Tofu & Broccoli Stir-fry
You have to admit. There is nothing better than Chinese food delivered right to your front door. Well, maybe there are a few things better like: break dancing, Galaga, any John Hughes movie, Trapper Keepers, any Schwarzenegger movie, ThunderCats, Dungeons & Dragons, Atari. On second thought, maybe Chinese food delivery isn’t the best thing ever invented. However, it is super easy, convenient, and delicious… a triple bonus if you will on crazy week nights.
But you get what you pay for because you trade convenience and taste for loads of fat and sodium. No worries as I have the perfect recipe for those nights when you want / need to order delivery. Yes, my soon-to-be famous TOFU & BROCCOLI STIR FRY will get you in and out of the kitchen in no time. If you use some pre-fab ingredients, dinner comes together even quicker. The only drawback to this great vegan recipe is the absence of a fortune cookie. You will still have to get those from the delivery driver.
Head to the kitchen, and before you would hear a knock on your door, a Chinese feast will be on the table minus the fat and sodium. So, print off this recipe and put it in your Trapper Keeper. It is sure to be one of your go-to recipes. Not to mention, you may still have time to catch the end of Commando. At the very least, you can work on your Pop-n-Lock moves….”ThunderCats HO!!”
Ingredients Instructions Okay, to pull this recipe together quickly, I used Trader Joe’s Teriyaki Flavored Tofu (no pressing required and it is pre-seasoned) and a bag of pre-cut broccoli florets. I also used Trader Joe’s frozen brown rice which takes all of three minutes to cook in the microwave. If you don’t have a TJ’s in your area, don’t worry. Any Asian flavored tofu will work. In fact, some extra firm tofu will work as well. And while I personally don’t condone boil-in-bag rice, sometimes you have to make sacrifices for convenience.
All you really need to do now in way of prep is to slice the tofu, slice your carrots, mince the garlic, and make the sauce. So while you are slicing, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Toss in your broccoli and carrots and boil for 2 minutes. Then drain off the water and rinse the vegetables with cold water. This is called blanching the vegetables. It pre-cooks the veggies just a bit and locks in their vibrant colors. Plus, it then only takes a few minutes to cook them crisp tender in this stir-fry.
While the veggies boil, combine the broth, soy sauce, sherry, ginger, brown sugar, and cornstarch in a small mixing bowl. Whisk well to combine ensuring you have no lumps. Now in a wok, non-stick skillet, or cast-iron skillet, sauté the garlic and tofu in the oil over medium heat until the tofu is golden brown on all sides. Pour in your sauce mix and add in your blanched vegetables. Cook everything until the sauce thickens and the vegetables are heated through (about 5 minutes).
Pre-seasoned Tofu
Blanched Veggies
Add the rice to your plate and top with a generous amount of tofu and vegetables. If you want to be fancy and have a few spare moments, garnish your dish with some fresh sliced scallions. Personally, I would rather spend my time coming up with a name for my newest Half-Elf Thief complete with leather armor and a +2 Flaming sword. “Bandor” has a nice ring to it. Don’t you think? Longer Letter Later.
Love, Bob aka The Grassfed Carnivore
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