Tofu Chicken Parmesan

For the pasta:

• 2 servings penne pasta

For the Sauce:

• 1 block silken tofu
• 1/2 cup cashews
• 2 tbsp hemp seeds
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard

For the tofu:

• 1 block extra firm tofu, sliced into thick slabs
• ½  cup plain flour
• 1 cup non-dairy milk (soy or oat work best)
• ¼ cup pickle juice (from a dill pickle jar)
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• ¼ tsp hing or ½ tsp garlic powder
• 1 cups panko breadcrumbs
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp salt

1. Prepare the sauce. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust salt and flavor as needed. Set aside.
2. Prepare the tofus. In a small bowl, add the flour, milk, pickle juice, paprika, salt, pepper and hing. Mix and set aside. Then in a second bowl add the panko, nutritional yeast, paprika, and salt, mix together and set aside. Slice the tofu into thick slabs. For extra flavor, soak the cut tofu with pricks in a bit of soy sauce. Then dip the tofu into the flour milk mixture, then into the panko mixture until coated. Spray with a little oil, then add to air fryer and bake at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes until golden. You can add a bit of mozarella on top of the tofu slices in the last few minutes to get melty if you like.
3. In the meantime, prepare the pasta. Cook penne according to package instructions. Add the tofu sauce to a large stovetop pan and bring to a low heat. Once the pasta is cooked, add the pasta to the sauce, stirring to coat the noodles.
4. To assemble, add the sauced pasta to a serving bowl, top with sliced crispy tofu, and fresh herbs, red pepper flakes, or a bit of lemon if you like. Enjoy!

‍