Tofu Mushroom Spinach Stir Fry

Man, this week of midterms is kicking me in the butt. I am sleep deprived, walking to classes in a delusional state of mind and craving all things chocolate. Thankfully, I took my hardest midterm of this week this morning, so I can chill a little bit before memorizing the night away for my Human Food Practices midterm tomorrow morning. Why, oh why, do I torture myself into pulling all-nighters when I know the after effect turns me into a starry-eyed zombie that isn't able to function as a coherent human being? Maybe I should learn to not procrastinate...after I write a post for you all! :) Then, I swear I'll get started on studying.

Before I introduce my dish, I want to explain how I came to making this dish. One of my apartment mates loves loves loves LOVES LOVES LOVES mushrooms and tofu. (Shoutout to my girl Camille!) She asked me to help her cook up her tofu somehow and, of course, who am I to turn down an opportunity to experiment and build upon my cooking skills? So, duh, I humbly abided. I was feeling Asian-flavors today, so that's why we have stir fry, a quick and simple method to cook up a tasty dish! As a college student, you make use of what you have and you keep things efficient. Therefore, my top 3 tips for kitchen efficiency are: one-pot wonders (let's be real, ain't no one got time to wash a billion dishes), keeping a spice drawer (you never know what your dish may need), and washing kitchen utensils as you go (especially while I'm waiting for things to cook).

ONE PET PEEVE ABOUT THIS DISH. Crumbly tofu. Every time I end up cooking tofu, it breaks from a beautiful square cube into gazillion chunks of white blobs. -______- Unfortunately, like many times in the past, it broke into small little pieces this time as well (IN MY DEFENSE, I used multi-use tofu as opposed to firm tofu because that was all I had on hand.) BUT IT'S OKAY. It ended up tasting friggin' DELICIOUS~!!!! Thus, I proudly present to you...

Tofu Mushroom Spinach Stir Fry

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp. chili powder
6 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
3 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. black pepper
3 tsp. brown sugar
1 package of mushrooms, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 lb. package firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 cup spinach, chopped

Directions:
1.) Warm up the oil.
2.) When oil sizzles at the drop of water or a small piece of onion, you know it's ready to drop in the chopped onion. Brown onion.
3.) Add chili powder, vinegar, soy sauce, black pepper, and brown sugar.
4.) Add mushroom. Cook for ~3 minutes.
5.) Add tofu and spinach. Cook until everything looks cooked. :P ~ 5-7 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste.
6.) Serve with brown rice or whole grain bread to soak up the delicious sauce!

Serving size: ~3 servings

This nutritious dish is definitely a must-try! Tofu is packed with protein to help keep you full. Mushrooms are a good source of vitamin B, which helps provide energy by breaking down carbs, fat, and protein. Spinach is a good source of vitamins like A, K, D and E, trace minerals, and cancer-fighting antioxidants! Spinach is great for keeping your bones (vitamin K), eyes (vitamin A), and skin (vitamin E) healthy. This dish is also loaded with calcium at 76.8% per serving! 

If you make it, please share it with me because I'd love to see how it turns out for you and any personal twists you placed into it! :)

Enjoy! :)

Nutrition Info (per serving): Calories 155.2 Total Fat 7.9 g Saturated Fat 1.2 g Polyunsaturated Fat 3.0 g Monounsaturated Fat 3.1 g Cholesterol 0 mg Sodium 961.3 mg Potassium 490.0 mg Total Carbohydrate 11.4 g Dietary Fiber 3.2 g Sugars 5.9 g Protein 14.1 g Vitamin A 46.3 % Vitamin B 12.4% Vitamin C 13.2% Vitamin D 11.1% Calcium 76.8% Iron 22.7%

Calorie counter used: http://www.sparkpeople.com/calorie-counter.asp