Diabetic Kitchen Diary

A delicious low carb, low saturated fat, cacciatore inspired tofu dish. 

This is a delicious and strongly flavorful recipe, perfect for autumn’s cooling nights.

We enjoyed it with the Cold Broccoli-Pesto Salad.

Ingredients

• 1 block (14 oz) firm tofu (pressed to remove excess moisture, cut into 1-inch cubes)
• 1 red bell pepper (thinly sliced)
• 1 yellow bell pepper (thinly sliced)
• 1 small onion (thinly sliced, about half the amount typically used)
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes(drained, reserve the juice)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ¼ cup kalamata olives (pitted and halved)
• 1 tablespoon capers (optional, for added brininess)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (for sautéing)
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme (or substitute 1 teaspoon fresh thyme)
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (adjust to taste)
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• Fresh parsley (chopped, for garnish, optional)

Instructions

• Prepare Tofu: Heat a non-stick or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, then the cubed tofu. Sauté until golden on all sides, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. (Now, add the onions and garlic of the next step quickly, or the oil may well burn.)
• Sauté Vegetables: In the same pan, add a bit more olive oil if needed. Add the sliced onions and garlic, and cook until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add the sliced bell peppers and continue to sauté for another 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender but still vibrant.
• Add Tomato Paste: Stir in the tomato paste, letting it cook and caramelize for 1-2 minutes.
• Add Tomatoes (without juice): Add the drained diced tomatoes, oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes, olives, and capers (if using). Stir to combine. Cook for about 2 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
• Simmer and Thicken: Gradually add a small amount of the reserved tomato juice as needed to control the sauce’s thickness. Allow the mixture to simmer uncovered for 10-12 minutes, if necessary to reducing the liquid and thickening the sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. (Such simmering will not be necessary if you add the juice at the same rate it boils off from the hot pan, keeping the pan constantly just a little saucy.)
• Store: Store the tofu and the sauce separately, in the refrigerator. (If this is for meal prep.)
• Serve: When ready to eat, combine them and heat them up. (Ideally, the tofu will get to absorb some of the sauce’s flavor while they are heating up together.)

Notes

• This makes a pretty dry mixture, intentionally. I didn’t want to have a bunch of liquid looking for a starch or starch substitute to soak it up.
• You can see from the photo that I used two red peppers instead of a red and a yellow. I used what I had!
• If the tofu gets used up first, the remaining sauce is good with any other straight forward protein.