Veggie Stir Fry with Blackened Tofu

This one is a big hit for me and hubby when we are craving Chinese food. The great thing about it is that it is versatile: you can make it without the tofu or with, and place it over a bed of marinated spaghetti squash ‘noodles’, quinoa, or rice. Swap out the veggies in the recipe depending on what you have in the fridge, but remember – the more the better! This recipe is HUGE as I like to make it up and freeze some for warm-ups later, with lots of time invested in chopping and prep it allows me some easy & healthy ‘fast food’ meals when life gets busy. My tip for better prep time: It helps to prepare your tofu for marinading first, then prepare the veggies, then cook the tofu, then cook the veggies.

Ingredients (Blackened Tofu):

• 2 blocks organic firm tofu
• 3/4 cup coconut aminos
• 1 tsp himalayan salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil

Drain and lightly press tofu to remove some of the water. Chop into desired bite-sized pieces and set aside. In a medium sized bowl mix aminos, salt, and spices. Add in tofu and stir to coat evenly with the mixture. Cover and let sit to marinade for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Heat a large electric skillet on medium high, add coconut oil and tofu mixture. Cook the moisture out of the tofu, stirring occasionally and allowing to blacken lightly. Depending on your tastes here you can just brown the tofu (approximately 10 minutes), or blacken it a little (approximately 15 minutes). Set tofu aside for later.

Ingredients (Vegetable Mix):

• 1/2 small cabbage, chopped (it helps to add colour here, use a purple one if possible)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 carrots, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
• 1 head of celery, chopped
• 2 crowns of broccoli, chopped
• 4-5 bell peppers (again vary colours), julienned
• 1 454g package of cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tsp himalayan salt
• 1/4 cup coconut aminos
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 inch chunk fresh ginger, minced
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1 1/3 cup Sesame Teriyaki Sauce (we use OrganicVille from Costco)

In a LARGE mixing bowl, add in all ingredients except for the bottom 4, stirring with your hands to coat the mixture lightly with the salt and aminos. Letting this sit (say while you were frying the tofu) will allow for the salt to soften the firm veggies slightly.

With your electric skillet set to high (400F), add in the coconut oil, garlic, and ginger allowing these to brown slightly (2-3 minutes). Pour veggie mix into skillet and cook for 10-15 minutes depending on how firm/soft you like your stir fry. I usually stir quite frequently for the first 3-5 minutes of cooking time, then place the lid on for another 3-5 minutes, and leave uncovered for the remaining time. Add in your sauce at the end, this only needs to be warmed up a touch.

Pour your mixture over top a bed of quinoa, rice, or as pictured below – spaghetti squash ‘noodles’ (look for recipe soon). Top with blackened tofu and cracked black pepper. Enjoy!