Tofu: It's What's for Dinner

Tofu has always baffled me just a little.  The texture, the smell, the bland taste, the fact that they take a green soybean & ferment it into this white block-I just don't get it.  GMOs are an entirely different issue that we'll steer clear of for now, but let's just say for the record that if I do buy tofu, it's organic, sprouted tofu.  Tonight's dinner consisted of the white blocky stuff.  This recipe has become a staple in our family because 1) it's super fast (like dinner in less than 15 mins fast) and 2) my major meat eater of a husband can't get enough of this stuff, another of life's facts that I just don't understand.  You can serve it with rice or noodles, but we prefer to eat it plain.

  For the record, as with most of my recipes, the vegetables that you use will depend on what you like and what you have on hand.  I first came across this recipe during a Williams-Sonoma complimentary Sunday cooking class, highly recommended if you've got a store in your area.  The original recipe calls for cabbage, spinach & tofu, drizzled in a spicy peanut sauce.  Last night's version had white mushrooms added to it because that's what we had in the fridge.  It is worth noting that, while you can steam just about any vegetable your heart desires, what will change is the steam time.  Woody vegetables (like carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, etc) will take a lot more time than softer vegetables (like peppers, mushrooms, cabbage, etc).  It's definitely worth experimenting with.

Steamed Tofu and Vegetables with a Spicy Peanut Sauce

1/2 head of green cabbage, roughly chopped
2 cups baby spinach
1 pkg white mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
1 pkg extra firm tofu, drained and cut into 1" cubes
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon sriracha (rooster) hot sauce
1/2 cup water

Gently mix the tofu and soy sauce in a medium bowl.  Cover and let marinate at least 20 mins.

Fill a medium/large pot with about 1" of water.  Place a steamer basket inside the pot, cover the lid and let the water come to a soft boil (you should see steam escaping the lid).  Place the cabbage inside the steam basket and steam for 5 mins.  Place the spinach and mushrooms on top of the cabbage and continue to steam 3 more mins.  Remove the tofu from the marinade, reserving the soy sauce, and place on top of the vegetables.  Let steam 5 more minutes, until the tofu is heated.

In the meantime, combine the reserved soy sauce, peanut butter, vinegar, lime juice, sesame oil, sriracha and water in a food processor until smooth.  Taste the sauce and adjust the spices to your liking.

Plate the tofu & vegetables, drizzling with peanut sauce right before serving.

Weekend meal extraordinaire

P.S.  If you've got some peanut sauce left over, it makes a really great dipping sauce for other things like the carrot sticks pictured above.  Just resist the temptation to eat it straight from the container with a spoon, as it would be poor manners.