Broccoli and Pineapple Udon Bowl with Pineapple-Peanut Sauce

Thank you for all your kind words about my knees. Thankfully I had friends and co-workers (AND ROB!) to help with my (on-going) recovery. Unlike my sister-in-law who is still driving herself to work (her [now confirmed] broken toe is on her non-driving foot), Rob has been driving me to work. Not that I couldn’t drive myself, but he is just that awesome.

He has also been helping me around the kitchen. He made the cheezy chickpea dip again although I was to blame for the burnt coconut bacon, as Rob tended to a broken beer bottle. The beer bottle that exploded (from the bottom), after the rice vinegar fell on it which was knocked over when Rob was putting back the liquid smoke. Oh my.

He also revisited some old favourites like tamarind lentils and my lemon-ginger miso soup (Rob’s addition were carrots, parsnips with some noodles and I then added extra sauteed mushrooms and baby spinach to mine). Yum!

Rob also has been steaming up broccoli like a pro.  For this dish, he went all out with a sauce, tofu and noodles. The pineapple was a fun twist on a Hawaiian noodle bowl with a peanut sauce. I love how the pineapple was used to sweeten the sauce directly. Ginger and sriracha made it a bit zippy but this was all tempered by the sweetness from the pineapple.

While Rob was busy in the kitchen, I caught up on my web reading. Which also meant that Rob’s to-read list got longer as I punted them to him as well! Like my last link share, I figured you may enjoy them, too. There are a few travel-related links here. You know that I like to travel but you may not know that Rob loves travelling, too, and spent over a year abroad backpacking in Southeast Asia and Australia/New Zealand before we met. He wrote about that on his blog.

Without further ado, please let me know what you think about these links:

1. 10 Things Most Americans Don’t Know About America. This actually rings true based on my experiences, too.

2. 20 Things I Learned from Travelling Around the World. Rob concurs.

3. Date a Boy Who Travels. YES! No offense to boys who still live with their parents. OK, maybe just a little.

4. Ben & Jerry & Me. What do you get for naming a Ben & Jerry flavour?

5. Murmuration. A quick, beautiful video. A magical canoe ride

6. Raw. Vegan. Not Gross. I don’t watch many videos on youtube but this one is great!

7. Is Pro Cheerleading a Scam? I honestly had no idea but then again I am not into football.

8. 11 Tips for Telling a Loved One About Your Mental Illness. From a new-to-me blog that I love. Great tips about communicating with others, nevermind about a mental illness

This is my submission to this month’s Bookmarked Recipes.

Broccoli and Pineapple Udon Bowl with Pineapple-Peanut Sauce 
Adapted from Vanilla & Spice and Robin Robertson

1 lb firm tofu, pressed and cubed
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 head broccoli, chopped
2 cups diced fresh pineapple (half a pineapple)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup cashews, toasted in a dry skillet if desired
2 packages of udon noodles, or your choice of noodle

Pineapple-Peanut Sauce

1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or your choice of nondairy milk)
2 tsp sriracha
2 tsp rice vinegar
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp minced fresh ginger
1/4 tsp salt

1. Place all the ingredients for the pineapple-peanut sauce into a blender and puree until smooth. Season to taste and then set aside.

2. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Once hot, add tofu and saute until browned, turning to lightly brown most sides. Remove from pan and set aside.

3. Meanwhile, boil your water and cook your noodles as per the directions. Drain when cooked through.

4. Using the same pan as for the tofu, still on medium heat, add the broccoli, peanut and water. Spread the broccoli around the pan. Cover with a lid and steam for 2 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender crisp and a brilliant green.

5. Remove the lid and reduce heat to low. Add tofu back to the pan and add half the sauce. Stir to combine. Pour mixture overtop noodles. Top with cashews and add additional sauce, if desired.

Serves 4.