Hoisin-Drenched Tofu and Stir-Fried Vegetables

Here's another Asian-inspired meal, similar to last night's but using tofu instead of tempeh. Cooking at home this way is guaranteed to be healthier than Chinese take-out! As with last night, I recommend doing all of your chopping before you heat up the skillet, since stir-fries move quickly!

Ahead of time, combine 6 tablespoons hoisin sauce, 3 tablespoons Nigori (unfiltered) sake, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, 2 and 1/4 teaspoons minced garlic, 1/2 tsp. dark sesame oil, and a rounded 1/4 teaspoon of five-spice powder; stir with a whisk.

A couple notes on ingredients: for the hoisin sauce, read ingredient lists carefully for non-vegan items. One safe bet is the hoisin sauce from Whole Foods' 365 brand. Five-spice powder is a wonderfully aromatic blend of cinnamon, fennel, cloves, star anise, and white pepper. Look for it with other spices in the supermarket!

Cut 12 ounces of firm tofu into 1/2-inch thick slices, and arrange in the bottom of a foil-lined baking dish. Pour the hoisin mixture over the tofu, turning so both sides of the tofu are coated, then let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.

Bake the tofu mixture at 375 degrees for 35 minutes, still in the marinade; discard the marinade after cooking, and set the tofu aside.

While the tofu cooks, make 2 and 1/4 cups of cooked jasmine rice according to package directions (about 1 cup uncooked rice); set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together 1 and 1/2 tablespoons plus 3/4 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce (sorry for that awkward amount!), 2 and 1/4 teaspoons raw sugar, and 1/2 tsp. dark sesame oil. Set aside.

Heat 2 and 1/4 teaspoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 and 1/2 tablespoons minced green onion bottoms, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, and 3/4 tsp. chile paste with garlic; stir-fry for 15 seconds.

Add 3/4 cup red bell pepper strips and 3/4 cup yellow bell pepper strips; stir-fry for 1 minute.

Add 1/4 pound trimmed snow peas and 1 tablespoon Nigori sake; cook for 3 minutes.

Add the baked tofu, the soy sauce/sugar mixture, and 1 cup of 1-inch green onion top pieces. Toss gently to combine, then continue to a cook a final 2 minutes.

(Note: I found that the tofu fell into smaller pieces when I removed it from the baking pan, and further once it was in the stir-fry. Although the original recipe did not suggest that this would happen, it made sense, since the resulting pieces were bite-size!).

Arrange 3/4 cup of the cooked jasmine rice on each of 3 plates. Top each serving with 1 cup of the stir-fry. Each serving is 430 calories.

Cost:
hoisin sauce $2.99
five-spice powder $3.99
firm tofu $2.39
green onions $0.99
red bell pepper $1.00
yellow bell pepper $0.76
snow peas $1.00
jasmine rice $4.69