Simple, Healthy Asian Stir Fry with Veggies and Tofu!

Yesterday I got home after a long day, and still had tons of work left that I needed to finish that evening! So basically – I was in no mood to spend more than 20 min in the kitchen cooking dinner for me and my husband. Luckily, we had frozen vegetables in the freezer, and tofu in the fridge – and I immediately thought of doing a super healthy, quick Asian stir fry for dinner! I guarantee this recipe won’t take you more than 20 min to make, and you don’t even need any oil for the stir fry – I promise! The recipe and ingredients are below – hope you like it 🙂

Ingredients

• 2 Packages of Frozen Asian Mixed Veggies (you can find these in the frozen section – I like to get the one with the greatest variety of veggies – Trader Joe’s has an awesome option, see picture below)
• Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 1 Package Firm Tofu, cut into cubes
• 1 Package Thai Baked Tofu, cut into cubes (see picture below – I use the kind from Trader Joe’s but you should be able to find baked tofu in the refrigerated section of most supermarkets)
• Trader Joe’s Thai Red Curry Sauce (see picture below – again you can pretty much use any bottled sauce mixture you like – check out the Asian section in your supermarket. But make sure to get a sauce that’s relatively low in calories and sugar! I like the Thai Red Curry Sauce because it’s only 80 calories for 1/4 cup – which is really all you need if you mix it with Soy Sauce!)
• Olive Oil Cooking Spray
• Quick Cooking Brown Rice (I like minute brown rice – see picture below)
• Sesame Seeds (just to sprinkle over the finished dish)

Directions

1. Cook 1 cup of minute brown rice according to package directions.
2. Heat a large pan over medium to medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray, and pour the frozen veggies into the pan. Stir fry 5-10 min until the veggies are cooked through, add soy sauce to taste towards the end of the cooking process (note – the Trader Joe’s Asian Veggies comes with a great soy flavored sauce – so I usually just add that instead of soy sauce. But if you get a different frozen veggies mixture, then soy sauce is a decent substitute).
3. Spray another pan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Saute the tofu cubes until slightly crispy on the outside, add 1-2 Tbsp soy sauce towards the end of cooking for flavor
4. Add the tofu cubes to the veggies, and add 1/4 cup Thai Red Curry Sauce (or more to taste). Stir fry lightly just until the entire mixture is heated through. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top (not too much – just a pinch for each serving). Serve with brown rice and enjoy!

Nutritional Information: While I don’t have exact nutritional stats for this dish, I’d estimate it would be around 400-500 calories per serving (depending on how much tofu and rice you take). Also – the mixed veggies provide tons of fiber as does the brown rice, and the tofu is a great protein. All in all, a really well rounded meal!

Pictures of the Products I Used:

Finished Product!

Healthy Fried Rice with Edamame, Veggies, Tofu!

One of my favorite Asian dishes is fried rice. But I always struggled with how to make a healthier version of it – and then I came across this recipe from EatingWell.com, made a few modifications, and came up with a great healthy meal! See my modified recipe below – if you want the original you can get it from eatingwell’s website.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon canola oil, divided

2 large cloves garlic, minced

4 scallions, greens included, rinsed, trimmed and thinly sliced

1 tablespoon minced ginger

4 cups leftover cooked brown rice

3/4 cup finely diced red pepper

3/4 cup cooked, shelled edamame

1/2 cup fresh or frozen, thawed, corn

6 ounces firm tofu, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

2 eggs, beaten

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1/2 cup – 3/4 cup diced red onion
• 4 cups leftover cooked brown rice (or freshly cooked minute brown rice)
• 3/4 cup finely diced red pepper (Equals about 1 red pepper)
• 3/4 cup cooked, shelled edamame (I use the frozen kind and just defrost it – works great)
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen, thawed, corn
• 6 ounces firm tofu, cut into 1/4-inch cubes (I use Trader Joe’s Thai Baked Tofu – picture below)
• 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2-3 tablespoons Thai Red Curry Sauce (I use Trader Joe’s version – picture below)

Frozen Edamame Packet & Trader Joe's Tofu

Trader Joe's Thai Red Curry Sauce

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Directions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok or large skillet until very hot (over medium high heat)

2. Add the garlic, red pepper, onion, and ginger and cook, stirring, until softened and aromatic, about 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Add the rice, edamame, corn and tofu and cook, stirring, until heated through, about 5 minutes.

4. Add the soy sauce and incorporate thoroughly

5. When cooking is almost complete, add the Thai Red Curry Sauce

Fried Rice - Almost Fully Cooked

Finished Product - Yum!

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Nutritional Information

Serving Size – 1.5 cups of rice

Calories per Serving: ~400

Protein: ~10g (at least)

Fiber: 7g