One of the things that vegetarians are afraid of is not getting enough protein in their diets. There are many different ways to get the necessary protein aside from eating meat, fish and beans all of the time.

One of them is using tofu, which can be prepared in a variety of ways. The good thing about tofu is its flexibility. And it’s also very cost-efficient, averaging about $3 for a block that can easily feed 4-6 people - depending on their appetites – when mixed with vegetables.

It took years for me to like tofu, which is basically curdled soy milk that comes from the soybean. Sounds yucky, right? It’s really not bad at all. In fact, tofu is one of the few foods that my picky daughter number four loves and will eat consistently.

I’ve eaten tofu prepared as chicken salad or made to taste exactly like tuna. However, I prefer it seared in olive oil and garlic, then mixed with stir-fried vegetables, served over brown rice.

But because tofu is so bland, you have to work with it to get it to taste really good. Tofu comes in a block, packed in water and I’ve found that there’s a big debate over how to press out the excess water, which will make it hold seasoning better and easier to cook. There are tofu presses but they really aren’t necessary.

I simply sit my tofu between two plates underneath my cast-iron frying pan to squeeze out the excess water. Then I season it and sear it in that same pan with garlic and olive or sesame oil.

Stir-fried veggies with tofu (feeds 6)

Best prepared in a wok

Ingredients

1 package of firm tofu

½ head broccoli (florets only)

¼ head cauliflower (florets only)

4 large button mushroom caps (sliced)

½ yellow pepper (seeded and sliced lengthwise)

1 small yellow onion (sliced)

½ cup baby carrots (halved lengthwise)

¼ cup virgin olive oil or sesame oil

3 cloves fresh garlic (diced)

1 pinch sea salt

1/8  cup Tamari or soy sauce

1tbs cornstarch

Directions

• Drain off water and place tofu in between two plates, and then under a cast-iron frying pan or something heavy to squeeze out excess water. Half the tofu lengthwise and slice about ¼ inch thick
• Heat ½ of olive oil in a wok or cast-iron pan
• Fry pieces of tofu until golden brown on each side and set aside
• Add remaining oil and sauté garlic and then vegetables until the broccoli is just bright green.Lay tofu into the veggies.
• Mix Tamari sauce and cornstarch into a paste and then stir into vegetables.
• Season with salt at serving time

Note : Sesame oil is lighter and heats much faster than olive oil. Be careful not to burn it.

Serve over brown rice

Related posts:

1. A soup to heal colds
2. Heart-healthy beans
3. Begin cleansing within by fasting
4. The quick fix dinner
5. The magic of pasta