Embrace Tofu Wings

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I think we're past the point of tofu as punchline, right? I'm not even a vegetarian and I frickin' love decorating these plain bricks with all the spices and sauces I can imagine. Tofu does not give you anything up front, but with the right recipe it can be transformed into a signature dish, such as my infamous Diablo Tofu, which is pictured above and owes a lot to this Buffalo tofu wings recipe that I un-veganized. Here it is for you.

You need: Extra- Or Super-Firm Tofu, Flour, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Paprika, Salt, Milk, Breadcrumbs, some kind of Hot or Buffalo Sauce, Butter, plus Any Kind Of Rice and Whatever You Need To Cook The Rice.

1. Freeze a block of tofu and then thaw it in the fridge, though you don't have to do this if you didn't buy it in advance.
2. Take the tofu out, wrap it in a paper towel, and stick something heavy on top of it for 30 minutes, to dry it out. I use a skillet with my utensil holder on top. Cut up the block into 18-to-24 square-ish pieces. (More is more, in my opinion.)
3. Preheat the oven to 425.
4. In a bowl, mix 3/4 cups flour with approximately 1 cup and two tablespoons of milk. Stir in like half a tablespoon each of garlic powder, paprika, and onion powder, plus a little salt.
5. Dump breadcrumbs in another bowl. (I like panko, though that's not what I used when I took the photo.) You'll ultimately want as many as 2 cups, but only pour maybe a 1/2 cup at a time so they don't all get batter-y.
6. Put the tofu pieces in the batter and then the breadcrumbs. Really cover them as best you can. Stick them on parchment paper on an oven-ready tray (or two).
7. Bake for like 13 minutes, take 'em out, flip, and put them back in for another 13.
8. Do what you need to do to get the rice cooking in the meantime. Whatever you want!
9. Melt some butter in the microwave and mix it with a cup of your sauce. The amount of butter depends on your own preference and the spiciness of the sauce, but standard Buffalo and 4 tablespoons works well for me. You can drop it down to 2 if you're using something milder or want it to be flaming hot.
10. Take the tofu out a second time, dip each piece in the spicy mixture with some tongs, and set it back on the parchment paper. Pop 'em back in the oven for 15 more minutes.
11. Removed the finished tofu, put it on the rice, add whatever other seasonings you see fit, and serve.

Feeds one very hungry blogger or one restrained blogger and a vegetarian she is trying to impress.

Thank you for your continued support of Defector! Tomorrow: The shocking conclusion of Wings Week, plus a staff chat at 4 p.m. ET.