Pesto tofu fingers

Two of my favourite ingredients to work with are pesto and tofu, mainly because there are so many ways to use both and I love the taste.

In my mind the best way to prepare tofu is to freeze it beforehand, it changes the texture of tofu completely. If you are planning to marinate it, then it makes a world of difference. By freezing tofu, ice crystals form which create little sponge channels throughout the block. These enable the tofu to soak up much more marinade.

Vegan egg

For this I use CRACKD liquid vegan egg, you could use a flax egg or chia egg. We need this to help the crumb adhere to the tofu.

To make a flax egg, place 1 tbsp of ground flaxseed into a bowl and add 2 1/2 tsp of hot water, stir and set aside to thicken. The same for chia egg except you need 3 tbsp of hot water.

The crumb

If you are not gluten-free then you could use panko crumbs. Other ideas are crushed cornflakes or even finely crushed biscuits.

The Pesto

This recipe suits a herb based pesto, so whatever one you love. I used a homemade basil pesto. There is so many good gluten-free or vegan pesto on the market. I have added a link to a pesto recipe below.

The Tofu

This recipe is for the herb pesto, such as one based on basil, broccoli or dill. There is plenty of food vegan and gluten-free pesto on the market. I will also leave a link to some pesto recipes below.

Extra-firm tofu would be the best to use, I have cut it into squares or tear roughly into nuggets. There are a few makes that I am particularly fond of such as Dragonfly or Tofoo.

It is a good idea to press the tofu and leave it overnight.

Marinade

You need to let the flavours soak in so at least a hour or as long as overnight.

These are baked and not fried but are

• Crispy
• Delicious
• Chewy
• Adaptable

These are great with chips, salad or even in a wrap.

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• Preparation Time 3 hours with marinating
• Cooking Time 20 Minutes
• Makes 8 fingers

Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and nut-free

Recipe

• 1 Firm block of tofu
• 50g of breadcrumbs or another choice
• Zest of 1 lemon
• A few sprigs of fresh thyme or oregano
• Ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp of pesto
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Spray oil
• 2 tbsp of cornflour
• Vegan egg
• 2 tbsp of vegan parmesan (optional)

Instructions

1. The first step if to press the tofu itself. If you don’t have a tofu press the wrap in kitchen paper and place it on a board and place a heavy object on top. Change the paper if it gets too wet. If you have a press then it can be done in an hour.
2. Once the tofu has fully drained, then chop or tear as you want.
3. Place the pesto and the olive oil in an airtight container, then add the tofu and coat in the pesto. Marinade in the fridge for at least 2 hours, turning over halfway through.
4. Place your choice of vegan egg or dairy-free milk
5. Place the cornflour onto a plate, remove from tofu from the fridge and place each piece into the cornflour, making sure you coat all sides.

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If you like this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Twitter as @veganalchemist1 or my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/thegfveganalchemist I would love to see seeing your versions of the recipes from the blog. All your comments and suggestions are welcome.