Spicy Thai Tofu Curry

Thanks to March Break, I've been able to get into the kitchen more than before - something I've truly missed! Of course, the first thing on the docket was a batch of homemade lunches for my mom, who is currently caring for my grandma, planning birthday parties, preparing to move my sister home from college and hosting a part-time boarder in the basement. With Easter (as well as the aforementioned parties) coming up, we were all in the mood for something light on the stomach and wallet that was still soul satisfying and warm. Flipping through my copy of Vegetarian Comfort Foods by Jennifer Browne , I spotted the perfect solution: a Thai-inspired tofu curry.

The recipe was relatively Spartan as written, without much in the way of Asian flavours or a vegetable medley. Those paltry issues were solved with an open-minded trip to the Asian grocery store, where I managed to pick up a wealth of cheap, high quality produce as well as the tofu, coconut products and spices I wanted. Given that curry is so versatile, you could certainly use your favourite veggies from the supermarket - I just wanted to see what I could find, not to mention save money on (our Asian grocer is reliably lower-priced for the same, if not better, quality when it comes to produce, meat and seafood).

I also had a few aces up my sleeve for enhancing the flavours in this stew - the first was a spoonful of Litehouse Freeze Dried Lemongrass - one of the three bottles of the freeze-dried herbs sent to me by the company, and definitely the most unique one of the bunch. With a fairly lengthy simmer time, the dried pieces softened and flavoured the mixture without any woodiness - something that couldn't be said for quick marinades or stir fry sauces. As an aside, the salad herbs and red onion are DELICIOUS and have no preparation needed.

My second secret to taming the relatively spicy body of the curry was to use a mixture of sweet starches in addition to the bland tofu and a ton of other veggies. On one of my regular trips to the Asian market, I picked up an Oriental yam and an Okinawan Sweet Potato, and paired them with one of the last Delicata squash I had at home. The light, slightly earthy sweetness buffered the sharp spice of the chile powder and serrano, but stayed mild enough for the brightness of the spinach, green peppers and snow peas to cut through the rich coconut cream.

L-R: Delicata squash, Oriental yam / Japanese sweet potato, Okinawan Sweet Potato

Mixing the coconut cream with coconut water and cashew milk created the perfect body for the stew as well - not too thick or thin, with the needed richness but enough fluidity that you don't feel like you just ate porridge or rice pudding for dinner. The cubes of tofu soak up the spice just enough that you get a little "pop" with each bite, and the whole thing livens up a plain bowl of rice both in flavour and nutrition! The best part for us was that it freezes fairly well too - so for families like ours, who eat at a myriad of times throughout the day, it's easy to pull out a single-serving container (and some frozen cooked rice!) and reheat it when you don't feel like cooking for one.

Persimmon Ketchup

Have you ever had a persimmon? I've occasionally enjoyed, and certainly cooked with, the nutritious fruit, but always with a sweet persuasion. I personally enjoy the vanilla persimmons, so I guess that's why the habit (and my perception of what "fruit" should be) evolved. I knew they were delicious fresh or dried, but when I was flipping through the LCBO magazine over the holidays I came across a new twist - persimmon ketchup!

Now, I'm not a huge ketchup eater anyways, but I do have a sister who "puts ketchup on her ketchup", so to speak. I wanted to see if this version of the condiment, made with the persimmons and pumpkin puree, would taste of anything close to Heinz - or if it was the name given to the sauce consistency (like mushroom, beet/carrot or banana ketchup. After tasting it warm right from the pot, I definitely detected a hint of fruitiness, but once it cooled down and sat overnight in the fridge it became a relatively convincing (tomato) ketchup clone - the perfect balance of sweet, spicy, tangy and thick. While the colour will tip off anyone (unless you add dye to it), it's delicious as is - not to mention gluten, egg, dairy, refined sugar and soy free!
 

Shared with Gluten Free Fridays

Rise and Shine Power Cookies

Sometimes nothing "traditional" quite cuts it for breakfast... cereal, waffles, toast, even scrambled eggs and bacon don't seem to sit right, especially if you (like me) start work early and your digestion doesn't seem to wake up until about 10:30! Rather than packing a baggie of plain dry cereal (as a meal, mind you - I eat plenty of Nature's Path Envirokidz Cinnamon Jungle Munch® Cereal by the handful when I'm peckish), why not opt for something just as portable and convenient, yet more substantial (and definitely "sweet tooth" satisfying)?

