Cooking Video & Veggie Curry Pasta! GF, V!

Exciting news!!! Over the weekend, I made a cooking demonstration video! You can check it out here! I’m really excited about it:)

So anywho, I have to be honest – these past few days, I’ve been babysitting until 6:30 and coming home exhausted. So as a result, I’ve been having leftover soup for dinner – hence all the archive recipes.

But I love recipes from way back when – my diet was not so strict (I’m on the Specific Carb Diet now), and it’s fun to see how far GFHT has come!

So tonight, I thought I’d share my Veggie Curry Pasta! Oh my gosh I remember this dish – I still dream about it! haha

And it’s Gluten Free and Vegan!

Unfortunately, it is not suitable for the Body Ecology Diet or Specific Carb Diet.

This was a game-changing meal at my house – it was the first tofu dish my dad ever ate…and he LOVED it!

Here’s what you need:

1/2 red onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp ginger, grated
1 bell pepper, diced — yellow in this case
6 mushrooms, sliced
4 carrots, diced
4 green onions, sliced
1 bunch of asparagus, in 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup cilantro
1/4 cup basil
1 T curry powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 block of Tofu, prepared & diced — see below

Sauce:
1 cup light coconut milk
1 healthy squeeze of agave — about 1 1/2 tsp
2 T tamari (GF soy sauce)
1 1/2 Tbsp ginger, grated
2 big garlic cloves, minced
juice of 1/2 a lime
3 tsp red curry paste

Tofu Marinade:
2 T tamari
2 T water
1 tsp agave
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 T fresh ginger, grated
2 big cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp EVOO
1 green onion, sliced

Yes, that is a super long list of ingeredients…but, it is totally worth all the slicing and dicing. Put some good music on, get in your veggie prepping “groove” and get ready for an amazing meal.

So here’s what you do.

1) Tofu needs to be drained. So I take it out of the package and slice it into 8 slabs. I then place those on a paper-towel-lined baking sheet and put a couple more towels on top and then put a big frying pan on top of them and press all the extra water out of the tofu.

2) While its pressing, I make the MARINADE!

3) Then I cut each slab into tiny little cubes and put all the little cubes into a bowl with the marinade and let them sit — coated — for about 15 – 20 minutes.

4) Put all the cubes onto a tin foil-lined baking sheet sprayed with olive oil in a single layer and pour rest of marinade over. Pop in a 400 degree oven for 30-35 minutes, turning each over half way through.

This is a definitely a labor of love for your tofu, but let me tell you, it is delicious and sooo worth it. They caramelize and almost become like candy. My dad actually loved it!

Ok, now onto the rest of the recipe. It is very easy…its just the slicing and dicing!

Saute your onions, carrots, and peppers in a big frying pan with 1 tsp EVOO for about 5 minutes, until they start to get tender. In the meantime, make the sauce in a separate bowl (I used a Pyrex measuring cup) by combining all the ingredients and set aside. Next, add your asparagus and let it cook for about 4-5 minutes, before adding in your mushrooms. Let them release their moisture, and then add in your garlic, ginger, green onions, and spices. Stir those around until every veggie is coated. Then stir in your sauce, raisins, and tofu cubes. Once your (GF) linguine noodles have finished cooking, put them in the pan, along with most of the basil and cilantro, and toss to coat. Garnish with the green parts of the green onions, basil, and cilantro.

This meal was absolutely fantastic. It definitely has a spicy kick to it! But oh boy, there was so much flavor and a delicious array of fresh veggies!! Part of the reason this dish was so wonderful was the contrasting flavors going on: The first thing that hits you is the warm, spice from the curry! It’s a deep heat, that is complimented so beautifully by the sweet, chewy, raisins! The asparagus gives a green, earthiness to the dish, while the peppers and carrots provide a slightly sweet undertone. The tofu also chimes in with a fantastic, caramelized, salty-sweet accent. All this rounded out perfectly with the fresh cilantro and basil. Wow, oh wow.

OK, I hope everyone’s week is off to a great start!

Do you like tofu? What’s your favorite tofu dish?

Until tomorrow!