This past weekend, I ate more fish and potatoes than I would have liked, so this week I’m trying to put the focus back on plants. What better way to do that than a Tofu and Veggie Stir-Fry! My challenge? It is keeping my husband satisfied because he is not a huge tofu fan although he did try my tofu tacos a couple of weeks ago.

I make stir-frys all the time, like the shrimp one I posted recently, so I knew he would be ok even if he had to pick around the tofu. But, I wanted him to LIKE it so I researched a few ways to prepare it and discovered that baking it in the oven was a way to get it dry enough to absorb the flavors of the stir-fry sauce later. So let’s start with the tofu preparation.

Tofu and Veggie Stir-Fry

Ingredients

• 12 oz package tofu, extra firm
• 1 red bell pepper, julienned
• 1 jalapeño, julienned
• 2 cups broccoli flowerets
• 2 cups cabbage, chopped
• 2 cups bok choy, chopped
• 3 oz mung bean sprouts
• 1/4 cup water

Stir-Fry Sauce

• 2/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup organic vegetable broth
• 1/3 cup mirin
• 2 tablespoons fine granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
• 1/4 water

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the tofu in a colander and let drain for 5 minutes.

Wrap tofu in a clean dish towel and put something heavy on top of it (I use a cast iron skillet) to help pull out the moisture. Flip it over after 10 minutes, putting something g heavy on top of it.

Cut tofu Into 1 inch rectangles and placed on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Allow to sit while you make stir-fry sauce and cook your veggies.

To make your sauce, combine soy sauce, broth, rice wine, sugar, and sesame oil in a small bowl.

In a separate bowl, Dissolve the arrowroot powder in 1/4 cup water.

Heat a pan over high heat; add the cooking oil, swirling to coat; add the garlic and ginger; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 15 seconds.

Add the soy sauce mixture; bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium and cook for 1 minute.

Add the cornstarch solution and cook, stirring, until the sauce boils and thickens. Add water if it gets too thick.

In a wok, sauté red bell pepper and jalapeño in a couple of tablespoons of stir-fry sauce for about 3 minutes.

Add in broccoli, cabbage, bok choy, bean sprouts, 1/4 water and 2-3 more tablespoons of stir-fry sauce. Cook on low heat covered for 5 minutes or until veggies are tender.

In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of the sauce with the tofu, stirring well and add to veggie mixture. At this point, add in add much sauce as you would like…I usually don’t use all the sauce and keep it for other dishes later.

Serve over brown rice or brown rice noodles.

Bottom Line: I already love tofu but now I’m an even bigger fan! As far as hubby goes, he actually liked it. Would he have rather had some steak in the mix instead..yes! But it was delicious and he would definitely have it again. I made son for my son, Jarrod, to have the next day and he was not looking forward to it but he actually liked it as well! This was a win, win, win!