Tofu Lo Mein

Mrs Mc (that's me) is taking

over this blog temporarily.  My wonderful husband has been so packed with work and church stuff that he's been neglectful of his creation.  But I want to share some recipes, so I'll just fill it in for him.  Either way it means we're not going to lose the recipes we put in here and that is a major concern for me with as many little kids as are running around looking for papers to draw on.  So here is a vegetarian recipe that I made tonight that is wonderful!  I think my "baby" sister will really love it, so here it is Sis!

Tofu Lo Mein

Ingredients: 1 pound reduced-fat firm or extra-firm tofu, frozen, thawed, and squeezed dry 

Nonstick cooking spray 

10 ounces linguine pasta 

1 1/2 teaspoons crushed fresh garlic 

2 cups small fresh broccoli florets 

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms 

1 medium red bell pepper, cut into thin strips 

1/2 cup sliced scallions 

SAUCE 

1 cup vegetable or chicken broth 

1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce 

1/4 cup white grape juice

 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar 

2-3 teaspoons sesame oil 

1 teaspoon ground ginger 

2 teaspoons cornstarch

 Directions: 

To make the sauce, place all of the sauce ingredients except for the cornstarch in a small bowl, and stir to mix well. Cut the tofu into 1/2-inch cubes and place the cubes in a shallow nonmetal container. Pour 1/4 cup of the sauce mixture over the tofu, toss to mix, and set aside for 10 minutes. Add the cornstarch to the remaining sauce, stir to dissolve the cornstarch, and set aside. 

Coat a large nonstick baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Drain off any sauce that the tofu has not soaked up, and spread the tofu cubes in a single layer on the sheet. Spray the tops of the cubes lightly with the cooking spray, and bake at 375ºF for 10 minutes. Turn the cubes with a spatula, and bake for 10 additional minutes, or until the cubes are nicely browned, crisp on the outside, and chewy on the inside. Remove the tofu cubes from the oven, and set aside.

While the tofu is cooking, cook the pasta al dente according to package directions. Drain well, return to the pot, and cover to keep warm. 

Coat a large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Place the skillet over medium-

high heat, and add the garlic, broccoli, mushrooms, red pepper, and scallions. Stir-fry the vegetables for about 4 minutes, or until crisp-tender, covering the skillet periodically if it begins to dry out (the steam from the cooking vegetables will moisten the skillet). Add a few teaspoons of water or broth to the skillet only if necessary. 

Add the tofu, and toss to mix well. Add the pasta, and toss to mix well. Stir the reserved sauce, and add it to the skillet. Toss the mixture for a minute or 2, or until the sauce thickens slightly. Serve hot. Yum!  

For a little extra kick, we

pulled out our hot red chili sauce that we love in egg drop soup and mixed some in.  It gave it a delicious kick!  Hope you'll try it too!