Dim Yum: Try These Delicious Meat-Free Stir Fry Recipes

Who doesn't love a good stir fry recipe? They're simple to make, versatile, and they taste good no matter what ingredients you have lying around the house. However, they're also more than just quick and easy meals to make: They're delicious, nutritious, and can pack a real flavorful punch. Stir-fries are also a huge staple to the vegetarian diet. No matter which meat you're replacing for tofu, they're just as – if not more – delicious. And the best thing is, each of these recipes can be made with meat, too. That's the beauty of a stir fry.

Vegetable Noodle Stir Fry with Orange

Have you ever thought to include fruit in your stir fry? If not, maybe it's time to. Adding citrus to your stir fry gives it a tang on top of the comfort. For the stir fry sauce, you'll want to mix soy sauce, orange juice, sherry, sugar or a sugar substitute and top it off with orange zest and black pepper for the kick. Use any vegetables you have around or wish, frying them up in the wok alongside your noodles. When finished, add a couple of orange segments to polish it off.

Winter Vegetable and Tofu Stir Fry

Stir-fries are great comfort food at all times of the year, but during the colder months, they make a great alternative to soups. Although many of the usually seen vegetables aren't as readily available during the summer and aren't at all if you grow them yourself, the root vegetables might just be the secret ingredient. You might not have thought to add carrots or scallions before, so now might be the time. Drench them in a sauce mixed with maple syrup, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and cloves. Then, finish up the veggies, noodles, and tofu with some ginger and garlic.

Tofu and Pineapple Stir Fry

In the same vein as using orange in your stir fry, you can also use pineapple. Using pineapple in savory dishes gets its share of haters but for those of us who love it, using it in our stir-fries might be the best decision ever. The pineapple will make your stir fry tarty and citrusy, balancing out the natural oils from the soy sauce or tamari and vegetables. For the stir fry sauce, all you need is rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar or sugar substitute, and a kick of salt.

Sichuan Green Bean Stir-Fry

Green beans are delicious. They're delicious on their own, they're delicious with other veggies, and most importantly, they're the perfect ingredient to any stir fry recipe. This Sichuan green bean stir fry is flavorful and filling, and it just might get you hooked to the beans. For the sauce, mix soy sauce, sherry, sugar, cornstarch, and dry mustard. Making your own sauce is much healthier than buying from the store, and you also get to control how spicy the dish is judging on how much ginger you use. Delicious!

Coconut Curry Stir-Fry

Coconut curry might feel more Indian Cuisine than a stir fry, but it actually works incredibly well. For most of us, curry doesn't go amiss, but we also probably haven't thought to curry our oodles before. The coconut milk is definitely the highlight of this recipe, also acting as the linchpin for both taste and strength. You'll want to cube and sautée the tofu until it's nice and brown on the outside. As for the sauce, mix coconut milk with some curry paste and tamari, add to the wok, and never look back.

Honey Ginger Tofu and Veggie Stir Fry

Being vegetarian is easier than some people might think. Just because you're eating a plant-based diet doesn't mean your meals need to be bland. Stir-fries are prime examples that this isn't the case. This honey and ginger tofu is a delight and can warm you up to tofu like a charm. For the sauce, puree the garlic with ginger, honey, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and canola oil. Once you've cubed tofu, add it and the sauce to the wok or skillet. Dry it then add both to your veggies for a dish so yummy you’ll feel like it’s a treat.

Tofu Greens and Cashew Stir Fry

All stir-fries are quick and easy to make, but this one takes the tofu cake. It's a super simple recipe with a star ingredient that makes all the difference: Roasted cashew nuts. For the sauce, you can just utilize the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and ginger combo or make your own hoisin sauce. Throw some pak choi and tofu in with the noodles, some scallions and soya beans. As for the nuts, roast them first and add them to the stir fry as it cooks around the time you're adding the sauce.

Miso-Glazed Tofu Stir Fry

Miso has been really kicking up steam over the last few years. It's a protein-rich paste that has been used in Asian cuisine for centuries. Made using fermented pulses – usually soybeans – and additions like rice or barley depending on the type of miso you're making. For the sauce, combine canola oil, rice vinegar, and white miso with ginger, garlic, soy sauce and a bit of sugar. Glaze your tofu with miso sauce, cook your noodles with miso, and generally, just add miso to every part of your stir fry for this Japanese kick.

Swiss Chard Stir Fry

This is a super easy recipe that can be made in minutes. Furthermore, the bigger the batch, the more dinners you'll have covered throughout the week. What's more, swiss chard is super good for you. For the sauce, mix some tamari with maple syrup, sesame seeds, and if you want a kick, a little Sriracha. Then just add it to your Swiss chard, garlic, onion, and noodles for a 15-minute meal you'll want to eat again and again.

Take-Out-Style Veggie Lo Mein Stir Fry

Who doesn't love Chinese take out? The little boxes you get and the chopsticks have been on every movie and TV show for the last 20 years. However, you can make your favorite stir fry lo mein dish at home saving money and calories as you do. Also, you'll get that great feeling you have after you've made something from scratch. For your take-out-style lo mein sauce mix soy sauce with hoisin, maple syrup or agave, and sesame oil. Cube and pan fry your tofu, then add it to a mix of scallions, shiitake mushrooms, ginger, garlic, bell pepper, and carrot, for the taste you've been chasing since your first restaurant stir fry.