Curried Quinoa Tofu with Fresh Veggie Relish

 

When I made the popsicles I ended up with leftover coconut milk, which encouraged me to actually cook something for dinner a few nights ago.  All winter, we use reduced fat coconut milk pretty regularly. One of the reasons I love it is it's ability to add richness to things. But in over 100 degree heat, richness is not necessarily an asset. So to cut it, I used quite a bit of fresh lime juice and fresh basil and veggies. 

Cast of characters:

-Quinoa (1 cup uncooked) 

-1 lime 

-Tofu (I pretty much always use extra firm) 

-Cornstarch (enough to coat the tofu) 

I cooked my quinoa in the microwave (yes, it's hot here). It worked surprisingly well. For the tofu, I used my favorite method: cubed, dried a little, tossed in cornstarch (seasoned with some black pepper and chili powder), and pan fried in a little olive oil. 

Relish: 

-1 red pepper, diced

-1/2 white onion, diced

-1/2 cucumber, diced 

-1 tsp olive oil

-1 tsp. lemon juice

Sauce: 

-1 cup coconut milk

-1 tablespoon curry powder

-1/2 tsp. ground garlic 

-1 clove garlic, diced

-juice of half a lime 

Simmer coconut milk with curry powder, garlic, and ginger.  Remove from heat, add juice from lime.

Top quinoa with tofu and veggie relish. Spoon some curry sauce over it, and add some fresh basil leaves. 

I thought this was the best meal I've made in a long time. Ok, it was arguably the first full meal I've made in a long time, but still. Delicious anyway. 

Popsicles!

St. Louis has a couple of great (free!) food magazines. This month, Feast has a whole feature on Mexican food in St. Louis. As part of this feature, they have several recipes for paletas, Mexican popsicles. How these are different from other Popsicles I have no idea. But I made this recipe with some modifications. So here they are:

Triple Layer Popsicles!

First layer:
-5 medium to large strawberries, cored
-1 tablespoon lemon juice
-2 tablespoons sugar
-1 teaspoon balsamic syrup

Blend ingredients together.

Second layer:
-1/4 cup coconut milk
-1/4 cup half and half
-1 tablespoon sugar
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Heat first three ingredients until sugar has dissolved. Add vanilla and remove from heat.

Third layer:
-1 kiwi, sliced
-1/4 cup frozen mango
-2 tablespoons sugar
-1 tablespoon lemon

Blend ingredients together.

The only time consuming piece is waiting between the layers. Each layer needs to freeze for approximately 45 minutes before adding the next layer.

Just what I needed on a 100+ day!

Sunday

Aside from the 100+ temperatures, it was a pretty lovely Sunday. A (hot) walk with the pup. Donuts from our fave place (Plaza Donuts, conveniently and/or dangerously 2 blocks from our house). Coffee at Sump (probably the best coffee in the city) with Phoebe and Nick:

Then errands with Phoebe and Joe, Jackie and Mr. C for BLTs. J&J also had the brilliant idea to add avocado. Root beer floats, my brother and sister-in-law, and a smiley Mr. C were the best way to finish off a great weekend.

Variations on a Theme

Yesterday was a BBQ with people from Casa de Salud (my practicum site). Robin got to put faces to all the names, and I got to incorporate sweet potatoes and kale. A win all the way around.

This time, I added 1 can of black beans and 1 cup of frozen corn (thawed) for a variation on this recipe. As an added bonus, I got to steam of in the microwave using a steamer given to us by Jeff and Diane (thanks guys!). So I had a dish to bring and didn't even turn on the stove!

Hope you are all staying cool wherever you are!

Triple Digit Meal

When it is over 100, I would rather not cook. I would rather just consume this:

Lemonade concentrate and mint, put in a blender. Add club soda.

But if you simply must cook (ie. Robin can't afford to lose any more weight ;) ). Make a black bean burger that takes very little time and requires no oven.

Ingredients:
-1 cup black beans
-1 egg
-1/3 cup bread crumbs
-garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper

Mash half the black beans. Add the other ingredients and fry in a hot pan.

The other key piece of this was some quick pseudo-pickled cucumber.

For that:
-1/2 cup white vinegar
-1/4 cup white sugar
-2 cucumbers, thinly sliced
-1/3 red onion, sliced

Mix vinegar and sugar. Bring to a boil. Let cool for a few minutes, then add to cucumbers and red onions. Refrigerate.

This was last night. With some celebratory ACA wine. A really lovely day.

Sandwich for Summer

Today it was 108 in St. Louis. Anyone who wants to turn on the oven when it's this hot is either more dedicated or more dumb than I am.

As a result of some impressive heat, we have lots of sandwiches this week. Nothing earth-shattering, but delicious nonetheless.

Cue Caprese Sandwich.


Cast of Characters:
-Ciabatta bread
-pesto
-fresh basil leaves
-tomatoes
-fresh mozzarella
-balsamic syrup (found here)

We toasted the bread, and I put the mozzarella on the bottom so it got a little melted.

Add some broccoli and it was a pretty lovely meal.

Our Fave Spot

Coming up later today, a few photos from Abby and Adam's wedding. But I thought I had posted this, so here goes....

We met Joe and Jackie (and Mr. C) at Local Harvest on Father's Day.

I think I had the best deal: the slinger. Vegan chili, onions, cheese, potatoes, scrambled egg. Num!

Robin had the always popular chorizo pot pie.

Joe had biscuits and gravy, and Jackie had stuffed french toast.




Num num num!

Also, non-food related but kind of a big deal, Obama passed some pretty neat legislation last week. Read about it here for a basic run-down. I work at a clinic that primarily serves Latinos, so it is definitely a hot topic of conversation in my life. Given the fact I thought I posted this last week, I'm a little late but hey - still pretty fascinating.