Stir Fry Tofu with Peanut Sauce and Vegetables

Most of the time when I cook, I'm winging it.

Sometimes I follow a recipe if I have looked something up and am making a specific thing or if I am baking (most of the time). Baking is chemistry and you have to get things right. But cooking? Nah, cooking is just a little of this, a little of that, more of this, less of that, tasting until it is right. So unfortunately, I have no idea of how much of everything I put in things until I have made it a few times, the entire family (children included) approves that this should be included with the "regulars". Then I make the dish intentionally and purposefully, meaning I measure everything to figure out how much I put in so I can share it.

Another thing I do not do, ever when I cook intentionally is take prepping and process photos. Maybe because my kitchen has always been the size of a match box and now we are living with my parents and I am just not in the habit of documenting before and as I go. I am great at documented the finished and plated product. And every single time, I smack my forehead and say, "Darn it. I forgot to take pictures of the process. Again."

So this meal has one picture. One picture. But it was so good. So simple. So adaptable.

That is one of my favorite things about stir fry. Choose your base: rice or noodles? Choose your protein: tofu, edamame, garbanzo beans, lentils (yes I know some of those things are not "typical stir fry" ingredients but I don't care). Chose your veggies: you can choose anything you like, that is why it is fun. Choose your sauce: sweet and sour, teriyaki, peanut, curry, orange, etc. etc. etc.

This meal is simple: rice, tofu cooked in peanut sauce, steamed broccoli, pan fried zucchini (steamed zucchini squeaks when you chew it and drives me crazy), and frozen peas with the left over peanut sauce and some soy sauce drizzled over the top. Talk about easy. And you don't even have to press your tofu. Probably even better if you do, but I think the percent of times I have remembered to press my tofu is about 1% of the times I use it.

The peanut sauce I use is from Cookie and Kate and we love it. I leave out the red pepper flakes so it isn't spicy for my kids and I use agave instead of honey. I also up the water so it is a little more pourable.

With that said, let's get to the recipe.

Ingredients

2 c rice, uncooked

1/2 Block Firm Tofu, drained and cubed

1 Head Broccoli, in florets

1 c Frozen Peas

1 Zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced

Sauce

1/2 c Natural Peanut Butter

1/4 c Soy Sauce or Liquid Aminos

1/4 c Water

3 T Apple Cider Vinegar

2 Cloves of Garlic, pressed

1 tsp Fresh Ginger, or 1/4-1/2 tsp Dried Ginger

1-2 T Agave

Directions

1. Combine rice and 4 c water in a rice cooker and let it do it's thing. If no rice cooker. Bring them to boil in a saucepan, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook until soft.

2. Drain and cube tofu and set aside. Whisk together peanut sauce and combine half the sauce and the tofu in a pan and cook, flipping every few minutes, until brown on all sides.

3. Meanwhile, chop and steam broccoli until bright green. I have a basket I can put over my rice in my rice cooker and do both at the same time

4. Once tofu is done, combine frozen peas and zucchini in the pan and use the liquid from the peas to cook the peas and zucchini. Once both are heated and soft, combine with broccoli.

5. To serve: put rice in a bowl or on a plate and top with tofu, vegetables, and drizzle with leftover peanut sauce.

6. ENJOY