Thai Peanut Zucchini Noodles with Tofu
(This recipe requires a veggie spiralizer, but you're cool so you probably already own one.)
(Also, cake. See below.)
I left work at 8:00 pm last night, a Friday night, because everything is stupid sometimes, and of course, because I had Cheese Hug Bake with Zucchini and Quinoa for my lunch, I ate at like 11:30 am (I have very little willpower around that stuff, just ... GIMME), so by 8 pm, I was HUNGRY.
I was also biking my sorry ass home at that point, which - when you're hungry and tired and braindead from a long day of getting the office ready for your one-week vacation - is just pretty terrible. We'd taken a detour to the grocery to buy some zucchini because, in addition to being tired, hungry, and braindead, I was also SICK, and thought that a nice chili ramen with courgettes might make my throat hurt a little less, at least. So by the time we were rounding the corner for the almost-final stretch of the ride home, I was tired, hungry, braindead, sick, and annoyed with the delays piling up on my precious Friday night.
It was at this point that I was nearly door'd by a fast food delivery guy who had parked his car at the side of the road and opted to not check his side mirror before kicking his door open. The ONLY reason I didn't stop my bike and murder him some was that a) that would have only delayed me further, and b) he had a bag full of delicious-smelling Thai take-out in his hands, and it smelled so nice that it distracted me from what I consider totally justifiable homicide.
I said to David: "Do you want Thai peanut noodles?"
David said: "Yes. Obviously." A moment. Then: "Wait. Do you mean TONIGHT?"
"Yup. As soon as we get home."
"WHAT YES THIS IS AMAZING."
And then we had to bike like 2 more miles and it was almost all uphill the whole way and it was just REALLY FULL OF SUCK.
But it was okay because we got home and I made noodles (and baked a cake, too, because cake), and we showered while those were baking and then the sauce only took me like 5 minutes to make and it was delicious and comforting and I had a fever but it was okay because noodles.
*sob*
Ingredients
1 zucchini
1 lb extra firm tofu, drained
1/2 cup chunky natural peanut butter
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp honey
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp minced garlic (3 cloves)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (increase if you want it HOT)
1/2 cup frozen cut leaf spinach (NOT chopped leaf, that stuff's nasty)
2 tbsp (?) olive oil (I eyeball this)
1 cake mix
1 tin pie filling
3 eggs
Butter to grease your cake pan
Instructions
- Preheat toaster oven or oven, whatever, to 350*F.
- Spiralize the zucchini into a square baking dish or a pie plate if your square baking dish is unavailable, cutting the noodles some so that they aren't evil and long and uncooperative.
- Drain the tofu.
- Slice it into thirds flat-wise, then cube that so that your pieces are 3/4-1".
- Put the tofu on the zucchini noodles. You want a fairly even layer on top, but don't try to make it pretty or work too hard. Seriously, this is like the easiest thing in the world, be lazy about it.
- Bake that for 35 minutes.*
- When you've got about 5 minutes of bake-time left, start the sauce.
- Put the peanut butter into a small mixing bowl. Add the water a little at a time, mixing with a spoon or a spatula each time until the water's fully integrated.
- Once the peanut butter's playing nice, add everything else. Whisk until it's all combined.
- This is probably when your noodles/tofu will be done baking. Take them out of the oven and set them aside. You'll need them in a minute.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat.
- Dump in the sauce and let it sit for like 1 minute? Just so that it starts to heat.
- Move the sauce around while it cooks. It'll bubble and thicken, but if you ignore it, it'll burn, so just move it around constantly. I use a metal turner/spatula/thing for this part, but a whisk or a wooden spoon would probably work, too.
- Once the sauce has thickened some, dump the noodles and tofu into the sauce. Stir it around so everything combines nicely.
- Cook an additional 2-3 minutes, then serve hot!
We divided this into two servings, but they were WICKED big servings, so I think it's actually a 4-serving recipe (OOPS). We'll make it again, probably today, and see what happens.
* If you want to bake a cake at the same time, you will find true happiness. Combine 1 can pie filling with 1 cake mix and 3 eggs, mix by hand with a rubber spatula until it's all smooth and stuff, then put it into a buttered 9x13" baking dish and bake it at the same time, same temperature, and same duration as the noodles and tofu. Seriously. Dinner and dessert, prepared at the same time, with minimal effort? Sign. Me. Up.
