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.