Super Easy Tofu and Asparagus Over Rice

Ok, friends, I think I finally have my picture dilemma figured out. For now, at least! I'm just going to use photobucket until all of that space is gone. Then...who knows! But, at any rate, this means that I can now put up regular posts again! Hurray!

I have had a headache most of the day, and Ben and his mom are still super sick, but I still got lots of candy making done today! I made peanut brittle, turtles, and coated a bunch of truffles. I also did some packaging. Saturday and the craft fair are coming pretty darn quick! I was thinking it might be fun to do a series of candy posts for the holiday season! What do you guys think? Would that be good for you? It's a lot of work, but I've really been enjoying all of the candy making!

Last week I was feeling tired, but it was my turn to make dinner. I thought I'd just throw together some stuff we had around. I had some of this red rice from Alter Eco Fair Trade to try, so I broke that out. Asparagus, tofu and a bottle of black bean sauce all appeared on the counter too, so I went at it!

Tofu and Asparagus over Red Rice

2 blocks of firm or extra firm tofu
1 bunch asparagus, cut into bite sized pieces
1 cup Alter Eco Red Rice
1/2 bottle black bean sauce
oil for frying

First, cut up your tofu into bite sized pieces and drain it, using paper towels or however you usually get the liquid out of your tofu. I seriously wish I had a tofu express! Totally on my Christmas list for this year!!!

I started my red rice cooking so it'd be done in time.

What a beautiful color!!!

 Wait until your rice is almost done cooking before you start this part. It only takes a few minutes. Heat up your frying pan with some oil in it, probably on med-high, and brown your tofu on all sides. Toss in the asparagus and fry just until it's bright green.

Then pour on as much sauce as you want. I used enough to nicely coat everything.

Pile some of the gorgeous rice into your bowl and top with tofu and asparagus! It's as easy as that! Super tasty too!

This red rice from Alter Eco Fair Trade was a bit chewier than the white jasmine rice, but it had great earthy flavor, and the color was just fantastic! Very tasty! A perfect base for this simple meal. YUM!

I made a quick side salad of mandarin orange segments with pomegranate on top! So pretty, and delicious! Nice and light.

Happy eating everyone! Hope you survived your Monday!

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!