Sweet Chili Lime Tofu

This is one of the most awesome recipes in the Vegan Yum Yum cookbook.  So awesome that even Grumpy likes it!  I haven't been cooking a lot of meals lately since Grumpy's hours have been pretty late on the job.  Now that I am on my 3rd week at my job, I am about tired of the "simple" lunches that I have been taking.  Things like sandwiches, Soup at Hand, yogurt, crackers, etc.  I decided I had to get back on track and start eating the way I prefer.....even if it does mean a little bit more work!  Don't let the list of ingredients scare you.  It isn't that hard and it doesn't take that much work.  Actually, if you do what I did and buy chopped pre-washed kale, it takes even less time! 

If you haven't had tofu, this is a great dish to make to give it a try.  The crispy tofu, the sweet chili lime glaze, the flavorful quinoa and green kale all go absolutely great together.....however, Grumpy likes to eat the glazed tofu straight from the pan.  ;o)

Sweet Chili Lime Tofu
from Vegan Yum Yum made my way (meaning some adjustments in ingredients!)

Quinoa:
¾ C quinoa, rubbed/rinsed, drained
Zest from one lime
2 bruised cardamon pods
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tiny cinnamon stick (optional)
1-⅓ C water

Sweet Chili Lime Sauce:
3 Tbs sugar
3 Tbs light soy sauce
juice of 1 large lime
½ zest of the lime
dash or 2 of cayenne pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon salt

The Greens:
4 cups pre-chopped, prewashed kale
2-3 Tbs water

The Tofu:
14-oz extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed
Lime slices for a garnish

The Quinoa:

Combine the quinoa, lime zest, cardamon, cinnamon stick, salt, and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes, then remove from heat and don’t remove the lid. Let steam for 10 minutes.

Sweet chili lime sauce:
Whisk together the sugar, soy sauce, lime juice, lime zest, cayenne, garlic, and salt until the sugar and salt and are dissolved. Set aside.

The Tofu:
Slice the tofu into 8 rectangles.  Then cut each rectangle in half to make two squares, and then each square into triangles.  Saute the tofu in a dry skillet for about 10 minutes on each side OR if your like me and still has your tofu stick when trying to dry fry, add a little olive oil to the pan.  Add the chili lime sauce and stir to coat the tofu. Turn off the heat. The sauce will bubble up, reduce, and form a glaze.

The Kale:
Steam with water for just a couple minutes - you want to keep the nice bright green!

Assemble:
Quinoa, Kale, Tofu with sauce. 

EAT & Enjoy!