Peanut Butter Tofu



I have finally made an original dish that has become a staple in the Lindsay/Steve household, simply because it's a tasty winner all around: Peanut Butter Tofu. I made up this dish last week when I was in the mood to make two different kinds of tofu: tofu terryaki and... something else. But where to start? I opened my fridge, and there it was- a peanut butter jar calling out my name. So, I experimented with it, and both Steve and I were super pleased with the results, so much so that I decided to make it again last night. It has a total comfort food feel, and anyone who is new to tofu should give this recipe a whirl, especially if you happen to love peanut butter as much as I do. Here's what I did:

With a single package of "Extra Firm" tofu, I press it (You can press your own tofu by taking it out of it's water and packaging, slicing the block widthwise into 3 or 4 smaller blocks and spreading them out on a flat surface, and then placing either a clean dish towel or a few layers of paper towels on top, and then placing something really heavy over the whole thing- like a big cast iron skillet or something. This process helps press the water out of the tofu, so that your tofu doesn't become a sloppy mess in the pan. You can do this for anywhere between 10 and 30 minutes.), then chop it up into really tiny bite sized cubes. I then cook the cubes in a medium sized, oiled up pan (I use Extra-Virgin Olive Oil or Expeller-Pressed Canola Oil), until the the tofu is browned lightly all around. I then add about two or three heaping spoonfuls of Vegan margarine (I use the Earth Balance Brand- it's Non-hydrogenated), two or three heaping spoonfuls of peanut butter (I prefer All Natural Creamy, but use whatever kind you like), and then a splash of soy sauce and a sprinkle of salt. If I'm feeling fancy, I'll add a teaspoonful or two of terryaki or ginger sauce to it. Once I've added all the ingredients to the pan of tofu cubes, I stir, stir, stir. It'll take a little while, so I keep it over medium heat, and after a while, the peanut butter will melt into the tofu, as well as everything else. Once distributed and mixed well, I let the tofu stay in the pan on medium heat for a few more minutes, to allow the sauce to really thicken and stick to the tofu.


I wish I had a picture of this fun dish (no digital camera= a very sad Vegan), but I've attached a picture of peanut butter and a picture of tofu, just because it goes with the whole theme... yeah, I already know I'm a dork. It's cool.

Enjoy!!

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