Dinner or Side: Tofu Almondine

Tofu Almondine

This is a personal favourite of mine as an entree- this time I served it separate over basmati rice, but often I make it with quinoa or CousCous too for a crunchier texture.

What you will need:

2 lb. tofu, drained, pressed and cut into cube size of your choice
**note if you are using quinoa or CousCous you can also incorporate silken tofu into the mix which helps bind everything together and is less tofuish- for the nouveau tofu eaters**
4 tablespoons tamari (sub 2 tablespoons soy sauce if you don't have tamari)
1/2 cup almond butter
2 cups water or veggie broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 large onion finely chopped
1 green pepper chopped
3 medium carrots chopped
3 stalks celery chopped
2 cups chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup tamari or regular almonds sliced (optional:garnish)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, place tofu cubes in baking dish and coat with 4 tablespoons tamari, bake for 20 minutes- middle rack of the oven.

While your tofu is baking, heat a deep frying pan over medium heat and fry your chopped onion in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add celery, carrots (if you have I didn't this time-oops) and green pepper. Sautee for 5-10 minutes and reduce heat.

Prepare basmati, cous-cous or quinoa as per package directions (or rice cooker directions)

Remove tofu from oven and toss in frying pan with veggies. Add mushrooms, veggie broth, almond butter and simmer for 5 minutes. Transfer back into baking dish that tofu was baked in. Let everything settle into the pan and then sprinkle with sliced almonds. bake for 10-15 minutes.

Serve over grain of choice. Enjoy!

  

Leftovers re-imagined: Vegetable Curry with White rice towers

Vegetable curry with white rice towers

 

What you will need:

Leftovers in this case vegetable curry (or stir fry, tofu, or anything you want to add rice and curry sauce to)

White, or brown or basmati rice (prepare rice by package instructions. My rice cooker took two measures of rice to four measures of water)

1 Cup Apple sauce

1 quarter or segment of white onion with root attached

2 TBS olive oil
1 TBS pure Ginger (from tube or jar)
1 TBS cilantro (dried, from tube or frozen shaker box)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp cumin

2-3 bay leaves (remember to take these bad boys out before you are done)

4-6 fresh thyme sprigs

2-3 cups vegetable stock

½ cup white wine (optional)

Handy tool:

Cuisipro Scoop and Stack Ice Cream Scoop work on ice cream, shapes, cookies, tea biscuits, and YES EVEN RICE into compact towers. See 3^rd photo Credit: Cusipro.com

http://FrozenTreats.cuisipro.com/en/

http://www.amazon.com/Cuisipro-Scoop-Stack-Cream-Green/dp/B00152MIGQ

Quick tip:

If you are just starting to stock your pantry or spice cabinet and want a quick and dirty trick for Indian cooking pick up ‘Garam Masala’ – a mix of cinnamon, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cardamom seeds, black peppercorns, cloves and nutmeg – a North Indian all spice of sorts. You won’t regret it! This singular spice mix could have substituted in here for most of the spices listed as one step. YAY for simplicity.

Directions:

Add oil to a sauce or soup pot and heat over medium heat. Add quarter of white onion (TIP: remove peel but keep part of root attached so it doesn’t separate, you want the onion flavor but not the actual onion, you will be taking this guy out when you remove the bay leaves)

After the onion has simmered in the oil for 2-ish minutes reduce heat add apple sauce, spices and mix together with white wine. Add vegetable stock gradually, sprigs of thyme and bay leaves.

Let sauce simmer 10 minutes.

Pre-heat plates or pasta bowls in microwave and unplug rice cooker or remove inner bowl. Heat up leftovers in microwave on high for 5-6 minutes. Use ice cream scoop or scoop and stack tool and arrange two balls or towers of rice per plate. Spoon leftover around or on top of rice.

Remove bay leaves, thyme springs and onion segment from sauce. Ladle or pour sauce over each plate of leftovers and rice. Garnish with basil or sprigs of thyme as seen in picture. Serve immediately.