Are you ready to spice up your life a bit? And no, I am in no way referencing the Spice Girls, though I am not ashamed to admit my love for the all girl pop group ;). This time, I am talking about spicing up your life with a nutritious, delicious, and flavorful meal. I hope you like spicy!
Kung Pao Tofu and Veggies
*Adapted from Kristen’s recipe.
Ingredients
1/2 block extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed
1/3 cup yellow corn meal
EVOO cooking spray
water, for cooking
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 TB fresh ginger, grated
1/2 small yellow onion, sliced
1 bunch green onions, sliced (reserve half for topping)
1 red bell pepper, sliced
3/4 cup sliced baby bella mushrooms
3/4 cup broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/8 cup whole cashews, chopped
1 1/2 TB sriracha sauce
3 TB low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 TB seasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
red pepper flakes, to taste
Directions
1. Cut tofu into cubes. Place into a Ziploc bag with cornmeal and seal. Gently shake the bag until all of the pieces of tofu are coated with the cornmeal.
2. In a medium skillet that has been sprayed with cooking oil spray, heat the tofu over medium heat. Cook each side of the tofu for approximately 5 to 7 minutes, or until golden brown. Resist the urge to flip the tofu more often.
3. While the tofu is cooking, line a large skillet with a thin layer of water. Heat over medium-high heat until very hot. Once hot, lower the heat to medium and add garlic, ginger, onions, half of the green onions, and red peppers. Cook for approximately 6 to 8 minutes, or until softened. Add additional water, as needed.
4. Add mushrooms, broccoli and carrots to the large skillet. Cook an additional 5 minutes, or until all of the vegetables are cooked through. Add additional water, as needed, to prevent sticking and burning.
5. Stir in cashews, sriracha sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes. Lower the heat to low and simmer for approximately 5 minutes.
Serve the Kung Pao Tofu and Veggies over whole brown rice and top with remaining sliced green onions.
This really is an all-around nutritious and delicious meal. Carbs = check! Vegetables = check! Protein = check! You get it all in one dish. Oh, and it sure is tasty, too! As I mentioned earlier, these Kung Pao Tofu and Veggies have quite a bit of a kick to them! If you cannot handle the spice ;), I would suggest leaving out the red pepper flakes and reducing the amount of sriracha sauce used. But you can bet that I certainly was not going to do that. I love sriracha sauce way too much! I did, however, have a huge glass of ice water to chase it down with :).
Oh, and for the heads up, you can certainly choose to bake the tofu. However, I love this cooking method, as it produces a nice, crispy texture. To each their own, though, right? Either way that you prepare the tofu, it is bound to taste delightful!
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I’m not a huge tofu fan but would definitely give it another shot and try cooking it like that!
You should definitely give it another shot!
i love crispy tofu like this! and the spice girls are pretty awesome…though i haven’t heard them in years. haha
They are SO awesome! 😉
This is one of my favorite tofu dishes!!! Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
I loved it!! Thanks for sharing :).
I love getting tofu to have a crispy exterior. While not necessary, the texture it provides is a nice touch. The recipe looks fantastic! 🙂
Crispy tofu is definitely the best! It just requires a little bit more effort than baking it, but not much.
This looks very good! Pics prolly dont do it any justice.
You are right about that!
This is Thai food right? I love kra pao (basil leaves) with baby corn and soy sauce… Cant live without it!
That sounds amazing! I love baby corn :).
whoa that looks amazing.
It seriously was! You should definitely give it a try.
I love all the veggies going on in here, and the cashews too! I might throw in some pineapple, then it’s basically all of the food groups, right? 😉
PS I think everyone in their right mind has a soft spot for the Spice Girls
The addition of pineapple sounds amazing! I am definitely one of those people who loves warm pineapple :).
This meal looks like something I would eat like every night haha! Looks fantastic!
Haha, I wish I could! 😉 Let me know if you give it a try!
