Sesame Black Rice with Tofu

This is a super simple recipe I came up with on the fly–totally based on what was in my refrigerator at the time. To make it in a pinch, use leftover rice–you can use any variety. I used a mixture of brown rice and Japonica, which is nuttier in taste and dark in colour. The entire pot of rice will turn blackish–very lovely against the white tofu.

This is surprisingly tasty, considering how simple it is. It’s slightly spicy and very sesame-y.

Sesame Black Rice with Tofu

serves 1-2

1 c water
1/2 brown rice blend: 2/3 short grain brown rice, 1/3 Japonica rice
1/4 red or yellow pepper, diced
2 oz firm tofu, diced into small cubes
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp sriracha sauce
olive oil
salt to taste

Cook rice according to these instructions, or use leftover rice. In skillet, heat olive oil. Once very hot, add tofu. Cook for 5 minutes, turning once. Tofu should become brown on at least one side and, hopefully, crispy. Add in red peppers and saute for 1 minute.

In a separate skillet, heat sesame seeds for about 1-2 minutes until they are toasted (lightly brown).

Add sesame seeds, sriracha, and toasted sesame oil to tofu and peppers. Stir in rice and toss until well combined. Salt to taste. Serve immediately.

Coconut tofu, mango, and black beans

While flipping through a Rachael Ray magazine a few weeks ago, I saw this recipe. I’m not usually a huge fan of her recipes, but this one looked great. It called for chicken, but it’s been too hot lately–I haven’t been in the mood for meat. It turned out GREAT. I had some friends over for dinner and they loved it. I served it with corn risotto and a light rose wine–a perfect pairing. My adaptation below:

Coconut tofu, mango and Black beans

Serves 3-4

1-2 tbsp olive or coconut oil
1 package extra firm tofu, cubed
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 cup coconut milk [you can use light coconut milk]
1 mango, peeled and cut into ½ -inch pieces
Salt and pepper
1 c dry black beans [you can substitute two cans of black beans]
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped mint

If using dry black beans: the night before (or morning of), put the dry beans in 2 cups of water. Let sit for at least 8 hours. Strain beans and rinse them, discarding the soaking water. Add beans to 2-3 cups water; bring to a boil. Simmer for 30-40 minutes until they’re the consistency you like

For the mango & tofu: Heat a large skillet. Once hot, add oil. Once it’s heated, add tofu and coriander. Saute for 3-4 minutes until light golden on each side. Add the vegetable broth and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add the coconut juice and simmer for about 4 minutes, until reduced to about half. Add the mango until warmed through, 1-2 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon the black beans onto a place. Squeeze lime juice on them and sprinkle with mint. Spoon tofu, mango, and sauce over the beans — and enjoy!

Update:  This was even better the next day!  I decided to heat everything separately but serve them sort of mixed together… I really enjoyed it.

Cooking Without Measuring

I was recently perusing through the ‘coming soon!’ section of barnesandnobles.com. A book called ‘Cooking Beyond Measure’ struck my eye–it’s a cookbook that stresses the individualization of cooking versus a slavish dedication to a recipe. I thought this was great! This is the way I cook–I very rarely follow recipes exactly. Someone’s written a book about it!

I told my boyfriend, who is a trained chef, about it. He thought it was a terrible idea. Why should we trust the general public to decide they want 1/2 cup of onions versus 3/4 cup?! Their taste buds aren’t trained! Their palate may be off! The dish might not come out 100% perfect!

I’ve found that a lot of my clients don’t cook a lot because they have the notion that a home-cooked dinner has to be complicated and involve lots of ingredients (some of which they may not have, such as obscure spices). I disagree. Your cooking is what you make of it. Sometimes you may choose to follow a complicated recipe from the latest Gourmet magazine. Other times, however, you may choose to throw what ingredients you do have into a pot, cook it, and hope for the best.

In the spirit of Cooking Beyond Measure (which I will review here when it is released), I will share a measure-less recipe of my dinner last night. It was a variation of the quinoa salad I made last week. I’m sure I’ll make it again, and I’m sure the proportion of everything will change–and still be just as tasty.

Hadley’s Measureless Quinoa Salad

1 cup red quinoa
2 cups water
Celery, chopped
Firm tofu, cubed
Basil, minced
Roasted red pepper, chopped
Fresh corn, cooked and cut off the cob
French feta, crumbled
Fresh lemon juice
Olive oil

Rinse quinoa well. Combine with water, bring to a boil, add salt, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add tofu and celery. Continue to simmer for 5-10 minutes, until water has evaporated. Cool slightly. Add basil, roasted red pepper, corn. Stir. Add lemon juice and olive oil to taste. When cooled, stir in french feta, to taste. Enjoy!

Next time I make it, I’m going to add greens–e.g., spinach, swiss chard, kale–when I add the tofu and celery.

Curry in a Hurry

One of my favorite food websites it Heidi Swanson’s 101Cookbooks. I love her take on meals: use whole foods, use vegetables, make everything as delicious as possible. You get the health benefits without sacrificing the taste.

This week, I decided to try her In a Hurry Green Curry. This is a great spring/summer dish, filled with peas and asparagus with a kick of tofu. It was good–not too spicy and pleasantly filling. I added about 1/4 c cooked wide Thai rice noodles at the end, which was a nice contrast in texture to the al dente vegetables.

2 teaspoons green curry paste [be sparing when starting; you can add more later to taste]
scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 14-ounce can coconut milk (light ok)
1 large onion, sliced
14 ounces water or light vegetable broth
6 ounces of firm tofu cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup peas, fresh or frozen
2 cups asparagus, cut into 1/2-inch segments
squeeze of fresh lime juice
1/4 cup small basil leaves

In a large thick bottom pot over medium heat whisk the curry paste with the salt and a small splash of the coconut milk. Simmer for just a minute. Add the onion and saute until it softens up, just a minute or so. Add the rest of the coconut milk and broth and simmer for another five minutes. Taste and adjust for flavor – this would be the time to add more curry paste if needed.

Stir in the tofu and (JUST BEFORE SERVING) the peas and asparagus, simmer for just a minute or two, just long enough for the vegetables to cook a bit. Finish the pot with a squeeze of lime and basil leaves. Taste, and adjust seasoning again if needed.

Serves 4.

Update: This recipe made three meals–two (big) lunches and a dinner. The dish was much better two days later–the tofu was MUCH more flavorful and nicely soft. I served it with both rice noodles and short-grain brown rice; I preferred the brown rice with it.