Oriental Greenbean Salad (with tofu)

• 1.5 lbs. green beans (trimmed)
• 3 Tbs. soy sauce
• 1 Tbs. oriental sesame oil
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 6 garlic cloves (minced)

• extra firm tofu
• flour
• paprika
• garlic salt
• canola oil

To make the tofu (This is one of my mom's recipes, so the amounts are more along the lines of a pinch and a smidge, but experiment and see what works best for you):

Squeeze all the water out of the tofu (be careful not to break it), then cut the tofu into cubes.
Put the flour, paprika, garlic salt (and any other seasonings you want) into a 1 gallon zip lock baggie.
Shake it to make sure everything is mixed.
Add the tofu to the baggie and shake until everything is coated. It's fun - sing while you are shaking! :)
Heat the oil in a large pan -- make sure the oil is at least as high as the tofu to make the frying easier.
Once the oil is hot (you can tell it's hot by putting a wooden chopstick into the oil and seeing if the oil around the chopstick bubbles immediately) add the tofu.
Fry the tofu until it is browned on all sides.
Drain the tofu on paper towels to get rid of some of the excess oil.

To make the salad:

Cook the green beans until just tender.
While the beans are cooking, combine soy sauce, oil, and sugar in a small bowl.
Drain the beans and set aside.
Spray a wok or skillet with non-stick cooking spray; place over medium heat.
Add garlic; cook stirring constantly about 20-30 seconds (until soft)
Add green beans; cook stirring and turning constantly until well coated (about 2 minutes)
Add soy sauce mixture
Add tofu cubes and toss in mixture until most of the liquid is absorbed (1-2 minutes)