Tofu to Table in Twenty

Tofu (豆腐 Chinese dòufu, Japanese tōfu, Korean doobu^?), or bean curd^[3] is a food made by coagulating soy milk, and then pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks.-Wikipedia

I gave Mr. D two choices for dinner last night and the tofu won--again. He loves tofu, and so do I. Why? Because it is filling without being heavy. It marries well with a myriad of sauces and flavors, and because it is so easy. 

Buy a few packages of the stuff and store in the coolest part of the refrigerator. Pull out when you can't figure out what to cook for dinner. Dress with store bought sauce and your favorite vegetables; we used shiitake mushrooms and broccoli last night. Bam! Dinner on the table in 20 minutes flat.

20 Minute Tofu with Broccoli, Shiitake Mushrooms and Faux Thai Sauce

Nasoya is my favorite tofu brand so far, and the most ubiquitous in the supermarket. The firm variety works best for this recipe:

20 Minute Tofu Dinner:

*Heat a large skillet on low, with enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan evenly.

*While oil heats take tofu out of its package. Cut a small slit in the packaging and drain completely into the sink. Place tofu block on your cutting board and cut through horizontally to create two square blocks. Cut each block into strips, approximately the width of your thumb. 

*When oil is shimmering, place tofu strips carefully into the skillet leaving a half inch between pieces. Oil will splatter a bit, due to the tofu's water content.

*Turn tofu strips every 3-4 minutes, warming/lightly browning each surface.

*Remove tofu from pan, dress with your favorite sauce.

Lauren's Faux Thai Peanut Sauce

*Place 1 cup peanut butter into a small saucepan.

*Heat slowly at low heat until peanut butter becomes easy to serve. It will be quite smooth and shiny at this point.

*Add 2 tablespoons Sriracha chile sauce. Stir to combine completely.

*Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional).

*When sauce begins to lightly bubble, remove from heat.

*Enjoy with your favorite tofu or vegetable dish. Also delicious with noodles.