Week 2- Meal #1 Easy Honey Ginger Tofu Stirfry

Stay with me here.  Tofu really isn't that bad.  Okay, to clarify, tofu can be cooked so that it really isn't that bad.  It can actually be pretty good if you take the time to cook it so it doesn't just fall apart into a slimy, blobby mess.

The basic trick is first drying the tofu, then baking it at a high temperature to brown it and create a tougher texture, and then letting it set out to dry even more. This gives it a “meat-like” texture, if you will, that makes it much more porous to soak up delicious sauces and far more appetizing in the texture department. It truly isn't bad once you slather it in sauce.  The sauce is the key.  Tofu has no taste.  You might as well eat toilet paper, but once you cover it in a sauce... now we're talking.

Making the tofu takes longer than say just throwing some chicken in a pan but if you want to try something new cook them both and do half chicken and half tofu.  We will use the rest of the cooked tofu for another recipe this week so just save the other half and you'll be ahead of the game in a couple days.

Be Tofu brave just this once!


How to make "GOOD" tofu:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and begin drying your tofu. Drain, remove it from the package and place between two thick paper towels folded into the shape of the tofu. Then place a plate or bowl on top and top it with something heavy like a book or skillet.
2. Let it dry for about 15 minutes, changing your towels if they get too wet. Once dry, chop into roughly 1-inch cubes or rectangles (yes, you can buy it cubed).
3. Arrange tofu on a baking sheet and bake for a total of 25-35 minutes, flipping once halfway through to ensure even cooking. This will dry out the tofu and help give it a more meat-like texture. If you want a tougher texture, cook it for 30-35. For a slightly more tender texture, pull it out at 20-25 minutes to check.
4. Once it’s golden brown and a bit tough and firm, remove from the oven set it out to dry a bit more while you prep your vegetables.   You can save whatever you aren't using in this recipe for 3-4 days in a container in the fridge.  

For the honey ginger sauce:

• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp ginger (fresh is way better but I never have it around)
• 2-3 tablespoons honey (or more to taste)
• ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup rice wine vinegar (you can use apple cider vinegar instead)
• ¼ cup canola or peanut oil

 You can mix all this up in a shaker bottle or the food processor.  Or whisk it really well.   I also like to add a couple red pepper flakes but we like things on the spicy side. 


For the meal:
1) Start your noodles boiling.
2) If you are a weenie and only using chicken cut 2-3 small breasts into bite size pieces and sautee in a little butter for 5-6 min on medium heat until just turning brown.
3) Drizzle a little olive or peanut oil in a large sautee pan over medium high.  Add your frozen stir fry vegetables and cook until the water is cooked out.  Add in the already cooked tofu (or if you simply couldn't put on your big kid pants and try tofu add in your already cooked chicken). 
4) Slather your wonderful honey ginger sauce over it all.

PREP TIME: 15 min
BAKE TIME: 25-35 min
COOK TIME: 15 min