Popcorn Chik'n

Tonight was family night. My parents just got back from Florida so we decided to have a nice home cooked meal all together. Now I am the only one in my family that is vegan but my family definitely is not against trying my food out. My mom usually makes a non-vegan option with veggies and potatoes that I can eat and then I make a protein vegan option to go with the veggies. For tonights veggies we had sautéed broccoli and mushrooms and roasted potatoes.

I have had a couple trial and errors with making a "chicken" substitute and I finally nailed it this time around. Some tips include the following:

• Bake the tofu then use an air fryer to finish cooking (if you do not have an air fryer available fry with oil on the stove).

• Marinade the tofu before breading.

• Spice the bread crumbs to add flavor.

• Make sure to cook the tofu till tender, not mushy, in order to get the "chicken" consistency.

I used a lemon ginger marinade to start because I was looking for subtle flavor but feel free to use any kind of marinade you prefer. Next time I make this I am going to try buffalo marinade because I LOVE spicy (which is why I made spicy mayo as a dipping sauce).

Popcorn Chik'n

Duration: 1 hour

3 Servings

Ingredients:

Marinade:

• 2 tbsp lemon juice

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp ginger powder

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

Popcorn Chik'n

• 1 Block of pressed tofu

• 1 1/2 cups of kosher bread crumbs

Spicy Mayo:

• 3 tbsp Vegenaise Mayo

• 1/2 tbsp chipotle chili powder (add more based on spicy preference)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix ingredients for marinade in a small bowl.

3. Break tofu into crumbs to represent popcorn "chicken"

4. Pour marinade mix over tofu crumbs, make sure each piece is covered with marinade.

5. Let sit for 10-15 minutes.

6. When tofu is done marinading, add bread crumbs to a small bowl and coat the tofu pieces. Separate the tofu on a baking pan.

7. Bake the tofu for 30 minutes, flipping half way through.

8. Transfer baked tofu into air fryer, set air fryer to 350 degrees on "nugget" setting which air fries the tofu for exactly 8 minutes.

9. For the spicy mayo, mix chipotle chili powder into mayo.

10. Serve and enjoy!