Vietnamese Rice Noodle Bowl (Bun Chay)

For the grilled tofu: Place the slabs of drained tofu on a couple layers of paper towels. Cover with more paper towels and a sheet pan or cutting board. Place a heavy weight on top to press the tofu. (A gallon water jug or books, for example) After 30 minutes or more, place the tofu in a large shallow container.

Tofu Marinade: 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (optional)

2 tablespoons organic cane sugar, date sugar, or sweetener of your choice

4 tablespoon low sodium Tamari (or soy sauce)

1 tablespoon full strength Tamari (or soy sauce)

2 scallions, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon roasted white sesame seeds

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Mix together in a bowl and pour on top of tofu. Allow to marinate for a couple hours or overnight. When ready to grill, remove tofu from marinade and place on medium high grill grates which have been oiled to prevent sticking. Alternately, saute slabs of tofu in a large skillet or other grill pan. Cut into 1/4 inch strips after cooling slightly.

Pickle the carrots by sprinkling them with 1/4 teaspoon salt and placing them in a bowl for 10 minutes. In a small saucepan, place 1/2 cup rice vinegar, 1/2 cup water and 1/4 cup organic cane sugar, date sugar or maple syrup. Cook on medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Allow mixture to cool to lukewarm. Rinse the carrots and add the lukewarm vinegar mixture. Place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

For the noodles, follow package directions, typically calling for boiling the noodles for 3-5 minutes, draining and rinsing with cold water. Squeeze the noodles to get as much water out as possible. Set aside until ready to serve.

For the dressing, place 1/2 cup low sodium tamari (or soy sauce), 2 tablespoons water, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons desired sweetener, 1 garlic clove, minced, and 1 tablespoon mushroom soy sauce (replacement for fish sauce) in a small bowl. Mix well. Add 1-2 Thai chili peppers, thinly sliced, to the dressing. Cover and refrigerate.

For serving, place a mound of noodles on the plate and arrange strips of cucumber, drained pickled carrots, a small bunch of bean sprouts, basil, cilantro and mint, and strips of grilled tofu on top. Drizzle with dressing and sprinkle chopped peanuts.