In January, I signed up for Madeline Moves Tighter Together Challenge: as a runner, I always overlook strength training and wanted something to help me feel stronger after the usual over indulgence over the holidays. This 4 week program includes 6 (pretty intense) workouts a week and guidelines to count your macros – it focuses a lot on getting enough protein which, as a vegetarian is always something I struggle with. Long story short, I had to get creative with making meals that were satisfying but macro friendly! 

One night, we were making dumplings and I had the crazy idea to make a bowl out of the insides, so added some diced pan fried tofu to the veggies, loaded it up in a bowl with some eggs for an extra oomph of protein and voila: egg roll in a bowl! It is crunchy, it is spicy, and it works for everyone in the family on its own, as a dumpling filling or even mixed in with noodles or rice! 

This has become a regular meal in our meal prep rotation even though TT is over – as summer heat begins to set in, this is the perfect dish to eat on those hot nights! 

Tips & Tricks

• You can cook the tofu in an air fryer as well – typically we cook it at 350F for 10 min and turn it over halfway 
• The possibilities of serving these are endless: I like to eat it in a bowl with soft boiled eggs while Karthik prefers to eat it stirred in with noodles or rice. These also make a kickass albeit non-traditional taco filling! 

Recipe Information

• Prep time: 20 minutes
• Cook time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4-6 servings 

Ingredients

• 1 medium napa cabbage shredded
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 onion, diced
• Serrano/Jalapeno, diced
• Mushrooms (mix of standard white mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms for umami)
• 1 block tofu
• 1 bell pepper, diced small
• 1 tsp ginger powder
• 2 cloves fresh garlic 
• Cayenne Pepper
• Salt/Pepper
• Sriracha and Sriracha Mayo for garnish

Directions

1. Drain water from tofu, add a layer or two of paper towels and weigh down to drain – about 20 minutes
2. Cut into 1 inch cubes and pan fry in a few tbsp of oil for 10 minutes until browned 
3. Sauté onions and serrano peppers in a wok with a few tsp of oil
4. Add veggies to mixture and cook on medium heat for ~5 min
5. Add ginger, garlic, cayenne, salt/pepper and adjust seasoning to taste
6. Add tofu pieces and stir
7. Serve (if desired) with rice or noodles
8. You can also eat this as pictured with a soft boiled egg and drizzled with sriracha mayo and sriracha