Has it really been that long? Sorry guys! Didn’t mean to leave you for such an extended amount of time. Life just got away from me a little (as it tends to do so often!). Anyways, in honor of busy schedules everywhere, I have decided to share with you my favorite recipe of all time. Originally, I found it on Vegweb.com (of course!) and I am so glad I did! I have been making it for a long time now, tweaking it every now and then when I need to, and I consider it to be the ultimate “fall back” meal in my house on those nights that I am too tired, too pressed for time or simply too lazy to cook anything else.
Now I know it seems like a MASSIVE list of ingredients, but if you read through, you will see that the majority of them are small amounts of sauces that you most likely have in your fridge. In reality, it usually takes me less than 15 mins to make this meal all together. Give it a try! You’ll be glad you did!
Orange Chicken Style Tofu
Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 Pound extra firm tofu, pressed and chopped(this is where you can vary it if you need to. Don’t have tofu? How about Tempeh or Seitan?)
2 Garlic cloves, minced (you all know my love of garlic, I usually use 3)
2 Green onions, chopped
1/4 Cup + 1 Tablespoon water
1 Tablespoon orange juice
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 Tablespoons vinegar (I use white rice vinegar)
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 Cup packed brown sugar
1/2 Teaspoon red pepper flakes (I NEVER use that much, but seeing as how I can barely chew cinnamon gum, you might have a higher threshold for spice than I do)
2 Teaspoons cornstarch
1 Tablespoon water
Cooked rice and stir fry veggies already heated
Directions:
1. Fry the tofu on low/medium heat in 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small frying pan
This time I used Seitan
2. In another small frying pan, saute the garlic and green onion in the remaining oil until garlic starts to turn brown (if it is done before the tofu, don’t worry, just turn the heat off and it will get heated up later).
3. In a small bowl or glass dish mix together the water, orange juice, lemon juice, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar and red pepper flakes
4. Add the mixed sauces into the garlic and green onion pan, bring to boil and reduce to simmer
5. In a small dish, mix together the 2 teaspoons of corn starch and the 1 tablespoon water
6. Add the cornstarch mixture a little at a time to the sauce mixture, stirring constantly until sauce thickens and remove from heat (I don’t like mine to be as thick as glue but some people do, just get it to the consistency you want)
7. Add the tofu to the sauce mixture and coat well
8. Serve with rice, veggies and maybe even some vegan pot stickers if you happen to have them lying around!
Like I said, I know it LOOKS complicated, but it really isn’t. Once you have this one down, you will be amazed at how often you will make it! It’s just so quick and easy…. and DELICIOUS! This is one of the meals my carnivorous husband actually requests and gets excited for me to cook! I hope you all love it as much as I do!