Tofu dippers

What is it with kids and chicken nuggets? I know that my kids love them. Yuck. Not sure the last time I ate a chicken nugget but my guess is that mullets were in style at the time. Hence, the picture  below.... 
In case you have been living under a rock, (or are not on Facebook) you may or may not have seen the following picture:

Chicken "paste"...all the crap that is leftover after they take the meat off the bones

Here is a short video describing the above image:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T67DvoH2H3E&feature=fvwrel


Despite that pink heap in the above picture, I am not opposed to my kids having homemade chicken nuggets with actual chicken and void of mechanically separated by products, but you will never catch me making it. :)
In short: the tofu nugget is making an appearance. Tofu is a fabulous meat alternative with lots of protein and calcium and pretty much takes on the flavor of whatever food you put it in. I tried to make something similar to this a few years back, but the recipe (or me) failed miserably.  I found this other version on a vegetarian website called:
compassion over killing www.cok.net


My kids like things that they think are junky or anything with a batter that appears to be fried. Hopefully this is a score with the crispy coating.


"Chicken" Nuggets


1- 14 ounce package of extra firm tofu
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
salt, to taste
1/2 cup water


1) Preheat the oven to 350°F.


2) Unwrap the tofu and shake off any excess moisture. Place the tofu in a freezer bag or wrap well in plastic, then freeze the sealed tofu for at least 24 hours.

The next day, thaw the tofu by placing it—unwrapped—into a microwave-safe bowl. 

frozen tofu. scary looking, I know.

Cover the bowl and microwave on high to defrost, checking every 2 to 3 minutes to make sure the tofu doesn’t cook. Once thoroughly defrosted, gently squeeze out any excess moisture. Cut into 1-inch cubes.

3) In a shallow bowl, add the bread crumbs and spices, mixing well. 

The goods

4) In a separate bowl, pour 1/2 cup of water.

5) Dip each piece of tofu first into the water, lightly shake off any excess water, and then roll into the seasoned bread crumbs.

6) Put the breaded tofu cubes on a lightly sprayed baking pan and bake 30 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.

Crunch

7) Serve with a dipping sauce. I used a mango Caribbean sauce.

Thought about doing straight ketchup for dipping. Boring.

The verdict

Although they do not taste like chicken nuggets (thank god), they were really good. As I mentioned, the crunch factor pretty much guarantees that they will be acceptable fare in this household. Everyone ate and dipped, especially dear Devyn who polished off the final crumbs.