Sesame Tofu Noodle Bowl

This is a meal we often make when we aren’t sure what else to make because it is easy to keep the needed ingredients on hand. While the recipe calls for swiss chard, we often use whatever is in our fridge. For us this is often red cabbage (since it lasts a long time in the fridge). We also love this meal with broccolini.

Serves: 4-6

Time: 1 hr 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 batch sesame tofu

1 lb pad thai rice noodles

1 bunch of swiss chard

4 cloves of garlic

1 tbsp tamari

1 tbsp sesame oil

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Prepare the sesame tofu.

While the tofu is cooking, boil the pad thai noodles according to instructions on the package. Important: when the rice noodles are cooked rinse them with cold water so they don’t continue to cook into a large blob of noodle. Stir the sesame oil and tamari into the cooked noodles.

Then, wash the swiss chard and strip the leaves from the stem. Cut the chard into ribbons. Mince the garlic. Heat a pan with some olive oil. Cook the garlic until fragrant, add chard. Sautee until wilted. Toss the noodles with the chard and tofu and eat. Enjoy!

Sesame Tofu

During this global pandemic we are experiencing collective trauma and this will show up differently for everyone. It’s normal if the pandemic is triggering your disordered eating. It is normal to want to eat a lot of food. It is normal to feel the urge to restrict your food. All of these feelings are real and valid. We want to remind everyone that there is no wrong way to eat, there is no “good” food and “bad” food. It’s okay to eat all day. It’s okay to eat past being full. It’s okay to eat the food your body desires. It’s okay if you are experiencing lack of access to food and are eating what’s available to you. Today we are sharing one of our favorite dishes with the knowledge that, at least in Portland and Seattle, finding tofu has become a real challenge. If you can find tofu, you won’t regret having this delicious food around!

We are obsessed with this sweet, sticky, salty delightful dish! It makes a nice appetizer, can be eaten alone as a delicious snack, or goes great with many meals. Some of our favorite ways to eat this are with millet and stir fried broccoli and cabbage or with a rutabaga bake and fried garlic collard greens.

Time: 1 hour

Serves: 4 as a side

Ingredients

2 blocks firm or extra firm tofu

1/2 cup of cornstarch

1 tsp salt

for the sauce:

6 tbsp coconut aminos

2 tbsp tamari (gluten-free soy sauce)

2 tsp maple syrup

2 tsp toasted sesame oil

1 tbsp lime juice

1 tsp sriracha

2 tsp sesame seeds, white, black, or mixed

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Cut your blocks of tofu in half so that you have four, one inch thick rectangles. Press the tofu between two kitchen towels, placing a cast iron pan, or something heavy on them to remove some of the liquid. This process can be done with a tofu press. Slice the tofu into cubes or thick sticks. Combine the cornstarch and a generous pinch of salt in a shallow bowl. Toss the tofu, a couple of pieces at a time in the cornstarch mixture until coated on all sides. Heat 2 tbsp of neutral oil in a frying pan. Once hot, fry the tofu in batches on med-high making sure it gets golden brown on all sides. Feel free to add more oil if your pan gets dry. Be careful not to crowd the tofu as that will make it all stick together. We use tongs to turn each piece separately.

To make the sauce, mix the coconut aminos, tamari (gluten-free soy sauce), maple syrup, lime juice, sriracha, and sesame seeds in a small bowl. When the tofu looks done, put all your finished batches of tofu back into the pan and pour the sauce over the tofu. Cook the tofu and sauce, stirring constantly until it becomes sticky and coats the tofu, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and enjoy!