Palak Tofu

Spinach season is almost over! I loved getting tons of spinach in the CSA this year. I'm a little behind on posting recipes (silly grad school) but I'm trying to get caught up. This is just in time for the last part of the spinach season, so go out and make this. It's sooooo good.

As before with the Mattar Tofu, I used tofu in this recipe instead of paneer. And just to blow your health freak socks off, I totally served this over brown rice. Yeah, that's right. Health. Food.

Palak Paneer
Adapted from my Kaanan's recipe for Palak Paneer

1 package extra firm tofu
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
2 bunches spinach, washed and torn
1 shallot (or small onion), diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup milk
1 tbsp flour
2 heaping tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chile powder

In a medium nonstick skillet, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the tofu and fry on all sides until golden brown. Set aside.

While the tofu is frying, melt the butter and remaining oil to a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and cook until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add the spinach in batches and cook until wilted. Continue cooking spinach until it is all wilted. Add flour and stir to coat spinach. Pour in milk and stir until combined. Cook for a few minutes, then remove from heat.

Blend the spinach using either an immersion blender right in the pan or carefully transfer spinach to a food processor and pulse until mixed. Return to pot and add Garam Masala, coriander, turmeric and chile powder. Salt to taste.

Add tofu to spinach and mix to combine. Cook until tofu is heated through. Serve over rice or with naan.

Enjoy!

Oh, and if you happen to be cooking this on a 90 degree day with the threat of blackouts due to every single air conditioner being run at full capacity, you might need one of these.

Fall Lentils

This was my first experience cooking lentils. It's something I've been wanting to do for a while. Well, "a while" is sort of relative. I was standing in the bulk bin isle at the grocery store two weeks ago and realized everything was 10% off. So I started loading up on everything I'd been wanting to cook. And then I saw lentils and though "I should cook with lentils. Wouldn't I be super cool if I made something out of dried lentils?" And yes, thank you, I realize that the word "cool" in that phrase is also relative.

This dish is a little sweet from the sweet potatoes and ginger but it's also spicy from the jalapeno and the garam masala. It also made a giant batch and it was the perfect lunch for the rest of the week.

Curried Lentils with Sweet Potatoes
Adapted slightly from Smitten Kitchen, originally from the New York Times

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced (or grated, but I always just mince mine)
1.5 tsp garam masala
1.5 tsp curry powder
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
4-5 cups vegetable broth (I used all 5)
2 lbs sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/2 cup dried lentils
1 bay leaf
1 lb Swiss chard, center stalks removed and torn into pieces
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, jalapeno, garam masala and curry powder and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Stir in 4 cups of broth, sweet potatoes and bay leaf. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for 25 minutes. Add up to 1 cup of stock as necessary if lentils look too dry. Stir in chard, salt and pepper and continue cooking until lentils are tender, about 30-45 minutes total.

Stir in parsley and serve.

Enjoy!

Mattar Tofu

I loooove me some Indian food. And ever since we started going veg-head, we eat a lot more of it than we used to. Sadly, I didn't eat a lot of Indian food before I came to graduate school. My college didn't exactly scream diverse food options, so while the rest of my high school graduating class was off galavanting with ethnic foods from around the world, I was left with burritos as big as your head and calzones from a palce that had mildly risque slogans scrawled across the walls. Basically, food that one eats while crawling home from the bars with the help of your not-so-helpful-because-they're-in-the-same-boat-as-you friends. Not that I would know from experience or anything. And not that I'm really complaining all that much. Those calzones kicked butt. Especially at 3am. Again, not that I would know that or anything. That was when I was coming home from studying. In the library. Like a good student. Are you listening, Mom? I've simply heard rumors about their combination with (ahem) alcoholic beverages.

Once I came to the wonderful world of graduate school (and moved to a city that was slightly more oriented toward good food... OK, obsessed) there were A LOT more restaurant options. Sushi, Indian, Ethiopian, Jamaican. Name a country and there's probably somewhere around here that will serve it's cuisine to you.

Indian is one of the newer ethnic foods that I've started introducing into our regular rotation. It's full of good healthy things. And I'm always trying to steer you toward those types of things. I'm a good person like that.

This one's my favorite though. Hearty, creamy, full of veggies and spices. Serve it over white rice (or brown if you're really going for that health food kick). This dish is traditionally served with Paneer, a delicious Indian cheese. In an attempt to healthify it though, I used tofu instead. It was recommended in the recipe that I swiped this from. I was skeptical at first because I didn't want anything ruining Mattar Paneer for me, but it was really good! If you want to go all out, and I would completely condone that decision, make it with Paneer instead of the tufu (which you can buy at your local Indian grocery store).

Mattar Tofu
Adapted from Tasty Kitchen Member: Not a Leaf

1 package extra-firm tofu, cubed and drained
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder2 tomatoes, rhoughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 1/2 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup sour cream
1 cup frozen peas
1/3 cup water

Heat half of the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu and cook for about 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Remove to a plate and keep warm.

In the same pan, heat the rest of the oil. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the Turmeric and mix it into the onions. Add the tomatoes, garlic, grated ginger, Garam Masala and salt. Stir to combine. Next, add the sour cream and mix with the tomatoes until the mixture is a reddish orange color. Add the peas and the water. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and let simmer for 5 minutes to thicken.

Once the sauce has thickened, return the tofu to the pan and stir to combine. Simmer for 10 additional minutes.

Enjoy!