Quinoa Stirfry

After our trip to the Farmer's Market yesterday, I had an abundance of fresh veggies that needed to be used! The only trick was to find a tasty marinade for my tofu that would taste good since all the store bought marinades have either sugar or vinegar. I did some searching online to see what homemade recipes were out there and came up with a simple recipe. I am not crazy about the marinade so I will definitely be doing some tweeking in the future, possibly omitting half of the cider vinegar used. Here it is in all it's glory, the Quinoa Stirfry!

Stirfry:

• 1/2 Red onion, chopped
• 1/2 Red pepper, chopped
• 5-6 Crimini mushrooms, chopped
• 1 lrg Clove garlic, minced
• 1 lrg Chunk ginger, minced
• Handful of baby bok choi, chopped

Marinade

• 1/2 cup Braggs
• 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/2 Red onion, chopped fine 
• 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped fine
• 1 lrg chunk of ginger, chopped fine
• 1 pkg Extra firm tofu

Quinoa

• 1 cup Quinoa
• 1 cup Veggie Broth

Start by combining all the marinade ingredients but the tofu and combine in a shallow dish. Micorwave for 60 mins to infuse braggs/vinegar with the essence of onion, ginger/garlic. Set aside.

Prepare the tofu by first pressing out all the water. This can be done a number of ways, the easiest way I find is to have a super absorbent towel that won't leave lint all over your tofu, wrap it in said towel and either press it out by hand or leave it under a heavy book while you cook your veggies. Once tofu is drained of all moisture, cut the block lengthwise into thirds and then cut little cubes or triangles. Over medium heat, place tofu in pan with NO OIL, the goal here is to dry fry the tofu so it has no moisture, this way it will suck up the marinade and retain more flavor. Flip and brown the other side, then set in marinade dish for at least 30 minutes.

Cooking times for Quinoa are very similar to rice. I like to soak the quinoa in broth for a bit before I start cooking. Add quinoa & broth to pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 mins, lid on. Set aside.

Now, moving onto your veggies. Over medium heat, add 2-3 tbsps olive oil to your pan, let that heat up while you chop your veggies. First to go into the pan is your onions, red pepper and mushrooms. Cook for about 10 mins and then toss in your garlic, ginger and bok choi. Turn heat down to low and cover pan with a lid for about 5 mins. Add tofu to mixture, turn heat off and allow flavors to blend for a few minutes before serving.

Serve stirfry over a bed of quinoa and enjoy!!!