SPRING VEGETABLE STIRFRY WITH COCONUT GINGER TOFU (WILD ROSE D-TOX FRIENDLY!)

Do you remember when we did the Wild Rose D-Tox back in March? If you were following along on Insta Stories, I shared (almost) every meal I made during those 12 days. You may also remember me raving about how incredible our Day 1 dinner was — well, today I’m finally sharing the recipe for my Spring Vegetable Stirfry with Coconut Ginger Tofu with you!

Initially this recipe it was a team effort, with both of us tossing ideas around and throwing things in the pan while this stirfry came together. And we both couldn’t stop eating it! It was the best recipe to come out of our D-Tox. Since the premade sauces and condiments I would typically use in a stiryfry-style dish (think soy sauce, fish sauce, peanut butter, etc.) weren’t permitted, we went in a completely different direction! The result was a colourful medley of spring vegetables in a coconut milk-based sauce — flavoured with garlic, ginger, lime and simple pantry spices ontop of a bed of brown rice, finished with toasted almonds for some extra crunch and protein. In my quest for nut based milks with a D-Tox friendly ingredient lists (not an easy feat, my friends!), I found Almond Breeze’s Unsweetened Almond Coconut Beverage and am thrilled to be partnering with Almond Breeze again today to bring you my Spring Vegetable Stirfry with Coconut Ginger Tofu! It’s totally Wild Rose D-Tox friendly and it’s also totally delicious, even if you’re not doing a detox. This easy to prepare, unconventional spring stirfry is light, clean and nourishing — perfect for weeknight dinners!

SPRING VEGETABLE STIRFRY WITH COCONUT GINGER TOFU (WILD ROSE D-TOX FRIENDLY!)

I’ve been farmers market crazy lately! With tons of fresh spring produce available, I love to explore new markets in the Calgary area to hunt for my next culinary inspiration. When I was developing my Spring Vegetable Stirfry with Coconut Ginger Tofu, it came in the form of gorgeous heirloom fruits and vegetables! Since foods high in sugar aren’t permitted on the D-Tox, I achieved balance in this dish by incorporating a few naturally sweet ingredients to balance the citrusy lime and bitterness of the tahini in the sauce — including snap peas, heirloom carrots and tomatoes, and fresh corn along with broccolini. Of course, you don’t have to use heirloom tomatoes and carrots, but I like to eat them as often as possible while they’re available!

This is definitely one of my more inventive stirfry style dishes — and I made a few new discoveries in my testing when forced to branch out from relying on condiments, premade sauces and vinegars to develop flavour in my sauce. First, I started with the Unsweetened Almond Coconut Beverage as a base (find it on shelves at your local grocer!), adding lots of fresh garlic, ginger and lime juice. But I needed something D-Tox friendly to thicken the sauce up — so I reached for tahini! I love tahini in dressings and thought it may work well to add some thickness (and extra protein) to the sauce. It turns out I was right! Balanced with Himalayan pink sea salt, red pepper flakes and infused with the natural sweetness of the vegetables, my Coconut Ginger Sauce sets this spring stirfry off! By using Almond Breeze’s Unsweetened Almond Coconut Beverage in place of the full fat coconut milk I often include in my recipes (it’s delicious, but I use it sparingly!), you’re also shaving off a significant amount of calories without sacrificing the coconut flavour. Almond Breeze is a great non dairy alternative — whether you have a dairy allergy or intolerance, are vegan or simply want to add a plant based spin to your favourite recipes.

I rediscovered my love for both brown rice and almonds during this D-Tox. They’re on the Most Recommended list, so I embraced them in this recipe. Typically I would reach for peanuts or cashews to top Asian inspired dishes (oily nuts are not permitted), but since we were already working with almonds in the Unsweetened Almond Coconut Beverage, it made sense to use toasted almonds. They add the perfect salty crunch (and you guessed it, some extra protein) to this dish. Don’t worry — us plant based eaters get plenty of protein! And while I would typically serve a dish like this with quinoa (since it’s high in protein), we already have lots of protein happening with the tofu, sauce and almonds, so I served it up on a hearty bed of organic brown rice. I had forgotten how nourishing (and delicious) brown rice is. I even ate it for breakfast in place of oatmeal a few times during the D-Tox!

Who’s ready to get cooking? If you’re doing the Wild Rose D-Tox, serve this Spring Vegetable Stirfry with Coconut Ginger Tofu with lime citrus water for a refreshing sip, and if you’re not doing the D-Tox, go on and indulge in a glass of dry rosé. It pairs perfectly!

