Ma Po Tofu

Ever since the holidays ended and Will and I returned to Germany, we had to take a good, hard look at all the delicious food we had been consuming over the past couple of weeks. Yeah. Between all the delicious Italian food at my parents' house and the Milwaukee restaurants we've been missing out on, we indulged a lot in Wisconsin. Then we went to Louisiana (Shreveport and New Orleans) to visit Will's family. All I can say is Cajun/Creole food is heaven on a plate. Unfortunately not so heavenly for my figure. We've been trying to eat as healthy as possible during the week, and I've been researching new low-fat, low-cal recipes. I found this delicious dish on All Recipes. It was my first time cooking with tofu, and I was a little nervous. I don't know why-both Will and I loved it, and he went back for seconds. The only problem was I couldn't find fermented black beans in the commissary, so we had to go without. Honestly though I didn't miss it, and I felt completely satisfied after dinner.
Source: All Recipes

Ingredients

• 4 ounces ground pork
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/2 tablespoon fermented black beans, rinsed and mashed
• 1/2 tablespoon chili paste with garlic
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 (14 ounce) package tofu, drained and cut into cubes
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with equal parts water

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine ground pork, sherry and 1 teaspoon cornstarch; set aside.
2. In a separate small bowl, combine black beans, chile paste, cayenne pepper, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger; set aside.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. If pork is lean, add 1 tablespoon oil. Cook pork until evenly browned. Stir in black bean mixture, tofu, and peas. Pour in chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Stir in dissolved cornstarch, and cook until thickened.