World Wide Vegan

Oh my goodness! This is one of the easiest and most satisfying stir-fry's I have ever made. The blend of flavors is so delectable that I find myself craving it. One of the things I love about it is that I nearly always have the sauce ingredients on hand so I can throw it together at a moments notice. Of course the veggies that I choose change from time to time but the ones I've listed in this recipe create a beautiful combination of colors which makes the dish wonderfully appealing even to the non-vegan.

My husband loved the flavor but because he is a meat-and-potatoes man with little desire for vegetables he liked the tofu and rice better than the fabulous veggies. He ate a huge plateful though and didn't complain. However I won't be listing it with my man friendly recipes. If your man loves veggies as much as you do this will definitely thrill him - even if he isn't a big tofu fan. The sweet and spicy flavor is so fabulous that even non-tofu eaters can't resist asking for seconds.



1/3 cup tamari soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin
1/4 cup maple syrup
4 teaspoons arrowroot
1 tablespoon yellow miso
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (less for less heat)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
8 ounces broccoli florets
2 carrots, peeled and julienned
1 yellow squash, julienned
1 cup snow peas, julienned
1/2 red bell pepper, julienned
1 baby head of bok choy, julienned (or 4 leaves large bok choy)
1/2 head Napa cabbage, shredded
4 green onions (white and green parts), julienned
¼ c. toasted cashews
1 can water chestnuts, julienned
1 box water packed extra firm tofu
4 cups cooked jasmine rice

Whisk together tamari, mirin, maple syrup, arrowroot, yellow miso, red pepper flakes, and sesame oil in a bowl until smooth. Set sauce aside.

Drain water from tofu. Press water from tofu by placing paper towels below and on top of the brick and place a heavy cutting board or pot on top for about 30 minutes.

Slice tofu brick in half horizontally, and then cut each half into ¾ inch cubes. Place cubes into the soy sauce mixture and marinate for at least 20 minutes.

Heat a large wok over high heat. Add the canola oil by swirling it onto the inside of the wok allowing it to drizzle to the center, coating the wok. Sauté the ginger and garlic in oil for 10 seconds – do not brown.

Add the broccoli, carrots, squash, snow peas, bok choy, and bell pepper. Remove tofu cubes from sauce and set aside. Then pour the sauce over the vegetables and stir-fry for 5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens slightly and the veggies are crisp-tender.

Add the cabbage, toasted cashews, sliced water chestnuts and green onions and stir to combine.

Stir fry 1 minute or until cabbage is wilted. Turn off heat. Place tofu cubes on top of veggies and cover the wok for 1-2 minutes to let tofu heat through.

Pile a cup of rice on each plate and top with stir fry mixture.

Labels: easy, healthy, soy, stir fry, Thai, tofu, Vegan, vegetables, Vegetarian

Tonight my husband, who generally avoids tofu, swallowed his pride and admitted to me that he loved dinner. In fact he added that if tofu tasted that good all the time he would even request it periodically. The dish I made was Thai Peanut sauce with fried tofu on whole grain noodles.

To tell you the truth I nearly didn't make it because I was out of fettuccine and I didn't want to make it with wide noodles. As you can see I cooked it anyway, however I really don't recommend it with wide noodles. Even though my husband loved it, I suggest that you make it with fettuccine or spaghetti. The wide noodles just couldn't hold onto enough sauce to make it perfect.

So, in spite of the tofu, I'm adding this to my list of man-friendly recipes. I used a medium spicy picante sauce which my husband prefers, but if you prefer a mild, more boring flavor you may want to use a mild picante sauce (or spicy picante sauce if you really like the heat). I'm not a fan of hot spices but I do prefer this recipe with the medium picante sauce. It really isn't spicy at all and the flavors blend so nicely with a little heat added.

I make the sauce first and set it aside, heating it just before pouring it onto the pasta.

Sauce:
1 cup picante sauce
1/4 cup chunky peanut butter
2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 Tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon finely grated ginger (or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger)
1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts

Mix all items together in small saucepan and heat through. Set aside.

Fried Sesame Tofu
1 block of firm, water packed tofu.
2 Tablespoons fine, whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes.
1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
canola oil
peanut oil


First press some of the water out of the tofu by placing tofu block on two folded paper towels. Place on a plate or on a dish cloth and top with two more paper towels and a small heavy bowl or a cast iron bacon press. Turn tofu every five minutes for 15 minutes.

Slice tofu block in half through the center creating to thinner blocks. Then cut each block into 3/4 inch cubes.


In a small bowl stir together flour, nutritional yeast and sesame seeds. roll each cube of tofu in flour mixture to coat, pressing sesame seeds into tofu.

This is about the time that I start cooking the whole grain fettuccine and simmering the peanut sauce.

Pour 1 part peanut oil and 3 parts canola oil in a skillet to a depth of about 1/2 inch. Heat to 350 degrees. Carefully drop in cubes of coated tofu. Allow them to cook, turning occasionally until cubes are light brown and crispy on the outside - about 4 minutes. Lift them out of oil and drain on paper towels.



When fettuccine is cooked, drain it and place it in a bowl. Add heated peanut sauce and stir to coat. Top with fried tofu. Sprinkle on chopped peanuts and additional peanut sauce if desired.

Serve hot with broccoli and fresh pineapple.

Labels: fettuccine, peanut butter, peanuts, picante, Thai, tofu