Baked or Pan-Fried Almond-Crusted Tofu Triangles

Ingredients

For the triangles:

• One
  
  14- or 15-ounce block extra-firm tofu, pressed if possible to remove some moisture
  
• 1
  
  tablespoon vegetable oil (if pan-frying)
  
• 1
  
  cup commercial almond meal (like Bob’s Red Mill) or homemade almond meal (simply grind a heaping cup of almonds to a fine meal in the food processor)
  
• 2
  
  tablespoons nutritional yeast
  
• 1/2
  
  teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika
  
• 1/2
  
  teaspoon sea salt
  
• 1/4
  
  teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  
• 1/2
  
  teaspoon garlic powder
  

For the marinade:

• 1/3
  
  cup water
  
• 2
  
  tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
  
• 1
  
  tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  
• 1
  
  tablespoon Dijon mustard
  
• 2
  
  teaspoons cornstarch or tapioca starch
  

Directions

1. If you’d like to bake the tofu, preheat your oven to 350° F.
2. To prepare the tofu, cut the block into four large cubes, and then cut each in half diagonally to create 8 triangles. Whisk the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl and add the tofu pieces. Cover and marinate for at least 2 hours and up to 8.
3. Mix together the almond coating ingredients (from almond meal to garlic powder) in a mixing bowl. Coat each piece of tofu in the coating mixture. Transfer the tofu pieces to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pieces are golden brown, flipping once halfway through baking.
4. Alternately, you can heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large, cast-iron skillet. Add the tofu triangles and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.