My Favorite Sandwich from Cookin' Crunk

Ask a cookbook author her favorite recipe, and she'll probably be hard-pressed to pick just one. I have a list of faves that I rattle off every time someone asks. But there's one sandwich that always tops my list — the Fried Tofu Chicken Wafflewich:

Chicken 'n' waffles is a thing down South. To be honest, in my meaty pre-teens, I never actually tried this strange combo. But when I started cooking vegan, I became obsessed with trying to recreate it. And what better way to combine chicken and waffles than with the awesomeness of a wafflewich?

Now, this recipe is no joke. It involves making my Southern Fried Tofu Chicken (beer battered!!) and my Savory Sandwich Waffles. Oh, and there's a simple recipe for the sandwich's signature Maple-Dijon Sauce.

It's not light on calories either. Most of my recipes are reasonable, calorie-wise, because I count calories religiously. There's even a calorie/nutrition breakdown provided for every recipe in the book, but don't expect this one to be light. I mean, the tofu is beer-battered and fried, for god's sake. But hey, sometimes you gotta live a little. I only eat this sandwich a few times a year, so I gotta make it count.

But despite all the work and calories, every sinful bite is worth it. Just check out the ass end of this sandwich:

Tip: If you have a crappy wafflemaker, cook the waffles a little longer for extra toastiness. The waffles need to be able to stand up to the fillings. If that doesn't work, toast the waffles in a toaster after they're done cooking. Unlike breakfast waffles, sandwich waffles shouldn't have to be eaten with a fork. But it all depends on your waffle maker. I just bought a new one, and it's just "meh" so extra toasting is required.