Comfort Food Series: Spinach and Tofu Rice

Although today was the official first day of winter, we've been having winter weather for the past month or more. The temperatures have been fluctuating between 20 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit everyday so it's only natural to want to make and eat comfort food. 

Our go to comfort food is some kind of rice dish. It should have vegetables and protein so you are not just "carbing" it up. Below is a recipe for easy Spinach and Tofu rice.  

Ingredients

- 2 cups Basmati Rice, cooked with slightly less water

- 1 large bunch of fresh Spinach, chopped finely 

- 4 oz tofu*, cut into 1/2" cubes

- 1/2 tsp crushed green chilies paste (or 1 green chili, finely chopped)

-  1 tsp Garam Masala

- 1 Tbsp ginger-garlic paste

- 3 Tbsp vegetable oil

- 1/2 Tbsp whole cumin

- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder

- Salt, per your taste

- Fried onions (optional)

Procedure

In a large skillet, heat oil and add whole cumin. When it starts to sizzle, add turmeric powder, crushed chilies, and ginger-garlic paste. Stir for few seconds. Then add spinach, sprinkle some salt and stir the mixture until the spinach leaves are wilted (cook for about 3 to 4 minutes). Next add garam masala and mixture well. Then add cooked rice, tofu and salt as per your taste. Mix well until the spinach is evenly mixed into the rice. When it's ready to be served, top with fried onions. 

This dish can be enjoyed on its own or eaten with cucumber raita (yogurt dip). It's comfort food for the soul.  

*Quick Tips

- We freeze tofu for 3 to 4 hours to keep it firm and thaw it for a bit when we need to use it. This way it doesn't crumble when we cut portions of it. 

- Try our other rice dishes made with beets, coconut, and/or lentils. 

"Wholly" Vegetarian Meatloaf

Traditionally, meatloaf is made with ground meat such as beef or pork and other ingredients and then rolled into a loaf and baked. Since, I don't eat either of those meats, I never really looked into it further. 

I found this recipe on a blog I follow called A Pinch of This. The blog is run by Payal, a Certified Holistic Health Counselor who wants to bring the inner chef out in each of us and help us be creative in our cooking. 

Vegetarian "Meat" loaf

When I saw this recipe for a Vegetarian "Mealoaf" on her Facebook blog, I had to give it a try. The meat protein is substituted with other types of protein that any vegetarian can appreciate, such as tofu, oatmeal and lentils. 

I adapted the recipe from A Pinch of This with ingredients we had at home. I cooked whole masoor dal instead of using precooked lentils from Trader Joe's (listed on her blog). I also added toasted walnuts to add more hearty flavor to the loaf. 

Overall, the taste and texture were great. Each time I made this dish, I've added and/or substituted ingredients and it's turned out great. I would definitely recommend it for vegetarians and protein lovers alike. I've made this dish a few times already and love taking it to work everyday. Keeps the hunger away and leaves me feeling full and good about myself. Below is the recipe.

Ingredients
1/2 cup whole masoor, cooked and well drained (which equals to about 9oz cooked masoor dal)
8 ounces extra firm tofu (drained, pressed and crumbled)
1 cup quick cook oats (or old fashioned oats)
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and ground
5 Tbsp ketchup
3 Tbsp BBQ Sauce
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp fresh thyme
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp sage

Saute garlic, onions and celery on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until mixture is cooled and then remove from heat. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and add the cooked garlic, onions and celery. Spoon mixture into a loaf pan and top with a generous layer of extra ketchup. Bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees.

Quick Tips
- I didn't have all the fresh herbs so I used Italian seasoning mixture for the rosemary and sage and fresh thyme from my plant.
 

Tofu Lovers Rejoice

Here's another tofu delight from our culinary chest that we know your taste buds will love and rejoice. We love cooking with tofu because it is low in calories & fat and high in protein and iron. Now that's goodness we can bite into. There are also varieties in tofu, such as Steak (firm), soft/silken, or dried that you can work with to create a number of dishes. We prefer to use the Steak type in dishes like our Potato & Tofu with Spiced Tomato Sauce because the tofu will not crumble so easily when mixed with the other ingredients. This dish can be served with hot naan, roti, rice (brown or plain) or enjoyed by itself as a side dish. 

Click image to enlarge

Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients: 

- 6 oz (½ block) Extra Firm Tofu (steak type or plain), drain well and cut into 1”cubes                      

- 1 large Potato, microwave, peel and cut into 1” pcs

-  ½ cup of Crushed tomatoes                                                        

- 5 fl oz or 150 mL (small can) of Evaporated milk            

- 1 large Onion, chopped finely

- ½ cup of  Carrots & Peas (frozen)                                                

- 1tbsp of Dhan-Jeera powder (coriander/cumin)

- 1 tsp of Ginger/garlic paste

- 1 tsp (or to taste) of Chili powder

- ½ tsp of Turmeric powder                                                             

- small handful (approx. 1/8 cup) of Kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves)    

- 1 ½ tsp (or as needed) of Salt                                                                                        

- 1 ½ tbsp of Vegetable oil                                                                     

Procedure:

1) Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add Dhan-jeera, chili powder, turmeric and mix well. Now add onions, ginger-garlic paste and fry for 2-3 minutes.

2) Add tofu and potato cubes and mix well to coat them thoroughly with the spice mixture (3-4 minutes).

3) Next add crushed tomatoes and mix well for 3-4 minutes to remove the raw taste and then add evaporated milk into the mixture. 

4) Then add 1 cup of water. Next add salt, methi leaves and cook under closed lid for 7-10 minutes until the gravy thickens and the spices are infused into the tofu & potato. Remove from heat, mix in carrots and peas, and allow it to sit for 5-6 minutes.

Quick Tips: 

- All the spices help elevate the flavor of the tofu and potato in this dish.
- Cauliflower can be substituted for potato. 
- The curry will taste even better if allowed to sit for a few hours or the next day.