Thai Red Curry with Tofu and Vegetables

If you follow my blog you know I'm not a big fan of Thai food. (And that is a HUGE understatement.) But every so often a Thai-ish recipe comes along that sounds ok and sometimes even wonderful.

Such was the case with these bell peppers. I took one look and decided I had to make them if for no other reason than they looked beautiful. But I also detected some of my favorite things like mushrooms, and zucchini.

If you're anti-soy you can substitute chicken for the tofu. Also feel free to ditch the pad Thai noodles for   zucchini noodles, perhaps left over from this anti-pasti recipe, or just make a bit more filling.

Ingredients: (Serves 4)
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp Thai red curry paste
2 oz white and/or crimini mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
1 zucchini, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
8 oz organic medium or firm tofu cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup light coconut milk or water
2 tbsp rice vinegar
4 red or orange bell peppers, tops trimmed and reserved
1 cup cooked brown rice pad thai noodles
Sea salt and black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large saute pan on medium high heat, heat oil. Add onion and saute for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently until tender. Add curry paste and saute for 1 minute stirring frequently. Add mushroom and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add zucchini and tofu and cook, stirring gently for 2 minutes. Add milk, vinegar, salt and black pepper and bring to a simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Place bell peppers on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Add noodles into the bottom of each, dividing evenly. Divide tofu mixture evenly into each bell pepper. Pace reserved bell pepper tops over top. Bake until bell pepper is tender but still holding shape, about 30 minutes.

Protein-Packed Quinoa Bowl

I'm so glad I discovered this recipe. It's filled with protein and will keep you full (although comfortably so) for hours. It's great for those days you will be stuck in a long afternoon meeting without a chance eat. (I had to force myself to have almonds a few hours later because it was "snack time.")

The sesame ginger dressing is a great choice for the tofu, especially for those who aren't fond of tofu (formerly myself.) Also don't forget to dry-fry to avoid that mushy/slimy texture!


Ingredients:
4-8 oz extra firm tofu
1/2 - 1 cup quinoa
Snap peas (I sub'd edamame left over from the Kale salad)
Grape tomatoes (halved)
Steamed broccoli
Scallions (finely sliced)
Sunflower seeds
Sesame ginger dressing
Sesame Oil

After dry frying tofu place in a ziploc bag with sesame ginger dressing and sesame oil (the proportions are 2 to 1 - the tofu should be completely covered without any remaining glaze.)
Follow quinoa instructions on the box. 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water will make two servings of this recipe.
Top quinoa with vegetables, sunflower seeds and tofu.
Drizzle a bit more sesame ginger dressing and sesame oil on the finished product. (This is optional. I forgot to bring extra dressing the second day and it was just as good!)

Enjoy!

Tofu . . . not as scary as it sounds

Tone It Up is NOT anti-meat.* In fact its not anti anything. Wine, cheese, chocolate and carbs are all fine in moderation. However, as the diet is high in protein** they recommend substituting alternate protein sources whenever possible.

I am totally fine substituting chicken, fish and tempeh (which I had never even heard of pre-Tone It Up) for red meat. But tofu has always grossed me out. It's slimy, squishy, and soggy. Yuck.

However, I hated that I was missing out on Tone It Up recipes like the Zesty Tofu Garden Scramble and Thai Coconut Tofu. So I went looking for a "good" way to cook tofu . . and stumbled upon the dry-fry method:

Take a block of super firm tofu (Trader Joe's brand is the best!) and cut it into thin slices. Place each slice in a dish cloth and press all the moisture out of it. Then place the slices on a Teflon frying pan with NO oil or cooking spray.  As you cook continue to press moisture out with a spatula. Once the tofu is browned on both sides cut into cubes and place in a ziploc bag with a marinade. My favorite is Bella's Organic Asian Wing Glaze from Whole Foods. (20 cal per tbsp)

This morning I combined 4 oz tofu (10 grams protein) and mixed vegetables in a ziploc bag with the wing glaze and added it to a container with quinoa (another great source of protein at 11 grams per 1/2 cup). Two minutes in the microwave and I had a delicious and healthy lunch:)


*There are vegan, vegetarian and pescatarian versions of the plan available.

**Studies show that people who consume more protein have a lower body fat percentage and maintain their weight better. Maintaining blood sugar levels promotes a lean abdomen and helps you hold onto lean muscle tissue. Tone It Up