Tofu and Lentil Tenders

I have a similar recipe that uses almonds and oats with tofu to create little vegan protein filets. 

While those were really tasty, I wanted to try using lentils in place of the nuts and the oats for a few reasons. 

One, nuts can be expensive. Two, lentils are bursting with nutrition and are very inexpensive. Three, most everyone thinks they need to boil lentils to use them. That just isn't so. 

Ingredients.
One 14 oz pkg firm tofu
1/2 cup dry lentils
3 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno
3 tbls canola oil
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne
2 tbls sriracha
1 tbl soy sauce
1 tbl salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions
Drain the tofu overnight. Remove from the package. Discard the liquid. Wrap in a kitchen towel and leave in the fridge. 

Grind the lentils to dust in a spice grinder. 

Pulse all the ingredients in your food processor until a dense paste is achieved. Cover the chute of the food processor and stash the mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes. 

Line a large baking sheet with a silicone mat. 

Use a large 2.5 inch spring loaded scoop to distribute the mixture in even balls across the baking sheet. Use a spoon to flatten and shape into 1/2 inch thick rounds. 

Set your oven to 375 F. 

Place the sheet in the oven right away. Don't wait for it to preheat. 

When the oven chimes to indicate it's reached temp, bake for 15 minutes. 

Once the 15 minute are up, turn off the oven and leave the sheet in there for another 25 minutes. 

Allow to cool for 15 minutes before attempting to remove