Chimichurri Baked Tofu

I've never heard of Chimichurri before but after looking it up, I found that it is very popular in Argentina and served with most proteins. It's said to be Argentina's version of pesto. This recipe is from my Viva Vegan cookbook ( I've been cooking a lot from it lately, too many good dishes! ). When making the sauce, it smelled really strong in vinegar and shallot..I was afraid that I was not going to like it. But after baking, the taste of the sauce completely changed and was not as strong as it once smelled.

Other ways to eat the sauce are in sandwiches, paired with empanadas and dabbed onto grilled tempeh and seitan. Also, like I've suggested before, if you chose to make it with tofu, I like to marinate it the night before, allowing the tofu to absorb the sauce as much as possible.

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Serves 4, two slices each of tofu
Time : About 55 minutes

Ingredients
* 1 pound extra-firm tofu
* 2 Tb olive oil
* 1 Tb soy sauce
* Chimichurri Sauce with Smoked Paprika ( See Below )

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Slice the tofu into eight 1/2 inch thick slices and dab the slices dry with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel. In a shallow glass 9x12 inch baking dish, combine the olive oil and soy sauce. Lay a tofu slice in the baking dish, pressing it into the sauce mixture. Repeat with the remaining slices and bake for 30 minutes, flipping once, until the slices are beginning to brown on the edges. Remove from the oven but don't turn the oven off.

2. With a rubber spatula or large spoon, spread about a third of the chimichurri sauce evenly and completely over the tops of the tofu. Flip the slices and spread another third or slightly more on top of the tofu. If desired, use a fork to poke holes through the tofu, pressing a little bit of sauce into the center of the pieces. Bake for another 25 minutes, until the tofu is firm and the edges are golden brown. Bake longer if an even chewier texture is desired. Serve the tofu hot with remaining chimichurri sauce.



Chimichurri Sauce with Smoked Paprika
Makes about 1 1/2 cups sauce
Time : Less than 10 minutes

Ingredients
* 4 cloves garlic, chopped
* 2 large shallots, chopped
* 1 large bunch flat leaf ( Italian ) parsley, thick stems removed
* 1/3 cup olive oil
* 3 Tb red wine vinegar
* 1 tsp smoked sweet paprika
* 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
* 1 tsp dried basil
* 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, or more to taste
* 1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions
1. Place the garlic, shallots and parsley into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Stream in the olive oil, red wine vinegar, paprika, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, and sea salt, and pulse until creamy. Taste the sauce and adjust with more salt or red wine vinegar, if desired. Store in a tightly covered container and keep chilled until ready to use.