Marinated Tofu with Broccoli

I just had a foodgasm so ridiculous that I will forever be craving tofu for lunch. I'm not sure if it's because I went to my local food co-op, Honest Weight, and got fresh tofu or if it's the recipe, but this knocked my imaginary socks off. And my imaginary friend's imaginary socks. You get the picture.

So, I was browsing around tastespotting.com when I decided that I needed to figure out how to perfect my tofu making skills. (This is the third time in my life cooking with tofu.) I found this Marinated Grilled Tofu Recipe and decided that it was simple enough, so I'd give it a go. Here's what I did (my version varies a bit from the original recipe due to me lacking ingredients/a grill):

Ingredients:

1 block of tofu (fresh, if available)
1 small handful of frozen chopped broccoli (or fresh, just watch cooking times)
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp garlic powder (less if desired) + 1 pinch for broccoli
1 large pinch of powdered cayenne pepper
1 tsp EVOO + some for coating pan
1 pinch salt

Directions:

1) Drain tofu for at least 10 minutes by placing it on
a plate with paper towels and put your pan on top
to add pressure.
2) Mix together soy sauce, honey, ginger, 1tsp garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and 1 tsp EVOO in a bowl.
3) Put tofu and marinade in a ziplock bag and flip after 10 minutes. Let stand for a total of 20 minutes (or more, if desired).
4) Chop tofu into bite-sized pieces and fry on medium heat until one side is golden brown.
5) Add broccoli to frying pan. Sprinkle a little salt
and garlic powder directly on broccoli.
6) Make sure all sides of tofu are golden brown and remove piece by piece onto dish. When broccoli is ready (I tasted to make sure :p), do the same. With less things in the pan, the slow cooking bits heat up faster.
7) Pour approximately half of the marinade over your completed dish, if desired. And yes, you'll desire to do so.

Serves 1, unless you serve it with rice... then possibly 2.

Indian Pineapple Green Curry

What happens when you leave me with a room full of ingredients, an empty kitchen, and all the time in the world? More often than not, I would make channa masala, aloo chole, or, when I ate it, chicken tikka masala. Today, my intent was to make a Thai Green Curry with tofu and mixed vegetables. However, since most of the spices I have unpacked right now are commonly used in Indian food, and I'm more used to cooking Indian food, it came out Thai and Indian tasting... If that makes any sense. (At least it isn't Indian-Mexican like one unfortunate experience I had.)

For this recipe, I took loose inspiration from a Green Beef Curry recipe I saw in "Best-Ever Curry Cookbook" by Mridula Baljekar. Nothing major, just how to divide up the coconut milk and how to add the curry paste. Otherwise, I decided to improvise.

Anyway, this came out really well! Here's what went down:

Ingredients:

1 16 oz. thingie of firm Azumaya tofu, drained and cubed
1/2 valida onion, sliced and halved
1/2 green pepper, sliced and halved
2 handfuls of bean sprouts
3 large garlic cloves, sliced thinly
1 14 oz. can of coconut milk
1 can of pineapples, drained with approx. 1/4 cup juice left over
2 handfuls of fresh basil
3 tbsp. green curry paste
1 boop of Kikkoman low-sodium soy sauce
A couple of dashes of garam masala
Approx. 2-3 tbsp curry powder
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Ginger powder, to taste
Canola oil to cover pan liberally
Jasmine rice

Directions:

1. Fry tofu on medium-high heat (watch out for oil splatters) until all sides are brown and crispy.
2. Lower the heat and make sure the pan is not searing. Don't touch it or anything, though. I promise, that's not necessary.
3. Add half the can of coconut milk and bring to a simmering boil.
4. Add green curry paste and stir lots. If you do not stir, the curry paste will apparently stick to the pan. Thank you, curry cookbook. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
5. Add onions and cook until clear. (I promise I will do something with browner, crispier onions in the near future!)
6. Add the rest of the coconut milk slowly, stir, and then add the green peppers and bean sprouts.
7. After about a minute, add the garlic. Keep stirring and then add the pineapples, juice and soy sauce.
8. Cook until it looks good... I mean for about 4-5 minutes! ^^; Then add the spices.
9. Shut the heat and stir in the basil.
10. Enjoy with rice!

Serves 4.

This came out different than I expected... because apparently, I think garam masala can somehow make a dish seem more Thai... -_- But it was fabulous! Next time, I think I'll try following a traditional recipe and THEN tweak it. Otherwise, it will taste like everything else I make. White girl problems.