Recipes as Inspiration (Tomato & Thai Basil Relish)

I recently found myself needing something quick for dinner, so I turned to my beloved cookbook, Vegetarian Suppers. I found a recipe for Skillet Seared Tofu with Tomato and Thai Basil relish. I had tofu in my fridge, gorgeous tomatoes from the farmers market, and thai basil in my garden. Sounded perfect. Then I looked at the rest of the ingredients and I only had about half of them. I took the ingredient list as mere suggestion and got started anyway. The result was pure heaven.

Here's the list of ingredients in the recipe and then what I used instead:

2 medium tomatoes - I had this. Great!

1 small shallot or a few scallions - I used 1/2 sweet onion from my fridge

small handful Thai Basil - I had this. I threw in the amount that looked right.

dozen small mint leaves - I had this in my garden

1 t. roasted peanut or sesame oil - I used garlic-infused olive oil

juice and zest of 1 lime - I had this.

2 t. freshly grated ginger - all I had were dehydrated ginger bits. I rehydrated them in some boiling water and chopped them up. I also chopped up a dried red chile and put it in the boiling water to rehydrate as well.

1 garlic clove - I was out of garlic, so I used a little garlic powder

sea salt - yes

small splash of soy sauce - I only had Hoisin Sauce, a sweet, thick Asian sauce. I used it anyway.

I put everything in a bowl and mixed it up. The soy sauce is really intended for deglazing the pan while you cook the tofu, but I put it in the bowl with everything else. When it came time to deglaze the tofu, I just used some of the juice from the bowl (super yummy).

Here's the basic method

Slice 1 carton of tofu into 6-8 pieces and blot it with a paper towel. I cut it in half long way to make thinner slabs, and then cut the 2 slabs into triangles.

Heat some oil in a skillet and add the tofu. Sprinkle with salt. When it stops twitching around, check to see if it is browned on the cooking side. If it isn't, leave it a little longer. Turn and cook the other side, about 10 minutes in all. Shake on some liquid (like soy sauce or the juices from your bowl of tomatoes and other goodies) and continue cooking until it evaporates and the tofu is seasoned and glazed. I sometimes turn the tofu during this process and sometimes don't. I just try to get the tofu coated with the sauce.

Remove from heat, top with tomato salsa mixture and serve. I served this on a bed of arugula, which was fabulous.

Brown Rice Supper with stir fried carrots and roasted peanut sauce

Have you ever been to a vegetarian restaurant of the 70s, hippy variety where all the food tastes bland and the texture is a little like cardboard? Where everything is whole wheat, no salt, no fat, and healthy in a way that makes you never want to eat healthy food again?

I was worried that this dish would be like that, but it is bright and popping with flavor. I didn't think I liked cooked carrots, but these are sweet and tender without being mushy. The peanut sauce is so fabulous, I couldn't stop sneaking little spoonfuls of it after the meal was over. The peanut sauce isn't the kind you find on satay in thai restaurants. It is made with lots of cilantro, mint, and lime which makes it very green and fresh. This dish is filling, comforting, and amazingly delicious. I'm really looking forward to making it again. If you don't like tofu, or you're craving some other type of protein, you could easily make it with chicken.

Here's how:

Rinse 1 1/2 cups brown basmati rice and put it in a pot with 3 3/4 cups water and 1/2 t. salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cook until done, about 40 minutes.

Then make the peanut sauce. Toast 1/2 cup raw peanuts in 1 T. peanut oil in a skillet on the stove. Put the peanuts and the oil in a food processor, along with 1/2 c. chopped cilantro (I used about 1/2 a bunch with the stems cut off and let the food processor do the chopping for me), 1 T. chopped mint leaves (about 6 big leaves), the zest and juice of 2 limes, 2 garlic cloves, 1/4 t. chipotle powder or 1 serrano chile (I used the chipotle powder), 1 t. soy sauce, and salt to taste. Thin with water until you have the desired consistency.

Peel and cut 5 large carrots into mouthsized chunks. Peel and slice a 1-inch knob of ginger into thin strips. Heat 2 t. peanut oil in a skillet. When hot, add the ginger, then the carrots. Stir fry for several minutes and then add a few teaspoons soy sauce and stir fry for another minute. Pour in 1/2 cup water, cover the pan, and cook until the carrots are tender (5 minutes or more). While they're cooking, cut 4 scallions on the diagonal, including some of the greens. Remove the lid and add the scallions, cooking until the liquid is reduced to a glaze. Taste a carrot and season with salt, if desired.

