Orange Ginger Tofu

I had some tofu in the freezer (great way to keep it from going bad and gives it a great texture after baking) and I decided to bake it last night for dinner when I came across this recipe that had a different kind of marinade than the usual soy sauce one.  The original recipe calls for mango chutney or mango jam, but I didn't have either of these or the another ingredient, apple cider vinegar.  However, I did have apricot jam so I used that and decided to substitute orange juice for the apple cider vinegar as a choice from the original recipe.  That's how I turned this into Orange Ginger Tofu! (I also doubled the marinade mixture.)

This recipe is adapted from here.

Ingredients:

• 1 block extra-firm tofu (recommended freezing first)
• 1/2 cup no sugar added apricot jam
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 4 tablespoons orange juice
• 2 tsp ground ginger

Directions:

1. Slice tofu into blocks.
2. Mix together all other ingredients to create the marinade.
3. Marinate tofu for at least 15 minutes or overnight. (I marinated mine overnight and it gave an amazing flavor.)
4. Place tofu onto a greased baking sheet.
5. Bake at 450F for 15-18 minutes.
6. Flip tofu over and continue to bake for 3-8 minutes.

I baked these for both the longer amounts, and then left the tofu in the oven for about 5 minutes after I turned the oven off.  The tofu came out very well done.  If you don't like soft tofu, I recommend baking it for the longer amounts.  (And maybe even a little extra, depending on your preference.  Just make sure it doesn't burn!)  My family loved the texture of the tofu and said it was their favorite I've ever made.

As I bit into the tofu, I could taste the juices flowing out; it was heaven!  These are great alone, or I chopped them into smaller pieces and threw them in a salad.