15-Minute Healthy Sautéed Asparagus and Tofu - Healthy Food Tip and Recipe

healthy food tip and recipe

Today's Recipe If you don't know what to serve for dinner tonight ...
Add this quick-and-easy vegetarian meal to your Healthiest Way of Eating this week. Prepared by using our Healthy Sauté cooking method it has great flavor with a minimal number of ingredients and is prepared without the use of heated oils. Enjoy!

15-Minute Healthy Sautéed Asparagus and Tofu
Prep and Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, cut in half and sliced medium thick
• 4 medium cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 TBS vegetable broth
• 2 TBS minced fresh ginger
• 3 cups thin asparagus, cut in 2-inch lengths
• 1 medium red bell pepper, thin julienne in 1-inch lengths
• 4 oz extra firm tofu, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 TBS soy sauce
• 2 TBS rice vinegar
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• salt and white pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Slice onions and chop garlic and let both sit for at least 5 minutes to bring out their hidden health benefits.
2. Heat 1 TBS broth in a 10-12 inch stainless steel skillet. Healthy Sauté onion in broth over medium high heat for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Add garlic, ginger, asparagus, and peppers and continue to healthy sauté for another 1 minute, stirring constantly.
4. Add tofu, soy sauce, and vinegar. Turn heat to low and cover for about 2 minutes, or until vegetables are tender, yet still crisp.
5. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Serves 4 Printer Friendly Version of 15-Minute Healthy Sautéed Asparagus and Tofu
In-Depth Nutritional Profile for 15-Minute Healthy Sautéed Asparagus and Tofu
Healthy Food Tip

Is it OK to store fruits and vegetables in plastic bags in the refrigerator?

I believe that fruits and vegetables can usually be stored in plastic bags (like those you get in the market's produce section, or plastic "zip-lock" type bags) at normal refrigerator temperatures. I have yet to see research that shows significant health risks to be associated with plastic bags when used at the low refrigerator temperatures of 35-40°F (2-4°C).
On the other hand, I'd like to mention that the practice of shrink-wrapping individual foods in thin plastic wrap is not one I recommend. That's because this practice can increase the amount of food surface that comes into tight and direct contact with the plastic, potentially causing additional migration of chemicals from the plastic into the food. However slight, this added risk seems unnecessary to me and easily avoided.
I'd also like to point out that while plastic may be an acceptable storage method for produce kept in the refrigerator, the heating of plastic can be problematic in that there is a greater potential for the migration of the plastic chemicals into the food. Therefore, I would avoid all methods of cooking that involve plastics such as any type of "boil-in-a-bag" food, heating food in a plastic container in the microwave, and heating in the oven using "oven-safe" plastic containers.
It's also important to remember that different people may have different reasons for adopting their own particular approach to plastic packaging and food. In some cases, a person might want to bring his or her own mesh bags to the market for environmental reasons and to avoid plastic packaging altogether. Another person might be trying to avoid any possible exposure to plastics because of a personal desire to take every single step possible when it comes to food quality, even if that step might not make much of a practical difference. I fully respect each of these individual approaches to plastic packaging. At the same time, based on the research, I believe that you can usually transport and refrigerate your produce in plastic packaging with a basic sense of safety.