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!
Anonymous says
I almost never post, but I want to make sure word gets out that this recipe is amazing. Thanks a lot for sharing! 🙂 It'll definitely be a staple around here. 🙂
The Human Food Blog says
I made this too! I wasn't crazy about the tofu 🙁 But that cookbook has some other really recipes. Maybe it just needed some adjustments like you made.
Aggie says
Shelby, this looks amazing. I'm still easing into tofu, had it at PF Changs twice in their lettuce wraps and really liked it. This looks delicious and is making me want to try tofu at home!
Shelby says
lapetite, yes, I do drain mine of liquid first. I sandwich it between a good thickness of papertowels and then place a heavy pot on top to help squeeze the liquid out. Crisping it in a very hot non stick pan (or you can use a little oil also) will work much better if you do this method.
lapetitepancake says
I have tried to make tofu several times, always failing.
Any tips?
Do you drain yours of liquid first?
theUngourmet says
My tofu dishes never look this pretty! I need more practice. I love the combination of chili and lime.
teresa says
oh my goodness, this looks SO good, loving those flavors!
Mags @ the Other Side of 50 says
I'd totally make this (subbing chicken breast for the tofoooey, of course...LOL)
Lynda says
I still have not tried tofu Shelby.One of these days.
I do like all of the flavors going on here and it looks delicious!
Glad that you are getting settled in your home and your job. Have a great week!
Kathleen says
Shelby, this sounds awesome! I just made my first recipe from this cookbook last week. I'm hoping to post in next week 😉