Mabo Tofu

This is a Chinese dish that I stumbled on that looked really delicious.  It's made of tofu with your choice of ground beef, pork, or chicken.  You could even use Morning Star crumbles if you want to keep it totally Vegetarian.  Gianna talks about a boy in her class who says he's a Vegan.  Then one day she saw him eat pudding, and declared that it had dairy in it and he really wasn't a Vegan.  Smart girl - I would not have been able to tell you what a Vegan was when I was in the third grade!

I used a store bought package of Chinese Mabo Tofu from Sam's Oriental to make the sauce.  It has hints of ginger, sesame, and garlic.  I chose the mild selection because I knew Gianna would want to try it.  But I did like adding the fresh cilantro and a little bit of spice to my dish.  You can also choose a medium or hot selection, though.  I couldn't believe how easy it was to make, and I know we will be having more in the red kitchen again soon.

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. ground pork, beef, or chicken (I used pork)
• 1 box of Mabo Tofu Sauce or Mapo Tofu Sauce
• 1 package of firm tofu, cut up as small or as big as you'd like

Directions:

1. Spray a small amount of oil into a large saucepan, and heat over medium high heat.
2. Brown the ground meat and break up into little pieces with a wooden spoon.
3. Pour the sauce in, and simmer over medium or low heat.
4. Add the tofu and lightly toss to coat and heat.