Sesame Peanut Tofu over a Simple Kale Salad

Mmm mmm good!

So, last night I was perusing Facebook and stumbled across a delicious looking photo of some kind of sesame tofu that my FB friend Jeffery had posted. The tofu was skewered and sprinkled with sesame seeds. The picture look fabulous and got me in the mood to try something different.
This recipe was a spontaneous try in my kitchen to see how it turned out. I was hoping it wouldn't be horrible and it wasn't! It was very tasty and I will absolutely be making this again! The instructions are long but in total it took me about 20 minutes to put this lovely lunch together! It served as one big lunch for me, so if you are making this for more people just double the recipe.

By the way, Jeffery has a really fabulous food/healthy blog, too! Check it out "The Matters of Mitter".

Ingredients
For the sauce:
1 Tbsp organic peanut butter (regular peanut butter would also be fine)
2 tsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Paprika
Chili Powder
Black pepper
Salt
Vegetable Seasoning (I used a locally made one but you can make your own in a flash. See the tips below).

For the Salad:
5-6 stems of kale, washed and dried
1/2 block of extra firm tofu, water removed
1 tomato
1-2 slices of vidalia onion
1/2 lemon
sesame seeds

1) In a saucepan, combine oil, peanut butter and soy sauce. Mix.
2)Heat mixture on medium-low until peanut butter begins to melt. Stirring continuously.
3) I used very limited amount of paprika and chili powder. I'd say about 1/4 teaspoon of both. If you prefer more heat, add extra. Add in the vegetable seasoning and stir. Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste.
4) Reduce heat to low and let simmer.
5) While sauce is simmering, cut your 1/2 block of tofu into 3 slices. Then cut slices into triangles or whatever shape you like.
6) Using a misto sprayer, spray a frying pan with olive oil and place slices into the pan.
7) Saute on medium heat until the edges of the tofu begin to brown slightly. Flip. This may take 3-5 minutes for each side.
8) While tofu and sauce are cooking, cut the kale. I included the stems for a little extra crunch.
9) Cube the tomato.
10) Mix the kale, tomato and sliced onion in a bowl or add to a plate.
11) When both sides of tofu are browned add the peanut sauce mixture. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes flipping and turning the tofu continuously.
12)  Squeeze the lemon juice onto the salad to brighten up the flavors.
13) Gently add tofu to the top of the salad.
14) Sprinkle with sesame seeds and some of the remaining sauce if you like.

Enjoy!

Tips:
a) If you don't have a vegetable seasoning that you like, you can simple make your own by mixing your favorite seasonings together and keeping a bottle in your spice cabinet. The seasoning I used is a mixture of flax, mustard seeds, onion, parsley, oregano, garlic, dill, fennel, turmeric, sesame, and paprika. Big flavor!

b) If you have time, I'd try to marinate the tofu in the sauce. It would give a nice flavor boost!

Thanks & Have a Delicious Day!