New Year, New You

I say this every year, but usually I tell myself I am going to do twenty things I’ve never done before every single day and by day four, when one of those things doesn’t get done, I usually just give up.

This year I’ve decided to change up a few things about my diet. One of those things is to reduce my consumption of red meat. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good steak and beef tacos, but would it hurt to maybe have a meatless meal a couple times a week?

Tofu gets a bad rap because it basically tastes like nothing. But as a recipe developer, that's the best part, because it’s a blank canvas!

My daughter and I love the deep-fried orange chicken found at Asian restaurants, and this is my healthier version (vegan even!) of the popular dish.

I live alone, so this recipe is made for one serving, but obviously you can multiply the recipe for however many servings you want.

Orange Tofu

Scroll down for a printable version of this recipe

Servings: 1

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

For the orange sauce:

1/3 cup orange juice (juice from one orange)

Zest from one orange

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon garlic

1/2 teaspoon sambal oelek (or sriracha)

1 teaspoon hoisin sauce

1 teaspoon corn starch

1 tablespoon water (if needed)

For the tofu:

6 ounces of pressed, extra firm tofu

1 tablespoon corn starch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cracked pepper

1/2 teaspoon coconut oil

avocado oil spray

1. Mix the orange sauce ingredients together. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Pour the sauce in the pan and stir, two minutes, until thickened. If too thick, add the tablespoon of water to thin it out a bit.

2. Slice the pressed tofu in half, then into cubes.

3. In a bowl mix the cornstarch, salt, and pepper, and toss the tofu to coat on all sides.

4. Heat a skillet with the coconut oil and avocado oil spray. In two batches, pan fry the tofu for about 5 minutes for each batch or until crispy on all sides. 

5. Toss in the prepared orange sauce, and garnish with chopped cilantro or green onions. Serve with fresh veggies (I made steamed green beans) and rice if you want to make a complete meal of this dish.

This is so delicious! I hope you give this recipe a try.

If you are interested in incorporating more vegetarian and vegan food into your diet this year, don't miss these upcoming classes:

• Vegetarian Boot Camp Saturday, January 15 10am Lincoln Square (just 2 spots left!)
• Hands-On Vegan Brunch Saturday, February 19 11am Merchandise Mart
• Vegetarian Boot Camp Sunday, February 27 10am Lincoln Square