Baked tofu and broccoli slaw

I will never forget the night my sister-in-law (hi Shetha!) had us over for dinner and served this meal. I had never heard of broccoli slaw so I thought she spent hours julienning veggies, and it tasted like she sprinkled magic into the sauce. Something really comes together with the flavors and textures in this meal, and makes more than the sum of its parts. Erik and I ate an unseemly amount of it, and I vowed to recreate it at home.

This recipe is a simple one but it requires some prep work. I highly recommend pressing the tofu. If you do that the night before, you can marinate the tofu in the morning and it should be ready to bake when you get home from work.

Baked tofu and broccoli slaw

vegan, gluten-free

serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 box firm, water-packed tofu (should be about 14 oz. You can use extra firm or soft if you like.)
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, run through a press or diced
• 1/4 C wheat-free tamari
• 1/4 C brown sugar
• juice of 1 big lime
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 C uncooked short-grained rice (white or brown)
• 1 bag broccoli slaw (approximately 12 oz)
• sesame seeds and sliced green onion for garnish

Directions

• Press the tofu overnight. You can use a tofu press or fold a few paper towels above and under the tofu, and weigh it down with a plate and a couple of cans.
• Mix everything from the sesame oil through the rice wine vinegar in a wide, shallow container. Slice tofu into 12 equal slabs, place in mixture and marinade for at least 4 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375.
• Cook the rice according to package directions.
• Oil a baking sheet, place tofu in a single layer, with plenty of space around each. Bake for 15 minutes, flip, bake for 15 minutes more.
• Pour reserved marinade and broccoli slaw in a bowl, mixing carefully to coat. Mix again every 10 minutes while the rice is cooking and the tofu is baking; this will help "cook" the slaw a little.
• Serve a scoop of rice, three slices of tofu, and a bunch of slaw, drizzled with extra marinade. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.