Ginger Peanut Tofu with Cauliflower Rice

Hello, hello! For those of you who may have noticed I’ve been MIA for a while… my apologies! It’s been a crazy few weeks to say the least. I’ve been in Florida, Georgia and am currently writing this post from the Nashville Airport. Yeehaw. Between travel and work craziness I simply haven’t had time to sit down and write posts that were worth posting (though I did write some that weren’t worth posting…) Keeping up with everything has just been nuts. But I’m happy to report that even though I may be pretty loopy right now, I’ve made it through and should have some really fun posts coming up over the next few weeks on Travel Tuesdays – so I promise my inattention to the blog lately will be worth it. It was quite a mixed bag. I had some amazing vegan eats and one particularly disgruntled chef who refused to remove cheese from any of his recipes lest I spoil his “vision.” I’m still a little miffed about that one… and with all this travel I haven’t been able to spend much time in the kitchen lately either, sadly. But I’ve also got lots of new inspiration and some crazy plans to make up some new ones in the next few weeks. I did, however, manage to whip up a super duper easy recipe that still has me thinking about it. I debated whether or not to post it, while it tastes delicious, the photos and aesthetics of the end result aren’t exactly gorgeous… but it was so darn tasty I decided I simply couldn’t let this one get by. So, without further ado, let’s talk about ginger peanut tofu with cauliflower rice.

See? It’s not all that pretty. But the flavors – oh the flavors! First of all, I’m a fan of pretty much any and all things savory peanut. Don’t get me wrong, I can get down with a peanut butter cup every now and then, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE spicy peanut sauces, dressings and basically anyway you can use peanut in a non-dessert dish. So while I was sitting around looking at my cupboards for something quick to whip up – once my eyes landed on that jar of peanut butter I was inspired.

I’ve also been into ground ginger a lot lately. I’m not sure if it’s the mixture of pumpkin spices I’ve been putting in any and everything – and one of those spices happens to be ginger – that’s inspired me, or if I just had a craving when I whipped this up. But the combination of peanut and ginger is something I’ve eaten before but never attempted at home. Add a little soy to the mix and you’ve got a great mixture of Asian-inspired flavors.

In addition to the sauce/marinade for the tofu, I wanted to add bok choy – because it’s one of the most delicious greens there is – and because it’s also one of my favorite additions to any Asian recipe. I tossed this batch with a little sesame oil and bam – the perfect addition to the dish!

Aside from my cupboard inspiration, I got the idea for cauliflower rice while scanning through pinterest. I’m always a fan of adding more vegetables to any and every recipe and the thought of using cauliflower for rice never crossed my mind. I’ve used it in tabouli or to replace chicken in buffalo wings, but I was intrigued by using it for rice and figured there’s no better time than the present for experimentation.

I’m so so glad I discovered this – and I wish I remembered who’s pinterest board I saw this on so I could give them a shout-out! But cauliflower rice is amazing. Seriously. If you don’t even make the tofu and bok choy – you must try to incorporate cauliflower rice into a recipe somewhere. First of all, it’s super filling. And there’s basically no calories in it – not that I count calories – but you could literally eat an entire head of cauliflower and I feel like you could still splurge on dessert. (like my logic there? This is where I insert some language about how I have no dietician or medical training…blah blah blah). But look, cauliflower is super healthy and you’ll get a ton of bang for your calorie buck. So just try it out. Ok?

This recipe was tossed together in about 15 minutes – and it might take even less time if you’ve already got your cauliflower food processed ahead of time. It’s easily going to be one of my go-to week night dinners for the sheer simplicity of it and how fast it can be put together. I’m a big fan of mixing everything up, pouring a glass of wine and watching Nightly News on my Roku app. It’s a perfect way to end a busy day and let me tell you – I could use it again right about now.

Ginger Peanut Tofu with Cauliflower Rice & Bok Choy

Servings: 3-4
Time: 20 minutes or less
Difficulty: easy
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What You’ll Need:

1 block tofu, drained
1 head bok choy
1/2 head cauliflower
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup unsalted peanut butter
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons ground ginger
juice from 1/2 lime
juice from 1/4 lemon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons warm water
sesame seeds for topping, optional

What You’ll Do:

Start by pressing the tofu and washing and chopping the bok choy. You’ll want the greens to be large enough to be more than bite size, as they’ll get smaller during cooking.
Using a food processor (or grater) pulse the cauliflower down to little pieces about the size of rice. Depending on the size of your food processor, you may need to work in batches.
Mix the peanut butter, soy sauce, ginger, lemon, lime, cayenne and water together in a food processor or by hand with a whisk.
Cut the tofu into bite-size squares and add to the peanut butter sauce.
In a large skillet over medium heat, add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the minced garlic. Brown the garlic for about a minute and then add the cauliflower to the skillet. Stir a couple of times and then cover for about 6 minutes or until some bits of the cauliflower are browned. Set aside and keep covered to keep warm.
In a separate skillet, heat the sesame oil over medium high heat. Add the bok choy to the skillet and sear for about 2 minutes. Set aside to keep warm.
Add the tofu and sauce into a skillet and heat through. The peanut butter sauce will get a little thicker during this process, but don’t worry – it will still taste delicious! After about 5 minutes, the tofu should heated through.
Serve the cauliflower and bok choy topped with the tofu and extra sauce. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and enjoy!