INGREDIENTS

Yield: 4 servings

RICE

• 1 cup brown rice

COCONUT GINGER SAUCE / TOFU MARINADE

• 2 cups Almond Breeze Unsweetened Almond Coconut Beverage
• 4 tbsp tahini
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger
• 1 tbsp shallot
• Juice from 2 limes
• 3/4 tsp Himalayan pink sea salt
• 1/2 tsp red chili flakes

TOFU

• 1 350g package extra firm tofu
• 1 tsp virgin coconut oil

SPRING VEGETABLE STIRFRY

• 1 tbsp virgin coconut oil
• 2 cups (heirloom) carrots
• 1 cup broccolini
• 2 cups (heirloom) cherry tomatoes
• 1 ear of fresh corn
• 1/4 tsp Himalayan pink sea salt
• Juice from half a lime

GARNISH

• 1/4 cup almonds
• 1/4 tsp virgin coconut oil
• pinch Himalayan pink sea salt
• 2 sprigs green onion
• 1 tbsp cilantro
• Optional: edible flowers

Note: lilacs are in bloom and edible — this was actually a serendipitous accident, as a few of them fell onto the plates as I was styling this post! They have quite a distinct flavour which I find complimentary. Ensure foraged flowers haven’t been sprayed with pesticides and are washed thoroughly.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. If you have time to marinate the tofu in advance, it will be more flavourful. It can marinate up to 24 hours before it starts to fall apart and will soak in flavour in as little as 1 hour. In this recipe, the Coconut Ginger Sauce also doubles as our tofu marinade! Prepare the Coconut Ginger Sauce by mincing garlic, ginger and shallots. Add to a large mixing bowl along with the rest of the sauce ingredients and whisk together. Set aside.

2. Remove the tofu from the package and place it between 2 sheets of paper towel. Pushing down with your hands, squeeze the excess liquid out from the tofu blocks. Slice the tofu into 1″ cubes. Add cubes to a Ziplock bag along with 1/3 cup of the Coconut Ginger Sauce. Seal the bag and shake to cover the tofu in marinade. Pop into the fridge for as long as you have to let it marinate!

3. Prepare the brown rice according to the directions on the package (it typically takes 30 – 40 minutes — in the meantime we’ll get started on the rest of the recipe!)

4. Chop carrots, halve tomatoes and remove corn from the ear. Divide broccolini florets from stems. Chop stems.

5. Tofu is up next! Heat 1 tsp coconut oil in a skillet. Remove tofu from fridge, drain excess marinade from the bag. Add tofu to the skillet over medium heat, cooking for 2 minutes per side. Remove tofu from pan and set aside.

6. Let’s get started on the Spring Vegetable Stirfry. Return the skillet your stovetop and heat 1 tbsp coconut oil. Add carrots and broccolini stems, cooking for 5 minutes. Add the remaining Coconut Ginger Sauce to the pan, along with 1/4 tsp Himalayan pink sea salt, cooking for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and corn, cooking for an additional 5 minutes. Turn off heat and add lime juice. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Add tofu to the skillet, stirring to combine.

7. Time for the toasted almonds. In a small pan, heat 1/4 tsp coconut oil. Chop almonds. Add to pan along with salt and toast over high heat for 1 minute or until lightly browned. Remove from heat and set aside.

8. Chop cilantro and green onions for garnish. Gather edible flowers.

9. It’s time to plate! Start with a bed of brown rice on each plate, top with Spring Vegetable Stirfry and Coconut Ginger Tofu. Add almonds and garnish.

10. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Print

SPRING VEGETABLE STIRFRY WITH COCONUT GINGER TOFU (WILD ROSE D-TOX FRIENDLY!)

Cook Time

40 mins

Resting Time

5 mins

Total Time

45 mins

 

My Spring Vegetable Stirfry with Coconut Ginger Tofu is colourful medley of spring vegetables in a coconut milk-based sauce — flavoured with garlic, ginger, lime and simple pantry spices ontop of a bed of brown rice, finished with toasted almonds for some extra crunch and protein. In my quest for nut based milks with a D-Tox friendly ingredient lists (not an easy feat, my friends!), I found Almond Breeze’s Unsweetened Almond Coconut Beverage and am thrilled to be partnering with Almond Breeze again today to bring you my Spring Vegetable Stirfry with Coconut Ginger Tofu! It’s totally Wild Rose D-Tox friendly and it’s also totally delicious, even if you’re not doing a detox. This easy to prepare, unconventional spring stirfry is light, clean and nourishing — perfect for weeknight dinners!

