Baked Tofu and Pickled Vegetable Rice Bowl is a modern version of one of my childhood favorites.  Growing up I was a very picky eater with a limited and perplexing range of favorites.   On the top of my list was fried tofu with ketchup, a crunchy and comforting dish.  I have happy memories of gobbling mounds of golden cubes dunked liberally with organic green tomato ketchup. To my parents great relief, my eating repertoire has evolved a bit since then, but my love for tofu remains. 

Paul on the other hand, has a grown-up aversion to tofu. Whenever I cook with tofu, he expresses a strong concern that I am covertly working to turn him into a vegetarian, his own personal horror! Despite himself, Paul scraped his bowl clean and gives this dish two thumbs up.