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Excerpted from The Simple Bites Kitchen: Nourishing Whole Food Recipes for Every Day. Copyright © 2017 by Aimée Wimbush-Bourque. Photos copyright © Tim and Angela Chin. Published by Penguin, an imprint of Penguin Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
In all honesty, I tried quite a few different ways of cooking tofu before I hit upon one that my children enjoyed as much as I did. Firm tofu is key for pleasing kids, as are the bold flavours of lime, sesame and soy sauce. - Aimée Wimbush-Bourque, The Simple Bites Kitchen
1 pound (450 g) firm organic tofu
1 lime, halved
3 tablespoons (45 mL) tamari soy sauce, divided
3 tablespoons (45 mL) sesame oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) cornstarch
1/2 pound (225 g) snow peas
1 small red bell pepper
1 small yellow bell pepper
1 tablespoon (15 mL) liquid honey
1 large clove garlic, minced
pinch of sea salt
2 teaspoons (10 mL) canola oil, divided
1/2 cup (125 mL) raw cashews
Slice the tofu into strips about ½ inch (1 cm) thick and 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide. Lay tofu on a paper towel and pat dry. Press the tofu with another paper towel to remove excess moisture.
In a medium bowl, mix together a marinade of the juice of ½ lime, 1 tablespoon (15 mL) tamari, 1 tablespoon (15 mL) sesame oil and cornstarch. Add the tofu and toss gently to coat. Marinate for 15 minutes while you prepare the vegetables.
Trim the stem from the snow peas and pull off the string that runs down the side of the pod. Cut bell peppers in half and discard the seeds. Slice peppers into ½-inch (1 cm) strips.
Whisk together a sauce of the juice of the remaining ½ lime, remaining 2 tablespoons (30 mL) tamari, 1 tablespoon (15 mL) sesame oil and honey. Stir in minced garlic and set aside.
Drain the tofu from the marinade and pat dry again; season lightly with salt. Heat 1 teaspoon (5 mL) of the canola oil in a large, well-seasoned wok or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is very hot, add half the tofu and cook 2 to 3 minutes on one side, until lightly golden. Turn the pieces of tofu and brown them on the other side. Transfer to a plate. Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon (5 mL) canola oil and repeat with the remaining tofu.
Increase heat to high, add the remaining 1 tablespoon (15 mL) sesame oil to the wok and tumble in the prepared vegetables. Story-fry for 4 to 5 minutes, until the colours are bright and the bell peppers start to soften.
Return the browned tofu to the pan and pour over the reserved tamari sauce mixture. Tumble in the cashews. Stir-fry, stirring constantly, until the sauce has thickened and coated everything, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and serve at once.
Excerpted from The Simple Bites Kitchen: Nourishing Whole Food Recipes for Every Day. Copyright © 2017 by Aimée Wimbush-Bourque. Photos copyright © Tim and Angela Chin. Published by Penguin, an imprint of Penguin Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.