Simple Plant Based Stir Fry

Simple Plant Based Stir Fry

One of my favorite quick meals to make (and eat) is this Simple Plant Based Stir Fry. Sometimes I make brown or jasmine rice to go with it, but lately I've been cooking cauliflower rice as the base and it's really delicious!

Need food in a hurry? This is a "go to" meal when I want to get dinner on the table in less than 20 minutes, usually because my husband is STARVING and I thought about dinner late.

Before I give all the details and the recipe (and yes I will do my best to give exact measurements, even though I'm more of an eyeball-it kind of cook), I want to say that you could very easily substitute in an animal based protein into this dish to replace the tofu. It's also worth mentioning that the vegetables can be adapted to reflect seasonal availability wherever you are located, and as always, you can personalize the amounts of each item to suit your family's palate. Side note on tofu, if you're intimidated to cook with it or have the opinion that its yucky or flavorless, I promise to teach you how to make it taste wonderful!

Here's the actual ingredient list for the Simple Plant Based Stir Fry which is pictured in the main photo:

Firm Tofu in wok

Fresh vegetables in wok

Asian flavors for stirfry

Plant based stir fry

Cooked Cauliflower Rice

• Rice or Cauliflower Rice

• 1 Block Firm Tofu

• 1/4 Cup Corn Starch

• 1/2 Lg Onion

• 3 peeled Garlic Cloves

• 1 Bell Pepper

• 2 Squash

• 1 Cup Mushrooms

• Avocado Oil

• Low Sodium Soy Sauce

• Rice Vinegar

• Sesame Oil

• Garlic Chili Paste

• Salt

• Green Onion, chopped

• Optional veggie stock

One of the reasons this Simple Plant Based Stir Fry is so quick and simple to make in less than 20 minutes is you can truly do the prep work while bits of the meal are cooking. A trick to many Asian-inspired dishes is adding a few ingredients at a time, but never allowing any of them to sit and overcook. Stir fry is no exception.

I always get my rice cooking first because that's truly the longest part of the meal. We've been using a lot of pre-riced cauliflower lately, and I buy it at Costco, and four 1-pound bags come in the package. It's a great item to have on hand when you're in a rush! Sometimes I add a splash of veggie stock or even a bone broth to the cauliflower rice and let that steam out while it cooks. You can also add stock to regular rice as a water replacement, and it really gives a deep flavor!

While the rice is cooking, I prep my tofu. The key to nicely textured tofu is getting a Firm or Extra Firm block AND pressing it before using for at least 10 minutes. You can wrap it in several layers of paper towels or in a kitchen towel, and put something with some weight on it...this helps draw out the excess liquid. Next I decide what shapes I want to cut it into, and then I toss it into a bowl of cornstarch to coat well. This gets added to a pre-heated wok with a little bit of avocado oil, and you'll just want to toss it every few minutes so it doesnt stick & cook until light golden. **side note: you can use whatever cooking oil you prefer, just be sure your wok is searing hot because that's what makes stir fry cooked but not soggy!

While that's cooking, start prepping your veggies. I just go down that list and finely chop the garlic, slice the onion thinly, and then either slice or chop the bell pepper. If the tofu looks done, you can remove it from the wok to drain on a paper towel (I put mine in a bowl). Then start adding your cut veggies into the wok, and you can add a little more oil if necessary. While those are starting to cook, chop up your squash and mushrooms. Add the squash first and then a few minutes later add the mushrooms. Here's where I may add a pinch of salt and even some broth if I have thicker veggies that need more steam to cook.

Once everything looks good, add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and chili garlic paste. All of these ingredients are easily found at an Asian market, and many are also at regular grocery stores. Next toss the tofu back into and stir it in with the veggies. The final topping is green onions and you add them last because you don't want to overcook them. I was given this tip as well as the sequencing of cooking by an older Cantonese gentleman, and it has made all the difference in my stir fry!

Serve the mixture over the bed of rice and enjoy! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try and if you make any modifications. Like I said, the veggies will change seasonally, but the basic steps always remain the same.

Here's the printable Recipe Card:

Recipe Card

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