Thai Black Pepper and Garlic Tofu

It's probably pretty obvious from the number of recipes with "Thai" in their title that I like Thai food!  I think one reason for this is that I like to have a lot of vegetables, stir-fries contain a lot of vegetables, and a lot of stir-fries have Asian flavors.  I've never had Thai Black Pepper and Garlic tofu in a restaurant, so I have no idea what it is "supposed" to taste like, but this tasted good!  This recipe jumped out at me because Mark loves black pepper, and we both love garlic... so it seemed perfect.  It turned out to be really tasty, even though it wasn't as spicy as a lot of the dishes I make.  The tofu is baked, which makes it very crispy, and served over kale, mushrooms, peppers, green beans and garlic with a black peppery-sauce.  Yum!

To go with the the tofu and vegetables, I cooked up some forbidden rice.  Isn't it black and pretty? My brother's girlfriend, Meera, recently suggested this type of rice to me and I picked some up last weekend.  This was the first time I've had it and it was really good!  It also looks super cool and makes the whole plate more interesting.  I cooked it in a mixture of water and vegetable broth and it was great to have with this meal.  Of course, any rice would work!  (The one downside of forbidden rice is that it is expensive!)  

This is a healthy and satisfying meal with lots of good for you ingredients.  We'll definitely be having it again!

Thai Black Pepper and Garlic Tofu

serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 3-4 cups cooked rice (optional)

Tofu:

• 1 14-ounce package extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed (if necessary), and cut into small cubes
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons water
• 3 large cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar

Sauce:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons sriracha
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Vegetables:

• 1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 large green bell pepper, sliced
• 2 cups frozen green beans (if you use fresh, add them earlier in the cooking process!)
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 ounces white mushrooms, brushed clean and sliced
• 12 ounces kale, stems removed and roughly chopped
• up to 1/4 cup vegetable broth or water

DIRECTIONS:

1) Preheat the oven to 400F.  Combine all six tofu ingredients in a medium bowl and gently mix to combine.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat and pour tofu ingredients onto the sheet.  Move the tofu so it is in a single layer.  Once the oven is preheated, bake the tofu for 30 minutes, until brown and crispy.  After 15 minutes, take the tofu out of the oven and gently turn it over.  Once cooked, remove from the oven.

2)  Meanwhile, combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl.  Set aside.

3)  Once the tofu has 15 minutes left, start cooking the vegetables: In a very large skillet or dutch oven, melt coconut oil over medium-high heat.  Once hot, add onion and cook, stirring constantly, until onion starts to become translucent, about 5 minutes.

4) Add bell pepper and green beans and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until pepper starts to soften, about 3 more minutes.  Add garlic and mushrooms and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mushrooms begin to brown, about 2 more minutes.

5)  Add kale and vegetable broth or water and stir as best you can until the kale is wilted.  If necessary, add the kale in batches!  If you  have a cover for your skillet or pot, you can cover the pan to help the kale to wilt.

6)  Add the sauce to the vegetables and cook for 1-2 minutes until it has thickened a bit (you won't really see the sauce much).

7)  Serve vegetables with the tofu on top and rice on the side.

(recipe adapted from FatFree Vegan Kitchen)