South Beach Diet's Broccoli Stir Fry with Tofu & Cherry Tomatoes

This recipe, from the South Beach Diet cookbook by Arthur Agaston, is very easy to make - just make sure to prep all of the ingredients before you start. I would recommend doubling the sauce for anyone who wants a bit extra to go with their rice.

 

Ingredients:

1/3 cup vegetable broth

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1 tablespoon dry sherry

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 large bunch broccoli, cut into small florets

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger

4 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1 cup cherry or yellow pear tomatoes, halved

8 ounces firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/4″ cubes

Directions:

In a cup, whisk together the broth, soy sauce, sherry, and cornstarch. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes, or until tender and lightly browned. Add mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and tofu and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes, or until the tomatoes begin to collapse.

Stir the cornstarch mixture and add to the skillet. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, or until the mixture boils and thickens.

Serve over white or brown rice.
  

Caramelized Tofu & Brussel Sprouts

Thanksgiving shopping has been all consuming for me this week - stocking up on non-perishables for the big day and preparing my list of what I need to get the day-of. I have not put much thought into any other dinner recipes for the week. I was thus pleasantly surprised when I realized that I had everything on hand to make this meal from Heidi's blog 101 Cookbooks. I have made this once before and loved it. A nice light meal to enjoy pre-thanksgiving feasting!

Ingredients:

7 - 8 ounces extra-firm tofu cut into thin 1-inch segments (see photo)
a couple pinches of fine-grain sea salt
a couple splashes of olive or peanut oil
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
3 tablespoons fine-grain natural cane sugar or brown sugar
1/2 lb. brussels sprouts, washed and cut into 1/8-inch wide ribbons

Directions:

Cook the tofu strips in large hot skillet (or pot) with a bit of salt and a splash of oil. Saute until slightly golden, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and pecans, and cook for another minute. Stir in sugar. Cook for another couple of minutes. Remove from heat. Scrape the tofu out onto a plate and set aside while you cook the brussels sprouts.

In the same pan (no need to wash), add a touch more oil, another pinch of salt, and dial the heat up to medium-high. When the pan is nice and hot stir in the shredded brussels sprouts. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes, stirring a couple times (but not too often) until you get some golden bits, and the rest of the sprouts are bright and delicious.

Broccoli and Spinach Vegan Quiche

I have had this recipe from Lindsey Nixon's book "Everyday Happy Herbivore" on my "Try" list for some time. Working from home today gave me the ability to give it a shot for a quick lunch. Very easy and made from ingredients I usually have in my fridge every day. Lindsey mentions using any type of greens that you want - I used some broccoli and spinach. I also subbed out the garlic and onion powder (personal taste) and added in harissa powder in their place for some spice.  I will post my modified recipe below - Lindsey's recipe can be found here.

Ingredients

• 1 pound extra-firm tofu
• 1 tsp harissa powder
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp salt 
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 1½ tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 cups fresh spinach chopped
• 2 cups of broccoli florets, chopped very small. 
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes                                      

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a shallow 9" pie dish and set aside. Steam broccoli (I used my microwave) until bright green and slightly tender. Combine all ingredients, except spinach and broccoli, in a food processor or strong blender and whiz until smooth and creamy, stopping to break up chunks and scrape the sides as necessary. Mix in the vegetables in and transfer batter to pie dish. Using a spatula, spread the mixture around so it's even and tight. Bake 30-40 minutes, until golden and the center is not still mushy. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes before slicing.
 

 

Bahn-Mi Wraps

Robin Roberston's cookbook "Quick Fix Vegan" is quickly becoming a favorite….these “bahn-mi” style sandwiches are delicious, quick, andlow carb since they use wraps instead of the typical French bread.
(makes 4 sandwiches)

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 lb extra firm tofu, drained and cut into strips
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sirracha

4 (10-inch) flour tortillas or other flatbread
Vegan mayonnaise
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced
1 carrot, shredded
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons chopped bottled jalapeños

Directions:

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the tofu and cook until golden brown, turning frequently, 7 to10 minutes. Add the hoisin, soy sauce, and the 1 teaspoon of sriracha, stirring gently to coat the tofu. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

To assemble the wraps, spread the tortillas with vegan mayo and drizzle with sriracha to taste. Arrange one quarter of the tofu strips down the center of each of the tortillas. Top with cucumber, carrot, cilantro, and jalapeños. Roll up each wrap tightly and serve at once.

Sweet & Sour Tofu

While the ingredient list for this stir fry might look long, it consists mostly of pantry staples. The stir fry comes together very quickly -  perfect for a busy evening after work. Serve over cous-cous or brown rice to make a full meal.

