Nobody’s going to pick tofu. Tofu is an always on the side lines kicking the dirt wishing it had never come because let’s be real. A hefty piece of cardboard left in the rain has more taste. The thing is though it might be even cheaper, cardboard doesn’t have the nutritional value. Tofu has 10 grams of protein in about 4 ounces and you can work with it. Subtle does nothing for bean curd. Get out your big guns–soy sauce, fresh ginger, chili sauce, citrus, garlic and green onions and give it plenty of time. A good long marinade for tofu is like an overdue vacation. You can’t work with no sleep for months on end and expect an hour to heal you. Let the tofu sit for as long as you can.
For a one pound pack: 1/4 cup soy sauce, a pour of fresh orange juice or the squeeze of a whole lime, teaspoon of garlic chili sauce, 2 garlic cloves, 3 green onions slashed into 3 inch bits, thyme sprigs for the lime or cilantro for the orange, and a spoon of raw honey. (There is no reason to buy processed honey when the good stuff is out there and it is so so good.) Cut the tofu into half inch planks and pour all of that over. Let it sit.
You can either sear it in a pan with a little oil or grease a sheet pan and roast it at 425 degrees.
I like it with soba noodles tossed with sauteed garlic, ginger, parsley, red pepper flakes and cilantro and the marinade reduced a bit before you throw it in there, and then avocado slices and a pile of greens with some sort of sassy dressing on them, all in the same bowl.