides, then bake to crispy perfection.
I threw all of this into a bowl, but everything can easily be tucked into a taco.
If you are into the bang bang part, check out my Bang Bang Cauliflower and Bang Bang Shrimp recipes.
Double the sauce especially if you are into dunking.
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Bang Bang Tofu Taco Bowl
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
for the tofu
- 1 cup almonds, ground in a blender (do not ground down to a butter, some uneven/coarse pieces are fine)
- 1/4 cup polenta
- 1 TB nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 TB Ener-G (or your favorite vegan egg substitute)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 package firm tofu, cut into 1X1-inch cubes
- cooking spray
for the tomatoes
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- pinch of sea salt
- 1 tsp olive oil
- a few dashes of coconut vinegar
for the bang bang sauce
- 1/2 cup vegan mayo
- 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
- 1 TB sriracha or sambal
- juice of half a lime
to serve
- 1/2 cup each of mandolined red and green cabbage
- 1 avocado, cubed
- 1 TB minced red onion
- cilantro
- pickled jalapenos
- lime wedges
Instructions
for the tofu
- Preheat oven to 425.
- Combine the ground almonds, polenta, nooch, garlic and onion powders and salt together in a shallow baking dish.
- In a separate dish, whisk the Ener-G and water together.
- Dip the tofu cubes into the vegan egg wash, then coat in the almond mixture, ensuring even coverage and tapping off any extra.
- Place onto a greased baking sheet and spray all sides with the cooking spray.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, flipping when the bottoms are golden.
- Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until golden all over, respraying as needed with the cooking spray. Remove from oven.
for the tomatoes
- Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and allow to marinate for 10 minutes.
for the bang bang sauce
- Combine all sauce ingredients, set aside.
to serve
- Distribute vegetables between two bowls. Top with tomatoes and tofu, with the bang bang sauce on the side.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
- Method: Baked, Marinated
- Cuisine: American
