Delving into the New Year I have been looking for something slightly different and new to explore food wise to inspire me. So I was very happy to receive a copy of The Sirtfood Diet, (which happens to be co written by our expert food nutritionist Glen Matten!). The book it very interesting as it explores how your body can better burn fat by eating foods that are rich in specific natural plan chemicals, these are called Sirtfoods! This stir-fry is taken from The Sirtfood Diet Book, it is easy to make and I think it is not only filling but also quite delicious! The tofu is bakes in a mirin and miso paste glaze, and I liked the touch of adding turmeric to the buckwheat as it cooks, health benefits it and improved flavour. The good news is the majority of the recipes are vegetarian, and I intend to test them all out.
If it’s more health and not weight loss you are looking for, then take more the approach in the maintenance plan part of the book which involves a daily sirt green juice, and then getting good levels of Sirtfoods into the daily meals. Beyond the 7 day plan it’s all about incorporating meaningful amounts of those foods into the diet for long term health benefits.
Serves: 2
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Vegan, Gluten Free, Diary Free
Ingredients
2 tablespoon mirin
2 tablespoon (40g) brown miso paste
250g firm tofu
1 stick of celery, trimmed, stringy pieces peeled away and chopped finely
1 red onion, sliced thin
1 courgette, sliced thin
2 bird’s eye chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped (optional as quite spicy)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
100g (1 1/4 cup) kale, washed and chopped
4 teaspoon sesame seeds
70g (1/2cup) buckwheat, or buckwheat noodles also work well
235 ml (1 cup) water
2 teaspoon ground turmeric
4 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoon tamari (soy sauce can be used if you are not avoiding gluten)
Preheat your oven to 200°C/gas 6
- Line a small roasting tin with greaseproof or parchment paper.
- Mix the mirin and miso together in a bowl. Cut the tofu lengthways, then cut each piece in half, making triangles. Cover the tofu with the miso mixture and leave to marinate while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Cook the kale in a steamer for 5 minutes, remove and leave to one side. If you don’t have a steamer, place a pan of water on the hob and bring to a rolling boil, place a collider over the top with the kale in, this will act as a steamer.
- Whilst the kale is cooking, slice the trimmed celery, red onion and courgette on the angle. Then finely chop the chilli (making sure all seeds are removed), garlic and ginger and leave to one side.
- Place the marinated tofu in the roasting tin, sprinkle the sesame seeds over the tofu and roast for 15-20 minutes, until nicely caramelised.
- Wash the buckwheat in a sieve and place a cup of water on to boil, adding the turmeric and a pitch of salt to taste. Once the water has started to boil add the buckwheat and leave on a high heat. When buckwheat has expanded and started to absorb the water, reduce to a low heat and place the lid on, cook for a remaining 10-15 minutes. Once all the water is absorbed the buckwheat is cooked.
- When the tofu has 5 minutes remaining, heat the olive oil in a frying pan, when hot add the celery, onion, courgette, chilli, garlic and ginger and fry on a high heat for 1-2 minutes, then reduce to a medium heat for 3-4 minutes until the vegetables are cooked through but still crunchy. You may need to add a tablespoon of water if the vegetables start to stick to the pan. Add the kale and tamari and cook for a further minute.
- When the tofu is ready serve with the greens and buckwheat.