General Tso’s Tofu with Broccoli & Quinoa

Something new to my blog and long overdue….recipes!!!

Let’s start it off with one of my favorite dishes, general tso’s. They are so easy to whip up, especially if you batch cook your whole grain of choice for the week and have it ready.

Ingredients for 2 servings:

3/4 cup quinoa
10oz of extra firm tofu (or take normal tofu and press it at home in a cloth to make it firm and squeeze out some of the moisture)
1 oz of fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves
2 green onions
4 bird’s eye chiles
2 tbsp of tamari
3 tbsp turbinado sugar (optional)
1 tbsp of rice vinegar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tbsp tuxedo sesame seeds
approx 6oz of broccoli florets but feel free to add more if you wish

Directions:

1. Add the quinoa, 1¼ cups water, and a pinch of salt to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until the water is absorbed and grains are tender, 12 to 15 minutes.

2. Drain the tofu, pat dry with a clean kitchen towel, and cut into 1 inch cubes. Peel and mince the ginger and garlic. Slice scallions into 2 inch pieces. Roughly chop the bird’s eye chiles. Add minced ginger, minced garlic, as much chopped bird’s eye chile as you’d like, tamari, turbinado sugar (this is completely optional), and rice vinegar to a medium bowl. Whisk the ginger garlic sauce to combine.

3. Bring a large pot with 2 inches salted water to a boil for the broccoli. Add cubed tofu, cornstarch, just 2 tsp tuxedo sesame seeds, and a pinch of salt and pepper to a large bowl. Toss to coat. Heat 2 tsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add tofu and cook, tossing occasionally, until crispy and browned in places, 5 to 8 minutes.

4. Add the sliced scallion to the skillet with the tofu and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add ginger garlic sauce. Toss to coat, and cook until sauce thickens, about 30 seconds.

5. Add broccoli florets to the boiling water and cook until tender and bright green, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

6. Divide the cooked quinoa and steamed broccoli between large plates and top with General Tso’s tofu. Sprinkle with the remaining tuxedo sesame seeds.

Tips:

secret for broccoli and stir fry recipes: If you want your broccoli slightly crunchy, as i do, then avoid steaming your broccoli and opt to cook it at the end with the rest of the stir fry. This prevents the broccoli from getting soft.

Another secret? Consider adding spices to your quinoa while it’s cooking. Dried spices like parsley can go a long way to making whole grains taste amazing!

Want to learn more about why going plant-based/vegan is so important for our environment? Check out my webinar on Environmental Impact and Plant-Based Nutrition