Baked Tofu Sticks with Three Dipping Sauces

These tofu sticks are wonderfully simple--just throw them in the oven and forget about them.  There's no need to marinate or press: the sauces give you all the other flavor you need, and the dry heat of the oven ensures a great firm and crispy texture.  Don't skip the onion salt; it makes a difference.

Tofu Sticks, warm and crispy

Baked Tofu Sticks:

Ingredients:
1 lb firm or extra-firm tofu
cooking spray or oil
about 1/8 to 1/4 tsp onion salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray or oil. Slice tofu into roughly finger-size sticks. Arrange them on the cookie sheet. Feel free to pack them close together; just try not to have them actually touching each other. Spray or brush tops lightly with more oil.

Bake for 25 minutes, flip them, and then bake 15-20 minutes more, until they are golden brown and crispy on both sides. While they are still hot, sprinkle them evenly with onion salt, tossing them around to make sure they are evenly coated.

Serve warm with one or more of the following sauces:

Peanut Sauce

Peanut Sauce:

Ingredients:
3 tbsp peanut butter
1tbsp lime or lemon juice
1/4 cup soymilk or coconut milk
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp curry powder
4 tsp sugar or sweetener
1 tsp agave nectar (optional)
1 tsp soy sauce
dash of cinnamon
Water to thin sauce

Directions:
Mix ingredients together; heat sauce until warm. Add water if necessary (it probably will be) to thin it to a dip-able consistency.
This sauce is also good in Asian style pasta dishes.

Lemon Sauce

Lemon Sauce:

Ingredients:
3-4 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar or sweetener
1/4 cup water
2-3 tsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp turmeric
Dash of cinnamon
up to 1/2 tsp of lemon or orange zest (optional-use half if dried)




Directions:
Mix together all ingredients. Cook for 1-3 minutes on stove top or in microwave until thickened.

This sauce is also very good in stir fries--just double the recipe and add it right to your frying pan/wok when the veggies are almost done.


 
"Ranch" Sauce:

Ranch style dipping sauce

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp vegan sour cream or plain vegan yogurt
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp dill weed
a dash of lemon pepper
a dash of beau monde seasoning
a dash of dried parsley or chives (optional)
soymilk, water or lemon juice for thinning (optional)

Directions:
Whisk ingredients together. Thin it to a more dip-able consistency, if you like, with one of the listed options. You can add any other herbs or spices that sound good to you, such as tarragon or perhaps nutmeg, and leave out any that don't. It's pretty flexible.




This turned out pretty nice. The little assortment of sauces made a quick and easy meal more fun and interesting.