I had planned to write about a pasta dish today, but I’m under strict orders to post this recipe immediately. I don’t really mind; in fact, I’d love to use the phrase “guest post by my daughter” right now, but the truth is, E. likes to cook the food, photograph it, and eat it, but she doesn’t want to write about it. It’s too much like all those reports she has to do for school.
So I’ll just have to be content with the fact that my darling daughter and wonderful husband got in the kitchen and actually cooked dinner two nights in a row. I’ve been having some back trouble that makes it painful for me to stand too long on the hard tile of our kitchen floor, so for the past two nights, D. and E. have come to the rescue. The first night I helped out by telling them which ingredients to use and how much to add to make our fall-back meal, a fast and easy soup, but last night they did it all themselves, with the help of E’s favorite cookbook Kids Can Cook: Vegetarian Recipes. They adapted the recipe for Asian Stir Fry–adding tofu and cutting fat–and did an excellent job.
E. wanted me to let you know that she did all the chopping (except for the ginger root), chose the set-up for the photo, and even clicked the remote shutter release (after I chose the angle and focused the camera). And I wanted to let you know that I asked them to reduce the oil in the recipe but failed to notice that it had over 1/4 cup of soy sauce. So, to my taste at least, it’s very salty. But good. And colorful! Best of all, when E. makes a meal, she tends to eat it, even the ingredients she says she hates like bell pepper. I strongly advise all parents to get their kids cooking; it just may turn them into vegetable lovers!
Rainbow Stir-Fry
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce*
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 package extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into cubes (about 8 ounces)
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 1 large green pepper, thinly sliced
- 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1/2 head purple cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1 cup celery, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons minced ginger root
- 1/4 cup soy sauce (or to taste)*
Instructions
- Mix the 1 tablespoon soy sauce, water, and sesame oil in a large bowl. Add the tofu and marinate for about 15 minutes.
- Heat a non-stick skillet and sauté the tofu until brown on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Put the onion and green pepper into the pan and stir-fry for three minutes. Add the carrots and cabbage and cook until cabbage begins to wilt, about 7 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and the tofu, stir well, and cook 3 more minutes. Turn off the heat and serve over rice. Serves 4.
Preparation time: 15 minute(s) | Cooking time: 25 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 4
Note
Make this gluten-free by using certified gluten-free tamari instead of soy sauce. Reduce the sodium by using less soy sauce or reduced-sodium soy sauce.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 151 calories, 35 calories from fat, 4g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 772.5mg sodium, 622.4mg potassium, 21.7g carbohydrates, 7.1g fiber, 9.9g sugar, 9.7g protein, 4.5 points.
Kim says
E must be a great cook by now if this was her efforts four years ago! Fair play to her. Great idea about getting the children involved in cooking. I have three year old twins and I’ve already started. They take great pleasure in eating something they’ve hand a hand in making. Thanks again for all your hard work Susan (and E).
Sue Baker says
Are you using the toasted sesame oil or plain?
Susan Voisin says
Toasted (dark) sesame oil. I’ve never seen any other kind.
Laurie says
Hi Wonderful Mentor Cooking Woman,
I ‘m writing to support you in your back pain as you have supported me in my cooking adventures. You have been such an inspiration to my household that I would love to be able to give back to you.
Re back troubles – I might be able to advise re treatments, from yoga to aruvedic to surgery to injections. Having been through the huge gamut of possibilites I’ve learned that each person requires a different treatment. My experience has given me quite a broad range of info that could be helpful. Please feel free to conatct me anytime.
Best of luck,
Laurie
Leta says
Just found this site and I LOVE IT!!!
Mike Wells says
I am a cancer survivor and have recently started eating solid food again. Up until now I have been eating shakes. I am going totally vegan and organic and am looking for a basic recipe, like the rainbow stir fry, that I can use to mix and match organic vegetables that i can get or that i like on a daily basis. The nutritional information is important to me. I track all my daily nutritional info to keep it under control and within a specified range. Can I use the rainbow stir fry like a benchmark, adding in different vegetables and maybe substituting in some olive oil occasionally and still use the nutritional info you listed? If not, how can I calculate my own nutritional data? Thanks. Please respond to my email if you can.