Spicy Thai Tofu with Crispy Coconut Spaghetti Squash Noodles - A plant based dish that is fun and flavorful! Great for dinner, #meatlessmonday, or for your lunch meal prep rotations.

Believe it or not, I was a vegetarian for four years when I was a teenager! I know, I can’t believe it either! But when I was a vegetarian, tofu stir fry was my jam! It was something that could be made pretty fast, kept me satiated, and burst with amazing flavors.

Within those years, I thought I was being healthy because I eliminated animal proteins from my diet. What I ended up doing was going into refined carb heaven eating all the desserts, pasta, bread, processed soy products, lots of Taco Bell...

The imbalance lead to health issues like protein sores in my mouth, skin turning a gray color, lethargy, weight gain, brain fog, acne, the list goes on!

So knowing the route I took on my vegetarian journey, you can probably tell that my go-to tofu stir fry probably wasn’t healthy. Haha, and you guessed right! I used the ramen noodles from the cheap Maruchan noodle packets and half a bottle of soy sauce. I threw in a bag of frozen oriental stir fry veggie mix and cubed tofu and that made the entire dish seem healthy in my mind.

And this is not to say that everyone who is a vegan/vegetarian is not healthy. Just like eating meat, being paleo, intuitive eating, counting macros, celery cleanse, etc, it’s all about having a diet rich in nutrient-dense, properly prepared, whole foods. That’s it. So wherever you are at in your journey with food, keep that in mind. And if you are just starting, here is a great post to help you in discovering what that looks like for you and your own personal journey.

One thing I will make a note of about this dish is that we are using organic sprouted tofu as our main protein source. In order for this meal to be properly prepared, I use organic sprouted tofu as the source of my protein. The reason that I chose sprouted over regular tofu is that the health benefits far outweigh. The sprouting process improves digestion and increases nutrient absorption. It also contains more protein and higher levels of calcium than regular tofu.

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

Spicy Thai Tofu with Crispy Coconut Spaghetti Squash Noodles - A plant based dish that is fun and flavorful! Great for dinner, #meatlessmonday, or for your lunch meal prep rotations.

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Ingredients

Coconut Noodles

1 medium spaghetti squash
½ cup unsweetened coconut milk
¼ cup toasted coconut flakes
1 Tbsp avocado oil

Marinade

14 oz organic sprouted extra firm tofu
¼ cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 Tbsp red curry paste
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 Tbsp fresh ginger (minced)
1 Tbsp gluten-free low-sodium tamari sauce or liquid (coconut) aminos
1 Tbsp arrowroot starch
1 tsp fish sauce (*vegan fish sauce if vegan)

Peanut Sauce

2 Tbsp creamy organic peanut butter
1 Tbsp gluten-free low-sodium tamari sauce or liquid (coconut) aminos
1 Tbsp water
2 tsp chili garlic sauce
1 tsp fresh ginger (minced)
½ tsp coconut sugar
½ juice of a lime

Garnish

¼ cup unsalted peanuts, chopped cilantro, chili garlic sauce, lime wedges

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
To make the spaghetti squash, cut the squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and lightly drizzle with oil and salt and pepper. Place squash face down on the baking sheet and roast for 35-45 minutes or until the squash peels easily away from the skin. Set aside to cool before dragging a fork across the squash to create noodles.
To make the tofu, once you are done pressing the tofu to get the excess liquid out, cut into cubes and add to a Ziploc bag. In a small bowl, add all the marinade ingredients and mix until well combined. Pour mixture into a Ziploc bag and toss tofu to coat. Let sit for at least 15-30 minutes.
While the tofu is marinating, make the peanut sauce by adding all sauce ingredients to a small bowl and whisk vigorously until ingredients are well combined. Should be smooth and creamy yet pourable.
Once the squash has cooled down and you have scraped out all the squash into noodles, transfer to a large skillet that is set on medium-high heat with about 1 Tbsp oil.
Saute in the oil for 5-10 minutes or until crispy. Add coconut milk to the noodles and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes or until most of the liquid has cooked off and you are left with crispy yet moist noodles. Take the skillet off the heat and garnish with toasted coconut flakes. Set aside.
You can either bake the tofu in the oven or cook in the same skillet you just used for the spaghetti squash noodles. I like to cook the tofu in the skillet to give it a crispy texture.
Transfer noodle mixture into a large bowl and top with the tofu. Drizzle peanut sauce over the dish or put in a small serving dish to have on the side. Garnish with toppings and enjoy with chopsticks!

Notes

Ingredients that I use: canned organic unsweetened coconut milk, tamari, soy-free version - coconut aminos, sprouted organic tofu, fish sauce, organic peanut butter, vegan fish sauce, chili garlic sauce
Meal Prep Version: divide noodle mixture and tofu into 4 containers and keep the peanut sauce/garnishes in a separate container so that you can pour over the mixture and garnish when ready to eat.
Feel free to add roasted veggies to the dish like peppers, onion, carrots, and zucchini or steamed veggies like snap peas and broccoli.
Plant-based protein alternatives: chickpeas, tempeh, beans or use chicken if you are wanting an animal based protein source.