Tofu Fried Two Ways

I've been having fun experimenting with different recipes at home and these two in particular are veggie and gluten free friendly, using tofu as the main ingredient.  Getting a nice piece of organic tofu the other week from Trader Joe's, I was determined to use it wisely and ended up creating the below two recipes for a casual weekday lunch and dinner.  There are a number of variations you can create in the process too, but here's two ideas to get you started.

Fried Tofu Salad

Ingredients (serves 2)
2 big handfuls of fresh arugula
1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup of red peppers, chopped
1/2 cup of smoked mozzarella cheese
2 cups of fresh organic tofu, cubed
2 generous glugs of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat oil in non-stick skillet until super hot.  Drop tofu cubes directly into the oil and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

In the meantime, arrange the salad by using all of the other ingredients. 

Drain tofu on a paper towel when cooked through.  Top the prepared salad with fried tofu and the shredded cheese.  Sprinkle with course salt and pepper to taste.

Fried Tofu Open Faced Sandwich

Ingredients (serves 2)
2 big square blocks of organic tofu
1 fresh or gluten free bun (I used Udi's)
2 thin slices of smoked mozzarella or gouda cheese
2 handfuls of fresh arugula
Canola oil
1 cup of quinoa
Sriracha sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Make the quinoa according to the directions on the box.  You can choose to flavor it with spices and herbs of your choice.  I used a paprika based seasoning, hence the reddish color you see above.

Heat oil in a non-stick pan until super hot.  Drop one tofu block in at a time and fry about 4-5 minutes on each side or until the exterior gets golden brown.

Toast the bun for a few minutes and then top with the tofu (make sure to drain the tofu in paper towels immediately after taking it out of the oil).  Top with cheese, a little bit of sriracha and then a handful of arugula.  Enjoy together with a side of quinoa.