Dinner last night was an easy stir-fry served over a lightly seasoned quinoa. I never thought I would say it, but it was better than traditional rice. If the quinoa is properly cooked it taste delicious.
At Safeway they carry a line of organic tofu in the produce department under their brand, one option is pre-cubed. The packages are lighter in weight (only 8 ounces), the texture though is worth it being smaller. I have found I don’t need to press the cubes at all, just drain well, marinate and use. Because Ford loves a lot of protein in his meals I used two packages, you could just use one though. I wait for it to be on sale and stock up. Two packages are only $3 which is still a lot cheaper than higher end meat! Regular block tofu of course works fine and is cheaper.
Tofu Vegetable Stir-fry
Ingredients:
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups water
- 1 lower sodium vegetable bouillon cube ( Rapunzel Pure Organic Vegetable Bouillon
)
- 14 to 16 ounces (drained weight) tofu, well-drained (preferably pressed or see notes above)
- ¾ cup light ginger sesame dressing
- Canola oil
- 1 Tbsp roasted garlic (jarred)
- 14 ounce bag stir fry mix (used Birds Eye Ultimate Stir Fry)
- 2 cups frozen green peas (unsalted)
- 1 rounded Tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot
- 1 cup orange juice (preferably with pulp)
- 2 Tbsp lower sodium soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp sweet chili sauce ( Mae Ploy – Sweet Chili Sauce
)
- 1 tsp sesame oil
Directions:
Drain the tofu well (and press if a solid block). If a solid block cut into small bite size pieces. Combine the dressing and the tofu in a bowl, cover and park in the refrigerator for a couple of hours or even better, longer! Mine marinated for a good 8 hours.
Place a mesh strainer over a mixing bowl and gently drain the tofu, reserving the dressing. In the bowl whisk in the cornstarch through the sesame oil and set aside.
Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer, add to a heavy saucepan with the water and bouillon cube. Bring to a boil, cover mostly and let boil for 5 minutes, stirring periodically (I turned the heat down to medium). Turn off the heat, cover tightly and let sit for 15 minutes.
Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large non-stick skillet over upper medium-high heat. Add in the tofu and cook till sizzling and getting golden. Stash in a clean bowl.
Add another Tablespoon of oil to the skillet, add in the frozen vegetables and start stirring, cooking until hot and crunchy, add the tofu back in and keep stirring/shaking. Whisk the sauce again, pour over and turn the heat down to medium. It will thicken quickly, keep stirring gently.
Fluff up the quinoa, divide into bowls and top with the stir fry.
Serves 3 to 4.
~Sarah