Stir-Fried Tofu and Spring Greens with Peanut Sauce

I learned two things today, thanks to the components of this recipe! The first is: beware of Thai peanut sauce. There were several brands at Whole Foods but they tended to contain sneaky ingredients like honey or sake (never vegan). The best bet was the one from Whole Foods' house brand, 365 Organic. Likewise, dry-roasted peanuts sound perfectly innocent - what could be un-vegan about a peanut, right? Wrong. Dry-roasted peanuts contain gelatin! I didn't even realize this until I was home from the corner deli, so sure was I that the ingredient-list didn't bear a once-over. I went back and they very kindly let me exchange it for the carton of cocktail peanuts (just peanuts and peanut oil and a dash of salt - phew).

But enough about that... on to the recipe.

Slice 8-oz of extra firm tofu into 1/2 inch slices. Press between several layers of paper towels to sop up most of the moisture until they are just moist. Cut into cubes.

Heat a teaspoon and a half of canola oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tofu and saute for 5 minutes until golden brown on all sides. Add two tablespoons of peanut sauce and cook for two minutes.

Stir in one cup thinly sliced bok choy, 1/2 cup julienne-cut yellow squash, and 2 tablespoons chopped green onions. Cook for 3 minutes. Add one cup chopped watercress and a tablespoon of soy sauce, and cook for one minute (the watercress will wilt and the soy sauce will be absorbed).

Remove from heat.

Cook 4 oz soba noodles in boiling water for about 7 minutes. Drain. Place one cup noodles in each of two bowls, and top each serving of noodles with 1 1/4 cup of the tofu mixture. Each serving is about 450 calories.

The moral of the story is: check your ingredient labels!

Cost:
tofu $1.49
Thai peanut sauce $2.49
bok choy $4.18
yellow squash $0.69
green onions $0.99
watercress $1.99
soba $3.39