Anyway! When I'm not getting enough sleep, and I'm struggling to keep up with everyday tasks, I try to keep dinner as easy as possible! For nights like these, I like to keep jars of different types of sauces on hand. A week or two ago, I happened to pick up a jar of General Tso wok sauce from Aldi's Fusia Asian Inspirations line. (Anyone out there who loves Aldi as much as I do?! That place is the best!) I hadn't tried this particular sauce, before, but I usually like anything I pick up there, and I LOVE General Tso from the local Chinese takeout joint.
As I've mentioned in previous blog posts, I've cut meat from my diet. Honestly, I've never been a huge meat eater, so it hasn't been that difficult for me. However, meal planning is tricky since my dad and daughter still like to eat it. So for this meal, I prepared tofu for myself, and threw some breaded chicken chunks in the oven for them. Easy peasy!
Truth time: this was my very first time preparing tofu, and I was so worried I was going to mess it up. I'm pretty sure everyone who has tried tofu has, at one point or another, had some that wasn't cooked quite right and ended up being mushy or chewy or tough. So I did some research online. After checking out a few different recipes, I worked with what I had on hand and ended up doing the following:
Set extra firm tofu on paper towels to soak up some of the water. Let it set for a few minutes. Cut into cubes/chunks. In a bowl, combine a tablespoon of soy sauce and 1/2 tablespoon of maple syrup. Add the tofu, turning so all sides are coated. Let set. While it set, I prepared a pan with canola oil and turned the burner on medium heat. Toss the tofu into a quart-sized ziploc bag. Add 1 tablespoon of corn starch and toss to coat. Add 2 more tablespoons, tossing after each addition. Throw the tofu into the heated pan of oil. While the tofu starts to lightly brown (flip so each side is browned), chop any veggies you might want to include. I added chopped red bell peppers and asparagus. Add them to the pan. Once everything seems mostly cooked through, add the sauce, constantly stirring, so nothing sticks. Towards the end, I added cashews.
I served this over rice, with a side of broccoli. It was super yummy, super fast, and super easy! Not to mention it was a protein-filled meatless meal - win!
*Note - I lightly shook the jar of sauce before using, but apparently not enough. While my dish was perfect (I used the sauce at the top of the jar), the dish made with the bottom portion of sauce was quite spicy! I did not use the sauce for my daughter's chicken. She just ate it as chicken nuggets with duck sauce, along with the rice and broccoli.
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