Tofu

I'm vegan but am not a big fan of tofu.  I think I just haven't experimented with it enough.  Tonight, I began experimenting with a recipe of my own. 

A local all natural, health foods store makes their own tofu, and I've heard it's fabulous.  I've tried it on a sandwich that they make and it was delicious.  I just wasn't sure how well I could prepare it.  But, I thought I'd be adventurous this week.

I've made chicken tenders for the kids for many years.  My breadcrumb mix is pretty yummy and I thought I could coat  my tofu in the mixture I usually use for chicken.  I don't ever measure for this recipe, but here are the approximates.  Feel free to change up the amounts or ingredients to suit your tastes.

Breading
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (can be dairy or non-dairy)
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Wet mixture
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk, or other non-diary milk

Press the tofu to drain the excess liquid.  Slice into small nugget-sized shapes (about 1 inch by 2 inches).  Dip into the pumpkin mixture and dredge into the breadcrumbs.  Repeat.  Press some of the breadcrumbs to adhere if it they fall off.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes, checking to make sure they don't burn.  Eat with ketchup and enjoy!

They had a healthy coating on them, as you can see, but they were very yummy!  Even my oldest son liked them.  The baby loved them!  Probably because he could dip them in ketchup.  He loves to dip his food, especially into ketchup.  I should have taken a picture of him enjoying them, but I was enjoying mine too much to stop eating and grab the camera. 

And, thanks to my oldest son for taking the pictures.  I think he did a great job, don't you?

Oh, and I couldn't taste the pumpkin at all.  They really were fabulous and I can't wait to eat them tomorrow as leftovers.