Sweet and Sour Orange Tofu

When you can’t get out to a Chinese restaurant, or want a healthier alternative made fresh in your kitchen, try this sweet and sour orange tofu.

Kids love it too, and everyone goes back for second or third helpings.

The orange sauce is delicious. We served it in bowls on a bed of rice and stir-fried cabbage.

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Ingredients

Baked Tofu

• 1 block extra-firm tofu
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch

Orange Sauce

• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
• 2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• Green onions and/or toasted sesame seeds as a garnish

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Directions

Bake the tofu
Press the tofu by wrapping it in a clean towel and leaning on it to squeeze out as much water as possible.

Cut the tofu into 1 inch cubes and mix it gently with the olive oil, tamari, and cornstarch to coat each cube in the sauce.

Spread the tofu cubes out on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 400F for 15 minutes.

Using a flapjack, flip the tofu cubes over and bake for 15 more minutes, until they are crispy and golden, then take them out of the oven.

Make the orange sauce
In a medium pot, mix all the ingredients for the sauce. Bring to a boil, then turn it down to medium-low heat and simmer for several minutes, stirring frequently, until it gets nice and thick.

Now add the baked tofu to the pot and stir to coat the tofu in the sauce. Remove from heat. Serve with green onions and/or sesame seeds sprinkled on top, with a side of rice and veggies.

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Inspiration

“The single greatest lesson the garden teaches is that our relationship to the planet need not be zero-sum, and that as long as the sun still shines and people still can plan and plant, think and do, we can, if we bother to try, find ways to provide for ourselves without diminishing the world.” – Michael Pollan

If you have your own garden or can walk by someone else’s garden today, take a moment to say hello to a particular plant or flower.

It might have an important lesson to share with you.