In my work share this week I received an all organic supply of one long eggplant, two red bells, an abundance of beautiful, spicy greens, chives, cherry tomatoes, and potatoes. With all that fresh produce in hand, I felt inspired to create one of my all time favorite vegetarian dishes, stir fry. I’ve never added Brussels sprouts to a stir fry before but since I had them on hand and needed to use them they got tossed in my wok along with the other veggies. (The Brussels sprouts will take a bit of cooking time so just bare that in mind.) The sweet Hoisin sauce was a perfect compliment to the slightly bitter Brussels and I loved finding a new way to prepare one of my favorite veggies.

Hoisin Brussels Sprout Stir Fry with Pan Seared Szechuan Tofu 

Ingredients:

2 cups Brussels Sprouts, trimmed and sliced in half

1 long Eggplant, trimmed and sliced

1 large or 2 small Red Bell peppers, chopped

1 cup shredded Savoy cabbage

2 to 3 Jalapeno peppers, trimmed and chopped (optional)

about a 1/4 cup Hoisin sauce (I get mine from Newark Farmer’s Market)

1/4 cup low sodium Soy sauce

1 cup water

1 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice Powder

1 teaspoon Garlic powder

1 tablespoon Toasted Sesame Oil

Pan Seared Szchuan Tofu, recipe follows

2 servings Rice Vermicelli, cooked per package instructions

Garnish: Chopped fresh chives

Method:

In a wok over medium heat, add in the toasted sesame oil and heat until shimmering. Add in the Brussels sprouts and cook about 10 minutes. Add in the Hoisin and soy sauce and continue cooking until the sauce is reduced. Add in the cup of water and allow to simmer until slightly reduced about 10 minutes. Add in the remaining ingredients and simmer until the sauce has completely thickened, about 15 minutes or until the Brussels sprouts are tender. Once the sauce has thickened, turn off the heat. Stir in the tofu until it is completely coated with the sauce. Serve immediately over rice vermicelli and garnish with fresh chopped chives.

Pan Seared Szechaun Tofu

1 pkg Extra Firm Tofu, frozen then thawed and cut into 1″ squares

1 cup Masa flour

2 teaspoons Chinese Five Spice powder

about 1 teaspoon Roasted Szechaun salt

1 teaspoon Ginger powder

1/4 teaspoon finely grated Black Pepper powder

1/4 teaspoon Szechaun peppercorns

2 to 3 dried chile de arbol, optional

2 tablespoons Toasted Sesame Oil

Method:

In a medium mixing bowl combine the Masa flour with the Chinese five spice powder, ginger powder, black pepper, and roasted Szchuan salt. Toss the tofu in the Masa mixture. Heat the toasted sesame oil in a cast iron or non stick fry pan over medium high heat along with the Szechaun peppercorns and dried chilies. Once the oil is simmering, add the tofu in batches and fry on all sides until golden brown about 15 to 20 minutes per batch. Set the tofu on a paper towel lined platter to drain off excess oil. Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce or toss into your favorite stir fry.