While playing around with some of the goodies Nature's Path sent me a while ago, I came up with a cookie that, for me and many of the people I shared it with, is the perfect "bring along breakfast" solution. Normally, you'd never see a nutritionist advocating cookies for breakfast - and I'm not saying these should be for every day of the week, but having one in my lunchbox for those days when I wake up late (!) or am otherwise rushing around allows me to still have a balanced protein / complex carb meal at my leisure. Gluten and dairy free, they're also great for sharing (which is what I did at the Rise Up And Shine II Plan Canada Dance Fitness Fundraiser) last month, and my most recent experiments making them with flaxseed and Homemade Egg Replacer were successful too - meaning these could be (almost) vegan as is, and fully vegan using a vegan granola and either agave or maple syrup for the honey.

However you slice (drop?) it, these gigantic, gluten free cookies are 100% a meal in themselves - packed with vitamins, minerals, protein, fibre and healthy fats, not much in the way of added sweetener, and a delicious hearty texture from the Qi'a and Honey Almond Granola. If you're like some of my gym instructors, you'll enjoy grabbing one to eat after your sunrise bootcamp (and before your next training session), whereas sleepy-eyed students can tuck in at school while their parents nosh on their way to the office. Wherever you enjoy them, they are a delicious way to stay full and energized till lunch!  

Shared with Gluten Free Fridays

Four - Chocolate Sour Cream Quickbread #BreadBakers

You're not likely to find me without some form of chocolate in my diet every day. Whether it's a scoop of cocoa in my oats, a luxurious square from a high-quality, imported bittersweet tablet or even a cup of coffee brewed with a spoonful of cacao nibs in with the grounds (try it, it is DELICIOUS), the humble bean is firmly lodged in my brain's "favourites folder". Even better than simple bar chocolate (if that's possible!) is the fudginess of a good brownie or dense chocolate cake - preferably with a hint of nuttiness or tang (such as from peanut butter or cream cheese) to break up the dark, bittersweet notes of high-cacao chocolate.

That's where this luxurious quickbread factors in. Not only does chocolate come in four forms (cocoa, cacao nibs, chocolate covered peanuts and chocolate chips), but it gets a fudgy, slightly tangy body from sour cream, extra nuttiness and everlasting moisture from chia seeds and a welcome peppering of crunch from chocolate-covered peanuts. It's one heck of a package - and all in a gluten free eggless wrapping too! I even took some of this to a friend of mine for their birthday, and they devoured it without even contemplating it's dietary status. For a real treat (a la the restaurant dessert menu), warm up a slice in an individual baking dish in the oven and top with a scoop of ice cream. Heaven!

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme / ingredient. This month, we're featuring breads with cocoa, cacao or carob in any form.


If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.

Check out all the chocolatey goodness we're serving up!

• Chocolate & Cherry Swirl Breads from The Bread She Bakes
• Chocolate Orange Swirl Buns from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Chocolate and Vanilla Brioche from Kidsandchic
• Chocolate Banana Quick Bread from Basic N Delicious
• Chocolate Buttermilk Quick Bread from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Chocolate Filled Bundt Bread from Food Lust People Love
• Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Bread from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Chocolate Monkey Bread from Sara's Tasty Buds
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Quick Bread from Magnolia Days
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Cinnamon Rolls from From Gate to Plate
• Chocolate Yeast Bread from Cook's Hideout
• Croatian Povitica - Chocolate Walnut Swirl Bread from Herbivore Cucina
• Dark Chocolate Cherry Pocket Bread from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Dark Chocolate Chip Hot Cross Buns from Baking in Pyjamas
• Double Chocolate Espresso Scones from Wholistic Woman
• Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread from Sizzling Tastebuds
• Egg Free 45 Minutes Chocolate Buns from Gayathri's Cook Spot
• Eggless Chocolate Babka from I Camp in my Kitchen
• Eggless Chocolate Swirl Buns from Seduce Your Tastebuds
• Eggless Triple Chocolate Scones from Spill the Spices
• Four-Chocolate Sour Cream Quickbread from What Smells So Good?
• Leopard Print Bread from Spiceroots
• Pain Au Chocolat (Chocolate filled Croissants) from G'Gina's Kitchenette
• Pane Al Cioccolato - Chocolate Bread from Ruchik Randhap
• Petits Pain au Chocolat - Mini Chocolate Croissant from Sneha's Recipe
• Sourdough Cacao Sweet Bread from The Schizo Chef
• Sweet Russian Chocolate Braid from Hostess At Heart
• Two Chocolates Greek Yogurt Banana Bread from La cocina de Aisha

Also shared with Gluten Free Fridays

Chocolate Carrot & Squash Muffins #SundaySupper

The Sunday Supper family is singing the praises of naturally sweet, earthy, comforting root vegetables this week - whether they're being roasted, fried, pureed, shredded, spiralized or baked. Not only are root veggies inherently versatile (fitting in just fine in either sweet or savoury recipes), they're generally cheap and long lasting - a huge plus for those of us with less than generous incomes and a myriad of other expenses to contend with! I personally love the world of roots because they last so long - feeding only myself, I can still buy a bag of potatoes, onions, carrots or beets and finish it before they go bad - not something I can say for leafy greens, bean sprouts or mushrooms!

