Happy New Year, friends!

I decided to start the year off with a recipe that’s so easy and delicious, you’ll want to make it over and over again. These Coconut Tofu Nuggets contain only four ingredients and are vegan, oil-free, and gluten-free!

I came up with these golden beauties a couple of weeks ago when I realized I had lots of great veggies for dinner, but not a lot of protein. I needed a quick, protein-packed side dish that I could throw together and put in the oven while I finished cooking everything else. These coconut tofu nuggets were such a hit that I had to share the recipe!

These nuggets are tasty by themselves, but like most nuggets, they’re better with some kind of sauce. I served mine with a pineapple-mango salsa (from Whole Foods), but I also recommend a sweet chili sauce or honey mustard.

Serve these babies as a side dish, in a taco, on a salad, or in a Buddha bowl — so many options!

And bonus: kids love them!

All you need to make these glorious coconut tofu nuggets:

• One 10-ounce package of extra firm tofu
• Coconut aminos or reduced sodium tamari
• Coconut butter (NOT coconut oil)
• Unsweetened shredded coconut

And that’s all! Just cube, toss, and bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet until golden and crispy. Nobody will guess that these contain no added oils!

Easy Coconut Tofu Nuggets

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Throw together these delicious nuggets for a protein-packed side dish, or put them in a salad, Buddha bowl, or tacos. Serve with mango salsa or your favorite dipping sauce.

Author: Mary Ross Fowler | Daily Dose of Greens

Recipe type: Side Dish

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

• 1 10-ounce package extra firm tofu*
• 1½ Tbs. coconut aminos or reduced sodium tamari
• 2 Tbs. coconut butter (NOT coconut oil)
• 2 Tbs. unsweetened shredded coconut

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Press your tofu gently between two paper towels to remove excess water and cut into nugget pieces, roughly 1" x 1" x 1.5" each. Place in a microwave-safe bowl or small pot.
3. Drizzle coconut aminos or tamari over the tofu pieces and gently toss to coat.
4. Warm the tofu in the microwave for one minute or on the stove, just so it is no longer cold.**
5. Warm the coconut butter so that it's stirrable. I remove the cap and warm the jar in the microwave 30-40 seconds, but you could also run the jar under warm water.
6. Drizzle the coconut butter over the tofu pieces and gently toss to coat as evenly as possible (a few blobs here and there is fine). Sprinkle the shredded coconut over the tofu and toss again until the pieces aren't sticking together. Add more shredded coconut if needed.
7. Spread the tofu pieces out on the baking sheet so that they aren't touching each other. Bake 20-25 mins, flipping halfway through, until your nuggets are golden and crispy.
8. Serve immediately with mango salsa, sweet chili sauce, honey Dijon, or your favorite dipping sauce.

Notes

*If all you can find are 15-oz packages, don't worry! Just increase the other ingredients slightly. I'd start with 2 Tbs. coconut aminos, 3 Tbs. coconut butter, and 3 Tbs. shredded coconut and adjust as needed. This recipe doesn't have to be exact!

** Warming the tofu prevents the coconut butter from hardening on contact, since it's solid at colder temperatures.

These tofu nuggets are crispiest right out of the oven, but they still taste good reheated. Keep in an air-tight container in the fridge up to 4 days and reheat in the oven for best results.

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Are you worried about phytoestrogens in soy?

Many people are scared to eat tofu because soy contains phytoestrogens, and they’ve heard that soy promotes breast cancer, dangerous blood clots, and osteoporosis. These rumors are hard to shake, but let me remind you that these were theories from years ago. Since those theories came out, more research has been done that indicates the opposite is true. Soy actually appears to protect against cancer, blood clots, and hip fractures. In other words, even though plant estrogens have similar molecular structures to human estrogen, they do not behave the same way in the human body. What scientists have discovered is two different types of estrogen receptors in our bodies. The plant estrogens do not bind to breast tissue or liver tissue, but do compete with the human estrogen molecules, acting as an anti-estrogen — hence the protective qualities. The opposite is true with our bones, which need estrogen for bone health. They contain the other type of estrogen receptor (beta), which allows the phytoestrogens to bind with them and promote bone health. For more information, go here.

I think it’s pretty telling that the populations that live the longest and have the fewest hip fractures are also the highest consumers of soy.

Soy is also a good source of plant protein and calcium, so please include it in your diet unless you have a soy allergy. 🙂

♥   ♥   ♥

For another source of soy, try my Thai Edamame Salad!