Sinful Tofu Stir-Fry
Ok, it may not be sinful for your health, but it could induce gluttony.
I threw this together with vegetables I already had on hand, but feel free to substitute and add whatever else you may like. I’m all about creativity and being able to adjust recipes based on your personal taste preferences, so my recipes tend to lack measurements.
Not having exact measurements may scare some people, but if you know what you like you can adjust amounts of certain ingredients accordingly just by eyeing them - especially when it comes to chopped veggies in a stir-fry. Use less if it’s a single dish, use more if it’s for multiple people or if you’re meal prepping like I did. Let's get to it.
INGREDIENT PREP
Red onion: diced
Red pepper: diced
Carrots: sliced (I used baby carrots but you can peel and slice regular carrots)
Celery: diced (I ended up using about 3 stalks)
Broccoli florets (I had a mini head of broccoli and used all of it)
Kale: slice the kale from the stalk and chop up in smaller pieces. I had a full bunch of beautiful kale leaves and ended up using the rest of make my vegan collard greens.
Garlic: I used 4 cloves chopped up.
Extra firm tofu: make sure to press the tofu first. If you don't have a tofu press, do what I do and place the block of tofu towards the corner of a layer of 2-3 paper towels in a dish, fold the towels over the top of the block like you're wrapping it, and put something heavy on top for a few hours.
Noodles or rice of choice. I used organic brown rice noodles.
Sauce of choice. I used a stir-fry sauce, you can use soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, or make your own sauce.
Seasonings of choice. I sprinkled some turmeric, black pepper, and some of my favorite garlic seasoning mix.
LET'S COOK
First thing's first: wash your veggies! I don't care if you get pre-washed veggies, it doesn't hurt to give them another go. Also, you can use frozen veggies instead of fresh.
Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil, or skip the oil and throw in your onions with a small amount of water.
Let them cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, then add in your peppers, celery, broccoli, carrots, and kale.
Add in a splash of water. Lower the heat a little, cover and let it cook, stirring occasionally.
Check the tenderness of the veggies with a fork throughout. You'll notice the kale start to become softer and wilt ever so slightly.
Once the veggies appear soft enough, add your chopped garlic and seasonings, then mix around for about a minute.
Remove from heat and set aside.
Heat up another pan, or dump the veggies in a dish and use the same pan, to cook your tofu in.
Lightly drizzle the pan with oil and add the tofu pieces. Mix around to coat the pieces evenly. You can coat them in a bowl before adding them to the pan too if you'd like (I don't have a dishwasher so I like using less dishes as much as possible).
Be sure to move the tofu around some so it cooks evenly and doesn't stick. You want the pieces to get a light crispy brown coating but they don't have to be perfect.
Add some seasoning to the tofu for extra flavor, cook a minute or so with the seasoning, then remove from heat.
Top your veggies with the cooked tofu, add some rice or noodles, and drizzle your favorite sauce on top, and voila! Your sinfully delicious (and healthy!) stir-fry is complete.
This dish is packed with nutrients, vitamins, antioxidants and flavor.
TOFU TIP: Thanks to the internet, I've recently discovered freezing tofu, then thawing before using it. You still need to drain it first, but using tofu that has been frozen adds to the texture. This might be good for those that are not huge fans of the texture of tofu in general.
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