Sesame Tofu Stir-Fry over Rice

Stir fry night! My advice, as with any stir fry, is to prep all ingredients in advance, since cooking times are quick.

Make one cup of cooked brown rice according to package directions (if you buy in bulk, this is about 1/2 cup uncooked rice to 1 cup water; combine in a saucepan, bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat and cook for about 25 minutes until the liquid is absorbed).

Meanwhile...

In a bowl, mix together a teaspoon and a half of regular sesame seeds, a teaspoon and a half of black sesame seeds and 1/8 tsp. salt. Add 1/2 pound firm tofu, cut into one-inch cubes, and toss gently to coat.

Heat a teaspoon of peanut oil and a teaspoon of dark sesame oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tofu and stir-fry for 5 minutes - be careful because sesame seeds will pop and splatter as they cook! Transfer the tofu to a bowl and set aside.

Return the pan to the burner and coat with cooking spray. Add 2 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add 1 and 1/2 cups (2-inch long) slices of asparagus, and stir-fry an additional 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in 2 tablespoons of sliced green onion.

While the vegetables are cooking, whisk together 1/4 cup vegetable broth, 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce (I used the organic hoisin sauce from Whole Foods' 365 brand), 2 and 1/4 teaspoons soy sauce (use low sodium varieties, to cut down on sodium totals in the recipe!), 1/2 tsp. cornstarch and 1/2 tsp. chili sauce - that last is available in Asian sections of food markets, and should be vegan, but do read the ingredient list to be sure.

Pour the broth mixture into the pan, and remove from heat - the sauce will thicken. Add the tofu cubes, along with an additional 1/8 tsp. of salt. Toss gently to combine.

Place 1/2 cup of cooked brown rice on each of 2 plates. Top each with 1 and 1/2 cups of the tofu mixture. Each serving is 430 calories.

A quick side note: soy sauce is vegan, and pretty much should be regardless of what brand you buy. There are all sorts of varieties on the market including reduced-sodium and wheat-free, if you don't include wheat in your diet. I add this caution, however, because a waiter in a Japanese restaurant once told me their soy sauce was not vegan, and brought me a special dish of my own - I assume this is because the restaurant took the liberty of adding oyster sauce or fish sauce, normally. So if you eat out, do double check before ordering anything with soy sauce in it!

Cost:
shiitake mushrooms $3.99
asparagus $4.19
green onions $0.99
vegetable broth $2.69
soy sauce $3.39
brown rice $1.21