Beer-Battered Tofu Sticks with Ranch Dressing

If you ask me, beer-battered anything is delicious…even beer-battered pie! Well, maybe not, but you get my point. These fun, crispy tofu sticks are tasty by themselves, but are even more tasty when paired with a creamy, buttermilk-like ranch. They can easily be made gluten-free by substituting gluten-free all-purpose flour, beer and bread crumbs, respectively, in place of the gluten ingredients mentioned below.

Beer-Battered Tofu Sticks with Ranch Dressing

Tofu Sticks:
1 (14-ounce) package extra firm tofu
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup beer (preferably ale)
1-1/2 cups panko
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 rounded teaspoon black pepper
canola oil for the pan

Ranch Dressing:
1 cup imitation mayonnaise (I use Vegenaise)
1/3 cup imitation sour cream
1/4 cup regular unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon dried chives
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

Drain tofu and wrap in a towel. Press excess water out of tofu by placing a couple of plates on top of it and allowing to sit for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the ranch dressing by combining all ingredients in a bowl. Mix until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

Cut tofu into 3/4-inch wide sticks. Pat dry. In a small mixing bowl, mix together flour and beer until smooth. In a separate bowl, mix together panko, salt, paprika and pepper.

Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Dip each tofu stick into the wet mixture, then the dry mixture, turning to coat all sides. Carefully place into preheated pan and fry until golden brown on all sides. Add additional oil if needed. Using a slotted spatula, remove the tofu sticks and place on a couple of paper towels to remove excess oil. Repeat until all tofu sticks have been prepared. Serve with ranch dressing.