Honey Ginger Tofu Veggie Bowls

Let's face it - tofu kind of sucks. It's flavorless and squishy, and not in the fun way that babies are squishy. But once in a while I get tired of cooking and eating meat and buy some tofu, much to Aldo's dislike.

My rule is this - if I'm making tofu, it has to be accompanied by a really good sauce. Honey Ginger Soy Sauce sounds like a really good sauce to me.

I used this Honey Ginger Tofu Veggie Stir Fry recipe from Pinch Of Yum and modified it just a little bit to make these honey ginger tofu veggie bowls.

The modifications I made were:

1. I doubled the honey, and added some hot pepper to the sauce.

2. I simmered a portion of the sauce while the tofu and veggies cooked to thicken it.

3. I also used different veggies because I didn't have asparagus on hand.

We ate the honey ginger tofu and vegetables for a healthy, light lunch, but I will make some rice to serve with the leftovers for dinner tomorrow.

Honey Ginger Tofu Veggie Bowls

Makes 4 servings. Total time: 30 minutes.

• Rice or noodles, cooked
• 1 14-oz package extra firm tofu
• 1 pound green beans
• 2 medium carrots
• 1 bell peppers
• 1 tablespoon chives, chopped (optional)

• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger
• 1 - 1 ½ small hot pepper, seeds removed (optional)
• 4 tablespoons honey
• ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
• ¼ cup canola oil
• Oil for cooking

1. Cook rice or noodles according to the package directions and set aside.

2. Remove the tofu from the package and set the tofu on some paper towels to remove excess water. Let the water drain from the tofu while you are cutting up the vegetables. Every few minutes carefully remove the paper towel  from underneat the tofu, squeeze out the excess water, and then place the tofu back on the paper towel.

3. Prepare the veggies: Clean and cut the green beans into 1 to 1 ½ inch pieces. Use a mandolin and cut-proof gloves to cut the carrots into thin strips, then cut the carrot strips into 1 to 1 ½ inch pieces. Or, you can cut the carrots by hand carefully. Clean and cut the bell pepper into strips, and then cut the strips into 1 to 1 ½ inch pieces.

4. Prepare the sauce: grate the garlic and ginger (and hot pepper, if using) into a bowl using a microplane grater. Add the honey, soy sauce, water, rice wine vinegar, and canola oil and stir well.

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Garlic + ginger

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Ginger honey soy sauce

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5. Add half the sauce to a small saucepan and simmer on low while you cook the rest of the dish, stirring every few minutes. Just keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't burn.

6. Cut the tofu into even 1 inch cubes.

Derp. I'm just plain old boring tofu.

7. Preheat some oil in a large pan. Add the tofu and spoon half of the remaining sauce over the tofu pieces (¼ of the total sauce, if you're keeping track), and cook on medium-high heat for about 3 minutes, or until the sauce is reduced to a goopy syrup and the bottom of the tofu is a beautiful golden brown color. Carefully flip the the tofu pieces and let the other side brown nicely. I needed to use tongs to flip some of the stubborn pieces. Cook the tofu on the other side for 2 minutes, or until all the sauce completely turns to a thick yummy honey ginger goo. Remove the tofu from the pan.

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8. Add all the veggies to the pan and add the rest of the sauce. Stir fry for a few minutes until the vegetables are crisp-tender, or however you like them.

Love these bright colors!

9. You didn't forget about the simmering sauce, did you?? OK good. Just turn off the heat under the saucepan and give it another stir.

To serve, place the veggies on the rice/noodles, and top with tofu. Sprinkle with chopped chives, and spoon some sauce over everything.

So good!