Is this man child the one? IDC - here's some peanut tofu.
a rant on dating, uppercuts, and crispy peanut tofu
Happy Thursday. I was excited to say that because we finally got this out on a Thursday, as promised each week. Procrastinating to be relatable - I do this for you!!!
Here’s a hot take you wouldn’t expect from recipe developers and food bloggers - describing a recipe in great detail before giving you the exact details again in recipe format is actually my worst nightmare. I find it so boring and lame and I’d rather stab my eyes out (omg relax??) So, that is why we have this newsletter.
There are only so many times I can google synonyms for “delicious”, and see “toothsome” pop up and want to throw up. Here, there are no rules. We can talk to you about unserious things (just learned that’s a word), modern dating (fails), thoughts we’re thinking (sorry in advance), and then give you a delicious plant-based recipe. Perhaps we’ll sneak in a sentence about how tasty it is, but once I run out of food adjectives, that’s it. So let’s all DATE FOR FUN and then eat PEANUT TOFU with the girls because you know I’m not eating on the date.
Date For The God Damn Fun Of It
I was eating burritos with a friend last week (humble brag) and we were talking about different dating mindsets - how your intention behind dating affects who comes into your life (or doesn’t). Let me explain.
When I broke up with an ex after college, I thought to myself, “the next person I date will be the one because now I know exactly what I want.” Silly, silly girl. One, that’s literally so boring (you haven’t even dated a narcissist yet) and two, it takes all the fun out of dating. Ya live and ya learn because instead of finding the one, I ended up being catapulted into a dry spell. I wrote them all off too fast and “them all” was about 2 people. Listen, I knew they weren’t it but HAVE SOME FUN. LIVE A LITTLE. My mindset was blocking me.
Basically, I forgot to date for the f*cking fun of it!!! Who cares if they’re the one. Why do I even want a man child following me around in my 20’s?? What I actually want is a bit of banter, a free drink, a dance floor make out, a flirty exchange. I want to get too drunk, leave my phone at the bar and have my date Uber back to get it just to see if he really likes me ✔️ I want to wake up on Saturday and not plan my day around someone else’s schedule.
I might want to befriend the bouncer. I definitely want to spill my entire drink down my pants and have the guy I’m with drive me home to change because it looks like I peed myself. I want to go on an awkward date and tell my friends every cringy detail. I want the group chat to have an insane nickname for every guy we’ve talked to. I want to get rejected and then cast a spell on him under the full moon. The last one is a joke but act up and it might not be.
The point being: enjoy the singleness and the funny stories that come with it. Don’t date so seriously. This allows you to accept the present moment and not wish for it to be any different. Quite frankly, I’m over the idea that being in a relationship is the end goal or the correct life path. Like…no (great argument). Being in your single era is equally as important as finding the one. Funny enough when you fully embrace it, the right people tend to fall into place! So stop needing your end goal to happen now. Enjoy the excitement of being single and date just for the FUN OF IT. Catch me at the local bar getting chlamydia!
Kiss Him With An Uppercut
More advice that we’re not qualified to give and that you didn’t ask for: Don’t play hard to get, be hard to get. Don’t be waiting around for him to ask you to hang out, just be busy enough that you can’t. I guess you’ll be single forever!!
But really, the advice is to go out and live your life so authentically that you’re not affected by anyone else’s actions or non-actions. That energy is magnetic.
All of this is just to tell you about this one time we took a boxing class. It was sunny and 75, punches were thrown, endorphins were pumping. We strolled to get a cold brew after class and felt high on life. We even skipped down the street (me at my most authentic). So kiss him with an uppercut instead of a text back.
Crispy Peanut Tofu
ON THAT NOTE HERE IS A PEANUT TOFU RECIPE!!
We lovingly refer to it as shake-and-bake tofu but to be clear, that is a basketball reference and not that old breadcrumb(?) brand. Speaking of basketball, we’re obsessed with Paige Bueckers so it looks like we’re rooting for UConn tomorrow night. Sorry CC!!
Back to the tofu. You shake it with some stuff and then you bake it. Shake it again for the peanut sauce, and that’s it. This is a great go-to recipe because everyone loves a TOOTHSOME peanut sauce, plus it’s quick and customizable. Serve it over rice noodles, with stir fried vegetables, on tempeh instead of tofu - the possibilities do come to an end but there are a lot of them.
Crispy Peanut Tofu Recipe
For the crispy tofu:
1 block extra firm or firm tofu
2 tablespoons low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch
For the peanut sauce:
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup low-sodium tamari or soy sauce*
1/3 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1-2 teaspoons sriracha (you know your limits)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
For serving:
White rice
Steamed broccoli
Scallions
Sesame seeds
Method:
Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Press and cube the tofu: This is the only time we really press our tofu (other times we fake it for like 5 minutes) but a good 15-20 minutes will do wonders for the flavor and crispiness. Then, cut it into cubes.
Toss the tofu in marinade: In a tupperware container, add the tamari and olive oil. Then add the tofu and close the lid. Shake it up! Sprinkle on the cornstarch and shake it again until the tofu is evenly coated.
Bake: Place the tofu onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
Make the peanut sauce: To a mason jar, add the peanut butter, tamari, lime juice, maple syrup, sriracha, garlic powder, and cilantro. Shake to combine.
Drizzle or toss to serve: When the tofu is done, serve it with white rice, steamed broccoli, scallions, and sesame seeds. Drizzle on the peanut sauce OR immediately toss the tofu in the peanut sauce out of the oven and enjoy.
Recipe Notes:
* If you don’t have low sodium tamari or soy sauce, use less than 1/4 cup in the peanut sauce to avoid it being overly salty. If the sauce ends up being thicker, you can add water to thin it out.
Comment if you make it and see ya next week! Oh btw, if you haven’t tried our DTR Butter Beans yet, you should because it got this review that we’re now using for promo.
