Whether you're a vegetarian, vegan, or just trying to eat less meat, this Black Pepper Tofu dish packs a healthy punch your body will love!
I never used to be a tofu fan until I realized that tofu soaks up whatever flavor you give it and adds its own unique taste on top of that! This dish is so so simple and completely amazing how the black pepper in this dish is VERY robust. I always thought of pepper as salt's sidekick friend who gets invited only because it's within the same vicinity. Pepper is never front and center. And that is sad because pepper is important! And very feisty and fiery you'll notice, after this meal you may very well not look at pepper the same. Pepper's an introvert party girl.
That being said, if you're sensitive to spice you may want to downplay the pepper. I was a horrible mother and gave some to my innocent, sweet child and she cried and cried like you wouldn't believe until I finally gave her some milk upon the realization this was too much for her! Once I rinsed it off, she loved it! So just be wary to your preferences.
Besides being spicy, this dish is just all around healthy. Twice a week we eat tofu or some kind of vegetarian meal to cut back on our meat intake. I love those nights because I always feel lighter in the morning. And I don't mean I feel like I've lost weight in one night, there's a certain luggish, heavy feeling your body gets when you're eating too much meat especially red meat! Now I am an all around carnivore don't get me wrong (hello, I'm Greek have we met yet?), but I get meat sweats and I don't sleep very well when I have a ginormous steak. Going meat-free those two nights really keeps me in check. So with this yummy tofu, I stir fry up some veggies and pour it all on top a nice heaping bed of brown rice. Voila! Enjoy!
Ingredients:
Tofu & Marinade
1 package extra-firm tofu
1 tblsp Gluten-Free soy sauce
2 tblsp water
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp rice vinegar
Veggies
1 small onion, sliced
1 large red or green bell pepper, sliced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
3 oz shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
8 oz kale, stems removed and leaves roughly chopped
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
Sauce
1 1/2 tblsp Gluten-Free soy sauce
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 tsp chili sauce (optional)
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp cornstarch
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Drain the tofu and cut in half so there are two 1/2 inch slices. Press each half between plenty of paper towels to remove excess water. Cut each into bite-size squares and place in a Ziploc bag with the soy sauce, water, garlic, black pepper, and rice vinegar. Turn it over and over until all the pieces are coated.
2. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper, you can also spray the sheet with oil. Place the tofu on the baking sheet single layer and bake for 15 minutes. Turn over and bake for another 10-15 minutes.
3. Combine all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Have about 1/2 cup of broth or water standing by. Add the onion to the skillet and cook until softened and translucent. Add the bell pepper and cook for another minute. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook another two minutes. Add broth or water as needed if the vegetables start to stick at any point.
4. Stir in the kale and add about 2 tblsp of liquid. Cover the skillet. After about a minute, stir, and add more liquid if necessary. Add the asparagus and a little more liquid. Cover and cook until the asparagus is bright green and can be pierced with a fork, about 2 minutes.
5. Add the sauce and cook until heated through. Serve the vegetables with tofu on top and preferably with some brown rice! Enjoy!
