Meatless Monday: Recipe: Stir-Fry Tofu

via…
I’d have pictures of my own, but the food was demolished before I had the chance!

I come from a family with an arsenal of select comfort foods: Various casseroles, beef stroganoff (so much so that I had to vegetarianize it!), and tuna melts were staples in my house, and they were almost always meat-based in some way. So when I became vegetarian (again) in my early 20s, the first thing my parents asked was, “Sooo… what do you eat?”

Two Fridays ago, I had the chance to show them!

Matt and I went to south Florida for my brother’s high school graduation that weekend, and while Matt and his family were at a Japanese steakhouse, I was throwing together a vegetarian stir-fry for my own family and praying that it would go over well. Not only did it have vegetables that my family does not eat on a regular basis, but I included a staple in my own diet to the mix.

Cue some freaky music here: I introduced my family to… TOFU. Aaaaaaah!!

And they ate it. And they didn’t die! In fact, they liked it, and the pan of vegetables (and TOFU) that I anticipated would yield a few days’ worth of leftovers was demolished by the end of dinner!

Color me a proud vegetarian.

Ingredients

* about 1 tbsp. and 1 tsp. olive oil
* extra firm tofu, pressed for about 30 minutes beforehand and sliced into 1/2″ cubes
* 1 carton sliced mushrooms
* 1 white onion, cut fajita-style
* 1 head broccoli, cut into florets (no stems)
* 1 can bamboo shoots, drained
* 1 can water chestnuts, drained
* 1/2 cup bean sprouts
* crushed peanuts (optional)
* Soy Vay teriyaki sauce

Method

1. Prepare one small nonstick pan with 1 tsp. olive oil and either a wok or large pan with 1 tbsp. olive oil for the tofu and vegetables, respectively.

2. In the small pan over medium heat, throw in the tofu and allow to cook a bit, turning until lightly browned on all sides.

3. While preparing the tofu, toss the mushrooms and onion in the wok over medium-high heat and allow to simmer. If any excess liquid collects, strain vegetables in a colander and return to pan.

4. When mushrooms and onions are almost soft, toss in the broccoli and desired amount of Soy Vay teriyaki. (I typically go kinda liberal on this.)

5. Add about 1 tbsp. Soy Vay teriyaki to the tofu pan as well, and toss until evenly coated. Continue to cook over medium heat until the outsides become crispy.

6. Add the bamboo shoots and water chestnuts to the wok; allow the vegetables to continue simmering.

7. About five minutes prior to serving, toss the bean sprouts in with the vegetables and toss until all veggies are evenly coated in teriyaki.

8. Just before serving, add tofu to veggie wok and toss to incorporate.

9. Serve hot with rice and a sprinkling of crushed peanuts, as desired.

And for good measure, my (big) little brother’s all grown up! ♥ :sniffles: So proud…