Szechuan Tofu with Sticky Rice

1/2 block extra firm tofu
2 cups cooked sticky white rice*
2-3 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 pint maitake mushrooms
4 spears baby asparagus, cut in 1″ pieces
3-4 baby carrots
1 head baby bok choy

To prepare the vegetables and tofu:
Heat the sesame oil in a pan and first sear the tofu on both sides until it has some color. Add the vegetables and sear until they are lightly browned. Add 1 cup of the sauce (see recipe below) to deglaze the pan and cook for about 2 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Remove the tofu from the vegetable mixture and slice into cutlets.
Serve the vegetables over sticky white or brown rice. Garnish with cabbage slaw (see recipe below) and sesame seeds.

For the sauce:
2 Tablespoons potato starch
1/4 cup water
2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil
5-6 cloves garlic
1 Tablespoon maple syrup
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1/2 cup tamari
1 Tablespoon grated ginger
1-2 fresh Thai Chilis

Whisk together the potato starch and the water into a slurry and set aside. In a medium sized sauce pan heat the sesame oil and saute the chili, chopped ginger and garlic. Add the maple syrup (or other sweetener), apple cider vinegar, vegetable stock, and tamari and bring to a boil. Add the potato starch and water mixture and allow it to come to a boil again and turn off the heat. Set aside until you are ready to use.

For the cabbage slaw:
1 cup julienned red cabbage
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon maple syrup or agave
juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
pinch of sea salt

Toss all ingredients together until well coated and serve as a garnish over vegetables.