Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Chili-Glazed Tofu over Asparagus and Rice



The tofu in this recipe reminded me a lot of a Teriyaki marinade I've made in the past. The only real difference is that this one is a little spicy. If you can't handle much spice, try adding less chili sauce or no chili sauce, would also work. I would recommend marinating the tofu over night because the longer you let it sit in the sauce, the more the tofu will absorb the flavor. The rice tasted like a grown up version of fried rice and the asparagus and carrots went very well with this dish.


On another note, I haven't been really been myself lately..I feel like my mind is somewhere else. A pit bull that I love dearly has been diagnoised with cancer, again for the second time. The first time resulting in him losing his right leg. Currently his poor little body has five tumors and the doctors said he might have had a stroke recently. This is the first animal that will be passing soon, that I have gotten so attached to. To anyone who has lost a pet, my heart goes out to you. I never expected how painful this would be. This picture was taken Monday of my beloved Buddy.




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Ingredients
* 1.5 cups of long-grained rice, cooked
* 2 1/4 cups chopped asparagus ( about 1 pound )
* 1 Tb peanut oil
* 2 Tb sugar
* 4 Tb rice vinegar
* 4 Tb low sodium soy sauce
* 2 tsp ginger, minced
* 2 tsp hot chili sauce, such as Sriracha
* 1 pound Extra-Firm Tofu, drained and cut lengthwise into 6 pieces
* 1 cup, carrots, julienned
* 2 cloves of garlic, minced
* 1 tsp dark sesame oil

Directions
1. Combine sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, ginger and hot chili sauce in a medium sized bowl and mix well. Add cut tofu to the bowl and marinade for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.

2. While rice you cook your rice, heat peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Add a little of the soy sauce mixture; cook 20 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

3. In a medium size wok or medium pan, add 1 Tb of olive oil and heat over medium flame. Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until it become fragrant. Add carrots and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the start to soften up a little. Add asparagus and cook for another 2 minutes. Lastly, add the cooked rice and sesame oil and mix well.

9 comments:

  1. I'm sorry about Buddy. My heart goes out to you, I know how raw losing a pet can feel and only other pet lovers truly know the loss is like family. I wish you guys the best of luck with a possible recovery.

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  2. Losing a loved one is so very painful, but making the decision to let them go is probably even harder. We've had several animals pass (old age and sickness, all three of them) so I truly know how you feel.

    I send you both all of my best hopes.

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  3. Thank you Amanda and Vegan Aide

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  4. Sorry about Buddy... :(
    I have had some cats in Japan but I never be with them when they pass away. They just went outside and never came back. But now I have two cats who never been outside so it will happen someday...

    Just thinking about it is painful so you must be more...

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  5. Yeah, I knew it was coming soon because he is so old. When you love your pets so much, it feels like your losing a dear friend. But thank you Toshiko for the nice words : ]

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  6. Hey Jacklyn, I'm so sorry about Buddy-he has a very precious face. We had a very sick dog that I made my mother put down recently. He was so sick that he was going off alone into places he never ventures to. You know, like feeling so sick that he felt the need to find a place to be alone and die. She wouldn't do anything about it out of fear and just not wanting to lose him.
    I know you didn't ask for any advise, but please know you'll regret it if you let him be in unnecessary pain and misery.
    You probably already know this though since you are a VEGAN! Yes! Your tofu looks awesome by the way! Hope all goes for the best, Jacklyn...
    Stella

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  7. Jacklyn...so sorry to hear about Buddy. What an adorable guy he is. It is hard to lose a pet, I've been through thatas well, because they are family and they are always there for us. You will always have happy memories of your friend. I will be thinking of you during this painful time.

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  8. Thank you Stella for the advice. He was suppose to be put down this Saturday but now the family has decided to push it back a little. It's hard because some days, he has great days..hes active and doesn't seem in much pain. I know the times nearing though...we don't want to wait until he gets really bad..but it seems like this little guy is fighting to live! He's been through so much and he just has so much strength..


    Thank you Dreaminitvegan for the kind words. Sorry to hear about your loss too.

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  9. Hello!
    First of all I LOVE your blog title! Its perfect! And secondly, these look great! Cant wait to try them! I'm following know so Im sure to be back :)

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