Thursday, May 27, 2010

Recipes for Health: Spinach, Tofu and Sesame Stir-Fry

I recently got adventurous and made tofu for the first time EVER. I usually pick it out of my chicken pad thai and I've never ordered it in a restaurant, but for some reason this Recipe for Health called to me -- it just seemed so delicious and nutritious. I gave it a try and it turns out that it IS delicious and nutritious! And it turns out I can cook tofu! It does take a little time -- though the recipe doesn't call for it, my roommate said when she's cooked tofu before she pressed all of the water out of it, otherwise it would turn to mush. The first time I made this dish I kinda pressed out some of the water and it turned out fine, but the second time I was more thorough and I think the tofu did remain firmer. Speaking of, one of my favorite blogs, Carrots 'n' Cake, just wrote a post about a tofu food press! Check it out!

This dish is a little spicy and really tasty. I used Martha's suggestion to use it as a pita filler for every serving I made. She also suggests serving it over grains or noodles. I doubled the recipe since one thing of tofu is one pound. I've reflected the doubled recipe below.
Spinach, Tofu and Sesame Stir-Fry

2 tablespoons canola oil
1 pound tofu, cut in small dice -- I used firm tofu
2 large garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons grated or minced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
Soy sauce to taste
2 6-ounce bag baby spinach, rinsed
4 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
2 teaspoons sesame oil
  1. Heat the canola oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick skillet or wok, and add the tofu. Stir-fry until the tofu is lightly colored, three to five minutes, and add the garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about one minute, and add soy sauce to taste. Add the spinach and stir-fry until the spinach wilts, about one minute. Stir in the sesame seeds, and add more soy sauce to taste. Remove from the heat.
  2. Using tongs, transfer the spinach and tofu mixture to a serving bowl, leaving the liquid behind in the pan or wok. Drizzle with the sesame oil, and add more soy sauce as desired. Serve with rice or other grains, or noodles. You may also use it as a filling for whole wheat pita bread. 

I hope you enjoy!!!

3 comments:

  1. yay! welcome to the world of tofu!

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  2. whoa whoa whoa. i am not a fan of tofu. but this looks/sounds very tasty. xx

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