Peanut Tofu

I have a lot of friends who celebrate Lent, and although I am not technically Catholic, I did go to a Catholic elementary school, and my mom was raised Catholic. I have given something up for Lent for the last several years, but I have yet to give up meat on Fridays. I realized at the end of Lent this year that it might be because my vegetarian repotoire is lacking a bit. I decided to try a couple new vegetarian recipes so that I can attempt meatless Fridays sometime soon. I started with Peanut Tofu because I realized while eating Peanut Chicken recently that the flavorful sauce would be great for tofu, which doesn't have much flavor on it's own. This was the best tofu recipe I have had, and I would highly recommend this for someone interested in experimenting with tofu, but is afraid of bland or weird textured food. I followed my standard tofu practices for this recipe - sliced into 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch slices, then press between cutting boards with lots of paper towels to dry. Then, sautee in a completely dry non-stick pan until very light golden and dry. Allow to cool before dicing into squares.

Peanut Tofu

1/2 package extra firm tofu, dried and diced into 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch cubes

1 medium red bell pepper, diced into 3/4 inch pieces

4 Tbs Low Sodium Soy Sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp grated ginger

1/2 cup Picante Sauce (I use Pace Medium, and I double the sauce)

2 Tbs creamy peanut butter (I use reduced fat)

2 tsp canola oil

1/2 tsp sesame oil

Marinade tofu in soy, garlic & ginger 20-30 minutes. Heat oils in stir fry pan over medium high heat. Add bell pepper and stir fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove, reserving as much oil as possible. Add tofu and stir fry until most of the marinating liquid has cooked off and become carmelized. Remove. In separate bowl (important!), combine picante and peanut butter and stir until mostly combined. Cold sauce will have a stringy consistency, sauce will blend as it cooks. Add sauce to hot stir fry pan. Cook & stir until thick and bubbly. Return peppers and tofu to the sauce. Stir well and cook until heated through. Serve over hot rice. Makes 3 servings when sauce is doubled.