To me, stir fries are like salads. You don’t really need a recipe. Just toss a bunch of stuff that goes well together into a pan and 10 minutes later, Viola! Dinner. I found a package of tofu in the back of the fridge. I was glad to see it because protein-wise, this pantry challenge has cleaned me out. I also located a green pepper that had been hiding from me, a can of baby corn and the remainder of the edamame in the freezer. As we were doing dishes, M commented that I did not serve this over noodles or rice (both of which we are out of), but his comment made me remember we had crunchy Chinese noodles in the pantry. They would have been the perfect topping for this. Oh well.
Begin by pressing your tofu. (Instructions here.) Once most of the liquid has been released, cut the tofu into 1″ cubes. Preheat a wok or large skillet with a tablespoon of oil over high heat. Add the tofu.
Cook, turning gently, until golden brown on all sides. Remove from the wok and set aside.
Cut your peppers and onions into thin strips. Halve a squash and thinly slice. Halve your snow peas.
Reheat the wok over high and add a tablespoon of sesame oil. Add the onions and peppers to the pan. Cook 2-3 minutes until they begin to soften.
Add a package of presliced mushrooms and an additional drizzle of sesame oil. Stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute.
Add the summer squash and frozen edamame to the wok. Cook for 1 minute.
Finally add the snow peas and baby corn. Cook 3-4 minutes until vegetables are tender.
While the vegetables cook, combine the juice of one orange, two tablespoons of hoisin sauce, one tablespoon of soy sauce and 1/2 tablespoon of chile paste in a small bowl. Stir to combine.
Return the tofu to the pan and add the sauce. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Cook until the tofu is heated through.
Serve over noodles or rice, or on its own.


- 1 package tofu (firm or extra firm), pressed and cut into 1" cubes
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 1 green pepper, sliced
- 1 red onion, halved and sliced
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
- 1 package presliced mushrooms
- 1 summer squash, cut into half moons
- 1/2 cup frozen shelled edamame
- 1 cup snow peas, halved
- 1 can baby corn
- 1 orange, juiced
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon chile paste
- Rice or noodles for serving, optional
- Preheat a wok or large skillet with a tablespoon of oil over high heat. Add the tofu.
- Cook, turning gently, until golden brown on all sides. Remove from the wok and set aside.
- Reheat the wok over high and add a tablespoon of sesame oil. Add the onions and peppers to the pan. Cook 2-3 minutes until they begin to soften.
- Add mushrooms and the remainder of the sesame oil. Stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add the summer squash and frozen edamame to the wok. Cook for 1 minute.
- Finally add the snow peas and baby corn. Cook 3-4 minutes until vegetables are tender.
- While the vegetables cook, combine the orange juice, hoisin sauce, soy sauce and chile paste in a small bowl. Stir to combine.
- Return the tofu to the pan and add the sauce. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Cook until the tofu is heated through.
- Serve over noodles or rice, or on its own.