Toronto, where I was born and raised, has a vibrant food culture especially surrounding health based foods. I had a handful of favorite restaurants and cafes I frequented - so much so some of them knew me by name! Living in England, while the food is absolutely fab, it lacks the green smoothie, tofu boxes and loaded salad culture I sooooo crave and miss.

And yes, I know they have places like Joe and the Juice but 9 POUNDS for a smoothie??!! I’d have a heart attack!

I recently found that my favorite vegan deli has closed and I will forever miss their ‘hail-to-the-kale’ salad and cosmic cookies. Their tofu snacking sticks were a go to from their menu and hence the inspiration to create this!

I use extra firm tofu here so that it keeps its shape when cooking. I greatly enjoy the company ‘Tofoo’, purchasing multiple of their extra large pack a week! After you drain the liquid from the packaging, remove the tofu and wrap it in either paper towel or a clean kitchen cloth, pressing the block in order to remove any excess liquid. This helps the tofu really crisp up when cooking. Absolute perfection!

The cornstarch is essential in creating the glazy consistency. In order to avoid clumps, ensure that the water and sesame mixture is cold when whisking.

I pair these tofu sticks with quinoa, rice, on salads and ALL of the veggies. My favorites are edamame, cabbage, broccoli or aubergine.

Sesame Glazed Tofu Sticks

Ingredients

-1 pack firm tofu, pressed to release liquid and then sliced into 1 x 3 inch sticks.

-4 tbsp sesame oil

-2 tbsp maple syrup

-2 tbsp soy sauce

-1 tbsp cornstarch

Method

Heat a pan over medium heat.
Combine all ingredients except for the tofu and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add the cornstarch with an equal amount of water and whisk until there are no clumps and in a thin liquid consistency. Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the sesame sauce.
Place the tofu delicately into the pan, pour the sauce over and allow to cook approximately 5 minutes each side before flipping.
Serve hot or cold! Lasts up to 3 days in the fridge.