Meatless Monday

In my attempt to live a less-consuming lifestyle, we have cut back some on our meat consumption. We never really ate all that much meat to begin with, if it is missing in our dinner it is not a big deal. We rarely eat it during the day. So I have decided to post some of my favorite vegan or vegetarian recipes. They are usually pretty healthy, good for the environment, and good for the wallet. It is amazing how much your grocery bill drops if you avoid the meat and dairy cases. Yesterday I did all of our shopping for the week and only spent about $60, that is every meal for the family. (We NEVER-well almost never- eat out) I don't use/advocate coupons. They are generally for things that we don't buy anyway, over-processed junk food that you do not need. It is not saving money if you are buying something that you don't need or even worse, may not use. Big deal if you can save .45 cents on 2 Pillsbury Cinnamon rolls, you shouldn't be eating that crap anyway! Make it from scratch,if you must have it, at least you know what is going into it.Okay, enough of that rant.


So, here is what's for dinner tonight....Yum!
BTW, I am not a huge fan of "meat substitutes" I usually just skip them, this recipe is just as good w/o the tofu. If I make it without tofu, I usually chop up about half a head of cabbage and throw it in. I also just go ahead and add some of the ingredients from the marinade straight in the stir-fry, i.e. the garlic and ginger. It is a very easy and flexible recipe.


Tofu and Vegetable stir-fry

Marinade:
1 lb. tofu, cut into 1" cubes
3 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tBsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tBsp sesame oil
2 tBsp dry sherry
1/4 hoisin sauce

Vegetables:
2 tBsp olive oil
medium onion, chopped
carrot, thinly sliced
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 cup broccoli florets
1 lb snow peas
red pepper, thinly sliced
1 tin sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 tBsp cornstarch
2 tBsp flax seed, ground

-Combine marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Gently stir in tofu cubes, cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
-Heat oil in frying pan and add onion, cooking until soft. Add other veggies, from slow to fast cooking and fry until desired.
-Add tofu to the veggies. Stir 1 tBsp cornstarch into marinade and pour over vegetable mixture. Heat until tofu is hot.
-sprinkle flax on top for garnish