Airfryer Crispy Marinated Tofu

Happy Wednesday everyone!

I hope you all had a nice Memorial Day Weekend where you celebrated those who had fought hard for our freedom. Heros whose names we may not know but who we should thank every single day. We thank you.

Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in our own daily lives and we forget to actually give gratitude for those who deserve it most. We live wonderful lives because our freedom is protected and we have all of our past/present/future soldiers to thank for that. Be mindful, be grateful.

So in wrapping up the long holiday weekend I had some thoughts on what I should post about. I actually did not grill this year – surprisingly! – But I know a lot of people did just by looking at my #instagram feed. And I know a lot of people ate a whole lotta meat. Not that there’s anything wrong with that but I am sure folks are a little overloaded and might need a yummy dish where meat is not involved.

Tofu has become a true staple of mine. I love making it, I think it’s a great alternative to any meat and when cooked correctly, it is super delicious. I cook with tofu on a weekly basis now. I do have the airfryer to thank for that too since I usually make it crispy and delicious. 😁

I paired mine with abunch of leftovers, but it’s great with brown rice, side salad and some roastedveggies on the side.

So here is a simple recipe that with a little prep you can easily make in 15 minutes or less at home. With just 7 ingredients!

Just be mindful that tofu does have some prep involved; you basically have to drain it from most of its water for it to absorb any flavor from your marinade and to make it not mushy. It needs to be marinated for a bit, 30 minutes at least. But if you do this the day before, you have a quick meal to throw together the next day that is delicious and light!

Let me know what you all think! And if I converted you to a weekly tofu fan 😊

AIRFRYER Crispy Marinated Tofu

Ingredients:

1lb of Extra Firm Tofu

½ C Soyaki Sauce (from TJ’s)

½ Tsp Garlic Powder

½ Tsp Fish Sauce

1 Tsp Harissa Paste

½ C Panko Crumbs

Avocado Oil Spray

Draining Tofu:

1. Remove tofu from packaging and wrap in 2-3 layers of paper towels or cheese cloth (you can also wrap in a layer of paper towels and then a clean dish towel)

2. Put wrapped tofu on a plate or baking sheet and set a heavy object on top such as cast-iron skillet or a flat container with something heavy in it.

3. Let it stand and absorb as much water as possible – preferably for 2 hours or more (I usually do overnight)

Directions:

Remove paper towels/cloth from tofu and cut tofu into ½ in squares and place in a medium Tupperware container
Create the marinade by mixing the Soyaki Sauce, Garlic Powder, Fish Sauce, and Harissa Paste in a bowl (taste and add salt/pepper/more Harissa if needed)
Pour the mixture over the tofu and coat all sides
Marinate for at least 30 minutes but preferably for several hours
Remove tofu from the fridge 15 minutes prior to cooking
On a plate,sprinkle and even layer of the Panko Crumbs and one at a time, coat all the tofu and pat some of the crumbs into the tofu
Spray the airfryer with a good amount of non-stick spray
Place tofu in the airfryer in an even layer (do not overcrowd)
Cook on 400 degrees for 4 minutes
Spray non-stick spray over the tofu and flip it and cook for an additional 4 minutes at 400 degrees
Remove tofu and put it a baking sheet with a rack to prevent from getting soggy
Enjoy immediately
If saving for leftovers, wrap in paper towel and store in Tupperware in the fridge. To reheat – coat airfryer with non-stick spray and cook for 4 minutes on 400 degrees.