Baked Tofu and a Quick Look Back at 5778

And just like that, another year is over. Can you believe it?

Exactly a year ago, I was working at a media company and hating every minute of it. Before long, I was out the door—half my decision, half the vice president's.

One thing's for sure: professionally, this past year was unlike any other.

It was the year I decided, with a little help from that same VP, to take the plunge and work for myself.

The year I started developing recipes for major food companies. The year I launched my vegan cooking workshops. And the year I showed everyone that you can build a great physique on an entirely vegan diet.

Sure, there were moments when I felt like I was in over my head. But pretty quickly, I found my stride with the blog, veganism, cooking, and, of course, sports—the love of my life.

All that's left to say is thank you.

Thank you, 5778 (the Jewish calendar year spanning 2017–2018). You were tough, challenging, and wonderful.

Most importantly, thank you, everyone who follows this blog. I couldn't have done any of it without you.

Thanks for the comments, questions, feedback, and even the trolling. And thank you for sticking around.

I'm dying to find out what the new year has in store. Whatever happens, I know one thing: it's going to be delicious.

Okay, enough about me. Let's eat.

We're spending the holiday evening at my parents' house this year, and I'm bringing baked tofu with lots of herbs, flaxseeds, and oven-roasted vegetables.

It's festive, very easy to make, and designed to be a lighter, protein-rich main dish. And just look at it: this is the kind of colorful centerpiece that gets people talking around the holiday table.

I added lemon thyme for its incredible lemony flavor. It goes beautifully with the garlic, olive oil, and tomatoes, giving the whole dish a straight-from-the-Mediterranean feel.

All we need is a little glass of ouzo, and we're in Greece.

Can't find lemon thyme? Use another fragrant herb. It'll still be delicious, with a little something unexpected.

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How do you serve it?

This baked tofu makes a complete main course for a festive dinner. It's satisfying enough to fill you up while leaving a little room for dessert.

And, depending on your portions, you can still stay within your calorie goals.

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Nutrition information provided by Noam Behar (an Israeli fitness trainer and nutritionist).

One 300 g (10.6 oz) serving of baked tofu with vegetables

contains:

300 calories

18 g carbohydrates

12 g protein

19 g fat (including 2.5 g saturated fat)

5 g fiber

4 mg iron

Looking for another holiday-worthy tofu dish? Try the tofu patties in an amazing green sauce. 

Baked Tofu

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 28 minutes

Yield 5 servings

Ingredients

• 600 g (21 oz) tofu
• 300 g (10.6 oz) potatoes small, such as those sold in microwave-ready bags
• 200 g (7 oz) broccoli about 2 cups
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 30 g (1 oz) flaxseeds about 3 tablespoons
• 1 bunch parsley
• 1/2 hot chile pepper
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 bunch lemon thyme or another fragrant herb you love, such as tarragon, fresh za'atar, or thyme
• Juice of 1 whole lemon

Instructions

1. The night before: Cut the tofu into 5 equal pieces.
2. Pour 5 tablespoons olive oil and the lemon juice into a small, deep bowl. Add 3 crushed garlic cloves, season with a little salt, and stir.
3. Add the tofu to the marinade and refrigerate overnight so it can soak up all that flavor.
4. The next day:
5. Cook the potatoes with their skins on until almost done. Think al dente: tender, but still firm. I used microwave-ready potatoes and cooked them for 6 minutes instead of the full 8 minutes called for on the package.
6. Quarter the potatoes and transfer to a bowl.
7. Wash the broccoli thoroughly and add it to the bowl with the potatoes.
8. Pour the tofu marinade over the potatoes and broccoli and toss well.
9. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), using the convection broil setting (top heat with the fan on).
10. Spread the potatoes and broccoli on a wide, shallow baking pan.
    
11. Place in the oven for 5 minutes, until the broccoli starts to brown at the edges.
    
12. Finely chop the parsley with a little lemon thyme—really get it nice and fine—and transfer to a bowl.
13. Add the flaxseeds, juice of half a lemon, 2 crushed garlic cloves, a little chopped chile, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon water. Mix well.
    
14. Add the tomatoes and 3–4 large sprigs of lemon thyme to the pan, over the potatoes and broccoli. Arrange everything so the vegetables form a roughly even layer.
    
15. Coat each piece of tofu with the parsley-flaxseed mixture and set it on top of the vegetables.
    
16. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are lightly browned.

A Little Extra

For an extra touch, scatter a few blanched almonds over the top.