Quick and Easy Buffalo Tofu Appetizer

This is a great vegetarian substitute for buffalo wings; it's also much more affordable than buying chicken wings, and meat eaters love it too. If you want to spend more time on it, you can make your own sauce and breadcrumbs, but I'm often looking for a quick potluck meal, and this is an easy, fast recipe that always gets great reviews.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 12 mins
• Total Time: 32 mins
• Calories: 517 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• ¼ cup butter, melted
• 1 (12 ounce) package extra-firm tofu
• 1 cup bread crumbs, or more as needed
• olive oil, or more as needed
• 1 (12 ounce) bottle Buffalo-style hot pepper sauce (such as Frank's®)
• ½ cup blue cheese salad dressing (Optional)
• 2 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch lengths (Optional)

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Place tofu onto a plate and place another plate on top. Set a 3 to 5 pound weight on top; press tofu until water is extracted and tofu is firmer, about 15 minutes. Drain and discard the accumulated liquid. Slice tofu into 1-inch wide by 4-inch long pieces.

Step 2

Whisk egg in a small bowl. Pour breadcrumbs into separate shallow bowl. Dip tofu pieces into beaten egg and press into bread crumbs. Gently toss between your hands so any bread crumbs that haven't stuck can fall away. Place the breaded tofu pieces onto a plate while breading the rest; do not stack.

Step 3

Whisk egg in a small bowl. Pour breadcrumbs into separate shallow bowl. Dip tofu pieces into beaten egg and press into bread crumbs. Gently toss between your hands so any bread crumbs that haven't stuck can fall away. Place the breaded tofu pieces onto a plate while breading the rest; do not stack.

Step 4

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry tofu in a single layer, browning completely on each side before turning, about 3 minutes per side. Place fried tofu on serving platter.

Step 5

Combine hot pepper sauce and butter in a bowl; pour over fried tofu. Serve with blue cheese dressing and celery pieces.