Serves 4
From my upcoming cookbook, The 29-Minute Vegan. Yes, 3 recipes in YES 29 minutes, yes even for Thanksgiving. Or honestly any chilly evening.
I love this method of baking tofu. It’s cut on a bias for unexpected texture, and sort of a “carved” appeal. Then it’s oven baked with a simple marinade that works like a charm. The tofu sucks up the juices, the edges get crispy and the interior stays nice and juicy. And you don’t have to tediously pick and chop thyme leaves, norrrr do you need to resort to dried thyme (not that there’s anything wrong with that!). Whole thyme sprigs flavor the marinade with minimum effort, just by being there.
While that’s all baking down below, the gravy action is happening up above on the stovetop. Mushroom gravy never fails us. Here, it’s thickened with flour and sautéed in vegan butter for extra richness. On the side, a little 4-ingredient arugula salad gets the cranberry vibes going.
Can you really get this done in 29 minutes? Absolutely! The key is to get your oven preheating right away, then work on the gravy while the tofu bakes. Pre-sliced mushrooms don’t hurt, either. Follow the timing in the directions and everything will come together at once. And if it takes you a few extra minutes? Don’t sweat it, it’s still a fast, easy meal that’s lots of fun.
Serve with mashed potatoes, or stuffing, or simply some crusty bread.
Baked Tofu Turki With Mushroom Gravy & Cranberry Arugula Salad
Ingredients
For the Smoky Tofu:
- 2 14 oz blocks extra firm tofu
For the Marinade:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 8 whole thyme sprigs
- 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
For the Mushroom Gravy:
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 1/4 cup vegan butter or refined coconut oil
- 10 oz package sliced cremini mushrooms
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
For the Salad
- 8 oz baby arugula
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 F.
- To carve tofu, stand the block on its side. Using a sharp 8-inch knife, slice 8 to 10 diagonal pieces about 1/4 inch thick (but purposefully uneven), starting from the top corner and working your way across. The slices will be a little wonky, but that's the beauty of it, it looks like carved roast! Use every bit, including that corner piece (as seen in the pic).
- Combine marinade ingredients on a rimmed baking sheet, including whole thyme sprigs. Smash the garlic and add it in as well. Dredge tofu slices in marinade then place in as single a layer as possible. Bake for 10 minutes. Flip and bake another 10 minutes, dredging in marinade as you flip. It should be crispy on the edges and golden brown.
In the meantime, prepare the gravy and salad.
- Preheat a 2 quart pot over medium heat. Rough chop the onion and saute the onion with a big pinch of salt in the butter for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add mushrooms, garlic, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper and saute for about 5 more minutes, until mushrooms have released their moisture.
- In a small bowl, mix the flour with about 1 cup of the vegetable broth until well dissolved. Then add the remaining broth and mix.
- Add the broth/flour mix to the pot. Stir often until nice and thickened, about 7 minutes. In the meantime, toss together all salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Done!
- Plate everything up, 4 slices of tofu per plate, gravy over the top and salad on the side.
