Ma Po Tofu - Sort of...

Tonight's invent-a-meal was a surprisingly tasty, no-meat version of that Chinese classic, ma po tofu. I used Morningstar Farms griller crumbles in place of the pork. And, well, I substituted most of the other ingredients on the internet recipes I checked. Here's the basic formula:

• 2/3 bag Morningstar Farms griller recipe crumbles
• 12 oz firm tofu, diced (next time, I'll use more tofu)
• soy sauce, about 1/8 cup
  
• 2T cornstarch
• 2T black bean sauce
• 1/4 c sweet chili sauce
• 1/2 to 3/4 c water
• chopped green onion
• chili garlic sauce (optional)
• oil for stir-fry
• cooked brown rice
  

Mix cornstarch and soy sauce. Add frozen crumbles to the mix, stir, and defrost in microwave for about 2 minutes. Let the crumbles absorb most of the liquid - takes a few more minutes.

Heat oil. Add veggie crumble mix and stir until it's heated. Add black bean sauce and mix well. Add tofu and gently mix as it heats. Add water to thin out sauce, then add sweet chili sauce. If you like it spicy, add in a bit of chili garlic sauce. I just added mine afterwards, since my husband didn't want the extra heat. Once everything's hot and bubbling, serve over brown rice.

To make everything as quickly as possible, put the rice cooker on before you start with the ma po tofu. Rice takes about 45 minutes, main dish only took about 20.

Chow Fun

We mostly enjoy the quest for good food that doesn't contain chicken, pork, beef, turkey, lamb, eggs, or dairy.

Last night's meal - a noodle stir-fry - was a tasty treat only available in Hawaii. I used fresh chow fun noodles, fresh poke (cubed ahi with green onions and to-die-for seasonings), chop suey mix (bean sprouts, cabbage, shredded carrots), and a little onion. It seemed like something was missing, and I realize now I should have drizzled a little sesame oil and sprinkled sesame seeds on top. The soy sauce and red pepper flakes weren't enough.

The secret is the order in which everything's cooked. First, the onion (3 minutes), followed by chop suey (another 3 minutes). Then, I added the poke for a minute or two, followed by the chow fun noodles. Once they get heated up, it's time to drizzle oil and sprinkle sesame seeds. Yummy!

I have to admit, it seems like a waste to cook fresh poke (pronounced "poak-eh") when it's so good raw - but it's the only way Tom can eat it.

Next time I'll take a picture of the dish and add it to my post.