Just a few short months ago I posted about our first snow of the season and how magical and exciting it was. That feels like forever ago now and after many snowy days since, I’m officially over winter! We had yet another snowstorm on Wednesday and it caused power outages and school closings across the state and beyond. This is less than a week after another nor’easter took out power lines all over the area. Enough already winter! Can we get a break? Seriously though….

Although I’m dreaming of sun and sand these days, it’s still cold out and likely will be for a while, so I continue to crave warming and comforting foods. I can’t think of many meals more warming or comforting than curry, so I decided on a whim to take a stab at making a curry dish this week. I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, but it made for the perfect dinner on a cold and snowy night and I’ll definitely be making it again. Even my meat-eating husband really enjoyed it! I’m not sure why it never occurs to me to make curry, even though I’ve ordered it many times at restaurants and always like it. After seeing how easy and delicious it is, I think I’ll be making it a lot more often.

For this version I used tofu and a mix of veggies. I personally love broccoli and cauliflower in curry dishes, but you can use whatever vegetables you like. I decided last minute to throw sweet potato in too and I’m so glad I did because it added such a nice, comforting touch. And although I didn’t have any fresh ginger on hand, I would use that over ground if you have it. The dish was great with ground, but nothing tops fresh ginger in my opinion!

This is one of those meals that’s good when you make it, but even better the next day after having time to really soak up all the flavors. In other words, it’s not a bad thing if you have leftovers! David polished off what was remaining the day after and seemed to enjoy it even more at that meal.

Have a happy Friday and a great weekend!

 

RECIPE

Ingredients

• 2 cups uncooked brown rice
• 1 14-oz. package extra firm tofu, drained
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 cups sweet potato, cubed
• 2 cups carrots, chopped
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 13.5 or 14 oz. can light coconut milk
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup frozen broccoli florets
• 1 cup frozen cauliflower florets

Directions

1. Prepare brown rice according to package directions.
2. To remove excess water from the tofu, line a baking sheet with a few paper towels and place the tofu in a single layer on top. Cover the tofu with a few more layers of paper towels, then place a second baking sheet and something slightly heavy on top (I used a large pot). Let the tofu drain for about 20 minutes. The paper towels should be completely saturated.
3. Lightly coat a large pan with olive oil and then add the onion and garlic. Cook on medium heat for about five minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Add the sweet potatoes, carrots, curry powder, and ginger and stir. Cook for five more minutes. If vegetables are starting to stick, add a little water (or more oil).
5. Add the coconut milk and tofu to the vegetable mixture, bring to a boil, and then lower heat to medium/low. Cook until all vegetables are tender, about 15-20 minutes.
6. A few minutes before you’re planning to eat, add the frozen peas, broccoli, and cauliflower.
7. Serve curry over rice.

*Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Curried Tofu Recipe