Sweet Chili Tofu Stir Fry
This quick healthy dinner is a great week night go-to! Loaded with fresh veggies, lean chicken and sauteed in a delightful sweet chili sauce. Excellent over cauliflower mash for a low-carb option or brown basmati rice for a lovely treat!
Begin by preparing the sweet chili sauce
Ingredients:
1 block firm tofu, pressed to try, cut to cubes
2 red bell peppers
1 orange pepper
1 cup snow peas (or load up as much as you want for extra crunch!)
1 white onion, medium diced
1 can water chestnuts, drained and dried
1 clove minced garlic (check the quick video tutorial for refresher if you need to!)
High heat canola spray or 1 tbsp Smart Balance Heart Healthy Vegetable Oil
Preparation:
Press tofu between two clean paper towels until most of the moisture is drained out
(Don’t worry about pressing too hard! The water won’t drain on it’s own and you want nice, crispy tofu - so avoid throwing watery food in a hot pan)
Cut the tofu into cubes.
Like you’re cutting an onion, carefully use your knife to make horizontal cuts through the block of tofu
The make vertical slices
Next, cut cross-wise all the way through
Sprinkle the tofu liberally with corn starch
Heat the oil in a pan until shimmering
While the oil is heating prep your veggies:
Dice the onion
Chop the peppers
Prep the peas
Drain and dry the water chestnuts
Quick Refresher Video on the Fast, Efficient and Safe Way to Get a Perfect Dice When Chopping an Onion Every Time
Add the tofu to the pan, season lightly with salt and pepper. Even over high heat, it slowly will begin to brown, be patient. Remember the heat is high so while you need to be patient and no flip it constantly, don’t let it overcook. You want a nice golden brown. And once is starts to brown, is happens quickly.
Lovely crispy brown tofu!
When the tofu is brown, add the onion, saute with tofu until translucent.
When the onion is translucent, add the water chestnuts. Remember the oil in the pan is very hot, so make sure they are patted completely dry.
When the water chestnuts have cooked down, add the peppers and saute briefly. You want them to have a little crunch.
After briefly sauteing the peppers, add the snow peas. Saute until the pop bright bright green.
Vibrant green!
When the peas have popped to a vibrant green, add the sweet chill sauce; stir to combine.
When it is glossy, pull the pan from the stove, dinner is ready!
