Gluten-Free Thai inspired Tofu with Vegetables and Brown Rice
Thai inspired Tofu and veggies over brown rice
Cook Time
Thai inspired Tofu with Vegetables and Brown rice
- 1 block organic extra firm tofu, drained and wrapped in tea towel
- 1 can organic coconut milk, light version is fine
- 3 teaspoons tamarind sauce, any good grocer has it
- 6-7 cloves chopped garlic, set one chopped garlic to the side for the marinade
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon, best you can buy
- 1 lime, zested and juiced
- 2 teaspoons tumeric, dried and ground
- 3 tablespoon curry powder, Pensky spices makes my favorite, Maharajah: all the curry flavor with no heat
- 1 teaspoon ginger, dried and ground.
- 3 tablespoons freshly grated ginger, if you don't have fresh, add another teaspoon of the dried.
- 1/4-1/2 soy sauce-gluten free, The amount will vary depending on taste
- 2-3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, any oil will work I just like the added flavor
- 2-3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro, or not
- 2-3 teaspoons black and white sesame seeds, if you have them
- 1 or 2 sprays Bragg's Amino Acids, if you have it
- 4 cups any fresh vegetable's you like, chop to uniform size
Thai Tofu vegetables with brown rice
- I start this recipe by prepping the tofu first. I take it from the storage water and slice as seen in the photo. I lay the strips on a Baker's cloth or clean lint free towel. Lay another towel on top and put a big heavy book on top of that. I allow this to sit for as long as it takes to prep the marinade. I also start my brown rice now.
- Gather all the ingredients for the marinade and prepare them in a 4 quart measuring container or something similiar. Open and pour into the container the can of coconut milk and add to that the tamarind sauce. Now add 1 or 2 cloves of chopped garlic, cinnamon, half the fresh squeezed lime juice,tumeric, curry powder, fresh and ground ginger, and a 1/4 cup soy sauce. I use a handheld blender and whirl the mixture until creamy. Check the taste now. I like a nice lime bite so at this point I may add the rest of the lime juice or add a bit more soy sauce, depending on what flavor you prefer.
- Take the tofu from its drying towel and place it onto a cutting board and dice it into cubes. Next, put it in a baking dish and pour in about 1/2 to 3/4 cup marinade. Toss the tofu with a big spoon to coat all the tofu. Spray a few spritz's of the Bragg's Amino Acids across the top of the tofu. If you don't have any Bragg's you can skip or add a bit more soy sauce and stir. I bake this in my small toaster oven for 30 to 40 minutes until all the marinade is absorbed and the tofu is nicely browned.
- As the tofu bakes, start chopping all the vegetables. For this recipe, I used broccoli, beet tops, red and yellow peppers, carrots, celery, yellow zucchini squash, pea pods ,onion and garlic. Once all the veggies are ready, heat a large saute pan with your oil. Saute the veggies for 2-3 minutes until all the colors are bright. At this point add the rest of the marinade and simmer for 3 minutes, then add the baked tofu and simmer for another minute. It is now ready to be poured over your brown rice, as seen in the beautiful photos.
Thai tofu Vegetables and brown rice
This recipe is so versatile, which makes it the ultimate summer recipe., You can almost use anything you might find at the local farmers market. In my next blog, I have a recipe for using Kohlrobi, a healthy veggie which would be perfect in this dish too. Also, keep a bag of shelled edemame in your freezer and throw a handful of the beans in to the saute pan to up the protein content.
I started experimenting with the marinade after dining at a Thai restaurant with my supportive husband. He loves a dish they make with coconut milk but I could never have any bites from his dish because the heat level they offered was always too high for my taste. Well, that became a challenge for me to make it at home so I could enjoy it too. This is how this recipe was born. It also irritated me that at many a high end restaurant, they never seem to offer brown rice no matter how many times we request it. Brown rice is SO much better for you than white rice.
Try not to be turned off by the ingredient list. Once you make this dish the you will always keep these ingredients on hand! You can always subsitute chicken for tofu too! Another option to make this recipe super fast , just stop at the salad bar at your local grocer and pick out all the items that you would like. They are cleaned, chopped and ready for your saute pan!
