As someone who has dabbled in vegetarian and vegan cuisine for over a decade, I must admit, I’m not the biggest tofu fan. I probably only eat it a few times a year, but when I do it’s nearly always some version of this recipe.

I find myself making a spicy, crispy edged tofu of my own when the mood strikes. What I like about this recipe compared to lots of tasteless, spongy blobs of tofu, is that it has tons of punchy flavor (thanks to the trifecta of tamari or soy sauce, sriracha, and sesame oil), a good crispy/chewy texture, and goes well with any Asian-inspired vegetables.

I like eating it during my follicular phase (the phase right after your period), when your bod is building up your estrogen levels. Because soy is a controversial ingredient, I try to buy non-GMO organic tofu (which is still SUPER cheap).

Here I serve it with sweet potato noodles (I made mine with a spiralizer, but you can make them with a julienne peeler too) and kale that I stir-fried. I prep the tofu first and while that’s in the oven, everything else comes together.

This recipe has 11 ingredients (10 if you leave out the optional cilantro) and will come together in about 20 minutes of active cooking. I recommend making the tofu as part of a weekly meal prep sesh and adding it to your sweet potato noodles (or any other vegetable stir fry) for a super-fast weeknight dinner.

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Sweet Potato Noodles with Crispy Spicy Tofu

Servings 2

Ingredients

Crispy Spicy Tofu

• 1 block of extra firm tofu
• 2 tablespoons tamari
• 2 tablespoons sriracha
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

Sweet Potato Noodles

• 2 small or 1 large sweet potato
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil or other neutral oil
• 4 scallions thinly sliced
• 1- inch piece of ginger grated on a microplane or finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons tamari
• 2 cups thinly sliced kale leaves
• Fresh cilantro optional

Instructions

For Tofu

1. Preheat oven to 400°F and prepare a baking tray by lining it with a piece of parchment paper. Remove tofu from packaging and press between paper towels to remove excess moisture.
2. Combine tamari, sriracha, and sesame oil in a medium-sized bowl and mix together until combined.
3. Tear or cut (I prefer tearing) the block of tofu into 1-inch pieces and toss in the marinade. Scatter tofu onto a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Take the baking sheet out, flip tofu pieces, and return to the oven. Bake for another 15 minutes.

For Noodles

1. Make sweet potato noodles either using a vegetable spiralizer, mandoline, or julienne vegetable peeler.

2. Heat avocado oil in a large pan with high sides over a medium-high heat. Add scallions and cook for 2 minutes. Then add ginger and cook, stirring for 30 seconds. 

3. Add sweet potato noodles, a pinch of salt and about a tablespoon of water and stir. Cover and let cook for about 3 to 4 minutes until slightly tender. 

4. Remove lid and add the brown rice vinegar, tamari, and kale. Cook, stirring, for 1-2 more minutes until kale is wilted and sweet potato is tender.

5. Divide sweet potato and kale into bowls and top with tofu and cilantro.