Tofu and Broccoli Stir-Fry

Ingredients

• 1 package (14 1/2 ounces) firm tofu, drained, cut in half into 2 slabs and then cut diagonally into triangle shaped pieces
• 1 1/2 pounds broccoli, stalks trimmed, peeled, and cut into 1/4-inch rounds, florets separated into bite-size pieces
• sea salt
• 2 tablespoons grape seed oil
• 1/4 tsp tumeric
• 1/4 tsp red chili powder
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce (gluten free)
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup cashews, toasted

Directions

1. Arrange tofu in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with several layers of paper towels. Top with more paper towels and another baking sheet; weight with canned goods. Let tofu drain, about 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook broccoli (stalks and florets) in a large pot of boiling salted water until bright green, 2 minutes. Drain; set aside.
3. In a medium mixing bowl whisk together 1 tbsp grape seed oil, tumeric, sea salt to taste and red chili powder.  Then add drained tofu to bowl and coat each piece with mixture
4. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add tofu; cook until golden brown on each side, turning gently.  Transfer to a bowl once browned.
5. Meanwhile, make sauce.  In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, red-pepper flakes, garlic, cornstarch, and 3/4 cup water; set aside.
6. Add broccoli to skillet; cook over high heat, stirring often, until crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
7. Whisk reserved sauce to combine; pour into skillet. Return tofu to skillet; stir to coat, about 1 minute more.
8. Serve topped with cashews.

Cook Time and Prep Time: 40 min

Serves: 4

recipe and picture courtesy of marthastewart.com with adjustments made by me!

Asian Rice Noodles with Spicy Almond Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1 package rice noodles
• 1/2 head broccoli, tops cut into flowerets, stems peeled and sliced thinly
• 2 cups of snow peas, trimmed
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup unsalted almond butter
• 1/4 cup of reduced sodium soy sauce
• 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) chili-garlic sauce
• 1 scallion, green part only chopped finely
• 1 tsp coconut oil

Directions

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil
• Toast the almonds in a dry skillet over medum heat, stirring frequently, until they are golden, about 3 minutes. Remove from skillet into a bowl
• Cook the rice noodles according to the directions on the package.
• Heat coconut oil in skillet
• Add broccoli, snow peas and red pepper for 2 min ensuring they still remain crispy
• While the rice noodles are cooking, make the sauce.
• Place the almond butter, soy sauce, lime juice, chili-garlic sauce and 3 Tbsp of boiling water (from the rice noodle pot) into a large bowl and whisk until smooth
• Drain the noodles
• Add the sauce and rice noodles to the vegetables in the skillet and toss to coat
• Serve garnished with the toasted almonds and scallion greens

Serves 4-6

Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

• 2 tsp coconut oil
• 1 package tofu – diced in 1 cm cubes
• 1 cup water chestnuts diced
• 1 cup mushrooms finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1/4 red onion finely chopped
• 3 tbsp chopped peanuts
• romaine lettuce leaves
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder

Directions

• Make the sauce first by dissolving the honey in water in a small bowl.  Then add 2 tbsp soy sauce, rice vinegar, lemon juice, sesame oil, mustard, 1 clove garlic minced, and red chili powder
• Mix well and store in fridge
• Heat coconut oil in a wok
• Saute tofu until browned, then add water chestnuts, mushrooms, garlic and onions and chopped peanuts
• Then add 2 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tsp rice vinegar to the wok and saute for a couple of minutes
• Put about 2 tbsp of mixture from wok into romaine lettuce leave and then top with sauce from the fridge

Asian Sauteed Cauliflower

Ingredients

• 1 medium head cauliflower, trimmed of green parts
• 5 tbsp vegetable broth
• 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 2 medium cloves garlic, pressed
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar, or fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt and white pepper to taste
• 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

• Cut cauliflower florets into quarters
• Heat broth in large stainless steel skillet
• When broth begins to steam, add cauliflower and cover,  sauté for 5 minutes
• Whisk together rest of ingredients and toss with florets
• Marinate for about 5 minutes for more flavor
• Allowing the cauliflower to soak up the dressing for a few moments before serving makes it even better
• Garnish with chopped cilantro

Cook Time and Prep Time: 15 min

Serves: 4

Recipe courtesy of whfoods.org

Miso Salad Dressing

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup miso
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger
• water as needed (optional)

Directions

• Combine all ingredients using a blender or food processor. If mixing by hand, use a fork or whisk and beat until smooth.
• Add a bit of water, a teaspoon at a time for a thinner consistency

Asian Rice Salad

I am posting this recipe now (it is on the dinner menu for tomorrow night) because the mung beans in this recipe take 8-12 hours to sprout.  Picture to follow – I’m sprouting my seeds!

Sprouting Method:

• In a bowl, wash 1/2 a cup of mung beans until water is clear
• Soak washed mung beans in about 2 cups of warm water
• Soak for 24-72 hours
• Drain thoroughly once mung beans are sprouted
• If seeds are hard, then it may take even longer to sprout

Ingredients

•  2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 two inch piece ginger, peeled and grated
• 3 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 tsp raw honey
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce or bragg’s liquid amino’s (soy sauce substitute)
• 1 large carrot, shredded
• 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
• 2 cups snow peas, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp coconut oil
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
• 1/2 cup mung bean seeds -see above for sprouting method
• 1/2 cup rice noodles
• chopped peanuts (optional)

Directions

• Whisk the garlic, ginger, sesame oil, vinegar, soy sauce and honey in a large bowl to make the dressing
• Add the carrot, celery and snow peas to dressing and toss
• Heat a large skillet over  medium to high heat and add coconut oil
• Stir fry the cooked rice until toasted, about 2 minutes
• Remove from the heat and let cool
• Add the rice and scallions to vegetable mixture and toss
• Divide among bowls and top with the lettuce, sprouts, cooked rice noodles and peanuts.

Variation – for those who eat seafood, you can add shrimp to this dish.  Just marinate the shrimp in a small amount of the dressing and then saute it and add to rice.

Serves 4-6

Prep time and cook time (excluding sprouting time for mung beans): 30-45 min