(Also, cake. See below.)
I left work at 8:00 pm last night, a Friday night, because everything is stupid sometimes, and of course, because I had Cheese Hug Bake with Zucchini and Quinoa for my lunch, I ate at like 11:30 am (I have very little willpower around that stuff, just ... GIMME), so by 8 pm, I was HUNGRY.
I was also biking my sorry ass home at that point, which - when you're hungry and tired and braindead from a long day of getting the office ready for your one-week vacation - is just pretty terrible. We'd taken a detour to the grocery to buy some zucchini because, in addition to being tired, hungry, and braindead, I was also SICK, and thought that a nice chili ramen with courgettes might make my throat hurt a little less, at least. So by the time we were rounding the corner for the almost-final stretch of the ride home, I was tired, hungry, braindead, sick, and annoyed with the delays piling up on my precious Friday night.
It was at this point that I was nearly door'd by a fast food delivery guy who had parked his car at the side of the road and opted to not check his side mirror before kicking his door open. The ONLY reason I didn't stop my bike and murder him some was that a) that would have only delayed me further, and b) he had a bag full of delicious-smelling Thai take-out in his hands, and it smelled so nice that it distracted me from what I consider totally justifiable homicide.
I said to David: "Do you want Thai peanut noodles?"
David said: "Yes. Obviously." A moment. Then: "Wait. Do you mean TONIGHT?"
"Yup. As soon as we get home."
"WHAT YES THIS IS AMAZING."
And then we had to bike like 2 more miles and it was almost all uphill the whole way and it was just REALLY FULL OF SUCK.
But it was okay because we got home and I made noodles (and baked a cake, too, because cake), and we showered while those were baking and then the sauce only took me like 5 minutes to make and it was delicious and comforting and I had a fever but it was okay because noodles.
*sob*
Thai Peanut Zucchini Noodles with Tofu
Ingredients
1 zucchini
1 lb extra firm tofu, drained
1/2 cup chunky natural peanut butter
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp honey
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp minced garlic (3 cloves)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (increase if you want it HOT)
1/2 cup frozen cut leaf spinach (NOT chopped leaf, that stuff's nasty)
2 tbsp (?) olive oil (I eyeball this)
Instructions
- Preheat toaster oven or oven, whatever, to 350*F.
- Spiralize the zucchini into a square baking dish or a pie plate if your square baking dish is unavailable, cutting the noodles some so that they aren't evil and long and uncooperative.
- Drain the tofu.
- Slice it into thirds flat-wise, then cube that so that your pieces are 3/4-1".
- Put the tofu on the zucchini noodles. You want a fairly even layer on top, but don't try to make it pretty or work too hard. Seriously, this is like the easiest thing in the world, be lazy about it.
- Bake that for 35 minutes.*
- When you've got about 5 minutes of bake-time left, start the sauce.
- Put the peanut butter into a small mixing bowl. Add the water a little at a time, mixing with a spoon or a spatula each time until the water's fully integrated.
- Once the peanut butter's playing nice, add everything else. Whisk until it's all combined.
- This is probably when your noodles/tofu will be done baking. Take them out of the oven and set them aside. You'll need them in a minute.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat.
- Dump in the sauce and let it sit for like 1 minute? Just so that it starts to heat.
- Move the sauce around while it cooks. It'll bubble and thicken, but if you ignore it, it'll burn, so just move it around constantly. I use a metal turner/spatula/thing for this part, but a whisk or a wooden spoon would probably work, too.
- Once the sauce has thickened some, dump the noodles and tofu into the sauce. Stir it around so everything combines nicely.
- Cook an additional 2-3 minutes, then serve hot!
We divided this into two servings, but they were WICKED big servings, so I think it's actually a 4-serving recipe (OOPS). We'll make it again, probably today, and see what happens.
* If you want to bake a cake at the same time, you will find true happiness. Combine 1 can pie filling with 1 cake mix and 3 eggs, mix by hand with a rubber spatula until it's all smooth and stuff, then put it into a buttered 9x13" baking dish and bake it at the same time, same temperature, and same duration as the noodles and tofu. Seriously. Dinner and dessert, prepared at the same time, with minimal effort? Sign. Me. Up.
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