Busy day at work and no time to cook dinner? Try this quick dish with tofu. Tofu with vegetables is an optimal nutrition meal – plant-based protein, lots of colored vegetables (#eattherainbow ) and a perfect addition of seeds. Perfect when served family style and usually loved by kids, this dish is good to store in the fridge for a few days later (didn’t last long in my house 🙂 and use leftovers for next day work or school lunch.

And look how cheerful this plate looks. Brighten up your day, people:)

Couple facts about tofu, how to choose the right one and prepare it for cooking.

What is tofu? It’s a curd from white soybeans made by curdling fresh hot soy milk with a coagulant. The final product has no distinct taste which makes it so useful as a base for many dishes of Asian cuisine. Excellent source of protein tofu is an important player in vegan diets and an alternative to meat protein. History says tofu has been used in China for more than 2000 years.

How to choose tofu? Start with choosing organic, non-GMO option.  Soy is No.2 genetically modified product, 94% of all soy is GMO. There is still not enough research on GMO and its influence on our health and environment, however many developed countries are cautious about GMO products and require special labeling for them. Serious concerns have been raised by farmers and environmentalists as well.  You can explore more here if interested. Sprouted tofu is even better, as germ is at its nutritional peak and therefore has more nutritional value.

In the East there are many varieties of tofu for specific cooking needs. In Western World we can most often find 2:

• (extra) firm tofu –  usually sold as a well formed brick in brine. Used for frying, stir-fries, smoking and pretty much any case where you want to save the texture of tofu.
• soft or silken tofu – soft version of a tofu as you might have guessed.  Great for smoothies, sauces, dips, spreads, baking and deserts – recipes when you want tofu blend smoothly.

For this tofu with vegetables recipe we need firm tofu. In order to prep it, we drain the tofu and expel the liquid out of it. Ideally you drain the tofu, wrap with paper towels, put a press (I use a bowl filled with water) on top of it and leave in the fridge for a few hours or so.  If this is not available, put tofu under press for 10-15 minutes, this is better than nothing and would do the job.

Next main ingredient is mixed vegetables. You could buy them pre-cut and frozen in a grocery store. I tend to buy USDA organic version – it tastes better to me and I feel more confident with it.

You could use your own mix of vegetables for this crumbled tofu recipe. Add whatever you like: eggplants, bell peppers, zucchini, etc. It takes some extra work though. Packaged frozen vegetables is a great shortcut. Modern technologies ensure that frozen veggies stay fresh and save their nutrients during the process. Frozen vegetables are harvested at peak season and flash frozen on site. It might be a better option compared to a fresh bell pepper shipped all the way from Mexico while you are in Alaska. Fresh and local is best, but there is nothing wrong with frozen vegetables. As usual read ingredients, source and how it is done on the package. This is what I use from Costco

I love cooking with ghee aka clarified butter because:

• ghee has higher smoke point  -250 °C (482 °F). Most oils break down  when heated into unstable elements known as free radicals. These elements are known as cancer-causing. So, we want to minimize our exposure to such elements.
• ghee contains natural fats that are necessary for heart health
• ghee has anti-inflammatory properties. Ayuverdic medicine has been using ghee for treating burns and swells long before we had access to antibiotics
• ghee is a great moisturizer
• ghee  contains fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K
• and many more

But the key point

• cooking with ghee is delicious

Okay, now that we have explored our main ingredients, let’s roll the sleeves and get to cooking  a delicious meal – Crumbled Tofu with Vegetables!

Video Recipe is on my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/SyC5yGEfLyE

Tofu Crumble with Vegetables

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Prep Time:

2 hours

Cook Time:

20 minutes

Quick vegetarian meal for weeknights which combines pant-based protein, fiber and grains. Kids-friendly. Cook dinner and use leftovers next day for lunch.

Yield: 4

Category: Entree, Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Asian, Vegetarian

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Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp Ghee
• 1 lb mixed vegetables
• 1 lb organic firm tofu
• ⅓ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup white sesame seeds
• ¼ cup black sesame seeds
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• Torn basil leaves

Instructions

1. Carefully drain tofu
2. Wrap tofu in paper towels and press to remove the excess liquid
3. Fill a bowl with water and put on top of wrapped tofu to press the liquid out
4. Leave for 15 min
5. Remove press and paper towels from tofu
6. Crumble tofu with your hands into small pieces
7. Heat the oil in the pan on medium
8. Add vegetables to a pan and cook for 10 min on medium heat, stirring often
9. Add tofu to vegetables and mix together
10. Cook tofu and vegetables for 5 more minutes
11. Add soy sauce, sesame seeds
12. Mix and cook for 1 min
13. Remove from heat, transfer to a large bowl and add sesame oil and mix again
14. Garnish with basil and serve.

Nutrition information

Calories per serving:400.43 kcal

Fat per serving:26.73 g

Saturated fat per serving:6.88 g

Carbs per serving:20.61 g

Protein per serving:25.77 g

Fiber per serving:8.31 g

Sugar per serving:2.87 g

Sodium per serving:1427.92 mg

Cholesterol per serving:16.38 mg

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