Kung Pao _________

Today was a day of celebration!

To celebrate, i made Kung Pao (fill in the blank). i am the vegetarian in the group and shaun, not so much. i originally found the recipe as Kung Pao Tofu, but modified it to accommodate the meat eater in my family too!

Sorry i don't have any pictures...we were too hungry and had to dig in!

Kung Pao Tofu:

Ingredients
1 package cubed firm tofu
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons orange or pineapple juice
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced carrot
1 cup sugar snap peas
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 scallions, white and light green parts only, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
enough roasted peanuts to please you (we like a lot in ours)

Cooking Instructions

Cut the tofu into bite-sized cubes. Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil over medium-high heat and add the tofu. Fry the tofu, turning every couple of minutes, until golden on all sides. Drain on paper towels.

In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, juice, sesame oil, sugar, crushed red pepper and cornstarch.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add the snap peas, garlic and scallions and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the fried tofu, roasted peanuts and sauce and cook for another minute or until sauce is thickened. Serve with steamed rice.

Makes 4 servings

Kung Pao Chicken:

rather than using the tofu, cook some chicken nuggets or popcorn chicken according to the directions on the package and then follow the instructions above beginning at paragraph 2.

We prefer brown rice and tend to cook it in a rice cooker. We use 2 1/4 cups of water for every 1 cup of rice.

**note--we eliminated celery, pepper, and zucchini which are in some Kung Pao recipes, so feel free to add the veggies you like**