Garlic Lime Noodles With Peanut Sesame Tofu
These noodles are HIGHLY addictive even without the added protein. I used Pad Thai noodles as they are made with rice noodles which makes them gluten-free but feel free to swap in any noodle you’d like. If you are not gluten-free, I suggest Trader Joe’s new Squiggly Knife Cut Style noodles that come with soy and sesame sauce packets (they are ready in 4 minutes).
The protein in this recipe is air-fried peanut tofu. The peanut sauce is a mixture of spices, gf soy sauce, and creamy peanut butter. The tofu stores great in the fridge along with the noodles for a few days. If peanut butter is not readily available (or it’s not your vibe), I suggest marinating the tofu in a soy sauce agave mixture prior to baking or putting it in the air-fryer.
Garlic Lime Noodles With Peanut Sesame Tofu
Ingredients
Cilantro Lime Noodles
- 5 oz pad thai noodles or any kind of noodle
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 cup cilantro chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 shallot or 1/2 small red onion
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup curry sauce – I used Trader Joe's Tikka Masala or curry powder
- 1/4 cup gf soy sauce
- 2 limes juiced
- chili powder to taste
- red pepper for topping optional
Peanut Tofu
- 1 block extra firm tofu pressed and cubed
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup gf soy sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp ginger powder
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 lime juiced
- pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp agave
- sesame seeds
Instructions
Peanut Tofu
- Wrap tofu in a paper towel and press out water. Cut into cubes once done and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, add all ingredients besides water. Whisk together then slowly add the water to thin out the peanut butter sauce. Once a desired consistency, Add cubed tofu into the bowl and evenly coat sauce.
- Add tofu to air fryer (I like to add parchment paper first) then drizzle agave and sesame seeds prior to baking.
- Bake at 400F for 7 minutes in an air-fryer or oven. Take out, flip tofu sides, then repeat at 400F for 8 muntues.
Cilantro Lime Noodles
- Over medium heat, add olive oil to a saucepan. Heat olive for 3-4 minutes until you see small bubbles. Once oil is hot, turn off heat and add cilantro, garlic, shallot/onion, brown sugar, curry sauce, gf soy sauce, lime, and chili powder. Be careful of the oil sizzling while you mix well.
- While oil is heating. Cook noodles as directed. Strain and set aside once done.
- Add cooked noodles to the saucepan. Coat evenly in the sauce mixture adjusting seasoning where need. You can turn the heat back to simmer so that the sauce staus warm until peanut tofu is ready.
- Once peanut tofu is ready, add noodles to serving bowls, top with peanut tofu, gf soy sauce, sesame seeds, and extra cilantro or red pepper flakes. If there is extra sauce still in the pan, drizzle over the peanut tofu. Ready to serve!
