BBQ Tofu & Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad

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This summer hit makes a whopping 8 servings. The spicy BBQ tofu perfectly compliments the creamy street corn pasta salad.

The Pasta Salad Ingredients

1 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp salt
5 cloves Garlic
1 Bunch of green onions
1 box Barilla Protein Rotini
2 tablespoons of Olive Oil
3 cups Cooked Corn, removed from the cobb (About 6 ears)
1/2 Jalapeno Pepper, deseeded and ribs removed (use a whole if you like the spice)
¼ cup Light Mayo
½ cup Greek, Nonfat, Plain Yogurt
1 lime (juice & zest)
6 oz Grated Cotija Mexican-Style Cheese
1/2 cup Chopped Cilantro, if you hate cilantro like I do, substitute for parsley
Chipotle chili powder to top (or taijin, which is the traditional powder used)

Separate your whites and greens of your green onions and chop them up. Mince 3 cloves of your garlic and add to your onion whites. Set aside.
Chop your jalapeno into small pieces.
In a large bowl, combine the mayo, lime juice from 1 lime, lime zest from 1 lime, greek yogurt, 2 ounces of the cotija cheese and 2 minced garlic cloves. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over high heat. Add your corn kernels and chopped jalapenos and sprinkle with 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of pepper. Cover with a lid and let cook until the corn starts to get that charred looking. Mix occasionally to ensure even cooking.
Reduce the heat to medium and add 3 cloves of the garlic and the whites of your green onions. Cook for 2-4 minutes or until golden, stirring occasionally.
Remove from the heat and let cool, then mix in your cilantro (or parsley), your green onions, and your remaining cotija cheese.
Cook your pasta in salted water according to the box instructions.
Once drained, mix the pasta with the corn mix. Serve with a dollop of the cream sauce on top. Sprinkle it with chipotle chili powder or taijin.

Drain and press your tofu for 30 mins.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Mince your garlic
In a bowl, mix the bbq sauce, garlic, sriracha (if using), and oil.
Cut the drained tofu: cut the big block of tofu in half lengthwise so you have 2 big rectangular slices, then cut your slices into 4 strips each so you end up with a total of 8 strips. On the half block, also cut it in half lengthwise so you have 2 pieces, cut those pieces in half into strips so you have 4 from those. You should have a total of 12 strips of tofu (3 strips of tofu per serving of this recipe).
Place your tofu slices into the sauce mix and gently rub the sauce over the tofu with your hands.
Place your tofu on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
Flip over after 20 minutes and brush with remaining sauce. Bake for another 10-15 min, checking to make sure it doesn’t burn. You want it nice and brown like in the picture.
Serve brushed with any remaining bbq sauce, with a side of Street corn pasta salad