So oddly enough after almost 5 years of being vegetarian the only thing I miss is chicken wings! Not bacon, steak, ham or thanksgiving turkey- but spicy, messy, medium buffalo chicken wings. On one occasion I caved in and ate a chicken wing and was very disappointed- turns out it was the buffalo sauce I was missing and so I sought out a new vessel for the sauce. Making your own buffalo tofu is arguably better tasting and decidedly better for you, the environment, your wallet and our feathered friends.
So far I have used buffalo tofu on a sandwiches, wraps and pizza! I will share the recipes for all 3 :)
To prepare the tofu..
You will need
- Extra firm tofu ($1.79 at Trader Joe's)
- Buffalo/chicken wing sauce of your choice...Franks is pretty good but I like Wing-Time (Whole Foods Market $3ish dollars
- Flour
- salt, pepper, paprika (optional)
- olive oil
Directions
- slice the extra firm tofu (make sure you have pressed as much water as possible
- for a sandwich cut into large, medium-thin slices (about 4 slices/block)
- for wraps, cut into medium sized cubes
- for pizza, cut into small cubes
- toss the tofu in a mixture of flour, salt, pepper, paprika (optional)
- for a sandwich we just flour each side of the slice by putting it down on a plate of flour and flipping it over until both sides are coated
- for the wraps or pizza we put the cubes and the flour in a large zip-lock or tupperware and shake until cubes are evenly coated
- heat up oil in frying pan and cook tofu until golden brown
- add sauce and cook to desired consistency (we have also tried this using BBQ sauce and stir-fry sauce! SO GOOD!)
The Sandwich
You will need
- whole grain bread
- sliced lettuce, tomato, onions
- cheese (I used manchego which is sheeps milk cheese)
- 1tbsp ranch dressing (I used Newmans Own)
- a few avocado slices
Directions
- While the tofu was cooking I sliced a few pieces of cheese and put it on my bread and popped it in the toaster oven, cheese facing up obviously
- then I took it out, added the lettuce, onions, tomatoes, avocado and ranch
- topped it off with my tofu slices and enjoyed immensely!
I served it with a cucumber salad I made using chunks of cucumber, tomato and onion seasoned with fresh rosemary and oregano with a little bit of olive oil and tomato balsamic vinegar. The cucumber cooled my mouth after eating the spicy sandwich.
The Wrap
You will need...
- wraps of your choice, I like two taco sized tortillas rather than one burrito sized and Trader Joes's has this sun-dried tomato habanero wrap that I am really into.
- lettuce, onions, avocado, ranch dressing, shredded carrots
Directions
- simply lay our your wrap(s) and assemble it with all the desired veggies, dressings and tofu cubes
- tip: lose the tortillas for a great salad!
The Pizza
You will need...
- pizza dough (I use Trader Joe's herb crust $1.00)
- tomato sauce or marinara sauce (I use Trader Joe's tomato sauce and doctor it up with Mrs. Dash Italian seasonings and crushed garlic)
- Mozzarella cheese (the fresh stuff is so worth it! Trader Joe's pre sliced fresh mozzarella is about $4)
- Shredded cheese
- Buffalo sauce
- Desired vegetables (I use onions, mushrooms and peppers)
Directions
- prepare your dough as instructed on the package (I make mine on the thinner side)
- add desired amount of sauce and cheese, evenly distributed (I go lighter on the cheese and sauce for buffalo pizza)
- top with desired vegetables (stop right here and pop in the oven for a great easy veggie pizza!)
- top with small buffalo tofu cubes
- drizzle with extra buffalo sauce
- sprinkle with shredded cheese
- bake according to instructions on dough package
I really hope you try and enjoy all three of these as much as I have! It really is cheaper and easier than you probably imagined! This, or a variation thereof is a weekly staple in our house. Sometimes we make a big batch of it and I bring it to work in wrap or salad form for lunch all week
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