Saturday, August 30, 2008

Garlicky Greens with Tofu



Today I made one of my favourite simple meals: tofu, greens, and rice. It is basic, healthy, flavourful, and balanced. The way I like to make my greens is with a lot of garlic and black pepper, and only cooked lightly. This works best with softer greens like mustard or spinach; but as with most of what I make, anything you enjoy will work in this recipe.

Also, if using fresh tofu (i.e. not previously grilled or smoked,) you may wish to marinate it first. Either way, before beginning make sure the outsides are as dry as possible so that it browns well. Today I used a pre-packaged grilled tofu by a local company called Marjon.

2 c roughly cut greens
1/2 block of tofu (or one slab of the Marjon variety.)
1.5 c water
1/2 c long grain rice (I like basmati)
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Start the rice in a saucepan with 1 tsp olive oil, 1/4 grinds of black pepper, and 1/4 tsp of salt. Simmer until water is absorbed, then let it rest for a few minutes before serving.

While the rice is cooking, prepare the tofu. If it's fresh, it should be cooked in a dry non-stick pan on high heat until well-browned, and if it's already cooked, then it simply needs to be heated. Either way, when finished, slice into matchsticks and set aside.

Since the greens for this recipe are softer, they cook quickly. Into this pan I put 1 tsp of olive oil, then the greens, then the rest of the seasonings: 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic powder. Cover and turn to medium-high just a couple of minutes, until you can start to hear sounds out of the pan. Then remove the lid, stir well to combine seasonings and oil. Re-lid the pan and let it cook another couple of minutes then remove from heat, tossing in the tofu to re-heat. Let that rest while you check your rice.

Once completed, simply plate as desired. I usually combine into one bowl, as pictured above.

This recipe makes two medium servings, or one very large one.

2 comments:

Hunter said...

Yum. I'm about ready to start eating in a healthy way again.

What a pretty meal.

I've linked to you and I look forward to seeing more of your recipes. I hope to start posting some healthy meals again soon.

Are you a vegetarian?

Best regards,
Darilyn

Beverly said...

Thanks! I am horribly slow about posting; but part of that is that I don't cook that often since I live alone.

Anyhow, I was a strict vegetarian for 5 years; but now I only eat about 80-85% vegetarian.

Thanks for the comment - it has inspired me to make time to cook something good this week.