Wildcard Tofu

This base will get you started into a healthy, vegan (or vegetarian, or whatever!) meal. All you have to do is saute the vegetables, then simmer in your sauce of choice to get your base. I call it "Wildcard Tofu" because you can make anything you want with this recipe! What do I mean?

-Taco night? Simmer in tomatillo sauce! Then serve it with blackbeans and avocado on a corn tortilla!

-Craving Italian? Simmer in red sauce and server over pasta!

-Indian? Grab a jar of Tikka Masala or Curry sauce, then serve over brown rice (and lentils if you choose)!

-Pad Thai? Get some red chili peanut sauce and serve over brown rice noodles with some bean sprouts!

1 tbsp olive oil

1 half onion, sliced

1 green pepper, seeded and sliced

1 red pepper, seeded and sliced

1 yellow pepper, seeded and sliced

1 package of tofu, prepped (see below), then sliced into 1/2 to 1 inch cubes (whatever your preference)

1 Jar of sauce (or you can always make your own!)

Prep: Slice the onion so you are left with long strips. Seed and slice the peppers into strips as well.

For the Tofu, you'll want to drain as much water out of it as possible. This way, it will not water down your food, and instead absorb more of the flavor you're cooking it in. To do so, I've used this prep every time: slice it in half, vertically. Sandwich the two halves in between two clean towels. Now place that onto a plate with a second plate on top. On top of that, place a good amount of weight, like a few books. The end result is a stack like this:

Weight

Plate

Towel

Two tofu halves, side by side

Towel

Plate

Table

Leave it like this for about 20 minutes, so the excess moisture is squeezed out of the tofu. Afterwards, I will chop it into about 3/4 inch cubes, but pick the size you like!

In a large skillet on medium-high heat, drizzle about 1 tbsp of olive oil. Once that starts to shimmer, toss in the sliced onion and peppers. After sauteeing

Saute with olive oil (or your favorite vegan butter substitute) until the onions are about half cooked. They'll just start to turn golden. Once this happens, add the tofu. Continue Sauteeing until the onions are completely golden. Your tofu should have browned some as well. Reduce the heat to low and add your jarred sauce of choice. Simmer with the lid on for 10 minutes and you're done!

Enjoy!!!

Tikka Masala pictured