Tofu Peanut Satay

Years ago, after moving out of my parents house, I decided to play adult and invite my mom over for dinner. This is long before culinary school, when I knew how to cook all of about 3 different meals - 2 of them from Rachel Ray, and one off of a jar of green curry paste. Basically, I knew the staples that every good vegetarian should - bean chili, and a couple different stirfrys.


I decided to make the Tofu Peanut Satay (courtesy of Rachel Ray, I just veganized it), and to this day, it is still one of her favorites and one of the main players in our family meal rotation.

Tofu Peanut Satay adapted from Rachel Ray

Orange-Scented Brown Rice
2 cups Brown Basmati Rice, (short or long grain works just fine)
Zest from an orange
4 cups water
pinch sea salt

Directions: Bring water to a boil and add a pinch of sea salt. Add washed rice and orange zest. Cover and let simmer for 45 minutes. Don't lift lid! Turn off heat and keep covered for 10 minutes more. Fluff & serve. (Any grain goes great with this dish, just add orange zest and cook according to package instructions!)

Satay Sauce
1/4 cup Peanut Butter (or nut butter of your choice)
3 T. Tamari (or soy sauce)
3 T. Agave (or honey)
1 Garlic clove, minced
1" Fresh gingerroot, grated and the juice squeezed into the sauce
Juice from 1/2 an orange
1/2 tsp. Red pepper flakes, or to taste

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and warm thru over low heat.

Stirfry
1 Onion, sliced into thin half moons
1 Bunch scallions, sliced on the diagonal
1 cup Broccoli florets
1 cup Carrots, julienned
8 oz. Cremini mushrooms, sliced thinly
1 large handful Snowpeas
1 block Extra-firm Tofu, pressed to remove excess water and cut into bite-size pieces

To garnish: fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips and cashews, coarsely chopped

Directions:

Heat a large non-stick skillet or cast iron skillet over medium high heat. I don't use any oil, but if you want to you can drizzle in a little oil of your choice. Arrange the tofu in the pan with enough room around them to flip them. Let them cook for about 3-5 minutes on each side. Don't try to flip them until they have formed a nice crust! Patience is key here! Remove them from the pan and drizzle with them with a little Tamari. Set aside. Stirfry veggies in the order listed above. I begin with the onions and I hold off on adding any other veggies until they are beginning to nicely brown. Again, I don't use any oil. Just a really hot pan and patience. Once all your veggies are in and cooked to the texture you like (I prefer al dente, but you better not ever serve my mom a crunchy vegetable, so I let it go a little longer for her.) Pour in the sauce and give a good toss.

Serve alongside rice, and sprinkle basil and cashews on top!