I haven’t posted a recipe for a while, so while I'm away, here’s something yummy I made on Monday: Fiery Tofu and Coconut Curry Soup, from Cooking Light magazine. Vegetarian and—correct me if I’m wrong—vegan, too.
Here’s the direct link if you’d like to print it out uncluttered by my “helpful” suggestions italics (you can also get nutritional information).
Note: This soup is quite spicy, though I suppose you can temper the heat level by adding less of the curry paste.
Fiery Tofu and Coconut Curry Soup
Ingredients
2 tablespoons canola oil (vegetable oil is fine)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 cup red curry paste (I used a Taste of Thai packet; if you squeeze hard to extract every last bit, that will be about ¼ cup)
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
2 (13.5-ounce) cans light coconut milk (if you don’t care about calories etc., I’m sure this would be fabulous with regular coconut milk)
2 1/2 cups organic vegetable broth (2 cups = 1 can, so I just added water for the remaining ½ cup)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
1/4 cup thinly sliced peeled fresh ginger (I roughly chopped the slices; not as pretty, not as scary as eating giant slices of ginger)
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 cups thinly sliced carrot (about 4)
1 1/2 cups (1-inch) pieces green beans (8 ounces) (don't know why frozen wouldn't work)
1 (14-ounce) package water-packed soft tofu, drained and cut into (1-inch) cubes
3/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
Preparation
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic to pan; sauté 30 seconds or until lightly browned. Add curry paste; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add brown sugar; cook 1 minute. Stir in coconut milk, broth, juice, ginger, and soy sauce. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 1 hour. Add carrot; cook for 6 minutes. Add beans, and cook 4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add tofu to pan, and cook 2 minutes. Garnish with cilantro leaves. 6 servings.
Note: This tastes great the next day, but the beans and cilantro lose their color, so if you were making this ahead to serve to people, I’d suggest stopping before adding the beans. Before serving, reheat, and then proceed with the beans, tofu, cilantro.
