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Fast & Easy Dinner: Peach and Snow Pea Stir-Fry

partysugar — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 08:00:37 -0700

During the Summer I'm always looking for innovative new ways to serve stone fruit. While I've had my fair share of nectarine salads and muddled cherry cocktails, I've never enjoyed a peach stir-fry.

This creative and scrumptious dish combines succulent peaches with snow peas, tofu, and water chestnuts. The mixture is tossed with a quick homemade teriyaki sauce and served atop a bed of slippery noodles.

This meal comes together in less than 30 minutes, but if you are really pressed for time, simply use your favorite store brand teriyaki. Get the vegetarian recipe now.

Fast & Easy Dinner: Tofu and Broccoli Stir-Fry

YumSugar — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 07:45:40 -0700

If you're not already a big stir-fry fan, you should consider adding it to your meal circuit: in addition to being healthy and nutritious, stir-fries are also incredibly quick.

This tofu and broccoli version, with its firm tofu, is ideal for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike, as the protein has a meaty flavor and substantial texture.

To get dinner on the table in no time, read more.

Tofu and Broccoli Stir-Fry
From Everyday Food

Ingredients

1 package (14 1/2 ounces) firm tofu, drained, cut crosswise into 6 slabs (about 3/4 inch wide), each slab halved horizontally and cut into triangles
1 1/2 pounds broccoli, stalks trimmed, peeled, and cut into 1/4-inch rounds, florets separated into bite-size pieces
Coarse salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup cashews, toasted

Directions

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.
Meanwhile, cook broccoli (stalks and florets) in a large pot of boiling salted water until bright green, 2 minutes. Drain; set aside.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add tofu; cook until golden brown, turning gently halfway through, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to paper towels.
Meanwhile, make sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, red-pepper flakes, garlic, cornstarch, and 3/4 cup water; set aside.
Add broccoli to skillet; cook over high heat, stirring often, until crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk reserved sauce to combine; pour into pan. Return tofu to pan; stir to coat, about 1 minute more. Serve topped with cashews.

Serves 4.

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Fast & Easy Dinner: Stir Fried Tofu with Vegetables

partysugar — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 09:40:18 -0700

I've said it before and I'll say it again: stir fries make an excellent last minute meal. Why? Because the food is sautéed at a higher temperature meaning it will cook quicker. This stir fry is jam packed with vegetables making it hearty and healthful. Choose a firmer tofu to ensure that it won't fall apart when stir fried. For this mouthwatering recipe, read more.

Stir-Fried Tofu with Vegetables
From Good Housekeeping magazine

Ingredients

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 package (16 ounces) extra firm tofu, patted dry and cut into 1-inch by 1/2-inch pieces
3 green onions
1 cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 bag (10-ounce) shredded carrots
1 medium red pepper, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed with garlic press or finely minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1/2 teaspoon salt
cooked rice, optional for serving

Directions

In nonstick 12-inch skillet, heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil over medium-high heat until hot.
Add tofu, and cook, about 4 minutes, gently tossing until heated through and lightly golden. Transfer to plate; set aside.
Meanwhile, thinly slice green onions, separating white parts from green tops. In 2-cup measuring cup, mix broth, brown sugar, soy sauce, and cornstarch.
In same skillet, heat remaining 1 teaspoon vegetable oil. Add white parts of green onions, carrots, red pepper, garlic, ginger, and salt; cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Return tofu to skillet. Stir broth mixture, and add to skillet; heat to boiling. Boil 30 seconds, gently stirring.
Spoon over rice, if desired. To serve sprinkle with remaining green onions.

Serves 4.

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Fast Vegetarian Dinner: Szechuan Veggie Tofu Stir-Fry

partysugar — Thu, 03 May 2007 08:57:32 -0700

A stir-fry is a marvelous choice for a busy Thursday night - it cooks quickly, is super filling, and reasonably healthy (depending on what ingredients you throw in your wok). Asian flavors and lots of vegetables pack this vegan dish with complex freshness. To ensure success when stir-frying, maintain a fairly high flame and keep the elements of the dish moving constantly around the pan (hence the name stir-fry). I like this served over steamed white rice, but you could easily substitute slippery noodles. To make a grocery list for tonight's dinner, read more

Szechuan Vegetable & Tofu Stir-Fry
From Vegetarian Times magazine

2 tsp. peanut oil
1 small onion, cut in half, then thinly sliced
1/4 cup red bell pepper strips
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup fresh or frozen broccoli florets
1/2 cup baby carrots
2 scallions (white and light green parts), slivered
2 Tbs. grated fresh ginger
1 tsp. red pepper flakes, or to taste
1/2 tsp. honey
2 1/2 Tbs. hoisin sauce
1 lb. firm or baked tofu, well drained and cut into strips

In wok or large, heavy skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.
Add onion and bell pepper and stir-fry 1 minute. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add broccoli, carrots and scallions and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add ginger, red pepper flakes and honey; cover and cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes.
Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix hoisin sauce and 2 1/2 Tbs. water until well blended.
Add to stir-fry and mix gently, then add tofu strips and toss gently.
Cook, stirring occasionally, just until heated through. Serve right away over rice or noodles.

