Rainy days are typically soup days for me, but today I had some leftover Chinese food on hand, so instead I decided on a more creative lunch- a "rainy day leftover stir fry." My leftovers consisted of a little tofu and broccoli in brown sauce and a container of brown rice. Clearly, I had the start of something fantastic…I just had to figure out what exactly.
So, sticking with the basic idea of a stir-fry, I decided to look for some other fresh veggies keep the broccoli company. Leftover asparagus spears and a few mushrooms were just the trick. I chopped them up, mixed them with the leftover stir-fry ingredients and microwaved on high for about 2 minutes.
While the veggies and rice were heating up, I scrambled one egg white with a splash of soy sauce. This egg would top off the rice-veggie-tofu mixture and provide a nice boost of protein to the dish. Before I put the egg on, I tasted the leftover mixture and determined the brown sauce wasn't going as far as I hoped. So, to mimic the flavor throughout the rest of the veggies, I added some soy sauce, and about a teaspoon of Hoisin (aka plum) sauce for sweetness. I slipped the egg whites on top of the stir fry and voila, delicious, fresh food in about 5 minutes.
This is an easy dish to make even without the leftover Chinese food- use the recipe below as a guide, and let your creative juices flow!
Recipe (1 serving, can be easily multiplied)
Ingredients:
Veggies
2-3 stalks of asparagus, chopped in 1 inch peices
2-3 broccoli florets
3 mushrooms, chopped
Protein
¼ block of firm tofu, chopped into 1 inch chunks
Starch
1 cup of cooked brown rice
Sauce
1 teaspoon hoisin sauce
1-2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 egg white
Sauté the vegetables in a wok or large saucepan (or just microwave to cook through). Add soy sauce and hoisin sauce while still in the pan and stir around to heat. Put veggies aside. Now, in the same pan, heat up a little oil (or pam spray) and then add the tofu chunks. Tofu has a tendency to break up when you’re cooking it, so don’t stir it too often- just let it sit until it browns on one side, then flip it onto the other side. Another way I like to cook tofu is to bake it- healthier and less of a tendency to break up. Just make sure to marinate it before you bake it for more flavor. Google for more instructions.
Okay, now back to the recipe- once your tofu is cooked through, combine it with the veggies and make sure the sauce covers everything evenly. Feel free to add more if necessary (just go slowly on the soy- it can be overwhelmingly salty if added too quickly- trust me I know :) Now, in the same pan, scramble 1 egg (or egg white, to be healthier). You can just use a spoon to move around the liquid until it’s cooked through. Now add a dash of soy sauce and stir around. To finish this off, serve your sautéed vegetables over a bed of brown rice with the egg white on top. Delicious!
