Do you ever wake up for work & just say "NO! Not today!"? Well, this happens pretty often for me. I don't mind the getting up early part, just the having to go to work part. Now I don't want to sound ungrateful, as I am very happy to have a job & a place to sleep! Sure I'm living paycheck to paycheck, but I am very aware of how lucky I am. It can just be hard at times because I have no desire to be in the line of work that I am in. Also, it's a desk job & I'm the kind of person that has a hard time staying still. I love working with my hands, creating things & just moving around. And as I get older, I can't help but think...what if I get stuck doing this forever?
I just have to push those thoughts aside & continue to move towards my future goals. Stay positive!
When my alarm went off at 6am this morning, I wanted to say... NOOOO!!! But this time I just don't feel good. I haven't been feeling that well for the past couple of weeks & my throat starting hurting yesterday. UGH! But I had to be strong & get out of bed. I can't $afford$ another sick day at work.
It's days like this, when you just know you want to relax as soon as you get home, that a quick stir fry comes to the rescue!
Stir frys are my go-to meals! They're quick, easy, & versatile. You can use those veggies before they go bad, any protein you desire, and experiment with different sauces. Really any combination of things can work. I personally like a spicy little kick in mine.
For this recipe I used the last of my veggies in the fridge. Bell peppers, zucchini, baby bok choy, & green onions.
As simple as stir frys can be, there are a few tips I like to stick with to get the most out of my meal:
Prep! Make sure you have all ingredients prepped & ready to go. You won't have time to chop the garlic or onion once you've started.
Heat the wok (or whatever pan you are using) for a few minutes before adding any ingredients.
Drizzle the oil (peanut, canola, pure olive oil, & grapseed are best for stir frys) along the sides of the wok and tilt it around until it's evenly coated. Give the oil a moment to heat up before adding more ingredients.
I usually add my ginger or garlic first and stir for just a few seconds.
Then I add ingredients by what needs to cook longer, usually leaving my leafy greens for last.
Once you got your ingredients in, add the sauce & stir until evenly coated.
Delicious! Oh stir fry, how you always get me out of a dinner emergency...I love you...
I forgot to add my cashews! dang it!!
Again, you can do anything & everything but here's what I did to make this tasty dish:
Spicy Tofu Stir Fry
Ingredients:
2 tbs peanut oil
2 tsp fresh garlic
mixture of bell peppers equaling to about 1 full pepper, cut & sliced
1/3 of a zucchini, sliced
one small bunch of green onions, white & green parts separated and chopped
a small bunch of bok choy, chopped
cashews (should have been in there!)
1 package of tofu cut into 1" cubes
1/4 cup cornstarch
for the spicy sauce:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbs sriracha
1 tsp fresh ginger
2 tsp fresh garlic
1 tbs brown sugar
Prepare you sauce by combining soy sauce, sriracha, ginger, garlic, & sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.
Drain the tofu, pat down with a paper towel (you want to absorb as much water as possible) & cut into 1" cubes. Coat the tofu in the cornstarch.
Heat your wok & drizzle with 1 tbs of peanut oil. Fry your tofu until browned, about 5-8 minutes. Drain the tofu on a paper towel.
Add the remaining peanut oil to the wok. Next, garlic & the white part of the green onion. Stir around for a few seconds and add zucchini & bell pepper. Cook for a few minutes then add bok choy & green onions.
Add tofu & sauce, mix until evenly coated.
Serve hot with jasmine rice.
Enjoy!
Melissa.
