Vegan day 73: Tofu stir fry
I set out to make a salad with a protein type food on top and ended up with baked tofu stir fry — if that even makes any sense. I know you’re looking at that plate going.. is that bacon?? lol I would never eat pig– EVER!!!!!! I would sooner adopt one! I do remember the day though when eating bacon was an integral part of my diet. This time I mean diet as in a diet to lose weight not a diet as in a lifestyle. I think I was on the “Atkins Diet” at the time– eat meat and fat– yeah ok “heart attack and kidney failure on a plate!” That’s what it would have been for me anyway in my interpretation of that diet which lead me to eat bacon as a healthy snack. Don’t get me wrong- that’s my fault- I was a yo-yo dieter! I even went on an “ABC” diet for a few days giving up foods that started with those letters for the first 3 days and so on lol. For the record- bacon is not a healthy meat. It’s fried, it’s high in saturated fat, it’s processed, it’s cured, salted or smoked, flavored, preserved and contains nitrates. You can definitely lose short-term weight when you avoid simple carbohydrates in the form of processed foods but let’s not misinterpret the carbohydrate situation at hand to include ALL carbohydrates. I must admit I get a bit charged when people tell me they cut their “carbs”.
First I think it’s absolutely spectacular to cut white carbs out of ones diet– and for good! Why eat something that has no nutritional value? Your long-term health is not worth the 2 seconds of short-term taste! Complex carbs, however, are important for energy, digestion, metabolism — and they slow down sugar absorption. I always look at this “carb hater” lol and say hey– not all carbs are bad– 60% of my diet is carbs and was carbs the entire time I lost weight! Fruits and vegetables, grains and legumes are all carbs- complex carbs! “They are the best source of energy for endurance athletics because they provide both an immediate and a time-released energy source as they are digested easily and then consistently metabolized in the bloodstream.” (Haas 2006)
So no bacon lol; what it is though? It is sautéed onions and sliced turnip. We are back to what is a turnip again– I don’t think I even ever answered that question from the other day’s blog. It was a juice recipe and I confused a turnip with a parsnip so now I have the actual turnip and decided to add it into my stir fry. A turnip is that roundish root vegetable that is part white and part purple. It really added flavor and some bulk to the stir fry- turnips are high in vitamin C!
Tofu stir fry
I baked the tofu first for about 30 minutes hoping for that crispy feel. The tofu didn’t get crispy but was still delicious. I had dried the original block of tofu, sliced it and put it in a baking pan with 1T of the coconut oil and a drizzle of tamari. I heated a skillet with the oil, onions and garlic; then I added the rest of the vegetables. The stir-fry took about 10 or so minutes. I added tamari, miso and pepper when it was just about finished. Miso should only be stirred in at the end for less then 2 minutes on low heat- I soaked the miso in warm water for about 10 minutes ahead of time.
Now that I learned about turnips – I think next time I will try turnip greens; turnip greens are suppose to be more nutritious than the root and provide a great source of vitamin A, B6, C, E, folic acid, calcium, copper and fiber.
Disclaimer: The information given here is for educational purposes only. You should not use this to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified health care provider.
[Tuesday 13th 2012 blog]
