Can I make this gluten-free?

To make this gluten-free use a wheat-free tamari in place of soy sauce and a gluten-free hoisin sauce.

Is there an easier way to meal prep this?

Yes! I’m not the biggest fan of meal prep in the traditional sense. Instead, I like to prep some items ahead of the week to make life easier. That way I can save time and go directly to the cooking part, which if well planned can take just 25 minutes. Choose an hour during the week where you can just prep some things in advance. This can be washing produce, pressing tofu, cutting the tofu the way you want it, baking the tofu in advance and storing for later, or even making the sauce (just whisk everything except the cornstarch together and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days). Taking on any of these tasks in advance means you save a lot of minutes having to do everything day of. Less stress and you get a meal on the table a lot faster.

Are there alternatives to tofu that I can use?

This would change the preparation of the meal as other alternatives will not require the same prep. However, if you are allergic to soy try making a version of this using chickpeas. Rinse and drain the chickpeas and stir fry them in a pan with a little oil for a few minutes until golden. Transfer to a plate then heat more oil and cook the peppers, onions, and garlic as recommended. Swap the soy sauce/tamari for a soy-free alternative like coconut aminos and the hoisin sauce for more coconut aminos or a sweet barbecue sauce.

Can this meal be made ahead?

Absolutely! Feel free to make the stir-fry then store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Heat up as desired then serve over your grain of choice.

Garlic Pepper Tofu Stir-fry

Name: Garlic Pepper Tofu Stir-fry
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 tbsp tamari; 2 tbsp of oil; Juice of 1 lime or 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar; 1 lb block super firm (vacuum sealed tofu) or extra firm tofu (press this style tofu before using); 1-2 tbsp maple syrup; 1 tbsp hoisin sauce (choose gluten-free); 1 tbsp mirin; 1 tbsp sriracha or less based on preference; 1/2 tsp vegetable bouillon paste or vegetable paste; 1/4 cup of water; 1 tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot starch; 1 red bell pepper; 1 green bell pepper; 1/4 medium red onion, sliced into strips; 3 cloves of garlic, minced

Description

This Garlic Pepper Tofu Stir-fry combines strips of pepper and tofu together in a savory, glossy stir-fry sauce. Easy to prep and cooks in less than 30 minutes.

Ingredients

Scale

3 tbsp tamari
2 tbsp of oil
Juice of 1 lime or 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 lb block super firm (vacuum sealed tofu) or extra firm tofu (press this style tofu before using)
1–2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp hoisin sauce (choose gluten-free)
1 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp sriracha or less based on preference
1/2 tsp vegetable bouillon paste or vegetable paste
1/4 cup of water
1 tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot starch
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1/4 medium red onion, sliced into strips
3 cloves of garlic, minced

To serve: Cooked rice or quinoa, minced herbs, nuts or seeds

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425F. Pat the tofu dry and cut into thin strips (thick tofu like super firm tofu will crumble less when thinly cut). Place the strips on a large parchment lined baking tray or between 2 trays if needed.
In a large measuring cup whisk together 2 tbsp of tamari, 1 tbsp of oil and the lime juice. Using a brush, brush the top of the tofu slices with some of the sauce. Reserve what remains in the cup and place the tofu in the oven to bake for 10 minutes. Flip the tofu and brush the opposite side with the same mixture and again reserve the contents of the measuring cup. Bake the tofu agai for 10 minutes then set aside.
To the measuring cup add the remaining tbsp of tamari maple syrup, hoisin sauce, mirin, sriracha, bouillon, water and cornstarch then whisk to combine and set aside.
Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When hot add the peppers and onions with a pinch of salt and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, sauteing until fragrant then lower the heat to low.
Add the tofu strips and sauce to the pan and stir everything together with tongs until the sauce thickens and coats everything well, about 1-2 minutes.
Serve with rice or quinoa then garnish with fresh herbs, nuts or seeds based on preference and enjoy.

Notes

Cut the tofu how you like. I like to thinly slice the tofu to help provide more surface area for flavor. However, you can cube your tofu, or cut it into squares or triangles. If using cubes, squares or triangles, you can add the tofu to a baggy and pour the tamari and oil over it, seal and shake to coat before baking.

Meal prep smarter not harder. To help cut a lot of prep time, I’ll press and pre-slice the tofu ahead of time. Pressing tofu in advance will save you at least 30 minutes and if you pre cut your tofu you can store it in an air tight container and pull it out when you are ready to use it during the week. I find this better to do on a Sunday ahead of the week and means you can eat freshly made food more efficiently.

Tips for prepping tofu. If using a super firm tofu that is vacuum sealed, you don’t need to press it. Remove it from it’s packaging and pat dry. For other kinds of tofu stored in a tub of water, I recommend pressing your tofu to remove excess water before working with it.

Taste the sauce before adding the cornstarch. At this point you can modify and adjust the ingredients to your preference. The amount of ingredients I shared was just my personal preference. Feel free to add more sweetener, more lime or vinegar to achieve the flavor balance you prefer.