So yesterday, we finished our grading and entered all our grades for the semester…..and FOREVER!! And then we went out to meet a couple of people for a celebratory drink and this happened….

And then this happened again…

But I’m back on the vegan-no-booze wagon again today. Oddly, while the two martinis were DELICIOUS and totally worth it, I decided to order whatever I wanted to celebrate retirement–vegan or not–and it was NOT totally worth it. I ordered a veggie burger with portobello mushrooms and cambanzola cheese with garlic aoli and beer-battered fries. Sounds delicious, right? It was not! Indeed, it was WAAAAY too rich and I couldn’t actually eat much of it. I was quite surprised and wondering whether it was just a shock to my system or whether my tastes have changed over the course of the past four months. Anyway, I was quite happy to be back in the land of plants today and made a rather delicious meal this evening of Broccoli and Tofu in Black Bean Sauce.

Here’s the recipe, which I adapted from a number of recipes!

Broccoli and Tofu in Black Bean Sauce

• 4 cups broccoli, chopped
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1/2 red pepper, chopped
• 1 package tofu (I used puffy tofu)

Sauce:

• 1.5 cups water
• 1/2 cup black bean sauce
• 1 TBS garlic, chopped
• 1 TBS ginger, chopped
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 TBS corn starch

Spray a large frying pan or wok with oil, fry the onions for a few minutes, then add the broccoli, pepper, and tofu and pan fry until the broccoli turns bright green. Throw all the ingredients for the sauce into the bullet and blend for a minute or so and then pour onto the veggies and tofu. Bring to a boil, and then let it simmer, covered, to thicken up.

Serve over brown basmati rice and top with sesame seeds and a handful of cashews.

It’s super quick and simple and REALLY hits the spot!