We love our broccoli in a million different ways, but this Spicy Szechuan Broccoli Recipe might just be one of our favorites. Whip it up as a side or make a nice large bowl of it for a hearty meal.
Broccoli might be one of the most underrated veggies. It is completely delicious and it is loaded with nutrients. Broccoli is a wonderful source of vitamin K, vitamin C, chromium, vitamin E, folate and packed with fiber. It is super tasty on its own with a little salt and pepper, raw, roasted, grilled, boiled, and the list goes on. Can you see why we love it so much?
This recipe is also made with low-sodium soy sauce. Regular soy sauce is typically loaded with sodium. When we have too much sodium in our diets, it can lead to excess weight gain and chronic diseases, especially heart disease. Heart disease consists of heart attacks, clogged arteries, strokes, congestive heart failure, and a number of other complications. Heart disease is known as a silent killer and is one of the number one causes of death in America today, which is why we want to decrease the amount of sodium in our diets as much as we can.
To make this recipe, begin by sautéing your onion over medium heat. Drain your tofu well and chop into one inch cubes. Once you can really smell that sweet onion aroma, stir in your broccoli and tofu. Cook this up until the broccoli turns bright green and the tofu browns slightly. If you would rather, you can cook the broccoli and tofu separately. Add your garlic and reduce the heat and stir for another four minutes. Add sesame oil and soy sauce. Then toss in your salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.
This dish goes perfectly with a side of brown rice or quinoa. Adding a whole grain to the mix helps to create a balanced plate. What do you think about the broccoli/tofu combo? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
- 1 head broccoli (chopped)
- 1/3 red onion (sliced)
- 1/2 block of extra firm tofu (drained and chopped)
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of low-sodium soy sauce
- 1-2 tablespoons sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Sauté onion on medium heat
- Stir in Broccoli and tofu and cook until broccoli turns bright green and tofu slightly browned (you can also cook the broccoli and tofu separately and then combine)
- Add garlic; reduce heat and stir for 4 minutes
- Add sesame oil and soy sauce
- Add salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste
- Enjoy with brown rice!
Jayd
May 12, 2015 at 12:49 am (4 years ago)I’m not a fan of tofu, can you replace the it with chicken or just cook the broccoli by itself or would that require a different recipe?
Tori
June 11, 2015 at 5:46 pm (4 years ago)Hello! When I looked into Bragg’s, its nutritional information says it has 160 mg of sodium per 1/2 tsp. Based on that, your recipe would have around 1920 mg of sodium. Is there another alternative to Bragg’s that you might recommend? Thanks!
Wendy
June 16, 2015 at 9:22 am (3 years ago)An alternative I enjoy is balsamic vinegar. Not exactly the same salty taste but it gives food a nice color and tang. Hope this helps!
Miriam K
July 21, 2015 at 12:14 pm (3 years ago)Everything good has something bad in it, no? Who knew that Balsamic vinegar had huge amounts of sugar? I use Bragg’s because it has less salt than soy but that doesn’t mean it’s no salt.
This recipe sound delicious and very much like one of my favourite dishes I used to get from a Chinese take-out. They tucked in a number of whole hot red chilis. But they deep fried soft tofu. I think I’ll add the chilis and cook the tofu your way.
Thanks.