I can’t believe my Spring Break is over. I didn’t get as much done school-wise as I had hoped, but I am okay with that. I realized I hadn’t had a true break since last summer. Europe in November was awesome, but definitely not relaxing. I spent all of Christmas break/January working on internship applications, studying for the GRE and working full-time. This week I decided to focus on ME. I went to yoga almost every day, ran a few times, made fun dinners every night, read for fun (The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest), got my haircut, and just enjoyed a slower pace of life for a couple days.
I am not excited to for the rest of this semester, but only 9 weeks left. My summer is up in the air because it depends on the internship outcome. The one thing I do know is that I am going to Houston for about 2 weeks in June for my cousin’s wedding. I am flying down early in June to help her with last minute things. I’m excited to get out of Minnesota!
One of the dinners I made this week was Broccoli Cashew Teriyaki Stir Fry.
Tofu is one of those “scary” foods to try for the first time. I enjoy tofu, but I like my tofu to be crispy on the outside. I’ve discovered that the key to crispy tofu is to buy extra-firm tofu and then press it to draw all of the liquid out. I start by opening the tofu package and draining out the extra liquid. Then, I take the block of tofu, wrap it in 3 layers of paper towels, place it on a plate and stack heavy items on it.
The tofu is hiding underneath a slab of Silestone, my biggest cook book, and a molcajete. Let it press for about 30 minutes. When you are done the paper towels should be completely soaked and you should have liquid on your plate.
Now you can cut the tofu into pieces and use it in the following recipe.
Broccoli Cashew Teriyaki Stir Fry
*Adapted from Eat, Drink and Be Vegan by Dreena Burton
Tofu:
1 pkg extra firm tofu
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
Teriyaki Sauce:
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup water
3 1/2 tbsp honey
1-1 1/2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp molasses
5-6 medium cloves garlic
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cornstarch
Stir Fry:
1-2 tbsp olive oil
5 cups broccoli florets (or a package of stir fry veggies)
1-2 tsp water
1 bell pepper
1/2 cup cashews
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
Serve with brown rice
Directions
1. In a shallow bowl, add tofu. Pour soy sauce and vinegar over tofu and marinate for 10 minutes or longer. Flip tofu once while marinating.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk all ingredients for teriyaki sauce until cornstarch is dissolved.
3. In a large frying pan or wok on high, heat 1/2-1 tbsp oil. Add tofu and saute for 4-5 minutes, then turn over and saute for another 3-4 minutes, until lightly brown on each side. Remove from pan and set aside.
4. Reduce heat to medium, add another 1/2-1 tbsp oil to wok and add broccoli and water. Toss, cover and cook 4-5 minutes, until broccoli turns bright green, then add bell pepper and saute uncovered until another 1-2 minutes have passed.
5. Add teriyaki sauce and increase heat to high. Toss to coat and let sauce come to a slow boil. As soon as sauce has reached a slow boil and has thickened, add tofu, cashews and green onions and toss to combine. Remove pan from heat and serve over brown rice.
