A favorite easy stirfry

I love a good stirfry that's warm and delicious and healthy. I make one at least once a week. Here's my basic procedure:

1. Heat some oil in a deep frying pan. Sesame oil is good, or peanut oil, or just olive oil. If I use olive oil I might add some finely minced garlic and/or ginger in the pan.

2. Cut extra-firm tofu into triangles about 1/3-inch thick. Arrange triangles in pan so that each triangle is touching the pan. Let them cook for 3 to 5 minutes until the underside is golden brown. Then, turn the burner off for a minute and use a fork to flip each triangle over.  Turn the burner back on and let the tofu cook for another minute.

3. Next add your hardest vegetables that will require the most cooking. For me this usually involves broccoli. I like to squirt a little lemon juice right on the broccoli - I think it really brings out the flavor.

4. Pour on your sauce, both to keep the tofu from sticking and to provide some liquid that will help steam your hard vegetables. I often use Soy Vay teriyaki or hoisin sauce, especially when time is short. Sometimes I make my own sauce from whatever I have on hand - tamari, Bragg's, lemon juice, fresh or powdered ginger, sesame oil or seeds, mustard, gomashio - I just mix things together until they taste good.  Saute a couple more minutes, tossing mixture so that everything gets coated with sauce and so that the hard vegetables get some direct contact with the hot pan.

5.  Add softer vegetables, such as the chopped up red bell peppers I use here, then saute another minute or two, again tossing mixture as in step 4.

6.  Repeat step 5 with softest vegetables, such as red chard or other greens, and water chestnuts.  You can use a lot of greens because once they cook down they will reduce greatly in size.

7.  Sometimes I use a separate pan to grill chunks of pineapple (to make sure they maintain contact with the pan and get a good sear) - then I just toss them into the finished stirfry and mix everything around. 

8.  Serve over rice, quinoa, noodles, etc.  I like Trader Joe's Harvest Grain Blend (Israeli style couscous, orzo, baby garbanzo beans and red quinoa - chewy and flavorful, even if you don't put any sauce on it).