salted pepper tofu

one of my favorite chinese restaurants in sd is royal manderin in national city.  they make the best salted pepper chicken wings (when i used to eat chicken that is).  since being vegetarian, it's ironic that they came up with a salted pepper tofu dish!!!  my mom always orders it for me when we have family parties.   here is my play on their dish.  all i can say is once i was done cooking it, i couldn't keep my hands off of it while i was taking this photo! soooooo delicious!

1 package of fried tofu cubes ( i made it easier on myself but if you want, go ahead and buy a package of tofu and fry it yourself).

2 bunches of finely chopped green onions
salt and pepper
5-8 cloves of minced garlic
garlic salt
red pepper
1-2tbs red chili oil
2-3 tbs canola oil



directions:
1)  heat both oils on medium heat.
2)  saute garlic and red pepper together.  make sure you keep stirring to avoid burning the garlic.
3)  add tofu and constantly stir making sure all the tofu is coated with garlic and chili oil. cook until tofu is heated through. season with salt, pepper and garlic salt.
4)  add green onions and cook for about 2-3 more minutes.

sauteed bok choy

a quick and simple dish that will definitely fill you up.

ingredients:
2 bundles of fresh bok choy
3 gloves of minced garlic
1 1/2 tbl of vegetarian stir fry sauce
2 tsp of peanut oil
1 tbl water
salt and black pepper (you can also use chinese 5 spice)

1) heat peanut oil and saute minced garlic on medium heat for about 30 secs.
2) add bok choy, vegetarian sauce and water. stir fry for about 3 mins. add salt and pepper to taste.

** note**
you can purchase vegetarian stir fry sauce at any asian supermarket. i used the lee kum kee brand.

szechuan hot and sour soup

last night for dinner i was craving soup. i was looking in my Vegan Planet cook book and hot and sour soup sounded yummy. my meal needed another dish. i figured i'd stick to with the chinese dish theme and cook something easy...sauteed bok choy...yup, quick and simple.

hot and sour soup
** adapted from vegan planet cookbook**

ingredients:

1/2 cup of shitake mushrooms
1 cup of canned or fresh sliced bamboo shoot
4 tsp peanut oil
8 oz extra firm tofu, drained and cut into strips
2 garlic clove
1 tbl minced ginger
4 cups of vegetable stock
2 tblspn soy sauce
2 tblspn rice vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tsp chili paste (i like my soup spicy)
1 tsp of cornstarch dissolved in
2 tsp of water
1 tblspn sesame oil
2 tbl chopped scallions
1 tbl chopped cilantro
salt and black pepper

directions:
1. in a large pot, heat 2 tsp of peanut oil and cook tofu until golden brown on both sides, and set aside.
2. in the same pot, heat the remaining 2 tsp of peanut oil(medium heat) and saute garlic and ginger for 30 secs.
3. add stock, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and chili paste. bring to boil over high heat then reduce to medium to simmer.
4. add tofu, bamboo shoot, and mushrooms and simmer for about 5 mins.
5. remove pot from heat and add the remainder of the ingredients- sesame oil, scallions, cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste.