Do you know those tasty salt, lemon and pepper squid bites you get at the Chinese restaurant? Let's do that but vegan! With this recipe, we'll make crispy lemon and pepper tofu bites. They are oven-baked, so you can enjoy the crunch without the guilt.
As you know, tofu is not very flavourful. Some folks make fun of this. We think it's the biggest gift nature has given vegans. Tofu can take on the flavour of anything else around it, and that's what makes it such a powerful and versatile ingredient. Today, we'll infuse it with the zesty and lively flavours of pepper and lemon, then coat it with a panko breadcrumbs crust, and bake it crispy.
These tiny bites will make an excellent snack or appetizer. You can cook a big batch and then re-heat any excess in the oven before serving.
As for serving, you can keep it simple and light by sprinkling the bites with fresh lemon juice. Or go big on that favourite dipping sauce of yours! If you have never tried it before, you could try our healthy vegan tartar sauce. You can also have these lemon pepper bites with your favourite salad, or a bowl of curry rice.
The recipe itself is simple and quick. It will take less than 10 minutes of work, 20 minutes of marination time, and then 15 minutes of baking.
We used a full block of firm tofu and made around 60 bites. If we consider a portion to consist of 8 pieces, a serving will provide you with 125 calories, only 5% RDI of fats, and a tasty 18% RDI of proteins.
