Red Cabbage and Winter Squash with Stir-fried Tofu

Last year we had an excellent harvest of winter squash and we also still had some red cabbage in the garden. So we only had to add some tofu and noodles for this delicious vegan Asian meal.

Ingredients:

for the crispy tofu:

• ½ pound tofu
• ¼ cup AP flour
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

for the sauce:

• 2 tablespoons tamari or low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sushi vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup, (optional)
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• salt and pepper to taste

for the stir fry vegetables:

• ¼ pound red kuri or butternut squash
• 1 small head red cabbage
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• cooking oil

to serve:

• buckwheat noodles or rice to serve
• sesame seeds as optional garnish

Directions:

1. to make the crispy tofu cubes:
   1. Blot the tofu dry with paper towels.
   2. Cut into cubes.
   3. Place the flour and cornstarch in a shallow bowl and whisk together.
   4. Dredge the tofu pieces in the flour mixture to evenly coat all sides.
2. to prepare the vegetables:
   1. Cut and de-seed the squash. If using a red kuri that is organic, you can leave the skin on otherwise, peel the squash.
   2. Cut the squash into bite-sized cubes.
   3. Remove the outer dried leaf of the red cabbage and roughly chop the red cabbage into bite sized pieces.
   4. Peel and grate the ginger.
   5. Peel and mince the garlic.
3. Make the sauce by whisking together in a small bowl: tamari, vinegar, maple syrup, cornstarch and sesame oil.
4. Heat the cooking oil in a large frying pan. When hot, add the floured tofu pieces and cook until lightly golden brown on all sides.
5. Remove the cooked tofu pieces from the pan and if there is a lot of flour residue, wipe out with a paper towel, being careful to not burn your fingers.
6. If the frying pan is dry, then add again a bit of cooking oil to stir fry the vegetables.
7. Add the squash pieces and lightly stir fry until softened.
8. Add the red cabbage pieces and continue to stir fry.
9. Add the grated ginger and minced garlic.
10. Add the mixed sauce and lightly stir to mix.
11. They only need a minute or tow until ready.
12. Remove from the heat and serve the dish over buckwheat noodles or rice.
13. We garnished the meal with a sprinkling of black sesame seeds.