Easy Tofu Barley Fried Rice

I love when I can make a healthier twist on a popular dish. This super easy tofu barley fried rice is flavorful, filling and can be prepared in 20 minutes. That’s faster than take out, not to mention more nutritious.

Sometimes I feel stressed out with cooking. For me it is super time consuming to figure out what to cook to please 3 little ones. And let’s be super honest for a second- they get picky sometimes…. simply down right unreasonable most of the time. So this week out of the blue Jonathan decided that he didn’t want to eat anything green. I’m pretty sure it is a weird 7 year old thing but  I mean come on. I try my very best to accommodate them because sometimes I’m kinda picky with food too. For example I have had mango key lime pie almost every night. *Hangs head in shame and continues eating pie.* I’m recipe testing. Yup that is my story and I’m sticking to it.

So remember when I posted how to cook the most fluffy barley recipe yesterday? As always we had some left overs. I’m literally incapable of gauging how much to cook most of the time. We always have left overs. So I decided to make a easy barley fried rice for dinner. Plus I love sneaking in extra fiber into our meals.

I don’t even feel sorry for my gross misuse of those emojis. Sometimes when words fail, emojis come to my rescue. Can we just take a minute to address that fried tofu? Um, yes…please! Crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. Nuff said.

Dinner that is ready in under 20 minutes, AND is super nutritious and delicious- What more can I ask for? Make it tonight.

5 from 1 vote

Easy Tofu Barley Fried Rice

Servings 4 -6

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 4 large eggs cracked and mixed in a small bowl
• 2 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
• 3 1/2 cups cooked barley
• 1 block tofu drained
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• red pepper flakes to taste
• chopped scallions for garnish

Instructions

• Prep: Drain tofu and cut into 1 inch thick strips as shown in pictures. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and trader joe’s 21 seasoning salute.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium low heat. Melt the butter, and cook the eggs until they are scrambled and just barely cooked through- sprinkle with salt and pepper. Remove the eggs from the skillet and set aside.
• Turn the heat up to medium high, add 2 tablespoon of the oil, shallow fry the tofu on all sides. When the edges start to turn golden brown remove and set aside. In the same pot add the onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the onion begins to soften. Add the frozen vegetables and cook for about 2 more minutes.
• Add the 1 teaspoons of toasted sesame oil, then add the barley. Stir the mixture, then let it sit for about 1 minutes, then stir again and let it sit for another minute (this is to allow the barley to brown). Repeat 2 more times. Add the eggs.
• Finally, add the soy sauce, red pepper flakes and mix to combine everything. Remove from heat. Top with chopped scallions for garnish.

Author: Cooking Maniac