The spicier, the bettuh! Yum! I totally share a love of tofu with you but haven’t had in MUCH too long. This would be such a good way to eat again! Have a wonderful weekend!
You most definitely need to get to cooking some tofu soon!! I hope you have a fabulous weekend, as well :).
I love tofu with a crispy outside, that’s how my favorite local Japanese restaurant always serves it. I’m currently sitting waiting at the doctors and stupid me was running late and thought it would be a quick appointment. Didn’t eat breakfast and now I’m craving Asian for breakfast.
There is nothing wrong with a little bit of Asian food for breakfast, right? 😉
I hope your appointment went well!
I want to try the tofu with that breading it looks so delicious!
It is SO good. The crispy texture is perfect :).
This looks so much healthier than traditional kung pao recipes! When I make it I usually do 100% tofu but you’ve inspired me to step it up :-).
I love adding tons of veggies to my Asian dishes. This definitely would not have been as tasty without them!
I have never tried tofu so this could be fun! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
You are so welcome! Please let me know if you give it a try!
YES, I absolutely love this!! This is my favorite meal to order from chinese take out, so making my own healthy version would be amazing!
This would definitely make for a much healthier version. Plus it is very easy to make, so you really cannot go wrong.
Woohooo – LOVE the Spice Girls’ reference in this post 😉 I’m all for anything spicy and this looks fabulous! I’m always looking for new Asian-inspired recipes to make at home so this is definitely going to be my rotation!
Please let me know what you think! And I am glad to hear that I am not the only Spice Girls lover :).
i love tofu and spicy food a lot. this will be delightful dinner meal
Please let me know if you give it a try! I think you are bound to like it if you love tofu and spicy food :).
Wow, this looks so good. I love the way the tofu is prepared, yum!! Can you bring me some of your leftovers? If there are any. 🙂
Haha, well unfortunately I made this prior to my Blogcation so there are not any leftovers anymore. Kind of sad, huh? 🙁
Hehe love the Spice Girl reference. I was a huge fan when I was younger. I always wanted to be Geri… Love the recipe. Makes me realise I need to eat more tofu!
I used to love Posh and Scary!! 😉
I love kung pao tofu! I used to get it at Pick Up Stix all the time :P! We’ve had our own version at home before, but it never tasted the same D:!
This is the first time that I had had kung pao tofu, but it most definitely will not be the last!
Yum! So much flavor!
SO much flavor!! 🙂
What would I do without you?!! Oh yeah I wouldn’t have so many awesome new recipes to try out.
Thank you darling,
xoxo
Haha, you are too kind! You’re welcome! Please let me know if you try it :).
Love throwing nuts in my stir fries and cashews sound like a fab addition- thanks for the idea :)!
The cashews were definitely a highlight of the dish!
Crispy tofu is the BEST! As are all these bold spicy flavors. Love this dish!
Thank you! Please let me know if you give it a try :).
Sooooo Ive never had tofu. Im just so afraid of it!! I know I want to get it at a restaurant 1st before I try to make it. I don’t want to cook it wrong and scar myself for life lol
I used to be afraid of it too, but then I went for it and after cooking with it a couple of times and getting used to the taste and texture, I really love it. Just think..it is only soybeans! Nothing too weird, right? But yes, trying it in a restaurant first might be a good idea for you.
I have yet to try tofu, but this looks awesome breaded in cornmeal. I’ll have to give it a go!
You most definitely should!! 🙂
I’m definitely going to make this for dinner tonight. I’ve been searching for such a recipe thank you for posting it.
I am so glad that you stumbled upon this recipe! Please let me know what you think! 🙂
I have such a hard time cooking tofu but I love it when I order it at restaurants, I never thought to coat it with something like cornmeal! does that help it from sticking and burning? that’s usually what happens to me 🙁
I have never had problems with it sticking or burning when I use this method. It also produces a next crispy texture, which is delicious.