Cut 1 carton of tofu into triangles or rectangles. Fry in a little peanut oil with a little salt until all the water cooks out and the tofu starts to color nicely. Cook on both sides. Add a little soy sauce to the pan to glaze the tofu.

Serve the rice, the carrots and the tofu, layered and arranged on plates. Dollop peanut sauce in several places and garnish with a little cilantro. Pass the remaining sauce at the table.

Approximate cost to prepare:

1 1/2 cups rice - $.75

5 large carrots - $.60

1-inch knob of ginger - $.25

soy sauce, peanut oil - negligible

4 scallions - $.25

1 carton tofu - $1.25

1/2 cup peanuts - $.50 (maybe less)

1/2 bunch cilantro - $.25

mint from my garden

2 limes - $.60

garlic and chipotle powder - negligible

TOTAL for 4 people = $4.45

Spicy Tofu with Thai Basil and Coconut Rice Cakes

I made this for an Easter potluck and everyone seemed to enjoy it. This dish is a little difficult to take for a potluck, since it needs to be served shortly after cooking, but it was ok lukewarm, too. The colors in this dish are gorgeous. the yellow rice, the slightly purple hues of the thai basil, the lime quarters and red peppers served alongside make this dish really attractive. This would be great for company.

I probably should have waited until Thai basil was really in season, but I was able to find some at the Asian market. The coconut rice cakes are really tasty and could be used as the base for a variety of stir fries. They are also a really gorgeous yellow color due to the saffron and turmeric. The warmth of the basil and the tang of the lime works really well together.

This dish takes some planning ahead because the rice needs to be refrigerated before you fry it. This is the same rice that is used in Black Beans and Yellow Rice, so it might be good to make extra when you make that recipe and use the leftover rice for this recipe. If you don't have time to make the rice in advance and fry it into little cakes, you can just serve the sauce over the warm coconut rice.

You start with the coconut rice: Bring 2 cups water, 1/2 can coconut milk, a couple pinches of saffron and 1/2 t. of turmeric to a boil. Add 1 1/2 cups rinsed basmati rice. Turn down the heat to very low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork when finished. Stir in 4 thinly sliced scallions, season with salt and pepper, and put the rice in a 9x12 pan. Sprinkle sesame seeds on the top, cover with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge.

When the rice is well chilled, cut it into diamonds or other shapes, and fry in a little peanut oil. Set fried cakes aside.

Cut up one carton of tofu into bite-sized triangles or diamonds. Fry it in a little peanut oil on both sides until golden. Season with salt, pepper, and the juice of 1/2 lime. Slide the tofu onto a plate and reheat the skillet with more oil.

While the tofu is cooking, stir together 1 t. brown sugar and 2 T. soy sauce until the sugar is dissolved. Chop 2 garlic cloves, thinly slice 3 large shallots, and chop 1 jalapeno chile. (Take out the seeds and veins if you want to limit the heat.)

When the oil is hot, stir fry the garlic, shallots, and jalapeno for 30 seconds. Add the soy sauce mixture, the rest of the coconut milk (1/2 a can), and 1/2 t. turmeric. Squeeze the other half of the lime over all and put the tofu back in the pan. When everything is warmed through, turn off the heat, taste for salt and add more salt or soy sauce as desired. Season with pepper. Stir in a handful of torn Thai basil leaves and a handful of torn mint leaves.

Arrange the coconut cakes on a platter or on individual plates. Add the tofu and sauce over the top and garnish with thai basil, especially the flowers. Serve with additional jalapeno and lime quarters.

Things I'd do differently next time: Rather than cutting the rice into squares to fry, I would shape it into ovals and refrigerate it that way. Also, the tofu wasn't very spicy, so I think I'll leave some of the seeds in the jalapeno next time.

Approximate cost to prepare:
1 1/2 cups basmati rice - $2.00 (or less)
1 can coconut milk - $1.25 (Ranges from $.89 - $1.99 at the Asian market, but more in specialty stores)
saffron - $2.00 (the little container of saffron cost 5 dollars. 2 pinches was about 1/3 of it.)
1 t. turmeric - $.20
4 scallions - $.15
1/3 cup sesame seeds - $3.00
peanut oil for frying - $.25
1 t. brown sugar, garlic - negligible
2 T. soy sauce - $.20
1 carton tofu - $1.20
2 limes - $.65
3 large shallots - $1.25
1 jalapeno chile - $.20
thai basil (half a bunch) - $1.00
handful of mint - growing in my back yard
1 red jalapeno or thai pepper, optional, or red pepper flakes - $.20
TOTAL - Approx. $12.35 for 4 servings. I had a lot of this stuff in my pantry.

I think this dish would cost about $18 per serving at a restaurant.