I’ve been thinking it for weeks now – we’ve dodged all the illness that has been going around. Entire schools have closed on account of illness and my girls remained healthy. I haven’t even avoided the usual places of suspect: everywhere that caters to kids. Everywhere from the childcare room at the gym to the children’s museum to birthday parties…we’ve been there!
And then Saturday morning came. Shea climbed into our bed with this gravely, deep cough. My parents, my brother and his girlfriend, and my niece were en route to us. Or so I thought. My niece and brother ended up with some type of crud so the 3 of them stayed back while my parents made their way to Michigan.
We started strong with a breakfast at the house before taking Shea to her ice skating lesson. We were all there and ready to watch and…she refused to get on the ice. She just stood there in a pathetic trance, tears and all. Eventually, we headed for home, and she complained of a stomach ache on the 2 minute drive home.
She had “the look” about her that nudged me to take her temperature and sure enough, it was 101+. My parents, who are leaving on a trip this week, promptly packed up their car and headed back to Chicago. Can’t blame them! It was a great 2 hour visit. What a mess. I felt terrible. Shea laid down for a 2 hour nap and when she got up, her temp was up to 102.4 degrees. BUMMER. And yes, poor baby.
The rest of the day was spent doing absolutely nothing and the highlight was probably eating leftovers. I mean, what else is there to get excited about when you’re home with a sick kid? Episode #19 of Paw Patrol somehow just doesn’t do it for me and snuggled up on the couch, my Kindle just put me to sleep. I am enjoying the book, however – the book is Such a Fun Age and is for my book club this month. I’m about 20% in and definite thumbs up.
ANYWAY, back to these leftovers. As I’ve shared, I’m trying to up my vegetable game all while trying to consume less meat and animal products. FOR THE LOVE OF CHEESE, THOUGH! No hard and fast rules for me, just more plants…simple as that. And let. Me. Tell. You. Recipes like this make that effort nothing short of a complete PLEASURE and JOY. If you make nothing else from my blog, ever, make this Thai Peanut Sauce. Drink it with a straw, slather it on toast, or drizzle it (generously!) over this tofu-veggie delight. Seriously, this meal is 5-star.
- 16 oz extra-firm tofu
- cooking spray
- ½ tsp salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2 cups dry rice
- 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 cups snap peas, halved
- 4 oz shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 zucchini (cut lengthwise and spongy inside scraped out), thinly sliced and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1½ cups shelled edamame (defrosted if frozen)
- 2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 cups shredded or matchstick-cut carrots
- 1½ cups shredded cabbage
- 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
- ⅓ cup peanuts
- ⅔ cup canned coconut milk
- ⅔ cup smooth, natural peanut butter
- 3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1½ Tbsp sriracha
- ⅓ cup water
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Drain the tofu and cut width-wise to create 2 thinner blocks of tofu. Using layered paper towel or a clean kitchen towel, gently press moisture from the tofu (a cast iron skillet works great if you want to walk away and let the skillet do the work).
- Cut tofu into 1-inch x ½-inch pieces and arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Mist with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden.
- Meanwhile, cut vegetables and prepare rice according to package directions.
- To make the sauce, combine all sauce ingredients in a small sauce pan. Whisk well and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Cover and keep hot.
- With 5 minutes of baking time left, heat olive oil in a large, deep skillet over high heat. Once hot, add the bell pepper, snap peas, mushrooms, zucchini, edamame, and soy sauce; stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the carrots, cabbage, and bean sprouts; stir fry for 1 minute. Add tofu and toss well.
- Serve tofu-vegetable mixture over the cooked rice and top with the Thai peanut sauce and peanuts.
Weekly Menu: February 16th – 20th
- Sunday: Sweet Thai Basil Chicken
- Monday: Lemon Parmesan Shrimp with Broccoli and Cauliflower
- Tuesday: Fusilli with Spinach, Artichoke, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes with Chicken
- Wednesday: leftovers or lasagna from the freezer or take-out Chinese
- Thursday: Maple-Miso Salmon with Honey-Glazed Brussels Sprouts
Be well,
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