Oy va voy it has been a while.  Mad props to the bestest co-author ever for taking over the blog for the last week and a half (well, let’s keep it real, 2 weeks).  Anyway, I’m back and I’ve got a back log of recipes so hang on to your hats.

Now, a while ago Jeremy, whose love of all things Oprah might rival Oprah’s own love for all things Oprah, suggested we start a Meatless Mondays section of the blog in honor of O’s dedication to the John Hopkins School of Public Health’s meatless campaign.  It was hard to agree to, what with being married to an Ashkenazi Jewish man weened on chicken bones and schmaltz, but at the end of the day, meat is expensive so we unknowingly support and celebrate Meatless Mondays on a weekly basis.  So, for this post, I want to share one of my most favorite vegetarian/vegan recipe.  It’s simple, it’s inexpensive, it provides leftovers for several days and best of all–it’s delicious!!

Spicy Peanut Noodles with Baked Tofu

What??

Tofu Prep (You want to marinate the tofu for at least 20 minutes before you bake it so let is marinate while the noodles cook)

– One package of extra firm tofu

– 1/2 cup soy sauce

– 2 tablespoons of Frank’s Hot Sauce (natch)

– Dash or two of ginger powder

Preheat oven to 350

Take the tofu out of package and wrap in a few paper towels.  Give it a good squeeze in order to remove all that excess water.  You want to make sure to get out as much water as possible so that the tofu can absorb all that soy sauce goodness.  Let the tofu sit on paper towel.  Put the soy sauce, hot sauce and ginger into a bowl and stir.  Next, put the cubed tofu into the sauce and make sure the sauce covers the tofu as much as it can.  Cover the bowl and refrigerate while you prepare the peanut noodles.

Noodles!

3 tablespoons of olive oil

3 bulbs of garlic diced

3 carrots sliced into thin rounds

1 cup of broccoli florets

3 -5 scallions chopped

a bunch of cilantro

1 package of sobu noodles

Spicy Sauce

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

1/2 cup tahini

1/4 natural peanut butter (I like a combination of both)

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice or wine vinegar

1/4 cup of hot water

Hot sesame oil, chili-garlic sauce, or other hot sauce to taste

Put hot water on to boil to cook the noodles.  While waiting for water to boil, heat medium-sized skillet with olive oil on medium-high heat.  Add garlic to the skillet; turn heat down to medium.****  Add carrots to skillet and sautee until soft.  Add the broccoli and sautee with carrots until very bright green.  Meanwhile, add noodles to the boiling water and proceed as directed by the package.  Once vegetables and noodles are cooked (and drained) put in one giant bowl.  Meanwhile, beat together the tahini/peanut butter mixture, sugar (I use honey and you could use agave nectar or maple syrup as well), soy sauce, and vinegar. Add a little hot sauce and the sesame oil; taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Thin the sauce with hot water, so that it is the consistency of heavy cream. I like to add cilantro and scallions to the mixture at this point. Finally, toss together the noodles and baked tofu.

****If your tofu has been marinated for 20 minutes, but on greased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.  Make sure to turn over at the 10 minute mark.