Spicy Thai Noodles with Tofu

 

I’m overdue for a cheat meal and boy am I glad I used it up on this recipe! This is really, really good! It makes a ton of food too… awh shucks, looks like I have to finish the leftovers!

Spicy Thai Noodles with Tofu

Yes, it contains oil (sesame oil) and a decent amount of honey (you can sub agave if you don’t do honey) but if that’s the worst cheat I have lately I think I’m still okay. I didn’t test this recipe out of our kids since it’s on the spicy side.

The original recipe is from A Small Snippet.

Spicy Thai Noodles with Tofu

Ingredients:

* 1 package pasta (I used whole wheat spaghetti but I bet it would work well with linguini too)

* 1-20oz block of extra firm tofu, pressed and cubed (I used Trader Joe’s Extra Firm High Protein Tofu)

* 1-2 Tbsp red pepper flakes (I used 1Tbsp and it was nice and spicy but if you prefer more fire, go big!)

* 1/2 cup toasted sesame oil (I KNOW…. BAD!!!)

* 6 Tbsp lite soy sauce

* 6 Tbsp honey (sub agave if you prefer… could work with stevia but I’m not sure)

* 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

* 1 Tbsp peanut butter (I used smooth)

* 1 bunch of cilantro, chopped

* 3 large carrots, peeled and shredded

* 3 large green onions, sliced thin

* 1/3 – 1/2 cup unsalted peanuts 

Instructions:

1. Heat sesame oil and red pepper flakes over medium heat for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, strain out peppers and reserve oil.

2. Whisk together oil, honey, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and peanut butter. Add cubed tofu to sauce to marinate while cooking the pasta. 

3. Cook pasta according to package, drain when done and set aside.

4. Remove tofu from the sauce with a slotted spoon, cook on high in pasta pot until lightly browned on all sides. 

5. Add pasta and sauce to cooked tofu and toss, use tongs.

6. Add cilantro, green onions and carrot to mixture and toss until combined. 

7. Serve topped with chopped peanuts. 

YUMMY!!!!!!

Heat sesame oil and red pepper flake for 2 minutes on medium and strain. Whisk sauce ingredients until combined.

Add cubed tofu to sauce to marinate until pasta is ready

Chop your veggies – I used organic whole wheat spaghetti

Remove tofu from sauce with a slotted spoon, add to hot pan and saute until brown

Brown tofu

Toss pasta with sauce and tofu then add veggies, toss well

Try not to eat the whole pot!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gingered Daikon Carrot Slaw

I bought too many daikon radishes and needed a way to use them up after making Spicy Sesame Noodles. I found this recipe on one of my favorite vegan food blogs, Melomeals. I had a friend over for dinner that night, she loved this salad! In fact, she just asked me for the recipe yesterday (Here you go, Lisa!) so I figured I should post it. Here you go, hope you enjoy it!

Gingered Daikon Carrot Slaw

Gingered Daikon Carrot Slaw 

2 large carrots
1/2 of a 12 inch daikon
1 heaping tablespoon fresh ginger
handful of fresh basil, cilantro or mint (or a mixture of them all)
3 tablespoons vegan mayo
Siracha to taste
Soy Sauce to taste
Juice of 1 big lime
pinch lime zest
1 T apple cider vinegar
fresh pepper
Grate or chop carrots, daikon and ginger in a food processor
Toss with the rest of the ingredients.. season to your liking

Grate carrots, daikon and ginger in food processor

Add the rest of the ingredients

Toss well

Serve!

Spicy Sesame Noodles (Daikon)

I bought a spiralizer (Buy it here) a few months ago and this is the first thing I made! These little kitchen tools are so cool! You can make curly fries (I bake mine without oil), zucchini noodles, apple “noodles”… the list is endless! Your kids will love using this thing and so will you!

World Cuisine 48297-99 Tri-Blade Plastic Spiral Vegetable Slicer

SO COOL!

Daikon radishes have a very distinct strong flavor. If you do not like this flavor, substitute brown rice noodles or whole wheat pasta instead. I plan on experimenting with this recipe in the future!

Spicy Sesame Noodles

This recipe is from Melomeals: Vegan For $3.33 A Day!

Spicy Sesame Noodles
  • 1 medium Daikon, spiralized (around 6 cups)
  • 2 t toasted sesame oil
  • 5 scallions, diced
  • 1 T soy sauce
  • 1 T siracha – or less if you don’t like s
  • 1/4 c Wasabi Ginger Dressing
  • 2 T toasted sesame seeds

Saute all of the ingredients together in a non stick skillet for 10 minutes. Taste and add more soy sauce, black pepper and siracha if desired.

Ready to cook!

Spiralize daikon radish OR cook your pasta of choice, assemble in pan and cook!

Wasabi Ginger Dressing

This is a quick and easy Asian-style dressing you can use on many things! I use this dressing on salad, slaw, Spicy Sesame Noodles and I serve it on the side of Tofu Salad Sushi Wraps. I use my Magic Bullet to make this, it’s so easy!

