Spicy Smoky Szechuan Green Beans with Sesame Crusted Tofu

This is another dish with tons of flavor and can be made as spicy or mild as you like it.  I have also done it with broccoli or white onion or red pepper - really whatever vegetables you are in the mood for that day!

Szechuan Green Beans with Sesame Crusted Tofu

Ingredients:

-1 lb. green beans, broccoli, or mix of veggies
-1 package smoked or regular tofu (extra firm!!)
-6 tbsp. soy sauce
-1 1/2 tbsp. peanut butter
-2 tbsp. brown sugar or molasses
-3 tsp. rice vinegar
-1 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
-1/4 tsp. onion powder
-5 tsp. sesame oil
-20-40 drops of Tabasco
-1/4 tsp black pepper
-1 tbsp. liquid smoke
-1/2 tsp. ginger powder
-1/3 cup cashews or peanuts
-1/4 cup sesame seeds (I used a combo of black and white)
-little bit more sesame oil for pan
-brown rice or grain of your choice (optional)

Method:

First, cut the tofu into slabs about 1/2 inch thick.  Drain it by placing over some paper towels, with more paper towels on top, with something heavy(ish) on top of that.  You can use a heavy pan, pile of magazines, etc.  Leave the tofu like that for at least 20 minutes or while you're preparing the next steps of the recipe.

In a frying pan over medium heat, roast the nuts.  Pour them into the pan once it's hot, let sit for a couple minutes, and shake it up every couple minutes until they are browned.  No need to have them brown evenly.  Pour them onto a small bowl to use later.

In the same frying pan over medium heat, pour a little bit of sesame oil and wait for it to heat up.  Meanwhile, whisk together the soy sauce, peanut butter, vinegar, garlic, onion powder, sesame oil, Tabasco, pepper, liquid smoke, and ginger powder.  Once that is combined, spoon out about 3-4 tbsp of the sauce into a shallow bowl.  Set the rest aside.

Pour the sesame seeds into another shallow bowl.  Take the tofu, dredge through the sauce in one bowl, and dredge through the sesame seeds to get as many stuck to both sides of the tofu as possible and lay in the frying pan of sesame oil.  Fry on medium heat for 4 minutes per side.  (Note: to flip, it is probably better to use tongs instead of a spatula.  This will keep the sesame seeds on the tofu as much as possible.)  Once tofu has been cooked on both sides, set aside on a plate with some paper towels to drain some of the oil off.

Heat a wok or large pan over medium-high heat.  Once hot, throw in your veggies/beans with 2-3 tablespoons of water.  Water-saute them for a few minutes until they are cooked but still crisp.  You can add a little more water if you need, but by the time they are cooked there should be no water in the wok.  Pour in the sauce you made earlier and toss so everything is coated and sauce is heated through.  Remove from heat.

Serve over rice or a grain of your choice if desired, with tofu on top of veggies.  Sprinkle with roasted nuts.