My son Andy inspired me to cook this Sweet and Sour tofu, and to my delight, he 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 old Chinese favorite, Sweet and Sour. Combining this idea and my son’s “Hot and Spicy Tofu” recipe 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 (especially brown rice) has recently gotten a bad rap. It has arsenic – has for years, apparently. Yep, arsenic!
The investigation is ongoing, and it was noted that you can eat as much as three servings/week and still be under drinking water standards, but you also must consider other sources – like rice crackers and cereal.
If you’re interested, read “The Lowdown on Arsenic in Rice ” or do a Google search to find out more. There’s a lot of info out there… In the meantime, enjoy this quick and easy, no-add-oil, plant-based recipe.
Press the tofu using a tofu press or by wrapping it in paper towels and placing it on a plate with another plate on top. Put something heavy on top. Press for around 15 minutes while you prepare the other veggies.
One of my favorite tofu presses is The TofuBud.
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 tbsp maple syrup
- 3 tbsp ketchup
- 2 tbsp 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: Press the tofu using a tofu press or by wrapping in paper towels and placing it on a plate with another plate on top. Put something heavy on top. Press for around 15 minutes while you prepare the other veggies.
- 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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