Tofu Salad Sushi Wrap with Wasabi Ginger Dressing

Wasabi Ginger Dressing

1 c mayo
1/2 c water
2 t prepared wasabi – you can use the tube or make your own from the powder
1 T freshly grated ginger
3 cloves garlic
1 t apple cider vinegar
1 T soy sauce
1/2 – 1 T toasted sesame oil
Pinch stevia powder
1 T siracha – less if you don’t like spicy!

Blend well

Add all ingredients into Magic Bullet, blend well.


Gingered Tofu & Zucchini (AND a little chit-chat)

I’m a wee bit behind on blog posts… about 30 to be exact! Oops! My son will be 6 months old tomorrow, we moved him into his crib last month (our computer is in his room – my office/his room type of thing) and it’s been hard to get on the computer for any length of time. I cranked up his white noise machine tonight so I can get some of these posts out to you!

He starts solid food tomorrow too… yay!! Baby food recipes coming your way!

Anyways, we have made a few changes to our diet over the past month with the help of an awesome plant-based Registered Dietician – Elisa Rodriquez from EatUrVeggies.com. She’s helped us a A TON and I’ve never felt better! I started Crossfit three months ago and I am SO HAPPY with my overall appearance right now… I look and feel better than I did BEFORE I had both of my kids!!

If you need a little push or a little direction with your plant-based diet, talk to Elisa!!! She’s awesome and very reasonably priced!

A few of the changes we’ve made from this learning process:

* Cut out added oils and salt

* Stopped eating bread more than twice a week MAX

* Switched to eating more whole foods (cut out flour, etc… well, for special occasions!)

SO you may see my recipes changing a bit. I need to post the ones I’m behind on but after that you may see a change in the type of recipes I choose to cook OR I will be altering them to suit our new dietary path. 🙂

OK! Onto the food!

This recipe is from one of my favorites – Melomeals Vegan For $3.33 A Day… LOVE HER!! This is a really easy recipe, perfect for a busy evening!!

Gingered Tofu & Zucchini

My daughter loves this! I serve this over quinoa or brown rice OR I make it into Spicy Noodles! (Post to follow… that’s a GOOD RECIPE!)

Gingered Zucchini and Tofu
  • Cooking spray
  • 7 oz extra firm tofu cut into small cubes – I used one block Trader Joe’s Organic High Protein Tofu
  • 1 large zucchini,  medium chop  I used 3 for extra veggies
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 5 large cloves garlic, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
  • ¾ cup water
  • Smoked Sea Salt to taste
  • Soy Sauce to taste
  • Black Pepper  to taste
  • Siracha if desired, to taste
  1. In a screaming hot cast iron (medium high heat) add the tofu, onion and zucchini. Let it stay there until the tofu starts to come away from the pan. This will give it a nice caramelization.
  2. Now add the garlic and ginger along with the water and a pinch of salt.
  3. Stir well and cover for 5 minutes, add soy sauce, more smoked sea salt, pepper and siracha to taste

Tofu, zucchini & onion ready

Add to HOT pan

Now add garlic, ginger and water

Add soy sauce, pepper, smoked salt and sriracha to taste

 

Balsamic-Glazed Chickpeas & Mustard Greens

I really like mustard greens, if you’ve never tried them this is a great starting point! This can be served as a side dish or a warm dinner salad. I like mine over quinoa for dinner! My toddler enjoyed this, she likes chasing the chickpeas around her plate. 🙂

Balsamic-Glazed Chickpeas & Mustard Greens

This recipe is from one of my favorite plant-based food blogs, Fat Free Vegan. She has such delicious recipes and lots of them! I changed the original recipe in an effort to reduce my sodium intake. 🙂

Ingredients

  • 10 ounces mustard greens – (I used one whole bunch)
  • 1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced
  • 4-6 tablespoons vegetable broth, divided – (I used water to saute to reduce sodium)
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 pinch red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce – (I used light soy sauce)
  • 1/4 teaspoon agave nectar or sugar – (I used agave)
  • 1 cup cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained – (I used cooked beans but you can used one can too)

Instructions

  1. Remove any large stems from the greens and discard. Tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces.
  2. In a deep pot or wok, sauté the onion in a tablespoon or two of vegetable broth (or water saute) until mostly faded to pink, about 4 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and red pepper and another tablespoon of broth and cook, stirring, for another minute. Add the mustard greens, 2 tablespoons of broth, and cook, stirring, until greens are wilted but still bright green, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the salt, if using. Remove greens and onions from pan with a slotted spoon and place in a serving dish, leaving any liquid in pan.
  3. Add the balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, and agave or sugar to the liquid in the pan (if there is no liquid, add 2 tablespoons of broth). Add the chickpeas and cook, stirring, over medium heat until the liquid is reduced by about half. Spoon the chickpeas over the greens and drizzle the sauce over all.
  4. Serve warm, with additional balsamic vinegar at the table.
  5. YUMMY!!

Saute onions, add garlic and red pepper

Add greens, cook until wilted but still bright green. Remove from pan and place in serving dish.

Glaze the chickpeas and top

Delish!