Meatless Monday! Szechuan Tofu

Happy Meatless Monday, everyone! Here's a spicy one for ya, Szechuan Tofu with Peanuts from Cooking Light.

Ingredients

• 2 (3 1/2-ounce) bags boil-in-bag jasmine rice
• 1 (14-ounce) package water-packed firm tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch pieces
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth (veggie)
  
• 1 tablespoon sambal oelek (ground fresh chile paste) (I used chile sauce)
  
• 1 tablespoon less-sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons black bean garlic sauce
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup matchstick-cut carrots
• 1 tablespoon bottled ground fresh ginger (such as Spice World)
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts, chopped

Preparation

1. Preheat broiler. (I sautee'd my tofu in a pan, instead)

2. Cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.

3. Arrange tofu in a single layer on a foil-lined jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray; broil 14 minutes or until golden.

4. While tofu cooks, combine broth and next 4 ingredients (through black bean sauce), stirring with a whisk; set aside.

5. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add salt and mushrooms; sauté 4 minutes or until mushrooms begin to release liquid, stirring occasionally. Stir in carrots and ginger; cook 1 minute. Add broth mixture; cook 30 seconds or until sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat; stir in tofu and onions. Serve over rice; sprinkle with peanuts.

******Wow! This was SPICY! Too spicy for me, actually. Not sure of it's because I used chile sauce instead of paste, but wow! I probably won't make this again, but if you like some heat, go for it! Very good flavor aside from the heat.

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