Easy stir-fry for vegans on the go.
This is how I go about cooking a meal: I open the fridge. Something jumps out at me (not literally, silly!). I decide to cook it.
I open the cabinet. Look for a grain—rice, noodles, polenta, quinoa, etc. I decide which will go with the first thing.
I open the vegetable bin. Look to see what is oldest, and decide if that will go with the first two decisions I've made.
In this case, it was tofu, lo mein noodles, and mushrooms and green beans.
While all that was cooking, I grabbed a jar of black bean garlic sauce and added that to the finished product.
Altogether, it took about 20 minutes, from the time I first opened the fridge door to the time I put it on the table. Maybe 25, tops.
See how easy it is to be a vegan?
For easy directions, click below.
Tofu with Green Beans, Mushrooms and Black Bean Garlic Sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 lb tofu, cubed
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch ginger, minced
1 onion, chopped
8-10 chestnut mushrooms, sliced
1/2 lb green beans, trimmed
2-3 tablespoons black bean garlic sauce
cooked lo mein noodles
In a wok over high heat, stir fry tofu, garlic, and ginger in 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and the sesame oil until golden brown, turning frequently to brown each side. Remove from the wok and place in a bowl.
Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the wok. Stir-fry the onion and mushrooms about 5 minutes. Add the green beans and stir fry over high heat until done, another 4-5 minutes.
Mix the black bean garlic sauce with 1-2 tablespooons of water, and stir into the wok with the vegetables. Add the tofu, and toss until heated through.
Serve with lo mein noodles, or some other noodle or rice.
Notes on ingredients: Black bean garlic sauce is available at many supermarkets, as well at Asian specialty markets. It has a strong flavor, so I cut it with some water. Chustnut mushrooms are similar to cremini mushrooms, or baby portabella, and have more flavor and texture than white mushrooms. Use white mushrooms if that's what you have, though.