'Twas the week before Thanksgiving and all through the kitchen, home chefs are rushing to plan, prep, and brace for a very big holiday meal. One of the nicest things you can do for yourself this week is to work in quick and easy meals that are excellent blends of nutritious ingredients, tasty sauces and seasonings, and ultimately recipes you can get on table, enjoy with your family, and clean up after in a snap. Get your family involved in making them and cleaning up and it will help make planning for Thanksgiving less stressful and hopefully inspire ways everyone can be involved on the holiday too. After all, we all want to be able to enjoy the day and working together can insure that and make memories all the while.
This week, we're focusing on meals that can be made in about a half hour. We begin with a stir fry that happens to be vegan, but that might first be noticed after all the dishes are done! Of course, if you need to tweak the protein, you can work animal protein in if you'd like - stick with quick cooking protein like shrimp or chicken. Keep your vegetable choices similar in cooking time and try sticking with the quick homemade sauce - my family adores it. I do sometimes add a tablespoon of chili crisp too if I want a little extra heat and texture.
I like to serve this stir fry over rice - I usually make that in my Instant Pot. For the recipe as pictured, I used broccoli romanesco and sprinkled the finished dish with furikake.
Sweet Ginger Tofu & Veggie Stir Fry
- ¼ cup soy sauce or tamari for gluten free option
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons freshly grated ginger
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided
- 1 (16 ounce) package super-firm tofu, diced (about ½ to 1 inch)
- 1 medium orange bell pepper - cut into slices and halved
- 1 small head of broccoli, cauliflower, or broccoli romanesco - cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup steamed edamame
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds, everything but the bagel seasoning, or furikake
Stir the soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, and sesame oil together in a small bowl; set aside.
Coat the bottom of a large nonstick skillet with half of the oil and place it over medium heat. Add the tofu cubes in an even layer. Cook the tofu for about ten minutes, flipping the pieces about halfway through, until they are golden brown and crispy. Remove the tofu from the skillet and transfer it to a plate.
Add the remaining oil to the skillet and raise the heat to medium-high. Give the oil a minute to heat up before adding the bell pepper, broccoli (or cauliflower or broccoli romanesco), and edamame. Cook for about five minutes, stirring constantly, until they brighten in color and become crisp-tender.
Return the tofu to the skillet, then pour the sauce over the tofu. Stir everything together, bring the sauce to a simmer, and lower the heat slightly. Allow the sauce to simmer until most of it has dried up or been absorbed into the tofu, about three to four minutes.
Remove the skillet from the heat and top the tofu and veggies with sesame seeds, everything but the bagel seasoning, or furikake. Serve alone or with rice.
- Yields: 4 servings
- Preparation Time: 30 minutes