Baked Tofu in Thai Peanut Sauce

If you like satay then you will love this. It has the same kind of sauce but with tofu and instead of stick , its in the bowl and you can have it with warm rice. By the time your rice will cook, your tofu dish will be ready. Since I am having with rice, I don't like dry dishes, I need some kind of sauce to clean the dish. So I had the leftover peanut sauce , just heat up that , add baked tofu in it and enjoy it with rice along with my eggplant stir fry. 

You can just bake the tofu and have it as it is or add it in salad or noodles. 

 

Ingredients :

1 block of firm tofu

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1 tbsp. finely chopped ginger

3 cloves of garlic finely chopped

1 tbsp. rice vinegar

1 tbsp. Tamari sauce / coconut amino

2 tbsp. regular or spicy sesame oil

1 tbsp. agave syrup / maple syrup / honey

1 tbsp. Thai sweet chili sauce

if you prefer, green onions on top

Method:

Take the tofu and pressed and take out as much water as possible.

Meanwhile we can make our sauce, 

Warm the peanut butter for few seconds in microwave so its easy to mix it. 

Add ginger, garlic, rice vinegar, tamari sauce, sesame oil, agave syrup and Thai sweet chili sauce. Mix it and test the taste, adjust the seasoning as per your liking. 

Cut Tofu  in your favorite shape. Don't make it too small pieces.

Take your baking try and put the aluminum foil and oil spray on it. 

Dip the tofu in sauce and put it on baking dish. 

I did air fried my tofu at 375 for 15 minutes , turning after 6 or 7 minutes. You don't need to make it brown or crunchy just cook enough to coat the sauce.

You can do it in traditional oven also, just keep an eye so it don't burn. 

when all tofu is done, and cool it for few minutes, heat a pan and add rest of the sauce in it. 

Add water to thin out the sauce little bit, at the time of the serving add the baked tofu pieces in it and mix it and serve it immediately over rice .

Asian Quinoa Salad with Ginger Dressing

New Year, New me. We all get in the groove with healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle. But why don't we keep that for the whole year? We can not eat like a pig and sweat like a pig too. We can control our diet from the new year and still keep going till the end of the year without worrying about anything if on a day to day basis we are eating healthy. This salad is perfect for lunch or dinner. I have added whatever vegetables I had it on hand and add Vegetarian Chicken in it so its double the flavor and benefits.

Ingredients :

1 cup cooked and dry quinoa
1 Carrot shredded
1/2 cup chopped Red Cabbage
1/2 cup cooked Vegetarian Chicken
2 Chopped green onions - We can use both green and white part
1 Chopped English Cucumber
1 Small Tomato chopped
1/2 cup Boiled Edamame

Dressing :

1/4 cup Tamari Sauce or Ligh Sodium Soya Sauce
1 Tbsp Sesame oil
1 big spoonful of grated ginger
1 tbsp Rice vinegar
As per taste salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes
If you don't want to add red pepper flakes, you can use any Asian flavor Chili sauce
Add salt after tasting the dressing

Method :

Cook the quinoa as per the package directions and keep it aside.

Mix all the chopped vegetables and quinoa. You can add your choice of vegetables too.

Mix all the ingredients for the dressing and keep it aside.

Don't put the dressing if you are not ready to eat and not at all once.

Take little dressing and mix it with the salad when you are ready to eat and if needed more, dressing adds more and enjoy your healthy lunch or dinner without feeling guilty and keep on that New Year resolution to keep fit and I will be there to keep it that way by giving you more healthy recipes.

This tastes good at room temperature.

Pan Fried Spicy Tofu

After eating sweet goodies in Christmas, craving for something spicy? then here you go, easy spicy tofu dish which can be done in no time and it can be a side dish to your Korean, Chineses or Japanese food. No fancy ingredients, simple ingredients and tons of flavor. So let's start.

Ingredients : 

1-  8 oz FIRM tofu - not any other tofu works
Pinch of salt
2 tbsp oil
3 tbsp soya sauce or Tamari sauce for Vegan
1 tsp. chili flakes
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
1 tsp Sesame oil
1 Tsp roasted sesame seeds
1 Red shallot finely chopped

Method : 

Place tofu on two layers of paper towels and leave it for 5 minutes. So the extra water gets out.

then cut the tofu in 4 pieces.

Heat non stick flat pan over medium heat.

Add 1 tbsp of oil and put the tofu in it. Let it sear for five minutes until the bottom has a nice golden crust.

flip on the other side and add another tbsp of oil and cook untouched for 5 minutes.

If your flame is too high and adjusts accordingly.

To make the sauce, Mix soy sauce, chili flakes, shallot, garlic, sesame oil, sesame seeds in a mixing bowl.

Place tofu slices in serving the dish and drizzle the sauce over.

Serve warm with rice, or noodles or as it is.

Indonesian Sambal Goreng(Curry) with Tempeh

I got this nice tempeh package few weeks back and was thinking every weekend to make something out of it and didn't get a chance but one weekend I just take it out and make this curry. It was so flavorful that you just need a white rice with this. Its not that hard to cook and all the ingredients are there in your pantry if you are a foodie. First you have to make Sambal which is spicy sauce and then mix the vegetables along with tempeh and wait till vegetables cook, pour over steamed rice and enjoy. Sounds easy, making it was easy too. Color looks like Thai yellow or panang curry but taste so different. The traditional dish has chicken / pork or any meat items but I made it with tempeh you can use tofu or paneer too. I use more red chilies for my spicy taste but again you can adjust the spiciness as per your taste.

Ingredients :

6 oz. Tempeh, I used half of my 12 oz. package, cut in cubes

1 potato cut in cubes
10 green beans cut in small size
1 carrot cut
1/4 cup shelled Edamame (green soybeans)
1 tomato chopped
salt to taste
1 tsp or as per taste brown sugar
1/2 cup thick coconut milk
1 cup vegetable broth
1 tsp. ground coriander powder
Lime juice as per taste
1 Bayleaf
few slices of ginger
1 tsp. of oil

Ingredients for Sambal (Spice paste):

6 shallot cloves peeled
5 garlic cloves peeled
3 large dried Mexican chilies (Anaheim , california red dry chili) (soaked in  warm water for 10 minutes and then remove the seeds)
3 green Thai Chili or  1 Serrano chili , Less for less spicy, more for more spicy.

Method:

Put all the spice paste in blender and make a fine puree. If its too thick add that chili soaking water to make thin. Keep it aside.

Heat a wok, add oil in it. When its hot, add the spice paste. Stir fry for good 10 minutes , if it become dry, add that chili soaking water.
Add bay leaf and ginger in it. Then add potatoes, tomato, beans. Add broth just that much so all the vegetables are covered in it.
Let it cook till potatoes are almost done, Then add carrot, edamame, tempeh , salt, brown sugar and coriander powder.
Last add coconut milk and check for the seasoning.

Lastly add lime juice.
Served on top of steamed rice and enjoy.

Gayathri's WTML event 
Swathi's hearth and soul blog hop
1st anniversary celebration event by cookclickdevour
#recipeoftheweek | A Mummy Too