I was inspired to cook this Sweet and Sour tofu by my son, Andy, who, to my delight, fixed this plant-based vegan meal. He’s a meat guy, but maybe I’ve made a tiny dent in his thinking. I hope so.
I just happened to purchase a pineapple that day and it made me think of the ol’ Chinese favorite, Sweet and Sour. Combining this idea and the “Hot and Spicy Tofu” recipe from my son with my baked tofu recipe resulted in this winning combo of highly nutritious, plant-based vegetables and good-for-you enzymes from the pineapple.
Have you tried these tofu recipes yet?:
I wondered whether or not to cook brown rice and opted for quinoa instead because, in case you haven’t heard, rice (and especially brown rice) has recently gotten a bad rap. It has arsenic – has for years, apparently. Yep, arsenic!
The investigation is on-going and it was noted that you can eat as much as 3 servings / week and still be under drinking water standards, but you also must take into account other sources – like rice crackers and cereal.
Read “The Lowdown on Arsenic in Rice,” if you’re interested, or do a Google search and find out more. There’s a lot of info out there… In the meantime, enjoy this quick and easy, no added oil, plant-based recipe.
I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below for this Sweet and Sour Tofu! If you have a photo, post it on my Facebook page, tag me using the hashtag #plantbasedcooking
Sweet and Sour Tofu
Ingredients
For Tofu:
- 1 16 oz. container firm organic tofu drained, halved crosswise and pressed for 20 minutes.
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 2 Tbl maple syrup
- 3 Tbl ketchup
- 2 Tbl rice vinegar
- 1 dash hot sauce
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Stir-Fry:
- 1 large red onion cut into chunks
- 1 large bell peppers cut into chunks
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 large carrots sliced
- 2 cups pineapple chunks
- 2 cups cooked quinoa or rice
Instructions
- Preheat over to 375 degrees
- Prepare the tofu by pressing: Use a tofu press or cut tofu in half lengthwise and put between newspaper after first covering with paper towels. Place a large container weighted down with canned food on top. Press for at least 30 minutes. Then, cut tofu into inch sized pieces.
- Prepare marinade in a wide container and place pressed tofu into it for another 30 minutes, covering on all sides.
- Lightly coat a non-stick cookie sheet with spray and place marinaded tofu cubes on sheets keeping them separated. Reserve marinade for the sauce. Bake for 15 minutes, flip tofu and cook for another 15 minutes until toasty brown.
- In the meantime, place onion, carrot, peppers, and garlic in a large fry pan with about 1/2 cup water. Lightly boil until veggies are crisp-tender. Add the pineapple chunks along with the reserved marinade and stir to coat vegetables. Cook through to heat.
- Serve over quinoa or rice.
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