The dish was modified but based mostly on this recipe I found online

Ingredients:

1 pound firm tofu, patted dry cut into 1-inch cubes
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon sesame oil
¾ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons raw sugar
2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon low-sodium tamari
1 teaspoon sirracha
1 teaspoon ginger root
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 scallions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
1 cup diced red or green bell peppers
½ cup diced fresh or canned pineapple
2 cups broccoli
Sesame seeds and/or chili pepper flakes, for garnishing

Directions:
1. Lightly steam the broccoli and set aside
2.  In a bowl, coat the tofu with the cornstarch, sesame oil and salt. Set aside.
3.  In a seperate bowl, whisk together the ketchup, sugar, vinegar, tamari, sirraccha, and ginger
4. In a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add the tofu and fry, turning, until crisp and golden on all sides, about 8 minutes
5. Add the bell pepper and broccoli and continue to stir-fry for 2 minutes.
6. Add the sauce and stir until it is thick and clings to the tofu and vegetables, 2 minutes.
7. Top with sesame seeds or a pinch of chili pepper on top

Kale & Mushroom Lasagna

The other night I made my first attempt at a vegan lasagna. I am not the biggest fan of "fake" vegan cheeses so I was attracted to this recipe that does not call for any vegan cheese but rather uses tofu and nutritional yeast to make the "cheese" layer. The tofu mixture really does resemble cheese mixtures I have used in previous lasagnas. The texture is very similar...and while you can definitely tell the difference in taste it was still really good.

The recipe is from Quick-Fix Vegan by Robin Roberston.

Ingredients:

1 box no-bake lasagna noodles

2 lbs extra firm tofu, well drained and mashed

8 ounces kale, stems removed and finely chopped

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1.5 teaspoons dried basil

1/2 tsp ground fennel seeds

1/2 tsp dried oregano

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tsp red pepper flakes

6 oz cremini mushrooms, chopped 

4 cups marinara sauce

1/3 cup pine nuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine the tofu and nutritional yeast. Mash well to combine. Add the parsley, lemon juice, basil, fennel, oregano, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Mix well to combine and adjust to taste.
3. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until softened. Add the kale and season with salt. Cook until wilted, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until softened and any liquid is absorbed, 5 minutes. Set aside.
4. Spread a layer of marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan. Arrange 4 noodles on top of the sauce, overlapping slightly. Spread half of the tofu mixture over the noodles in a thin layer. Spread half the kale mixture. Repeat layering with the sauce, noodles, the remaining tofu mixture, and the remaining kale mixture, ending with the noodles topped with the marinara sauce. Sprinkle top with pine nuts.
5. Cover the lasagna with foil and bake for 45 minutes, until hot throughout. Let stand at least 10 minutes before serving.

Chinese Noodles with Broccoli & Tofu

This dish completely satisfied my craving for Chinese take-out  - and no need to resist ordering egg rolls!

Ingredients

• 8 ounces rice vermicelli
• 4 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
• 8 ounces extra-firm tofu, drained, pressed, and cut into strips
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
• 1 tablespooncurry powder
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin matchstick strips
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 1 tablespoon white wine
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 2 cups small broccoli florets

Directions

Soak the rice noodles according to package directions until softened. Drain well and set aside. Place broccoli in a covered container with 1 tablespoon of water in the microwave on high for 1 minute to lightly steam.

Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tofu and stir-fry until browned, adding 1 tablespoon of the soy and a sprinkling of curry powder sauce while cooking.

Remove and set aside on a plate. Reheat the skillet with the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil. Add the bell pepper, steamed broccoli, and carrot and stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes to soften. Stir in the remaining curry powder and stir-fry 10 seconds, or until fragrant. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, along with the wine, sugar, salt, and red pepper flakes, stirring to mix well. Stir in the broth and bring to a boil over high heat.

Add the drained rice noodles and return to a boil, stirring to coat the noodles in the sauce. Add the steamed broccoli and reserved tofu, and cook, stirring, 1 to 2 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed by the noodles. Enjoy!

Baked Tofu with Dipping Sauces

I'm up to five miles on my training runs now...which is great but also means that my nights are cut significantly shorter because I spend 1+ hours at the gym. My fridge also tends to be a bit bare by the end of the week. So last night I wanted a meal that was fast and easy, using what limited ingredients I had on hand.

I had a block of tofu (I seem to always have tofu)...and a stirfry was the first thing that came to mind as a quick and easy dish. However last night I really wasnt feeling it.

I decided instead to try cooking the tofu in a different way - baking it. I drained the block of tofu and then let it sit for 15 minutes between two plates and paper towels (to remove excess moisture).

I then cut the tofu into small, two/three inch pieces and let them sit in a soy sauce/olive oil marinade for another 15 minutes.

After that I baked the tofu bites on a baking sheet covered in tinfoil for 20 minutes at 400', turning once at the ten minute mark. 

They came out looking (and tasting) great. For fun I whipped up two "dips" for the tofu slices. The dips made the very healthy meal of tofu (and some green pepper slices) fun!  

I used the same base for the two dips (soy sauce, rice vinegar, water, garlic) and added peanut butter to one and some leftover harissa paste to the other. The peanut sauce was definetly the winner!

Peanut Sauce:

2 tbps peanut butter

2 tbps water

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 cloves garlic, minced and crushed

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Harissa Sauce:

1 tbps of harissa paste

2 tbps water

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 clove garlic, minced and crushed

1 tbps rice vinegar

Preparation:

For both dips, combine all ingredients in a saucepan over low heat until ingredients are combined and mixture is smooth.