Bok choy with sesame and garlic tofu recipe

After I picked up my CSA share on Monday, I immediately started flipping through cookbooks to see what I would make for the week. One of the things that I came home with was another head of bok choy, so I was excited to find an enticing recipe in "The Whole Foods Market Cookbook". It included tofu, which was perfect because I'm now a vegetarian on Mondays and Tuesdays...

A few weeks ago I got an email from a friend proposing a vegetarianism sharing group. The idea is that you get several people together who are not vegetarians but recognize the importance of decreasing meat consumption because of its extreme impacts on the environment. Everyone commits to being a vegetarian for a day (or in some cases two days) of the week so that the whole week is covered by the group. I thought this was a great idea, as did a few other people, so I will now be making a conscious effort not to eat meat on Mondays and Tuesdays. Given that I don't eat much meat in the first place, it hasn't been much of a change for me. It's exciting that some of my friends are recognizing the impact of food choices, though, and I'm glad to be part of a group that is making a positive step towards reducing energy consumption.

Bok choy with sesame and garlic tofu (adapted from "The Whole Foods Market Cookbook")

(Printable version)

3 cloves garlic

1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled

2 tsp sesame oil

1/4 cup soy sauce (use wheat-free tamari for gluten-free)

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp sesame seeds

1 tsp crushed red chili flakes

3/4 cup water

3 Tbsp gluten-free miso

1 lb firm tofu, cubed

1 1/2 Tbsp peanut oil, divided

1 head bok choy, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, minced

1 Tbsp soy sauce (wheat-free tamari)

1 bunch green onions, sliced

1 Tbsp sesame seeds

Combine everything from garlic to miso in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Marinate tofu cubes in this marinade for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Heat 1/2 Tbsp peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the tofu from the marinade (but save the marinade) and cook in the skillet, stirring frequently, until browned on all sides (about 5 min). Set tofu aside. Pour remaining oil into skillet and reduce heat to medium. Add bok choy, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring frequently, until bok choy stems are tender (about 7 min). Stir in soy sauce and green onions and remove from heat. Serve tofu over bok choy, spoon some of the marinade over the top, and garnish with sesame seeds. Serves 4.

I really enjoyed this and almost saved the remaining marinade (but didn't because I couldn't figure out what I would do with it in the next few days). It had a good kick to it with really great flavor. Apparently my cheap food processor isn't so good at keeping liquids in, and I ended up with marinade all over my kitchen, with some dripping down the 1/8" crack between my stove and cabinets. As a result, my kitchen will likely smell like the marinade for a while, and I'm not complaining. I also really enjoyed the contrast between the soft tofu and the somewhat crunchy bok choy. I don't normally like to make a recipe twice in quick succession, but if I get more bok choy, this may make another appearance. It was that good.