Air Fryer VEGAN Tofu Stir Fry

I don't know about you, but I LOVE Thai food. Where I live, it can be difficult to find. More often than I'd like, I have to get creative and make my own. It can be labor intensive but delicious!

Last night, I made this recipe on the fly and was blown away by how well it turned out. Surprisingly, it was VEGAN. I honestly never thought I would be writing a blog about cooking vegan tofu, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the result. This recipe combines air fryer tofu, my favorite rice, stir fry veggies, and a delicious Thai chili, peanut sauce. You could also use chicken or beef to make this stir fry. The recipe may seem like a lot of moving parts, but I promise the end result is worth it!

Ingredients:

For the tofu:

16 oz Extra firm tofu

2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp olive oil (or sesame oil if you have it)

For the stir fry:

1tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp minced garlic

2 yellow squash, sliced in quarters

1 bag snow peas

1 red bell pepper, chopped

Chopped green onions (for topping)

For the Sauce:

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp minced garlic

2 tbsp thai chili paste

1 can light coconut milk

1 tbsp peanut putter

2 tsp honey

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

For the rice:

2 cups Jasmin rice (cooked according to instructions)

1 tbsp butter

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1.2 tsp dried thyme

Instructions:

1. Remove tofu from package and drain. Wrap tofu in paper towels and place on a rimmed backing sheet. Gently press down on the tofu to remove excess water, let stand on the counter for 30 min to drain water. This will ensure extra crispy tofu!

2. Once drained, cut tofu into one inch cubes. Next, combine tofu marinade: soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame/olive oil in a large bowl and coat your cubed tofu. Let stand 30 minutes.

3. While your tofu is marinating, rough chop the green onions and set aside in a serving bowl. Rough chop the bell pepper and cut the yellow squash into quarters, set aside.

4. Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees. Once preheated, spray your air fryer with olive oil spray and place the cubed tofu in the basket making sure nothing is touching. Cook for 10-15, shake at the 10 minute mark. I cooked mine for 15 minutes so it was extra crunchy. You will need to cook the tofu in two batches. Cover the cooked tofu with aluminum foil while you wait.

5. While the tofu is cooking, saute your prepped veggies in a pan 10 minutes on medium heat in the olive oil, add the snow peas during the last 4 minutes of cooking. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with aluminum foil in a serving dish.

6. While the rice and tofu is cooking, cook 2 cups of Jasmin rice according to package instructions. When the rice is fluffy and cooked through, add the butter, spices, and stir. You could also make the rice ahead of time and cover.

7. For the sauce, add a tsp olive oil (or sesame oil) garlic, and Thai chili paste to a pan. Cook for 1 minute. Next, add the coconut milk and whisk for 3 minutes, add the peanut butter, honey, and continue cooking for 10 minutes until its slightly bubbling. The sauce will be slightly thickened.

8. Put the rice, veggies, tofu, and sauce on your plate. Top with green onions and enjoy!