Serves 4.

PER SERVING: 122 CAL; 9 G PROT; 6 G TOTAL FAT ; 8 G CARB.; 82 MG SOD.; 2 G FIBER;

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Fast & Easy Dinner: Sesame Tofu Stir-Fry

partysugar — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 08:00:13 -0800

If you've never experimented with tofu before, consider doing so tonight. Think of tofu like chicken, it takes on the flavor of the other ingredients.

In this case, the supporting cast consists of soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and sesame seeds. Snow peas add a punch of green color and the textural element of crunch. Serve over white rice for a delicious vegetarian meal.

Get the recipe when you read more.

Sesame Tofu Stir-Fry
From The Nest

Ingredients

1 block firm tofu (14 to 15 ounces)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger
2 scallions
1 clove garlic
8 ounces snow peas
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons water
2 to 4 cups cooked white or brown rice, for serving

Directions

Drain the tofu and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 24 pieces). Whisk soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, and sugar in a glass pie plate or baking dish. Add tofu, turn the coat, and set aside for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, toast the sesame seeds in a small dry skillet over medium heat, stirring and tossing, until fragrant and a shade or two darker, about 4 minutes. Pour into a bowl to cool.
Peel and grate the ginger. Trim and chop the scallions, keeping the white and green parts separate. Smash, peel, and finely chop the garlic. Pull off the stems and any tough strings from the snow peas, if necessary.
When you’re ready to cook the tofu, reserve 1 tablespoon of the marinade in a small bowl and drain off the rest: Pat the tofu dry and drain off the rest. Pat the tofu dry with paper towels.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high to high heat. Working in batches if necessary, fry the tofu in the skillet, turning occasionally, until golden, about 7 minutes. Transfer the tofu with a slotted spoon or spatula; toss with the sesame seeds. Set aside.
Add the remaining oil to the skillet. Stir-fry the ginger, garlic, and scallion whites until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the snow peas and water and stir-fry until the snow peas are bright green and lightly glazed, about 2 minutes.
Return the fried tofu and scallion greens to the pan, pour in reserved marinade, and stir gently to combine. Cook until the snow peas are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes more. Serve with rice.

Serves 2-4.

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Fast & Easy Dinner: Vegetable Stir-Fry

partysugar — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 07:45:35 -0700

Chock full of crunchy vegetables and Asian flavors, this vegetarian stir-fry is hearty and delectable. The meal comes together in minutes, because the vegetables - bok choy, snow peas, radishes, and spinach - are flash cooked in a large sauté pan. Meaty, soy-glazed tofu and a fresh ginger vinaigrette add layers of delicious depth to the veggies. This recipe is highly adaptable, so feel free to substitute bell peppers, mushrooms, or any other vegetable.

Chicken, pork, shrimp, or beef are nice alternatives to tofu. To get the versatile recipe, read more.

Vegetable Stir-Fry
From Food and Wine magazine

Ingredients

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons cooking oil
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large head bok choy (about 1 1/2 pounds), stalks cut into 1/2-inch pieces, leaves shredded
1/2 pound snow peas
10 radishes, quartered
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 pound spinach, stems removed and leaves washed well
1/2 pound firm tofu, cut into 3/4-inch dice

Directions

In a small glass or stainless-steel bowl, combine the ginger, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of the cooking oil, the sesame oil, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper. Set aside.
In a wok or a large nonstick frying pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons cooking oil over moderately high heat.
Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add the bok-choy stalks and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the snow peas and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the radishes and the soy sauce and cook, stirring, for 1 minute longer.
Add the bok-choy leaves, the spinach, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt to the pan. Cook, tossing gently, until the leaves just wilt, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add all but 1 tablespoon of the vinaigrette and toss to coat. Remove the vegetables from the pan.
In the same pan, heat the remaining tablespoon of vinaigrette over moderately high heat. Add the tofu and cook, turning occasionally, until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Return the vegetables to the pan and stir gently to mix.

Serves 4.

