Optional garnish: chopped green onion, chopped parsley, toasted sesame seeds
For the sauce:
2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
3 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce
1/2 tsp ground ginger (or 1 tsp freshly grated)
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp cornstarch (or other thickening starch)
Directions
Prep Tofu: Drain tofu and wrap with a paper towel. Gently squeeze to remove excess liquid, then place under something heavy (like a couple cookbooks) while you prep the veggies and sauce.
Mix cornstarch with 2 teaspoons of water in a small ramekin, until a slurry forms. Then, make the sauce by whisking all sauce ingredients (including the cornstarch slurry) in a small bowl. Set aside.
Unwrap tofu from paper towel and cut into cubes of desired size.
Heat cooking spray in a large pan over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, add tofu and season with salt + pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, undisturbed. Then flip each piece and cook for an additional 5 minutes, finishing with a quick toss of the pan at the end. Remove and set tofu aside in a clean bowl.
In the same pan, cook shallots and garlic for a couple minutes until lightly browned and fragrant.
Then, add chopped zucchini, carrots, and bell peppers to the pan. Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally. TIP: you can add additional cooking oil or spray as needed here. Do not salt veggies yet, to prevent zucchini from getting soggy!
Once veggies are mostly cooked, add tofu back in along with sauce. Toss together and cook for an additional 3 minutes. The sauce should thicken slightly and coat everything.
Serve stir fry on its own or over some cooked grains or noodles (see notes for ideas). Add garnish as desired and season with additional salt + pepper, if needed. Enjoy hot!
Notes
SERVE WITH:
This recipe is a great source of veggies, protein, and healthy fats and can be enjoyed on its own if desired. That said, I love serving it over a starch to round out the meal! Some ideas:
• brown or white rice (as I’ve done in these pictures)
• other whole grains, like quinoa, millet, or farro
• your favourite noodles (I love these brown rice ones!)
RECIPE MODIFICATIONS & SWAPS:
Feel free to play around with the veggies here and use any that you like. I think this would go well with ones like broccoli, mushrooms, snap peas, eggplants, spinach, etc. It’s a great way to use up what’s in the fridge!
Instead of tofu, you could serve this with another protein. It would taste good with tempeh, shrimp, chicken, or beef! Just note that cooking times will vary, but you just need to cook the protein first and then add it into the veggies at the end 🙂
Shallot can be swapped with diced onion.
Ginger can be ground or fresh.
Cornstarch can be swapped for another thickening starch or flour, like arrowroot powder.
I love chopped green onions and sesame seeds for garnish, but you can leave these out. If you have some parsley in the fridge, you can add that in here too!
If you follow a gluten-free diet, ensure that you use a certified gluten-free version of tamari, rice vinegar, and cornstarch.
LEFTOVERS:
Leftovers of this recipe will keep for 3-5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. You can reheat them in the microwave or on the stovetop.
1/2 English cucumber, seeds removed and finely diced
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
Kosher salt to taste
Directions
Cook your rice in a rice cooker or pot according to package instructions. Make sure to add a generous pinch of salt to the cooking water when cooking.
Preheat oven to 425F. Pat your chickpeas dry with a clean kitchen towel and transfer to a baking tray. Top with the oil and spices then season with a pinch of salt and spread out into a single layer on the tray. Place in the oven for 25-30 minutes, tossing half way and baking until crispy.
Place a box grater over another baking tray and use it to grate your tofu into shreds using the largest holes. Top the tofu with the cornstarch, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and avocado oil. Toss to coat then spread out into a single layer on the baking tray. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes, toss and bake for another 5 minutes until golden.
Once the rice is cooked, transfer the tofu to the pot and toss until evenly mixed, adjusting salt to taste.
To make the mango avocado salad, combine the mangos, avocado, red onion, jalapeno, cucumber, cilantro and a generous pinch of salt to a large mixing bowl. To a separate small bowl, combine the lime zest and juice, sweet chili sauce and maple syrup. Stir well then pour over the salad then gently fold everything together to combine.
To serve, spoon some rice into a bowl then top with the mango avocado salad then the crispy chickpeas. Garnish with more fresh herbs as desired then enjoy.
Notes
Save some time and use some ready made rice. When I want one less pot to clean, I’ll grab a bag of frozen rice and heat it up in the microwave. Then all you need to do is add the tofu when it is done baking.
Season to taste. Salt will help to amplify the natural flavors added to this bowl. Start with a small amount then slowly add small amounts at a time while tasting to meet your personal taste. Everyone’s preference will be different, so see what works best for you.
For crispy chickpeas, make sure to pat them well with a clean kitchen towel. Removing excess moisture will help the chickpeas roast properly. It also helps to give enough space for your chickpeas on the baking tray, so spread them out in a single layer when roasting.
Fold in your mango and avocado right before serving. These two ingredients are the time sensitive ones. As soon as you cut into them, they will start to slowly oxidize, so leaving it till last will help preserve the freshness of your salad.
6–8 ounces stir fry noodles, Chinese egg noodles, or linguine in a pinch
2 cups edamame, cooked
2 cucumbers, diced
1 lb. chicken breast, cooked and diced
Sesame seeds
Directions
For the sauce:
Whisk all sauce ingredients together until smooth (or you can run it through the food processor, or shake it up in a jar).
For the noodles:
Cook noodles a few minutes LESS than package instructions. If your noodles seem very sticky, rinse them in cold water.
Toss noodles with about half of the sesame sauce.
For the bowls:
Divide noodles, edamame, cucumber, and chicken into containers. Drizzle with a little extra sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Store in the fridge for 3-4 days. Eat hot or cold.
Notes
Ideal method for cooking the chicken: Cut a pound of chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces, toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Done. If you like a little browning on your chicken (like what’s pictured here), once it’s baked, just pop it in a skillet with some extra sesame sauce and let it get nice and roasted-brown on the outside!
In a large bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, garlic, brown sugar, tahini, sesame oil, rice vinegar, ginger, sesame seeds and red pepper flakes.
Add chicken, then cover and place in the fridge for roughly 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. Then bake or grill your chicken however you like.
Garnish with sliced green onion and additional sesame seeds.
To grill:
Preheat the grill to 400°F.
Grill chicken for about 6-8 minutes per side; chicken is done when a meat thermometer reads 165°F. Time will vary depending on the size of your chicken breast.
Notes
To store: Let the chicken breast cool completely and transfer it whole, shredded or cubed to an airtight container. Place the container in the fridge and use the chicken within 4-5 days.
To freeze: Repeat the steps above but instead place your chicken in the freezer. Cooked chicken breast will stay good in the freezer for about 3 months. When you’re ready to use it, simply thaw it in the refrigerator and enjoy it cold with salad recipes or heat it up in the microwave for warm recipes.