Course: Main Course

Author: Justine

Ingredients

RICE

• 1 cup brown rice

COCONUT GINGER SAUCE / TOFU MARINADE

• 2 cups Almond Breeze Unsweetened Almond Coconut Beverage
• 4 tbsp tahini
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger
• 1 tbsp shallot
• Juice from 2 limes
• 3/4 tsp Himalayan pink sea salt
• 1/2 tsp red chili flakes

TOFU

• 1 350 g package extra firm tofu
• 1 tsp virgin coconut oil

SPRING VEGETABLE STIRFRY

• 1 tbsp virgin coconut oil
• 2 cups heirloom carrots
• 1 cup broccolini
• 2 cups heirloom cherry tomatoes
• 1 ear of fresh corn
• 1/4 tsp Himalayan pink sea salt
• Juice from half a lime

GARNISH

• 1/4 cup almonds
• 1/4 tsp virgin coconut oil
• pinch Himalayan pink sea salt
• 2 sprigs green onion
• 1 tbsp cilantro
• Optional: edible flowers

Instructions

1. If you have time to marinate the tofu in advance, it will be more flavourful. It can marinate up to 24 hours before it starts to fall apart and will soak in flavour in as little as 1 hour. In this recipe, the Coconut Ginger Sauce also doubles as our tofu marinade! Prepare the Coconut Ginger Sauce by mincing garlic, ginger and shallots. Add to a large mixing bowl along with the rest of the sauce ingredients and whisk together. Set aside.
2. Remove the tofu from the package and place it between 2 sheets of paper towel. Pushing down with your hands, squeeze the excess liquid out from the tofu blocks. Slice the tofu into 1″ cubes. Add cubes to a Ziplock bag along with 1/3 cup of the Coconut Ginger Sauce. Seal the bag and shake to cover the tofu in marinade. Pop into the fridge for as long as you have to let it marinate!
3. Prepare the brown rice according to the directions on the package (it typically takes 30 – 40 minutes — in the meantime we’ll get started on the rest of the recipe!)
4. Chop carrots, halve tomatoes and remove corn from the ear. Divide broccolini florets from stems. Chop stems.
5. Tofu is up next! Heat 1 tsp coconut oil in a skillet. Remove tofu from fridge, drain excess marinade from the bag. Add tofu to the skillet over medium heat, cooking for 2 minutes per side. Remove tofu from pan and set aside.
6. Let’s get started on the Spring Vegetable Stirfry. Return the skillet your stovetop and heat 1 tbsp coconut oil. Add carrots and broccolini stems, cooking for 5 minutes. Add the remaining Coconut Ginger Sauce to the pan, along with 1/4 tsp Himalayan pink sea salt, cooking for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and corn, cooking for an additional 5 minutes. Turn off heat and add lime juice. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Add tofu to the skillet, stirring to combine.
7. Time for the toasted almonds. In a small pan, heat 1/4 tsp coconut oil. Chop almonds. Add to pan along with salt and toast over high heat for 1 minute or until lightly browned. Remove from heat and set aside.
8. Chop cilantro and green onions for garnish. Gather edible flowers.
9. It’s time to plate! Start with a bed of brown rice on each plate, top with Spring Vegetable Stirfry and Coconut Ginger Tofu. Add almonds and garnish.

10. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Lilacs are in bloom and edible — this was actually a serendipitous accident, as a few of them fell onto the plates as I was styling this post! They have quite a distinct flavour which I find complimentary. Ensure foraged flowers haven’t been sprayed with pesticides and are washed thoroughly.

STILL HUNGRY? MORE HEALTHY, SPRING DINNER IDEAS

Mediterranean Rainbow Buddha Bowls

Roasted Purple Cauliflower with Red Pepper Romesco (also Wild Rose D-Tox friendly!)

Carrot Cashew Zoodles with Crispy Sesame Tofu

Vegan Southwest Quinoa Bowls

Crudité Style Niçoise Salad

SHOP THE POST

What’s your favourite seasonal produce this spring? I’m back in Calgary today from my trip to the Kootenays this past weekend where local asparagus and strawberries are just starting to hit the markets — and they were absolutely delish!

If you try my Spring Vegetable Stirfry with Coconut Ginger Tofu, let me know how you liked it by leaving me a comment, or tagging me on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. You can use the hashtag #justinecelinarecipes in your recreations so I can find them — it’s so much fun seeing what you guys make! I always love to hear from you! I also have a Pinterest board for my recipes if you care to follow along. Thanks for stopping by today, friends — I hope you enjoyed the recipe!

Disclaimer: Thank you to Almond Breeze for sponsoring this post. JustineCelina uses affiliate and referral links, which allow me to receive a small commission when you make a purchase through one of my links. Thank you for supporting the brands and businesses that support JustineCelina!