Pan-fried Noodles and Tofu with Peanut Sauce, Chard and Crispy Broiled Mushrooms
Tofu is one of those foods with a taste and texture all its own, and not wholly delicious without a little (or a lot) of assistance. Enter peanut sauce. This sassy, spicy, flavorful tofu-helper will make your tofu your favorite meal of the week! Of course it would be delicious on salads and stir fries, all other meats, fish and proteins, but tofu is a nutritious source of protein, vitamins and minerals. Noodles, greens and mushrooms make this a complete and healthy meal.
Preparation
Pan-fried Noodles and Tofu with Peanut Sauce, Chard and Crispy Broiled Mushrooms
Ingredients:
1 lb. Midwest pasta fresh ramen
1/2 to 1 lb. Mofu Tofu, cubed in bite-sized pieces
1 bu. Swiss chard, stems removed, chopped, and reserved; leaves cut or torn into bite-sized pieces (feel free to substitute whatever greens are in your share)
1 bag Ozark Forest shiitakes, lightly rinsed, stems removed, torn into large pieces
olive oil
garlic, fresh if available, or powder or green garlic
2-4T. cornstarch
salt and pepper
For Peanut Sauce
1 c. Peanut Butter
1/2c. Soy sauce
1/4c. unseasoned Rice Wine Vinegar
1/2c. rice wine (or veggie broth)
4 teaspoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoon Plain Honey
1/2 to 1 Blue Heron Fire-roasted Jalapeño diced
2T. dark Sesame Oil
Whisk until the peanut butter is fully incorporated. Don’t be shy with the elbow grease.
Preparation
Blend peanut sauce ingredients together and set aside. In a medium sized bowl, stir together corn starch with salt and pepper. Add tofu cubes and toss carefully to coat. Brown tofu cubes in an oiled cast-iron skillet until golden and crispy. Remove to paper towel.
Pre-heat the broiler. In a baking dish, sprinkle olive oil and salt over mushrooms and a few garlic cloves (smashed with the side of a kitchen knife, peeled, and coarsely chopped). Place under the broiler, stirring every few minutes until some are crispy. Remove and set aside.
In the cast-iron skillet, heat a thin layer of olive oil over medium high and pan fry the ramen noodles, half a package at a time, tossing to coat with oil and then allowing to brown a bit before turning. Toss a few times for about five minutes total. Some will get crispy. Add pasta to peanut sauce and repeat with second half of pasta package. Add the rest of the pasta and the tofu to peanut sauce and cover. Keep warm by placing in the oven where the mushrooms just broiled.
Wipe out any residual pasta pieces and heat a little more oil in the skillet. Add a few cloves peeled, chopped garlic and the chard stems and saute until the stems begin to soften. Add the chard leaves and saute until tender, three to five minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Toss with pasta and tofu in peanut sauce. Serve on plates with a sprinkle of mushrooms over the top. Get the chop sticks out!