The tofu love fest continues!
Last post, I mentioned I have made a stir fry with tofu. It was just what my veggie stir fry recipe needed. The stir fry is good on its own. But the tofu bumps it up a notch and adds more protein.
The hardest most time consuming part of this recipe is chopping the veggies. To save time, I have started buying shredded carrots. It’s double the price of the regular carrots, but this Li’l Mama needs some easy in her life. Can I have the STAPLES Easy button please???? 🙂
I digress.
You can use any veggies you have in your veggie crisper. I like to use chopped broccoli, shredded carrots, diced zucchini and diced red bell peppers. If you’re able to, you can buy the store bought chopped veggies (I’m feeling a little envious now…)
Here’s my little tip on the zucchini:
Cut it in half longways. Then use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and the guts. Then chop or dice the ‘chini. I didn’t do this for a long time and my zucchini was always mushy. I somehow figured out the scooping out the guts part and no more mushies!!!
Here’s another little secret. Sometimes I use rice and sometimes I use spaghetti noodles…and tonight I used penne noodles. Not very stir fry-ish, but I am all out of spaghetti noodles. For stir fry nights, I like to use spaghetti noodles every now and then.
I special ordered a case of safe spaghetti noodles and paid a small fortune to ship them… and they are LOST! 😦
Who needs $60 back anyway? $35 ish for the noodles. $25 ish to ship.
Ouch.
Note to self, always insure your noodles. 😉
Anyway, I mix up the rice and noodles to make the dish seem different.
Afterall, variety is the spice of life…
Or so they say. Who are they, anyway?
I digress.
Here’s how to make the food.
Chop some veggies and cook in a wok.
Veggies. The steam always fuzzes up my pics. Oh well. 🙂
Boil some noodles or throw some rice in a rice cooker.
Press some tofu and do a quick soy marinade.
Grill/sauté tofu ’til kind of crispy.
Grilled Tofu. Mmmmm.
Throw it all in a bowl.
Done.
See? Simple.
Tofu & Veggie Stir Fry
Now, for the actual recipe.
Simple Tofu and Veggie Stir Fry
Ingredients:
- Chopped and diced veggies of your choice (I use an entire head of broccoli, 2-3 zucchinis, 1 red bell pepper and at least a cup of shredded carrots)
- Extra Firm Tofu, Pressed Then Cubed
- Rice or Noodles
- Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Pinch of Ginger Powder
Other Stuff Needed:
- Wok
- Grill Pan
- Bowl with Lid
Directions:
- Drain and press tofu. Put tofu between two plates. Make sure to put a sheet or two of paper towels under tofu. Put something heavy on it like a big box of veggie broth. Leave it alone until step 4.
- Boil water in large pot and add noodles OR start rice in the rice cooker.
- Heat the wok on medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon coconut oil. Add veggies and cook, stirring frequently. If the veggies seem to dry, add another tablespoon coconut oil. When the veggies seem mostly cooked, squirt (squirt! I love that word!) some liquid aminos all over the veggies. Sprinkle some garlic powder and onion powder over the cooking veggies, too. Stir.
- Tofu time! Take the tofu block and cut it in half. Cut the tofu into strips and then bite sized cubes. Take a bowl with the lid and squirt some liquid aminos in the bottom of the bowl. Add onion and garlic powder and a pinch of ginger powder. Stir with a fork.
- Add the tofu cubes, put on lid and shake the tofu around. (I use a pyrex bowl.) Squirt a little more liquid aminos and add another dash of garlic and onion powder.
- Heat grill pan on medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon coconut oil. Cook until tofu has nice grill marks and is nice and brown. Squirt 🙂 a little more liquid aminos on the tofu as it is cooking.
- Serve as you wish. I put the rice or noodles as the bottom layer in a deep bowl, scoop in lots of veggies, and top with crispy tofu.
We also squirt! (heehee) a little bit more liquid aminos on the entire dish. There is no need to add salt to this dish because the liquid aminos does it for you.
Notes:
If you don’t have a wok, use a sauté pan. If coconut oil isn’t safe for you, sub a safe neutral oil, such as olive oil or something similar. If you don’t have a grill pan, sauté the tofu in a pan until crispy.
This has quickly become a family favorite. My 5 year old complained because she gobbled up her tofu immediately and wanted more tofu. My child loves it! And I hope you and yours, will, too.
After writing this post, I’m sitting here saying, “Squirt, squirt, squirt, squirt!” I don’t know why that word just tickles me pink.
Until next time, my friends.
Blessed Little Family 