Broccoli and Tofu With Vegan Garlic Sauce

I'm a new vegan. As in, I've been a vegan for about three weeks now. But I have to say, I love it.

I don't miss cheese. I don't miss meat. I feel crazy good and I've been much more adventurous with cooking techniques and ingredients. Although it's not new for me, I absolutely adore making stir fry. Whether it's a Thai inspired peanut sauce, sweet and sour, or a sticky sweet sesame sauce, I will never tire of making and eating stir fry.

Since my sister and I decided to buy a giant bag of broccoli at Costco last weekend, I decided we should really get crackin' on eating it.  So, the most logical choice was to make broccoli with garlic sauce, one of my favorite take-out foods.  But because I wanted to make the meal a bit more substantial, I also made a baked sesame tofu to be thrown in the mix.

After scouring the internet for recipes, I finally ended up blending together multiple recipes to form my own concoction. And this was the result:

It turned out salty, saucy, spicy, and just a touch sweet. Marinating the tofu cubes in toasted sesame oil and garlic before baking is not essential, but I love the texture of baked tofu and the sesame flavor was a nice contrast to the snappy garlic sauce. The tofu can easily serve 4, but my sister and I were hungry, so we ate all of it ourselves!


Sesame Garlic Baked Tofu (Serves 2)
1 block extra firm tofu, pressed and cubed
2 Tbs toasted sesame oil
2 Tbs low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 tsp ground dried ginger
2 cloves minced garlic
A dash of cayenne powder

Whisk the marinade ingredients together and mix with cubed tofu and put in the fridge for at least an hour. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 450 degrees. Stir at least once halfway through baking.



Nutrition Estimates:
Calories: 393 Carbs: 6g Fat: 27g Protein: 30g


Broccoli with Vegan Garlic Sauce (Serves 2)
4 cups broccoli pieces
A drizzle of olive oil
2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup soy sauce
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tbs cornstarch
Sesame seeds (for garnish)

Bring vegetable broth and soy sauce to a boil in a medium sized saucepan. Add garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and sugar and reduce heat. Whisk until sugar is dissolved and ingredients are fully incorporated. In a large frying pan, heat olive oil and add broccoli. Stir often until broccoli is bright green and hot (but not overcooked). At this point, add cornstarch to garlic sauce and stir. As it begins to thicken, add sauce to broccoli mixture and stir until thickened and hot. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve as is or over rice.


Nutrition Estimates:
Calories: 269 Carbs: 56g Fat: 1g Protein: 7g