Friday night, while my two boys and I were having Mediterranean Marinated Flank Steak, my vegetarian husband had this yummy stir fry.
As I was about to chop the tofu into cubes for the stir fry, I saw my vegetable peeler out of the corner of my eye and got a magical idea. Yes, I just referred to the way I was going to cut my tofu as magical. It was! Since I was using extra firm tofu, I knew I would be able “peel” thin strips, making a “noodle” of sorts. In “super thin strip” form, the tofu can be added in the last few seconds of the cooking process. The tofu strips will still soak up a ton of flavor, and they just might make you feel as though you’re having a hearty pasta! This is a fantastic vegetarian meal!
I sort of threw this together on the fly so the measurements can be “more or less” — they don’t have to be exact. We’re not making a cake here! In fact, add whatever veggies you like!
Recipe
About 1/3 of a 1-pound block extra firm tofu
Grape seed oil
1/4 cup thinly sliced brown onion
2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
1/2 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped broccoli
1/2 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
A handful of fresh mint leaves
A splash of orange juice
Tamari and sea salt to taste
Togarashi
- Use a vegetable peeler to make super thin "noodles" out of the tofu chunk. Set aside.
- Coat the bottom of a large sauté pan with the oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook over medium-high heat until the onion is soft, about 3 minutes. Add the carrots and broccoli and cook just until tender, about 5 minutes. Then stir in the pepper, mint leaves, and the tofu "noodles." Add the orange juice and season to taste with Tamari and a bit of salt. Sprinkle with Togarashi and serve!
Notes
Grapeseed oil is very low in saturated fat, has a high burning point, and doesn't interfere with the other flavors. It's my first choice when I cook with Asian flavors. It's available in most markets.
Tamari is a type of Japanese soy sauce that's a bit darker and is slightly thicker than ordinary soy sauce. It's all we use at home since it's gluten-free (which it has to be for my 7-year-old son who has Celiac Disease). Regular soy sauce contains wheat.
Togarashi is the Japanese word for red chili peppers. It'll add some great heat!
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
So delicious! And so pretty!
All of your ideas are so creative and beautiful. Good work and great creativity here! Even the carrots look like noodles!
I would have never thought to use a peeler on tofu… how creative!
What a great idea. It might even make me eat tofu. And I love stir-fry. Hmmmm… maybe dinner next week.