Butternut Squash and Tofu Bowl with Peanut Sauce

My husband loves peanut butter. It is his favorite food. I am not joking. We used to joke about the "peanut butter salesman" coming to our house because A. we always have so much peanut butter and B. my husband will get a serving spoon to just eat a spoonful of peanut butter and therefore always smells like peanut butter.

So, with this love of peanut butter in my home, there is a love for peanut sauce on anything possible. I wish I could claim this sauce recipe as my own, but it is not. It is actually from this recipe by Cookie + Kate (http://cookieandkate.com/2013/spicy-thai-peanut-sauce-over-roasted-sweet-potatoes-and-rice/ ). After I had my son, one of my friends brought us this meal for dinner and we immediately texted her after dinner needing the recipe because it is the best peanut sauce recipe I have come by in a long time of searching. It is easy and requires ingredients I always have one hand, no coconut milk or other strange ingredients that you have to go to the store specifically to buy. Which means, I make it all the time, it is a great sauce to add to any Asian flared dish when you are in a pinch for time.

Ingredients

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed

1 block firm tofu, drained and cubed

coconut oil, melted

1 c quinoa, uncooked

2 c water

1/2 c natural peanut butter

1/4 c lite soy sauce (if using normal soy sauce just use a little less)

3 T apple cider vinegar

2 T honey or agave nectar

1 tsp fresh ginger, grated (or 1/8 tsp powdered ginger)

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

2 T water

cilantro, to garnish

green onions, to garnish

lime, to garnish

Directions

1. Combine quinoa and water in a small sauce pan, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until water is absorbed and quinoa is soft. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spread butternut squash and tofu on a baking sheet and brush with melted coconut oil (you don't need much). Bake 25 minutes until squash is tender and tofu is crisp. Flip squash and tofu after 15 minutes.

3. Combine peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, sweetener of choice, ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, and 2 T water is a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

4. In a bowl layer tofu and squash over quinoa. Top with peanut sauce and garnish with cilantro, green onions, and lime juice.

5. ENJOY

#vegan #vegetables #glutenfree #butternutsquash #quinoa #quickandeasy #dinner #tofu #peanutsauce #Asian #food #cooking