If you’re someone who has been eating plant-based for a while, you know that ethnic foods are a) easy to make without animal products, and b) full of great flavor combinations. For this reason, my go-to dinners at home are either burrito bowls, curry dishes, or Asian noodles using whichever vegetables I have in the fridge. Last week I got a little more creative with my sauce ingredients, and my family loved this dish — Orange Ginger Pad Thai! Even Picky Husband went back for seconds!

The key to a good Asian noodle bowl is the sauce. The sauce in this orange ginger pad Thai is sweet, salty, zingy, and a little spicy. Finish it off with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and some green onions, and you have a super flavorful dinner!

So many people tell me they don’t ever cook tofu because they can’t make it palatable like the tofu in restaurants. For really tasty tofu, many recipes will tell you to pan-fry the cubes in oil. Well, duh — fried foods are delicious. But we all know that fried foods aren’t good for us, so why turn a healthful ingredient into something harmful? I’ve come up with a way to prepare tofu that is flavorful, crispy, and oil free.

How I Prepare Tofu

There are a few different kinds of tofu you can buy, from silken to extra firm. I almost always buy extra firm because I mostly serve it cubed, but the other versions are great too, depending on what you’re making.

First, open the package and drain the water. Wrap the block of tofu in a clean dish towel or thick paper towels and gently press to soak up any excess water. If you have a tofu press, feel free to use that (also, let’s be friends)!

Next, place the tofu on a cutting board and cut it into roughly 1-inch cubes, using a large knife.

Place the tofu cubes into a bowl and drizzle them with 2-3 Tablespoons of coconut aminos. Pick up the bowl and swirl it around to coat the cubes. I’ve found that using a spoon just makes the tofu crumble.

Allow the tofu to marinate while the oven preheats to 350°F and you work on other parts of your meal.

Spread the cubes out on a lined baking sheet and bake 15-20 minutes, flip the cubes (I just use a fork or a finger to push each cube over), then bake another 10 minutes until the edges are crispy.

Toss the tofu cubes into the sauce with your other veggies right before serving.

Orange Ginger Pad Thai

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

Pad Thai noodles, veggies, and baked tofu are tossed in a sweet and zesty sauce to make a comforting and nutritious one-dish meal. Vegan and can be GF

Author: Mary Ross Fowler | Daily Dose of Greens

Recipe type: Entree

Cuisine: Asian

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

• One package extra firm tofu (12-15 oz.)
• 2-3 Tbs coconut aminos
• ---------------------------------
• Sauce:
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. ginger paste (or freshly grated ginger)
• 1 tsp. sesame oil (optional)
• 2 Tbs. rice vinegar
• 2 Tbs. reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
• Zest of 1 orange
• ½ cup fresh orange juice (about 2 oranges)
• 2 Tbs. tahini
• 2 tsp. starch (tapioca, corn, or arrowroot)
• 1½ Tbs. pure maple syrup
• Large pinch chili flakes
• ----------------------------------
• 8 oz. pad Thai noodles
• 1 large broccoli stalk, cut into florets (I peel the stalk and cut it up too)
• 3-4 crimini, white, or shiitake mushrooms, chopped
• 2 green onions, chopped
• Sesame seeds

Instructions

1. First, prepare the tofu. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drain tofu and pat dry (or press), cut into 1-in. cubes, and place in a bowl. Drizzle with coconut aminos and toss gently. When oven is ready, spread tofu out onto baking sheet and bake 15-20 mins, flip, then bake about 10 more mins.
2. While the tofu is baking, bring a large pot of water to a boil. This will be used for the pasta and veggies.
3. While waiting for the water to boil and the tofu to bake, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients and set aside.
4. When the water in the pot is boiling, add the broccoli, mushrooms, and pasta, and cook according to the pasta's package directions.
5. In a separate, medium-sized pot, stir the sauce over medium-low heat until it thickens slightly. Drain the pasta and veggies, then transfer them to the sauce pot and toss. Remove the tofu from the oven and add it to the mixture.
6. Serve immediately, topping with sesame seeds and green onions.

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I hope you and your family love this orange ginger pad Thai as much as we do. It’s bursting with flavor and packed with nutrients! It’s also super filling, which is an added bonus!

Enjoy!

♥   ♥   ♥

Also try my Tofu Veggie Ramen with Pad Thai Sauce!