Tomato Salad, Tofu Curry with Fruit, Basmati Rice & Fresh Strawberries ~ r

I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED these recipes and I was sure Hal would too.  Wrong again.  The man likes tomatoes, fruit, rice, curry and he has unwittingly eaten tofu many, many times in Thai food.  But apparently I'm wrong.  He liked the rice and the strawberries . . . sigh . . . well I won't give up!!

Tomato Salad with Oregano

2 tomatoes cut into quarters

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

¾ tsp dried oregano

Put all ingredients into a bowl and toss well.

Makes 2 servings.

Tofu Curry with Fruit

½ onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

½ apple, peeled and cut into quarters

2 slices canned pineapple, cut into bit-size pieces

1 banana, cut into bite-size pieces

150 g watermelon, cut into bit-size pieces

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp curry powder

½ cup vegetable broth

220 g firm tofu, cut into 1.5 cm cubes

½ tbsp canola oil

¼ cup cream 15%

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat half of the butter in a pan over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic, then sauté 3-4 minutes until they become translucent.  Add the apple and cook 3-4 minutes until it starts to soften.  Add the curry powder and sauté 1 minute with stirring.  Stir in the broth, and 3-4 tablespoons of the pineapple juice.  Cover and simmer 12-15 minutes with occasional stirring.

Gently press tofu between paper towels to remove excess moisture.  Heat the oil in another large, heavy skillet over medium heat.  Add the tofu cubes in single layer and cook with some stirring until just golden, about 4-5 minutes.  Transfer the tofu to the curry mixture.  Pour the cream into the tofu and curry pan, bring to a boil, then season with salt and pepper.  Keep the pan warm over very low heat.

Add the remaining butter to the skillet used to sauté the tofu cubes.  Add the banana and pineapple pieces and sauté 2-3 minutes.

Serve the tofu curry over basmati rice or quinoa.  Arrange the banana, pineapple and watermelon pieces on top.

Serves 2.

Steamed Basmati Rice

2/3 cup basmati rice

1-1/3 cup water

Salt to taste

Rinse the rice and drain it.

Pour the specified amount of water into a saucepan, cover, then bring to a boil.  Add the rice and salt.  Cover and cook over very low heat about 15 minutes without uncovering.

Remove the saucepan from the heat.  The water should be completely absorbed.  Should it not be, cover and simmer for a few more minuters.  Let stand, covered, 3-5 minutes.

Serves 2

Fresh Strawberries

2 cups strawberries, rinsed and hulled

I only made 2 changes to the recipes.  I used milk instead of cream in the curry.  I used steamed white rice rather that basmati rice.