Ginger Teriyaki Tofu Stir-Fry

I got lots of new recipe books for Christmas! Yay for new recipes to try! This one comes from Plant-Powered Families. A lot of the recipes from this book are “comfort food” because they are kid-friendly, so I expect I’ll find a lot of good recipes. I’m a little surprised she uses oil in a few places (especially because this has a foreword from Neal Barnard and a bookjacket quote from T. Colin Campbell), but for the most part it doesn’t seem necessary to use oil in the recipes that call for it.

The teriyaki stir-fry was the first recipe I decided to try, and it turned out great! It’s a nice light flavor from the teriyaki sauce and the tofu gives it a nice “meaty” texture. I actually added a little extra soy sauce to mine because I wanted a stronger salty/soy flavor, so if the sauce seems too light for you I recommend adding extra soy/tamari/aminos to your bowl as well.

Ingredients:

Servings: about 4 bowls

Teriyaki Sauce:

1½ tbs. arrowroot powder (or replace with equal amount cornstarch)
1 tbs. roughly chopped or grated fresh ginger
3-4 medium cloves garlic, minced
½ cup water
⅓ cup tamari or aminos (soy sauce alternative)
3½ tbs. maple syrup
½-1 tbs. lemon juice (fresh is best)
1 tsp. molasses

Stir-fry:

4-6 tsp. water, divided
1 cup sliced carrots (medallion or halved medallion)
1-2 pinches sea salt
1 cup sliced zucchini or green beans cut into bite-sized pieces (or both! go nuts!)
4-5 cups broccoli florets
1½ cups bell pepper (any color), matchstick or julienne cut (about 1 medium-large)
¾-1 cup cubed tofu (extra firm is best), or marinated tempeh
½-¾ cup roughly chopped or crushed raw cashews
Optional: Serve the stir-fry over cooked brown rice, quinoa, or soba noodles

Note: I found Roland brand buckwheat soba noodles that are on-diet for me. I have no memory of where I got this pack, but at least I can order more online! I do think I might prefer the stir-fry over brown rice, but the soba noodles were pretty good too.

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°F. If you’re serving this over brown rice but haven’t already started cooking it, get that going right now!

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the cubed tofu on it. When the oven is ready, bake the tofu for 30 minutes. If you’re serving this over noodles or quinoa, start prepping that at some point while the tofu is baking.

To make the teriyaki sauce:

Use a blender to puree all the ingredients for the sauce.

To make the stir-fry:

In a large skillet over high heat, add a few teaspoons of water, the carrots, and sea salt. Reduce the heat to medium-high, cover, and let the carrots steam for a few minutes. Remove the cover, return the heat to High, and add the zucchini. Toss through to let it sear slightly, then add the remaining 2-3 tsp. of water, broccoli, and bell pepper. Toss through, cover, reduce heat slightly, and cook for 2-3 minutes. The veggies will cook more with the sauce, so don’t overcook them at this point. It’s up to you how long you want to cook the veggies, whether you like them with a bit of crunch or if you prefer them to be totally limp.

Assembling:

Add the teriyaki sauce and baked tofu to the vegetables. Mix well to coat everything and let the sauce come to a slow boil over medium-high heat. Once the sauce has thickened slightly, add the cashews and mix.