Tofu in Coconut Curry Sauce and Movie Monday

Hi everybody! Today I wanted to share with you a brand of rice that I hadn't tried before. Alter Eco Fair Trade  is a fantastic company that provides fair trade foods from all over, and they sent me some samples to try! They have very high quality organic products, with a huge variety! This is definitely a store you can be proud of supporting! You can purchase any of their products at their online store!

For this recipe I tried their white jasmine rice. Just opening the package I got a hug whif of that heady flowery scent. Oh, I love jasmine rice SO much! I was definitely excited to use this! I found that It cooked up nice and fluffy, and the aroma just got better as it cooked! The bottom line? Fabulous texture, flavor, and quality! I am totally going to have buy some more of this! I can't wait to try out the other samples! Here's the recipe I made to put over the rice.

Tofu in Coconut Curry Sauce (adapted by Cathy Burgett from The Green's Cookbook, by Deborah Madison)
2 Lbs. firm tofu, rinsed and drained (I only had 1 Lb, so I substituted 2 small sweet potatoes, par cooked and cubed.)
oil for frying, or stock for simmering

2 Tbs. roasted peanut oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced (my bell pepper was green)
2 serrano chiles, minced (I didn't have these, so I used red chili flakes)
1 Tbs Thai curry paste or curry powder
1 cup canned coconut milk
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock, or water
salt
2/3 cup cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup roasted chopped peanuts

Slice the tofu into 1/2-inch pieces and fry it in vegetable oil until crisp and brown (this is what I chose to do). Alternatively, simmer the tofu in stock and cover for 5 minutes. Drain either preparation of tofu.

Over high heat, saute the onion, bell peppers and chiles (if using) in the peanut oil for 1 minute. Stir in the curry paste or powder and the coconut milk. Add the stock and salt to taste. Add the tofu. Simmer for 2 minutes or until the tofu is hot.

Serve over noodles or rice (I chose rice, obviously!)

garnished with peanuts and cilantro.

I also steamed some broccoli, and we mixed that into the bowl of goodness too! This was SO good! I can't get over the aroma and flavor of this rice! I am hooked!

And you will be too! Come on, you know you want to try some!

Want something good to watch with that fabulous dinner? Well, this is just a trial, but I would like to start "Movie Mondays". My husband and I are total movie fans, and we tend to watch a few each week. I thought you might like to hear what we're watching, and maybe even give me some suggestions as to what to watch next! Movies are fun, and hopefully my "Movie Mondays" blurb will be fun too!This was obviously our Halloween selection. Here goes!

Movie Monday #1
Machete: Starring Danny Trejo, Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Steven Seagal, and Michelle Rodriguez. This was bloody, full action and a bit gritty. Definitely a Robert Rodriguez film, and definitely not for the faint of heart! Surprisingly good story that held up through the whole movie, and good acting! This was Ben's choice, but I ended up liking it too!

The Nightmare Before Christmas: We have seen this a million times, but it was so appropriate for Halloween. Plus, even though we each own it on dvd, we ended up buying it on blu-ray. SO worth it! This movie is one of our favorites! Tim Burton's style is awesome! This is one of the few animated movies that I can get Ben to watch again and again!

Young Frankenstein: Only Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder could come up with something this funny! Obviously this is another favorite, but it needed to be watched for the holiday. SO hilarious! It's a classic!

From Dusk Til Dawn: This was another of Ben's picks. George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino, and quite a few other big names bring together this Robert Rodriguez movie. Yes, another. This was a bit tense and suspenseful, some good action, and a good storyline. Then it just goes crazy!!! I won't tell you about the ending, but lets just say, if you are into action and gore, this is your movie! Rodriguez sure has a knack for hilariously gorey movies!

Casper: You know, the friendly ghost! This is a fun, light hearted movie with Christina Ricci. Nothing really scary here, but it's entertaining. Plus, I remember when it came out and the guy playing Casper was HOOOT!  Please forgive me for saying that!

Shadow of the Vampire: This is a great one that I had never seen. John Malkovich and Willem Dafoe are fantastic! Dafoe is hardly recognizable in his makeup, but his acting is hilariously good! There is suspense, a good story, and a good sense of humor all mixed into this off-beat and odd movie. Definitely something unique!

Ok friends, there you have it. I'll keep this up for another week or two (if I remember!), and then you guys can let me know if you like it, or if it's a waste of blog space!

 Hope everyone survived their Monday!