Marinated Smoky Maple Tofu:

1. Slice tofu into ¼” (½ cm) slices. Press or pat tofu dry with a clean kitchen towel.
2. In a shallow dish or sandwich-sized food storage bag, add garlic, soy sauce, maple syrup, water, and liquid smoke. Add the sliced tofu and marinate for 30-60 minutes. Meanwhile, begin caramelizing the onions and preparing your sandwich toppings.
3. After caramelizing the onions, pre-heat ½ tbsp canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Add the marinated tofu to the skillet (do not crowd the pan), but reserve and excess marinade. Cook both sides until golden-brown. Pour the remaining marinade into the pan with the tofu, stirring gently. Continue cooking until the tofu has absorbed all the marinade. Set aside.

Caramelized Onions:

1. In a thick-bottomed skillet, heat vegan butter over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and season with ¼ tsp salt.
2. Adjust the heat and stir occasionally so that the onions brown and caramelize but don’t burn or dry out. Don’t stir too often or the onions with take longer to caramelize. As the onions cook down you’ll need to stir them more often to prevent burning.
3. If the onions begin to get dry, add 1 tbsp water.
4. Once the onions are very soft and golden to golden-brown in colour, remove from heat (approximately 45-60 minutes).

Assembling the Smoky Maple Tofu Sandwiches:

1. Lightly toast each slice of bread.
2. Spread one slice with mashed avocado, and on slice with vegan mayo and Dijon mustard (optional).
3. Top the toasted mayo/mustard bread with a leaf of lettuce, 1-2 slices of lightly salted tomato, 4 slices of tofu, and ¼ of the caramelized onions. Top with the toasted avocado bread.
4. Slice sandwich in half.