Chinese Takeout from Home

A little while back, I introduced my first tofu recipe to the blog — our Sofritas Tacos. Up until recently, we weren’t using a lot of tofu in our cooking. Honestly, because I really wasn’t sure how to cook with it.

If you’re looking to transition to a more or entirely plant-based diet, tofu doesn’t have to be part of it, unlike popular belief. You can get plenty of plant-based protein from other plant-based sources.

However, if you’re a little hesitant about cooking with tofu, you’re in the right place. I was too, but it is much easier than I thought! I believe our Sofritas Tacos are the perfect place to start, followed by this Stir Fry Tofu and Broccoli.

I should mention, if your hesitation for cooking with tofu steams from adding soy to your diet with concerns of hormones, it’s important you head over to this blog post that walks you through the research of the benefits of soy products against hormone-based cancers.

How do I know this is a perfect recipe to get started with cooking tofu? Well, because it is simple and my three-year-old daughter wolfed down the stir-fried tofu from this dinner!

I promise you I was doing my inner dietitian-mom happy dance! Plus, she also ate roasted cauliflower in the same meal. #happydietitianmom

So I know tofu can be a little intimidating, but you got this. I know you do. And you’re going to be thrilled with the result!

Stir Fry Tofu & Broccoli 

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1, 8 oz block organic firm tofu

1 heavy tablespoon corn starch

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground pepper

1 bell pepper, any color, diced or sliced

½ medium onion, diced

1 tablespoon high-heat oil (such as avocado oil)

3 cups broccoli, chopped

2 cups brown rice

• Vegetable broth for cooking, optional

 

sauce ingredients 

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

2 teaspoons sriracha, or chili sauce

2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

½ tablespoon cornstarch

¼-½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

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topping suggestions 

Black or white sesame seeds

Minced green onion

 

Directions

Start by draining and pressing the tofu. If you aren’t sure how to do this, here’s a quick video to show you how. I press mine for about 10-15 minutes.

Start cooking the brown rice according to the package instructions. I like to cook mine in our Instant Pot with vegetable broth for more flavor.

Heat a large stir fry pan over medium high heat. Also, grab a soup pot and fill it with 1-2 inches of water (this is to steam the broccoli) and heat to medium high heat. If you aren’t sure how to steam broccoli, here is a quick video to show you how.

(Don’t have a steamer basket? No worries! Here’s another video to show you how!)

While the tofu is being pressed, diced (or slice) the pepper and onion. Cut and wash your broccoli. Create the sauce by adding all sauce ingredients to a small dish and mix together well.

When the fry pan is hot, add 1 tablespoon high heat oil.

After 10-15 minutes, dice the tofu into smaller, uniform pieces. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add the seasoned tofu to the heated stir fry pan.

Allow the tofu to “fry” for about 3 minutes on each side, until reaching your desired golden brown. Set the cooked tofu aside.

Add the diced pepper and onion to the hot stir fry pan (the same one you used for the tofu). While this is cooking, add your broccoli to your steamer basket, and steam for 5 minutes, or until reaching desired doneness.

Allow the pepper and onion to cook down until slightly caramelized, about 5-7 minutes. Add the cooked tofu and prepared sauce to the pan. Mix together well.

Once the broccoli is cooked, add to the tofu and veggie mixture and mix well.

Serve the stir fry over a bed of brown rice and top with any desired toppings. Enjoy!