Tofu Veggie Stir Fry

Now, hold on…before you crinkle your nose and leave this post because you don’t think you’ll like Tofu…give me 5 minutes to tell you why you SHOULD be eating more of this great, YUMMY protein.

Tofu is made from dried soybeans (we LIKE soybeans; edamame, yum!) and comes in different densities.  You can get it from soft to extra firm (which honestly, isn’t really firm in the general sense at all) and you find it in your organic grocery aisle.  Tofu is super inexpensive, very high in protein (this recipe alone has 19 grams!), low in fat, and is very low in saturated fat and calories.  Studies have shown that it can lower cholesterol and may even prevent some cancers.  Tofu is wonderful for bone health and muscle building, which as we age, becomes even more and more important.

Now let’s talk about its VERSATILITY!  The great thing about tofu in your recipes is that you are adding tons of healthy protein and it suits every dish wonderfully!  Tofu has very little, if any at all, flavor…which means, if you’re making anything with a seasoning, marinade or sauce, the tofu will soak up the flavors and fit in perfectly.  You can use it in breakfasts (scrambles!), lunches (marinated & grilled or fried on your salad!), and dinners (chili, stir fry, tacos, soups…the list goes on and on!)

How much time we do have left???

Haven't I sold you?  Okay then, let’s get to it!

I picked up some tofu at Trader Joe’s without a recipe in mind and decided I would like to make a stir fry.  Stir fry is one of those recipes that I can eat a ton of – it’s very much comfort food for me since my mom is Asian; we would eat some type of stir fry at least twice a week growing up.  However, stir fry can have a lot of sodium and I’ve been trying to limit the amount of sodium I’m taking in at night.  With that, I was still looking for something with a ton of flavor and decided that a vinegar sauce would be yummy.

Here's what the tofu looks like packaged in water and then drained and diced into cubes:

This is a VERY fast cooking recipe so have all of your ingredients washed, drained, sliced & diced and ready to go.

Ingredients:

(This recipe serves 2)

·         1T sesame oil

·         ½ tsp dried red pepper flakes

·         1 large shallot, diced

·         3 cloves garlic, minced

·         1 block of extra firm tofu, diced into cubes

·         1 container fresh sliced Portabella Mushrooms, chopped (if your grocer doesn’t sell them sliced, you’ll want about 4 med/large caps)

·         2+ cups broccoli florets

·         2+ cups cauliflower florets

·         2T Balsamic Vinegar

·         1T Red Wine Vinegar

Preparation:

In a wok, or large skillet, heat oil and red pepper flakes until hot (be sure that your keep your heat on high).

Add the shallots and garlic and sauté for about 1 minute.

Add the cubed tofu and sauté for about 2 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and cauliflower and sauté for about 6-7 minutes until the cauliflower just begins to soften.

Add the broccoli and sauté for about 2 minutes.

Add the vinegars and more red pepper flakes if you like things spicy.

Simmer the sauce down for about 1-2 minutes.

Serve it up!  You can serve it with rice, but I just gobbled it up as is.

Mmmmmmmmmm!

Nutrition:

Calories 283 / Carbs 24g / Fat 15g / Protein 19g / Fiber 9g / Sodium 76mg