The Four Year Journey Towards Tofu

Darcy and I are opposites in many ways including in the beginning of our relationship, the type of food that we ate.  I swear that he was thisclose to being a carnivore when we met.  Then along comes me who preaches that you really can make friends with salad.  The first meal that we cooked together was a tofu stir fry (my suggestion obviously).  I know that he only said that he liked it to impress me because as things became more serious between us, he started to take more of a stand towards not wanting to eat tofu.  As time went on, I started to eat more meat dishes and he eventually started to warm up towards meatless dishes.

After four years, guess who asked me to make a tofu stir fry again after eating it one evening for dinner and guess who suggested that we add it to our list of go-to dinner staples?  Yup, Darcy.

Tofu is one of those things that people are a little nervous about and won't try because it is "different."  I always get a kick out of people who say they don't like something even though they've never tried it or maybe they've only tried it once.  I can understand that maybe the first time wasn't a positive experience but I like to encourage people to have an open mind with food.  Try a particular ingredient at least 3 times, prepared 3 different ways before you completely write it off as something you don't like.

Tofu is also budget friendly at around $1.78 for enough to feed 3-4 people!  Meatless Mondays is looking even more appetizing now, isn't it... 

Here are two of my favorite tofu stir frys that I encourage you to try.  The Tofu Vegetable Stir fry is the one that we eat most often:

Tofu Vegetable Stir Fry

Ingredients

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp hoisin sauce

2 tsp cornstarch

1 package extra-firm tofu

2 tbsp vegetable oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp ginger

1 pinch hot pepper flakes

2 carrots, thinly sliced on the diagonal

1 1/2 cups mushrooms, sliced

1 cup snow peas, cut diagonally in half

2 green onions, thiny sliced

2 tsp sesame oil

Preparation

In small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, cornstarch and 3 tbsp water; set aside.

Pat tofu dry; cut into 3/4-inch (2 cm) cubes. In large wok, heat half of the oil over medium-high heat; stir-fry tofu until golden, about 6 minutes. Transfer to plate.

Heat remaining oil in wok over medium-high heat; stir-fry garlic, ginger and hot pepper flakes for 30 seconds.

Add carrots and mushrooms; stir-fry for 1 minute. Add 1 tbsp water; cover and steam until carrots are tender, about 3 minutes.

Add snow peas, tofu and soy sauce mixture; bring to boil and boil, stirring, until thickened and vegetables are tender, about 1 minute. Stir in green onions and sesame oil.

Spicy Tofu with Red Bell Peppers and Peanuts

Ingredients

1/3 cup olive oil

2 large red bell peppers, seeded, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger  

3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 14-to 16-ounce package extra-firm tofu, drained well, cut into 1-inch cubes

3 green onions, thinly sliced on diagonal

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

1 6-ounce bag baby spinach leaves

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

1/3 cup lightly salted roasted peanuts

Preparation

Heat oil in wok over high heat. Add bell peppers, ginger, and garlic; saute until peppers just begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add tofu and green onions; toss 2 minutes.

Add next 3 ingredients. Toss to blend, about 1 minute. Add spinach in 3 additions, tossing until beginning to wilt, about 1 minute for each addition. Mix in basil. Season with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle peanuts over top.