Crockpot Teriyaki Tofu with Veggies

It feels odd to be posting new recipe during a global pandemic. This feels especially true I last went to the grocery store over a week ago and don't plan to go again for at least another week. However, I did a good job planning when going to the store last week AND we did a good job planning dinners around how long each veggie will last. This teriyaki tofu dinner (based on a recipe from The Super Easy Vegan Slow Cooker Cookbook) was just perfect, using up the last of our bell peppers and half of our kale. The rest of the kale will be used tomorrow in white bean and kale soup. Plus, I made a great teriyaki sauce from ingredients in my pantry - though feel free to buy one instead!

While I do like the flexibility of cooking at home without having to plan around classes, meetings, events, and more, I miss my students and colleagues and friends so much that this flexibility pales in comparison. sigh. At least we're eating well?

I hope you're eating well, too! If not, try this recipe?

Crockpot Teriyaki Tofu
Ingredients
2 boxes extra firm tofu (water packed)
1 c. low sodium soy sauce
5.5 ounces seasoned rice vinegar
2 T. sugar
4 T. sesame oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. cornstarch
1/4-1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 medium/large onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, any color, chopped
1 bunch fresh kale, de-stemmed and torn/cut into smaller pieces
green onions & sesame seeds, optional

Directions
1. Press the tofu for about 20 minutes between tea towels or paper towels, using something heavy as a weight.
2. Slice the tofu into 1/2 inch (or thinner) slices and lay as evenly as possible on the bottom of your crockpot.
3. In a large jar with a lid (or using a bowl with a whisk), combine ingredients for teriyaki sauce: soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, cornstarch, red pepper, and black pepper and shake (whisk) well.
4. Pour most of the sauce (reserving 1/3 to 1/2 cup) over the tofu. Set crockpot to low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Refrigerate remaining sauce.
5. If you plan to make rice, start the rice 25-40 minutes prior to eating (based on your rice).
6. About 20 minutes before the tofu is done, saute the onion and bell pepper with a bit of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. After 7-8 minutes, add the kale and continue to saute. When the kale is mostly soft, add the remaining teriyaki sauce to the skillet, stirring to combine and thicken.
7. Layer your plate with rice, veggies, and tofu. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.

Helpful Hints

• Pressing the tofu is an important step in this recipe. You want to make sure that you remove as much water as possible so that the tofu soaks up the delicious sauce. 
• This meal is gluten-free if you remember to use tamari in place of soy sauce. It's an easy substitution (and nearly all grocers carry tamari). 
• You could easily make this dinner with frozen veggies. Given that tofu can last a while (check the dates on packages you buy) and rice lasts for what seems like forever, using frozen chopped onions, peppers, and kale would make this a perfect "prepared pantry" dinner. 
• Feel free to use a store bought teriyaki sauce if you have one you love. I would estimate 1 1/3 cup in with the tofu and an additional 1/3 c. in with the veggies. 

The post "Crockpot Teriyaki Tofu with Veggies" first appeared on Maggie's LesVegan Kitchen.