Sesame Noodles with Fried Tofu and peanut sauce and Toasted Coconut Cupakes

This dish is a great entree or side dish. It is both delicious and pretty nutritious but probably not fat free as it does have oil, peanut butter and fried tofu. It can be served hot or cold and as sweet or spicy as you like. You can bake your tofu instead of frying it which tastes great too.
It's also great cold with just noodles, sauce and cucumbers.

Sesame Noodles with Fried Tofu and Vegetables
Serves 4-6 and can be served hot or cold
You will need:
About 10 oz. of Chinese or rice noodles
½ cup coarsely chopped green onions (green and white parts)
1/3 cup organic peanut butter
¼ cup sesame oil
3 Tablespoons soy or tamari sauce
1 ½ Tablespoons tahini
1 Tbsp evaporated cane juice (or granulated sugar)
Chili oil, to taste
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 bunch asparagus, chopped
½ yellow onion, large chop
1 block extra firm tofu, cut into small squares
Shiitake mushrooms, as many as you like, juilenned

Prepare noodles according to directions, toss in a small amount of sesame oil, cover and set aside.
Fry tofu and set aside on a paper towel to de-grease and cool down
Prepare sauce:
Whisk together, green onions, peanut butter, sesame oil, soy/tamari, tahini, sugar and chili oil and garlic in a bowl. If it is too thick slowly add water until it loosens (should be pourable)
Blanch the veggies for about 5 minutes +/- in boiling water , set aside
For serving – place everything in a bowl and toss with the sauce – serve hot or cold
Or
Divide noodles among plates/bowls, put veggies and tofu on top and drizzle sauce over serve hot cold (pictured)

Then for dessert you have to try this recipe. The cake is moist and delicious and the frosting is just the right amount of sweet you'd never guess it was vegan.
The original recipe came from the "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World" Golden cupcakes and vegan fluffy buttercream recipes. I just changed them to how I wanted them to be. (because I can!)

Vegan Toasted Coconut Cupcakes
Makes 12 large cupcakes
You will need:
1 cup soy milk (or rice milk) – I used vanilla
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
¾ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1/3 cup coconut oil
¾ cup evaporated cane juice
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Cupcake papers
Muffin pan

Preheat oven to 350*F
Whisk the milk and apple cider vinegar together (it should curdle; mine didn’t but still worked out fine)
Combine in a large bowl flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt whisk to combine
Beat the oil and sugar for 2 minutes
Add milk mixture and vanilla
Add the flour mixture and combine until there are no lumps
The batter will be loose so pour carefully into the cupcake liners 2/3 full
Bake 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes clean from the center

Frosting
You will need:
1 cup soy butter
3 ½ cups powdered sugar, sift if clumpy
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ cup soy milk (or rice milk) – I used vanilla
2/3 – 1 cup unsweetened coconut, lightly toasted

Beat the butter and sugar and vanilla extract until fluffy
Slowly at milk 1 Tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is made.
(For glaze – more milk, for piped frosting – less milk)
If it’s cool in your house that day you can frost right away, if not chill the frosting first.

Enjoy!
xoxo