Spicy Tofu and Rice Stir Fry

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I’m back into the swing of things at work and that means I’m out looking for easy weeknight meals.  It also means I’m looking for meals that are good for me, filling, and healthy.  This summer I ate a lot of good food but it wasn’t necessarily good for me so I’ve got to eat healthier this fall.

Since we are still getting a CSA I’ve been trying to use all of the vegetables in healthy meals.   Of course stir fry is one of my favorite ways to use these vegetables because you can substitute in any vegetables you have on hand.  I happen to have cabbage, peas, carrots, and garlic scapes so that’s what I used.  I also had mushrooms leftover from another recipe so I threw those into the mix too. Plus, this weeks Sunday Supper theme is World Vegetarian Day so I knew I had to make a delicious vegetarian entree.

Now there are two things I really like about this stir fry.  The first is the sauce.  It’s sort of a Thai style sauce in that you have the sweetness from the honey, spiciness from the chile paste, sour from the lime juice, and saltiness from the soy sauce.  All of those elements make for a great Thai style sauce.

The second thing I love about this recipe is that after the rice is cooked it’s added in to the stir fry.  Then the rice itself is stir fried as well.  It gives the rice a bit better texture and it allows it to absorb all the yummy flavors from the marinade.

The original recipe calls for the tofu to be marinated in the sauce and then baked but I don’t have time to bake the tofu for 40 minutes before stir frying the rest of the meal.  There’s no time for that on a work day so I just cooked the tofu in the pan after pressing it and it was ready in under 10 minutes.  That makes this a quick and easy to make meal.

I do tend to prep the vegetables for this meal ahead of time which makes it even faster.   I think cutting them up takes the longest in this entire recipe.   This is such a great recipe because you can use any vegetables you have on hand, it’s a delicious vegetarian meal, and it has a ton of flavor.  I like how the rice and tofu both absorb the flavor and really add to the dish.  It’s also a bright and vibrant dish which I’d be happy to serve to any of my vegetarian friends.

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Spicy Tofu and Rice Stir Fry

Yield: serves 4

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 18 minutes

Total Time: 38 minutes

This Spicy Tofu Stir Fry is a delicious combination of tofu, vegetables, and rice in a sweet and spicy sauce.

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Ingredients

For the Tofu:

• 1 block extra firm tofu, pressed
• salt and pepper

For the sauce:

• 2 Tablespoons chili paste
• 1/4 c. soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 3 Tablespoons lime juice
• 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
• 3 garlic cloves

For the stir fry:

• 2 c. jasmine rice, cooked
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 garlic scapes, chopped
• 1 hot red chili, minced
• 2 carrots, sliced on a diagonally
• 1/2 c. peas, cut diagonally
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/2 c. mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1/2 small purple cabbage, thinly sliced

Instructions

1. Cut the tofu into 2 inch pieces and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Add the tofu and cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until it has browned and is firm. Remove to a plate.
3. In a medium bowl combine the chili paste, soy sauce, honey, lime juice, sesame oil, and garlic cloves. Mix well and set aside.
4. Place 1 tablespoon olive oil in the same skillet used for the tofu. Heat over medium high heat and add in the green onions, garlic cloves, garlic scapes, and red chili. Saute for 2 minutes then remove from pan and place on a plate.
5. Heat the remaining oil in the pan and add the carrots, peas, red bell pepper, and mushrooms. Stir fry for 4-5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender crisp. Add in the purple cabbage and cook for 1 minute.
6. Return the onions, garlic, and garlic scapes to the pan and add the rice. Pour half of the sauce on top and toss to combine.
7. Add the tofu to the pan with the remaining sauce and cook for 1-2 minutes or until heated through. Serve immediately.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Lazy Cat Kitchen

More Vegetarian Recipes:

• Orange Ginger Carrot Soup by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Zucchini Blueberry Coffee Cake by Pies and Plots
• Pumpkin Gnocchi and Spinach with Sage Brown Butter Sauce by The Redhead Baker
• Radical Reuben Sandwich by Palatable Pastime
• Spinach Stuffed Pasta Shells by That Skinny Chick Can Bake