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Soba, Tofu Stir Fry With Peanut Sauce

FitSugar — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 03:30:00 -0800

What is not to love about a stir fry? This recipe calls for tofu, which makes cooking this meal easy since you can just add it at the end. To make this meal work for the whole family (read picky five-year-old), I pull out broccoli, tofu and noodles to serve my girls before adding the spicy sauce. It worked out well; everyone was fed and happy.

To see the recipe, just read more.

Soba, Tofu Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce
adapted from Body+Soul

I saw this recipe in Body and Soul and knew I wanted to try it, but I changed things around a bit. I used peanut butter instead of the original almond butter (just didn't have any in the house) and I chose not to fry the tofu – too much time and added fat.

Ingredients

8 ounces soba noodles
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 package extra firm tofu, drained and cute into 1/2 inch cubes
1 red bell pepper cut into thin strips
1 1/2 pounds of broccoli, broken into florets
1 pound bok choy
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon garlic chili sauce
3 tablespoons peanut butter
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce

Directions

Cook soba noodles in a large pot of salted water, for 10 minutes.
Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Sauté veggies and garlic with lid on until veggies, stirring occasionally until they are crisp tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile make sauce by whisking together peanut butter, vinegar soy sauce, and chili garlic sauce. If sauce seems too thick you can thin with water.
Add noodles, tofu and sauce to pan. Toss and cook until heated through.

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Try it! It is easy to make and tasty.

Healthy How To: Press Tofu

FitSugar — Mon, 04 May 2009 09:00:00 -0700

I have been working on eating lower on the food chain. One meatless protein my family of four all agrees on is tofu. One great tip I learned from the cookbook Almost Meatless was to press tofu before cooking it. Since it is packed in water, tofu can be awfully mushy (even the firm style) if you don't press out some of the excess liquid. Plus the less liquid in the tofu, the more flavor or marinade it can absorb making it tastier.

Find out how to press your tofu when you read more.

Slice your bock of tofu into two equal slabs, about one inch each.
Place slabs side-by-side on two clean dish towels. Paper towels are not absorbent enough, so if you use them you have to use plenty, which is just not very eco.

Place your tofu and towels on top of a cutting board, then place another cutting board on top of them. Then place your heaviest post on top of that. It is a little like building a castle with Legos.

Press your tofu for about an hour, and then it is ready to marinate, bake, stir fry, or grill.

6 Meatless Ways to Get Five Grams of Protein

FitSugar — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 10:00:00 -0700

Eating enough protein daily helps with weight loss, since this macronutrient satiates your hunger better than carbs or fats. Plus, protein is the building block of the human body. Your muscles, skin, hair, and connective tissues are mostly made up of protein, but it also plays a huge role in every cell in your body. Our enzymes, hormones, and DNA are also partially made up of protein, so it's important to get enough every day. Depending on your weight and activity level, a woman needs between 40 and 60 grams per day. Check this chart to see exactly how much you need.

Since I'm always hearing that women feel like they have a difficult time getting their daily amount, here are five easy ways to get an added five grams of protein.

Add 1/2 a cup of garbanzo beans (chickpeas) to your salad for 5.9 grams of protein. If you're not a fan of beans, then sprinkle one ounce of organic shredded cheddar cheese instead to get six grams of protein.
Crumble 1/8 of a block of tofu and mix it into your pasta sauce for an added 6.4 grams of protein.

To see the other ways to get five grams of protein, read more.

Spoon out two ounces of cottage cheese and add it to cut-up cantaloupe for 7.8 grams of protein.
Snack on 1/4 cup edamame (boiled green soybeans) and you'll consume 5.6 grams of protein.
Just one ounce of tempeh (1/8 of a package) can be added to your stir fry to get 5.5 grams of protein.
Munch on 20 almonds, which contain 5.1 grams of protein. Or if you prefer, you can spread two tablespoons of almond butter on crackers to get 4.8 grams of protein.

Source

Learn to Love: Miso

FitSugar — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 03:30:00 -0700

Starting off a sushi dinner with a steamy bowl of miso soup is a ritual I can't seem to break. The soft tofu and seaweed flavored with yummy miso makes for a comforting starter, and I'm benefiting my health to boot. While the soup is a standard on Japanese menus, there are plenty more uses for miso and a list of reasons to pick some up at the store.

Miso's high sodium content makes it an ideal salt substitute in meals. The flavor enhancer is made by fermenting soybeans with a B12-synthesizing bacteria, making it a good source of the vitamin, and one tablespoon of miso provides two grams of protein and has just 25 calories. The zinc and copper found in miso support the immune system and energy production.

You can find miso paste at many supermarkets, so pick some up and start including it in your recipes. Try using it to flavor soups, salad dressings, sauces, stir-fries, and marinades. Have you experimented with miso in your cooking?

Source