Red Curry Quinoa

A vegan dish made with tofu, kale and shiitake mushrooms.  I wouldn’t post it here if it wasn’t bursting with flavor and mouth-wateringly delicious.

I created a recipe tonight that I have to share with you. I am kicking myself right now, however, because I didn’t take a picture of it for this post. I hate reading recipes that don’t have pictures to go along with them, so I sincerely apologize!! Please trust me, though, that this dish is worth it, even without a picture to prove it. The truth is, we ate it all before even thinking to capture an image. Next time I make it (and there WILL be a next time), I’ll edit this post to include a picture.

This dish was inspired by a couple of ingredients I bought at the farmers market over the weekend. I had a bunch of Tuscan kale, a bag of shiitake mushrooms, some shallots, and a few cloves of garlic just begging to be sauteed.

This dish tastes hearty and comforting for a cold night and has just a *hint* of spice – but it’s also super healthy and packed with nutrients.

You’ll need:

2 cups dry quinoa

1 block extra-firm tofu

1 bunch Tuscan kale (or whatever kind of kale you like)

1 large handful of shiitake mushrooms, stems removed

1 large (or 2 small) cloves garlic

1 large shallot

1 tablespoon red curry paste (a concentrated mixture of fresh red chilies and Thai spices)

Olive oil

Soy sauce

Salt & black pepper to taste

To make:

Bring 2 cups quinoa and 4 cups water to a boil with a pinch of salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Cover and simmer until all water is evaporated and quinoa is fully cooked (10 – 12 mins).

While quinoa is cooking, chop up the shallot and garlic cloves and add olive oil to a pan along with salt and black pepper. Simmer the shallot and garlic in the pan on low heat.

Chop off all stems of shiitake mushrooms. Cut mushroom tops into slices and add them to the garlic/shallot mixture.

After the garlic, shallot and mushrooms lose their raw edge, chop up the block of tofu into cubes and toss it in the pan.

Add soy sauce to the pan, just enough to coat the tofu and veggies lightly. Let them simmer for a few minutes on low heat.

When quinoa is done, add the red curry paste to it. You may need more than 1 tablespoon. Mix in the red curry paste until the quinoa is a light red color throughout. Taste it. You’ll know if you need more. You want it to have a zingy bite to it.

Lastly, chop up your kale into thin, bite-sized pieces and add it to the simmering mixture of tofu and veggies in the pan. Allow kale to simmer for a couple of minutes, just long enough to become a bit flimsy.

Pour the kale/tofu/shallot/soy sauce mixture onto the red curry quinoa. Mix it all together. Serve hot.

Feeds 4 people of average hunger, or 2 very hungry people.

Eat. Smile. Take nap.