Friday, November 11, 2011

Meatless Monday: Easy Tofu and Veggie Stir-fry

Okay, if you've read the title of this week's Meatless Monday Healthy Eating Challenge, and turned up your nose at a certain four-letter word, I am here to try to convince you that you really should try cooking with tofu.

I understand. Tofu can seem a bit odd if you've never cooked with it before, but cooking with it is easy and delicious, since tofu takes on the flavors of any sauce or other foods in a dish. The trick to cooking tofu is to coat it in either flour or corn starch and to saute it so it develops a bit of crust.

Tofu and Veggie Stir-fry

1 pound block, extra-firm tofu
1 tablespoon corn starch (or 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour)
1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
2 cups vegetables, cut in small pieces (broccoli, bell peppers, green beans, edamame, carrots, etc)
1/4 cup Soy-Vey Teriyaki, or other stir-fry sauce of your choice
3 cups cooked brown, white or jasmine rice

Slice the tofu and place on a clean dish cloth, folded in half.


Cover and place something on top to gently press out any extra moisture. Let sit in the towel for about ten minutes.

Cube in 1/2 - 1 inch pieces. Place in a bowl and toss with the corn starch.


Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, place the tofu in the pan, allowing a bit of space between each piece.


Let cook for 3-4 minutes, then flip. You don't have to cook the tofu on all 6 sides, but make sure 2-3 sides have a good brown on them. Remove from the skillet or wok.

Add the garlic, onions and vegetables and stir-fry for 5-7 minutes or until the vegetables are crisp tender.


Add the tofu back to the pan, along with the sauce. Gently toss for 1-2 minutes.


Serve over 3/4 cup rice.

Serves 4.


So, are you ready? You can do this!

Here is your grocery list for the week:

Produce:
2 cups vegetables--such as broccoli, bell pepper, carrot, etc.
garlic
onion
1 pound extra firm tofu

Grocery:
Teriyaki sauce or other stir-fry sauce
3 cups cooked rice (1 cup uncooked)

Pantry:
vegetable oil
corn starch


Have a sweet weekend!
SPC

3 comments:

Slacker Mama said...

Confession time: The Slackers have not participated in your Meatless Monday Challenge.

We have tried to go meatless on Monday, but I haven't been coordinated enough to acutally get the stuff for the recipe you have suggested. (Like last weekend when I was whooping it up with Jenn in Texas!)

So I promised myself that I would start this week!

But...uh...tofu? I'm pretty sure I'd have a revolt by all three of my picky eaters -- E, A *AND* John if I tried this one. Maybe I'll just do the pasta bake instead.

Sweet Pea Chef said...

Confessions are your specialty! :)

No worries about not loving tofu in your family. I feel the same way about tempeh...to each their own.

Anonymous said...

Wow! That recipe is very interesting to cook, because it looks very delicious based on the images that you've posted here. I will try this because I would like to eat stir fry for my breakfast. Anyway, thank you for sharing this great recipe to us!

Easy Stir Fry