Tofu with Habanero-Peanut Sauce

When I was in Amherst recently, I had a fantastic spicy tofu dish one night for dinner.  This dish actually reminded me that it has been awhile since I've cooked with tofu at home, which is what inspired this dish on Sunday night.  I didn't know what I'd really make but after a busy weekend, I knew that I wanted to make something that was quick and easy.

I started out by quickly preparing some rice in my rice cooker.  While the rice was cooking, I started making a sauce using some ingredients that I had on hand:

• 4 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 2 teaspoons ginger powder (I thought I had ginger root in the freezer but realized I threw it out during the aftermath of cleaning out the freezer after losing electricity a few weeks ago)
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 habanero, chopped

The sauce looked a little thick so I added a splash of water to help thin it out.

I then drained and patted dry a package of extra-firm, cubed tofu.

I tossed the tofu with a sprinkling of cornstarch before pan-frying it in a nonstick skillet over high heat with vegetable oil.

When the tofu was done cooking, I removed the tofu from the pan.  In my Dutch oven, I added some vegetable oil, along with some green beans. 

I let the green beans cook for about 2-3 minutes before I added chopped butternut squash and cauliflower florets to the pan.  I let all of the vegetables cook for another few minutes.

Finally, I added the tofu and the habanero-peanut sauce to the vegetable mixture.  I gave everything a stir and let it simmer in the Dutch oven. 

The tofu with habanero-peanut sauce had a nice mellow heat to it.  I loved the sweetness of the butternut squash and the crunchiness of the green beans. 

This quick and easy dish definitely satisfied my tofu craving and made for fantastic leftovers for lunch on Monday. 

What have you recently eaten at a restaurant that has inspired you in your own kitchen?