A few months ago I whipped up a balsamic dressing so good, it made cabbage sexy.
Okay, okay, so maybe my cabbage didn’t turn out to be Bradley Cooper or Ryan Gosling, but you know what I mean – it turned something drab and boring into a dish that’s pretty exciting (to my tastebuds, at least).
I figured, if it can help cabbage (cabbage!), then it can also probably sexify one of the most bland things in the world: tofu.
Of course, if you’re a long-time reader of my blog, you know that I consider tofu as anything but bland. I called it the little black dress of proteins, for goodness’ sake! It’s very versatile, easy to prepare, and really one of my favorite things to eat.
I saw a recipe on Kalyn’s Kitchen for baked tofu, which was inspired by Mark Bittman’s recipe. I followed the cooking instructions but used the same balsamic glaze I made for my roasted red cabbage. To punch up the flavors a little bit more, instead of just plain extra virgin olive oil, I used a flavored olive oil (Herbs de Provence from Boston Olive Oil & Co.), and instead of regular red pepper flakes, I used bird’s eye chili flakes.
I served the baked tofu with roasted asparagus and brown rice, and it made for a fantastic dinner. The leftovers were pretty good the next day, too.
If you like tofu, you might want to try my other tofu recipes like tofu salad, spicy barbecue tofu nuggets, and green beans, butternut squash, and tofu in coconut milk.
And if you ever need a glaze or a dressing for protein or veggies, try this sweet and spicy balsamic mixture. I’m thinking of naming it as the Ryan Gosling Glaze. (Maybe someday it’ll save a life too.)
I love baked tofu! The balsamic glaze sounds awesome!
Today is tofu day, apparently! I actually never bake it – must try that AND this excellent sounding glaze!
Oh yum. I love tofu – I can’t stand it when people complain about it and have never actually tried it! Your glaze sounds so good!
Looks tasty, i love how you enhanced the flavors.
I like tofu, but I usually run out of ideas in how to make it. I’ll have to give this a try, love balsamic!
I have not yet baked tofu but always wanted to. It seems so easy. I’ll try your recipe as I love balsamic!
I have never tried baking tofu, I always just pan fry it. This looks like a great recipe to infuse lots of flavor into the tofu!
I’m meh on tofu, but the glaze sounds awesome.
What a great way to serve tofu. I always just end up eating it in stir fries, but I’m trying to branch out. Tofu is really growing on me!
This looks great. I love new ways to prepare tofu!
This tofu looks delicious, I have a block of organic frim tofu at home and now I know how I am cooking it!
Balsamic glaze IS surprisingly just as sexy as Ryan Gosling, isn’t it? I love tofu to begin with, but I’d ESPECIALLY love it smothered in balsamic!
What a great way to prepare tofu! This looks delicious!
Mmmmm I’ve never thought of smothering it in balsamic vinegar. I think that I could eat if more often if I did! Thank you for the recipe.
I’ve never done baked tofu, but this looks amazing! Thanks for the inspiration!
What a great way to elevate tofu to a new level! I usually just throw it in a soup or stir fry, so I like the idea of it being the star of the dish!
OMG, it is raining tofu here!! Loved the concept of baked tofu. This looks wonderful as well. I have a really strong urge to pinch that yummy bit of tofu off the plate! Great post.
Wow, this baked tofu looks so good!
I’m totally in love with this dish. I usually just fry some tofu in a pan and then dip them in soy sauce but I really should stop doing that and try this out. It looks so flavorful!