Orange Tofu Rice or Noodles

With Broccoli

First, I’m sorry this post didn’t appear on Saturday. The election threw me off my game pretty severely. However, I’m back with a fresh new recipe you’re going to LOVE.

The recipe is below. First, a word about the environment.

The next four years will have a major impact on our planet’s health, and might even accelerate climate change. We can’t prevent it, but we can mitigate it more than most of us realize.

The single most powerful thing any of us can do to reduce our harm to the environment is to Stop Eating Animal Products.

Eating plants instead of animals is more helpful than switching to a hybrid car, but we should do that, too as soon as we can swing it. It’s more helpful than switching our home’s power supply to 100% renewables, but we should do that, too, if we can. I did it with a phone call to the electric company, where opting into 100% renewables was an option I didn’t even know I had.

One Single Person Going Vegan Saves…

• 1100 gallons of water

• 45 lbs of grain

• 30 square feet of forest

• 10 pounds of CO2

• and 1 animal’s life

• PER DAY! All those things PER DAY! Just by what we choose to eat!

Each Vegan Uses

• 1/11th as much fossil fuel as an omnivore

• 1/13th as much water

• 1/18th as much land

• And produces 1/2 as much CO2

Opting out of eating animal products (meat, fish, poultry, dairy) is the single biggest thing each of us can do to help mitigate the harm being done to our planet. I think we owe her that. Every bite you or I eat can buy us a little more time to get things right. Or every bite can cost us that precious (and maybe dwindling) time.

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Shown here served over rice & peas with rainbow cauliflower

ORANGE TOFU

Steam 1 package frozen or equal amount fresh broccoli or cauliflower, set aside. The amount doesn’t matter in the least. Enough to cover your rice or noodles to your preference.

While it cooks, prepare the tofu, below.

Ingredients for TOFU

• 1 12-16 oz package extra firm tofu, drained & diced

• 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

• 1 tablespoon reduced sodium tamari

• 1 tablespoon orange juice

• Shake of garlic powder

Instructions for TOFU

• Preheat oven to 400º

• Dice the tofu into 1/2 -3/4 inch cubes

• Mix the tamari and orange juice in a bowl, then add corn starch and whisk smooth.

• Toss diced tofu in bowl with the cornstarch mixture to coat

• Shake some garlic powder on top, stir again

• Place in single layer on parchment paper or silicone mat on baking sheet

• Bake 15-20 minutes, but check often. Some prefer it crisper, I like it to stay soft and moist, so I’d check after 15 minutes and take it from there. You can go as long as 30 minutes if you like it more dried out.

• Remove from oven

While it bakes, make the sauce, below.

Ingredients for ORANGE SAUCE

1/2 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons reduced sodium tamari or liquid aminos

1 teaspoon chopped ginger or 1 teaspoon ginger juice

1 clove garlic, minced or 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic from jar

1/4 cup water (set aside)

1 tablespoon corn starch (set aside)

Instructions for ORANGE SAUCE

Set aside the cornstarch and water for later.

Mix all the other ingredients in a small saucepan.

If using RAW ginger and garlic, simmer, stirring, for 7-10 minutes or until they’re tender

If using ginger juice and minced garlic from a jar, you only need to simmer for 3-4 minutes to mingle the flavors.

Separately, whisk together the corn starch and 1/4 cup water until it’s smooth and not lumpy. Stir this thickening slowly into the saucepan of other ingredients while heating and stirring until the mixture thickens. Don’t get it too thick, as it will thicken more as it cools.

Combine & Serve

Mix tofu with orange sauce. Serve over noodles or rice with broccoli or cauliflower.

I used leftover rice with peas, and some steamed rainbow cauliflower in the image above. And then I had it for lunch!

You can also serve the tofu & orange sauce over soba noodles or udon noodles. Both soba and udon noodles are oil-free and fit into a whole food plant diet.

Enjoy!

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And now a word from my alter-ego, the writer…

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Need a little escape?

This heartwarming rom-com will lift you right up!

HARRISON HYDE AND THE RUNAWAY BRIDE