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A simple Chinese stir fry-inspired dish packed with protein and veggies.
When my taste buds need a break from chicken and turkey breast, pork, and lean cuts of beef, I use opportunity to explore new recipes with other protein sources. This recipe uses Tofu (a complete protein and an excellent option for vegetarians and vegans) and collagen* as the main protein sources. If you are not a tofu fan, this dish would also work great with chicken or pork.
Firstly, the tofu. It’s important to use extra firm so it doesn’t fall apart during cooking. Typically a tofu stir-fry dish calls for fried tofu which is deep fried in soybean oil and triples the calories:
Instead, I “fake fried” the tofu in a pan with a light spray of canola oil to give the exterior a crisp texture. The end result is nicely browned cubes that aren’t greasy and are ready to absorb the glaze.
Before “frying” 
After “Frying”
For the glaze: A common way to thicken a glaze or sauce is to add corn starch. Rather than corn starch (carbohydrate), I instead used collagen protein which provides the same result but instead adds additional protein. It’s a great substitution; collagen is flavorless and readily absorbs into water. It seamlessly mixes with the other ingredients in the glaze.
Hoisin sauce and chilli sauce can be purchased at all major grocery stores, although it is usually less expensive at the Asian grocery stores. You can adjust the level of heat by adding more or less chili sauce. The recipe keeps it mild, I usually add more as I eat it.
Finally, a note about the veggies. I used Chinese eggplant because it contains slightly less water than the more commonly found large ones to reduce the risk of over-steaming and sogginess. Eggplant is a high fiber food and contains some great micronutrients. It also happens to be an amazing sponge for flavors, win-win! For the peppers, you can use any color – I just happened to have a red and orange in the fridge. Green would change the flavor a bit, but not in a bad way.
Sweet and Spicy Tofu Eggplant
Makes: 4 servings
Per Serving: 256 kcal, 26g Carbs, 20g Protein, 8g Fat
Ingredients:
- 2 Chinese eggplant, chopped into bite sized pieces
- 2 bell peppers (any color), chopped into bite sized pieces
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 425 g (15 oz) extra firm tofu
- 40 g collagen protein
- 60g (3 tbsp) hoisin Sauce
- 30 g chili paste
- 3 tbsp water
- 6-8 mists of canola oil spray
Instructions:
- Cut tofu up into approx. 3/4″ cubes
- Mist large skillet or pan (flat bottom) with canola oil spray and place in the tofu cubes.
- Turn heat to medium-high and allow the tofu to cook for 6-7 minutes, or until the bottom side turns golden brown. Flip the cubes and repeat the heating process until all sides are golden. Remove tofu from pan and set aside.
- In a small bowl, thoroughly stir together hoisin sauce, chili paste, water, minced garlic, and collagen powder to form the glaze. Set aside.
- Lightly spray the skillet again and add the chopped veggies. Heat on medium high for 12-14 minutes, or until veggies are tender and you see the eggplant turn slightly translucent. Stir up the veggies every minute or so to ensure even cooking. Try not to let the pieces stack on top of one another to ensure that they all cook through. Here is what they should look like after cooking:
- Turn heat to low. Add tofu back to the pan then add the glaze. Gently fold all ingredients together until the glaze coats all of the pieces.
This dish goes great with either white or brown rice.
I enjoy coming up with new recipes for myself and to meet my client’s needs. Please let me know if you’ve given this a try!
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* Meats, whey, casein, and egg protein are excellent complete protein sources. A complete protein source must contain all nine of the essential amino acids – the amino acids that or bodies can’t produce on their own and we must get from our diets. Soy and hemp are also complete if you are looking for plant-derived alternatives.
However, collagen is an incomplete protein- it lacks one of the nine essential amino acids (tryptophan). Further, its amino acid profile is skewed towards glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline which is not ideal if you are looking to sustain and grow more muscle. If your diet is primarily based on the complete sources mentioned above, there is no harm incorporating collagen into your diet…..it will help strengthen your nails, hair, skin, and joints.