Obviously, being the baking fiend that I am, I used this week's theme to play around in the sweet kitchen - eventually devising a muffin recipe that was both nutritionally dense and sweet enough to appeal to the kids in my grade 4-5 Home Ec class. The best part about making these muffins with a gang of kids is that they all get a chance to do something relatively "physical" along the way. After all, there are three things that need grating, eggs to beat, cocoa to sift, batter to scoop and sugar to sprinkle! Don't be discouraged if the younger set are somewhat vocal in their opposition to the shredded produce, either - I had 14 vehement protesters convert to raving fans within a half hour (including our infamously veggie-phobic principal). What can I say, chocolate conquers all, and the fine shred on the fruit and veggies allows them to melt into invisible, ever so slightly sweet, everbearingly moist additions.

Check out all our "rootin' tootin'" recipes below:

Appetizers

• Chipotle Sweet Potato Chips from Momma’s Meals
• Golden Beet Chips with Sea Salt from Sunday Supper Movement
• Roasted Beet Hummus from And She Cooks
• Roasted Root Vegetable Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette from Nik Snacks
• Roasted Parsnip, Carrot and Garlic Soup from Rants From My Crazy Kitchen
• Roasted Sweet Potato Soup from Magnolia Days
• Root Vegetable Soup with Herb Croutons from An Appealing Plan
• Waffled Carrot Latkes from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

Breakfast

• Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Carrot Cake Smoothie from Brunch-n-Bites
• Carrot Cake Waffles from Alida’s Kitchen
• Sweet Potato Biscuits with Beetroot Orange Marmalade from Dad Whats 4 Dinner
• Sweet Potato Biscuit and Sausage Gravy Skillet Bake from The Texan New Yorker

Main

• Bacon-Potato Torte from Tramplingrose
• Beef & Root Vegetable Hand Pastries from Gate to Plate
• Beet, Blue Cheese and Bacon Pizza from Caroline’s Cooking
• Beet Pesto from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Celery Root, Apple and Gorgonzola Flat Bread Pizza from Simply Healthy Family
• Hearty Stew Hand Pies from The TipToe Fairy
• Roasted Root Vegetable Panzanella Salad from The Chef Next Door
• Root Vegetable and Beef Flatbread from Family Foodie
• Roasted Vegetable Borscht from The Crumby Cupcake
• Shepherd’s Pie Loaded Baked Potatoes from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Skillet Breakfast Potatoes from Life Tastes Good
• Sweet Potato Pancakes from Our Good Life
• Turnip Rutabaga and Root Veggie Beef Stew from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Wild Rice Vegetable Bake from Wholistic Woman

Sides

• Baked Potato Wedges with Parmesan and Garlic from Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
• Beet, Greens and Goat Cheese Gratin from Monica’s Table
• Boxty (Irish Potato Pancakes) from Curious Cuisiniere
• Browned Butter Braised Baby Turnips from Food Lust People Love
• Caprese Twice Baked Potatoes from Seduction in the Kitchen
• Carrot Ribbon and Orange Salad from Pies and Plots
• Celery Root Gratin with Horseradish Cream from The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Italian Roasted Rosemary and Garlic Potatoes from La Bella Vita Cucina
• Gogoma Jorim (Korean Soy-braised Sweet Potatoes) from kimchi MOM
• Honey Dijon Roasted Carrots from Renee’s Kitchen Adventures
• Jicama Home Fries from Casa de Crews
• Lemon Thyme Au Gratin Potatoes from Vintage Kitty
• Moroccan Harissa Potatoes from Palatable Pastime
• Roasted Balsamic Carrots from Confessions of a Cooking Diva
• Roasted Root Vegetable Farro from Cooking Chat
• Roasted Rosemary Potatoes (with make-ahead tip) from Meal Planning Magic
• Root Vegetable Mash from Feeding Big and more
• Rooty Dauphinoise from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
• Smashed Potatoes from Taste And See
• Smoked Sausage Potato Casserole from Kitchen Gidget
• Spicy Carrots & Potatoes from Sweet Mornings
• Sweet Potato Shoestring Fries from Grumpy’s Honeybunch
• Winter Salad with Fennel, Apples, Goat Cheese and Radishes from Delaware Girl Eats

Desserts

• Best Ever Carrot Cake from Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
• Carrot Cake Cheesecake from Angels Home Sweet Homestead
• Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Carrot Cookies from The Freshman Cook
• Chocolate Carrot & Squash Muffins from What Smells So Good?
• Homemade Carrot Cake from Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Iced Beet Cake from Beauty and the Beets
• Gluten Free Carrot Cake from Real Food Real Deals

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on Twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.