I have always been a huge protein eater and in past years that included a lot of meat. When the low carb craze hit, we were lead to believe if we live on chicken for our protein, we were good! While I believe chicken and other lean meats are a great source of protein, we still have to watch our portions, as we don't want to have too much animal fat in our diet. One portion of meat is equal to your computer mouse or palm of your hand and some experts recommend one serving a day of animal fat!
Anyway, this dish is absolutely delicious! It truly would be great with any protein you choose, but I will admit, it was my debut in trying tofu. I did a poll on my instagram and realized about half my followers were a little nervous about tofu. In this dish, you couldn't even taste it, the flavors were so amazing.
Tofu is a bean curd prepared with soy milk and presented in the form of white blocks of varying softness. It's a great source of protein, contains 9 essential amino acids and is a valuable plant source of iron, manganese, magnesium, copper, zinc and vitamin B1.
Another reason why I chose this recipe is that I love rice noodles and they are gluten free. That is a plus for anyone that has gluten intolerance, celiac disease or is just trying to reduce inflammation.
AND another bonus is once you stock your cupboard and fridge with traditional Asian ingredients, it's so easy to plan out additional Asian inspired dishes by changing out the protein, vegetables, rice and noodles! If you can make meal planning easy and efficient you are far more likely to be successful and consistent with it. I just got a message from a client who is doing my 28 Day Transformation and she has lost nearly 10 pounds in 3 weeks just by following the done-for-you meal plans, recipes and grocery lists! Efficient meal planning will take the frustration out of cooking, I'm telling you!
Let's get to this amazing recipe!
Ingredients:
About 200 grams of rice noodles
3 tbsp of toasted sesame seeds
3 garlic cloves, minced
a small piece of ginger, finely grated
1/4th cup soy or tamari sauce
2 tbsp brown rice vinegar
2 tbsp coconut sugar
1/2 tbsp paprika
about 1/2 cup cubed, extra firm tofu
3 spring onions, chopped—save extra for garnish
1 cup bean sprouts
1/4th cup unsalted peanuts-lightly roasted and roughly chopped
1/2 lime cut into slices
handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped (or sub with cilantro)
Peanut sauce
1/2 tbsp sriracha or hot sauce
1 cup canned coconut milk
2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari sauce
1/2 cup runny and unsweetened peanut butter
1 tbsp coconut sugar
Directions:
Cover the rice noodles with boiling water and let them sit for 15 minutes. In the meantime make the peanut sauce. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and slowly bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens. Remover from heat and set aside.
Heat a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat and stir fry the ginger and garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add in the drained noodles and cook for another 2 minutes until they have softened. Add the soy sauce, coconut sugar, vinegar and paprika and keep stirring. Add the tofu in and mix well to combine all ingredients. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add more soy sauce, chopped spring onions, chopped peanuts, bean sprouts and keep on stirring to prevent the ingredients from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add a dash of water if it looks too dry. Cook for another 3 minutes.
Remove it from the heat and serve it with chopped spring onions, coriander, lime slices, sesame seeds and drizzle the peanut sauce on top.
(original recipe from happyskinkitchen.com)
For more great recipes, meal planning and diet strategies checkout my No Gym No Probem 28 Day challenge. Sign up today and start tomorrow. 50% off vouchers still available.
In good health,
Susan Jensen
Health Coach & Fitness Trainer
susan@swanfitcoach.com
