Vegetarian Goodness

Tonight, we had friends over for dinner...and massages. Yes, we have a friend that's a masseuse! I made dinner to coincide with their arrival so we could enjoy a nice meal together before massages. Because they are vegetarians, I reached outside my comfort zone to make something we could all appreciate. I decided to make a Kung Pao tofu dish from the Whole Foods Market cookbook. From the same book, I chose a side dish of Emerald Sesame Kale.

Once everything was prepped, this dish pulled together extremely quickly, so I'm glad that I prepped things ahead of time. The kung pao sauce consisted of brown rice syrup, rice wine vinegar, cornstarch, tamari and cayenne pepper, so I got those mixed up. In another bowl, I mixed some teriyaki marinade with a pound of extra-firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes.

While the tofu cooked in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes, and my rice cooker went to work with some brown Jasmine rice, I started on the base of the dish. Some sesame oil and canola oil get heated in a wok and to it, you add crushed red chili flakes, minced ginger, minced garlic, and some chopped peanuts. After 3 minutes of sauteing time, the tofu gets added to the wok along with some sliced scallions. After another minute, I added half of the kung pao sauce and allowed it to thicken. Once thickened, it is then okay to add the rest of the sauce, as well as the green and red peppers, allowing them to cook until firm-tender.

As for the kale, it was so simple. While the Kung Pao Tofu was cooking up, and the rice was coming to a finish, I threw some chopped kale into a pot with some minced garlic and minced ginger and allowed it to cook for about 4 minutes. After tossing it with a bit of tamari and some sesame seeds, it was ready to go!

The kale, the Kung Pao Tofu and the brown rice came together nicely, in a timely manner. It was a really delicious, hearty meal, with a great kick to it. So, next time you've got some vegetarian friends coming for dinner ... or just want to have a "Meatless Monday," give this recipe a try! The flavors were great, the dish was lovely, and I'm full! :)