Jenny's Pineapple Fried Rice with Tofu and Veggies

Here's another throw-it-together dish from my fabulous friend Jenny P. Since I'm ALWAYS getting requests for vegan recipes, I figured it's time to post another one of Jenny's impromptu creations. I'm glad she wrote it down this time! Actually, it kind of cracks me up the way she writes a recipe. It's like she's just having a conversation with you, instead of listing the ingredients and then saying "first do this, then do that." Clearly, Jenny loves to cook with lots of FRESH herbs and other fresh ingredients, which is why I could devour anything she improvises in the kitchen. To make it a little easier, I've listed the ingredients she used, but I'm guessing you can switch things up however you like. Btw, don't let the long list put you off (I'm talking to YOU, Terri). Just use the list as a guideline and let your own tastes shine though. That's exactly what makes Jenny such an amazing cook! If you don't have any herbs and spices in your pantry, perhaps this would be a great reason to start building your spice collection!
 Thanx Jenny P!!

garlic
a cup of dry brown rice
olive oil
lemon juice, zest
salt and pepper
fresh sage
Thai basil
mint
cumin
coriander
Earth Balance
Firm tofu
ginger
red onion
red bell pepper
celery
carrot
pineapple
soy sauce
fresh kale
avocado



Okeedokey....I think this is what I did....lol.

I sautéed some minced garlic (a clove) and a cup of dry brown rice in olive oil over medium heat, just until a nice, light, golden brown; adding a little lemon zest and fresh ground pepper. Then I added 2 1/2 cups of water (cause that's what the people who wrote the directions on the rice package said to add...lol), a few sprigs of fresh sage and Thai basil and seasoned it with cumin, coriander and a touch of salt. I also grated a bit of fresh ginger into the pan, giving everything a light stir and turning the heat up to high. Once it started to boil, I dropped the heat down to low and covered it, letting it simmer for about 25 minutes (or until all the water was absorbed).

* The pan I used didn't have a non-stick coating on it, so when I added the water & spices, I dropped about a TBSP of the Earth Balance in there too so the rice wouldn't stick to the bottom. *

While that was set to simmer I cut up some firm tofu into bite size-ish, rectangular pieces and started to fry them up in olive oil (altho you could use whatever oil you like...I imagine sesame would work well for this) a large saute pan. I grated some more lemon zest and ginger over the tofu and seasoned it with the coriander, cumin & pepper and a little fresh lemon juice. I like to let the tofu get a nice golden brown, cooking most of the way thru on the one side before flipping it over.

 In the meantime, I diced some red onion, red bell pepper, carrot and celery. I didn't cut up a whole lot because I wanted the pineapple and the tofu to be the "stars" of the dish. Once the tofu was ready to flip, I added these veggies and some low sodium soy sauce and then lowered the heat a little.

While that was cooking, I chopped up a handful of fresh kale (cause we're all about it this week...lol), discarding the stems for this dish, and set it aside. Then I grabbed the pineapple from the fridge...which Louie had already chopped up the other day...maybe 3/4 to a full cup (however much you want....it's the star! lol)...and set that aside. I also chopped up some more fresh sage, mint and Thai basil and....you guessed it! Set it aside. Lol.

When the rice had almost soaked up all of the water (about 15-20 min), I tossed the kale in with it, right on top, removing the sprigs of sage & Thai basil and put the lid back on. *Don't stir!* Then I added the pineapple chunks to the center of the saute pan and turned the heat back up (pushing the tofu & veggies to the edge of the pan so they wouldn't overcook) to get them golden brown.

Once the rice had absorbed all of the water, I gave it a stir and then added it to the saute pan with a little more soy sauce, gently combining everything together to allow the flavors to meld together. (maybe 5ish minutes over the high heat)
 I waited until it was plated to add the fresh spices, that way you have the layered flavors of both muted (cooked) and bright (fresh) herbs. Then I sliced an avocado in half (leaving the pit in the half I didn't use to keep it fresher in the fridge) and sliced it longways in its shell, seasoning it with a touch of salt and fresh lemon. I placed the slices of avocado on top of each plated dish and served it up! And I think that's it! It was pretty easy. The whole thing only takes as long as it takes the rice to cook to make. Take that Rachel Ray! Lol.


Jenny's Tips:
-You can add more oil where needed depending on how much the tofu absorbs.
-Whenever I cook with soy sauce, I don't really use salt, but you can always add more s&p to taste if need be.

Jenny P's Vegan Fall Fry Up

  One of my mostest favoritestest people in the whole wide world is my fabulous friend Jenny Pilong, or Jenny P, as I like to call her. She's hilariously funny and wrote the book on what is and isn't cool. She's mad crazy talented and I'm thrilled to say that I've had the honor of sharing the stage with her on several occasions. As if that isn't enough, she's also an amazing cook. I love that she sort of looks at each meal as a culinary adventure. She usually doesn't use a recipe and just throws something together using whatever she has on hand, and the final result is always a huge hit with her main squeeze, Louie Louie.
 We both recently attended a party and she was telling me about her culinary experiments. I IMMEDIATELY begged her to write down what she cooks and take photos since I'm always getting requests for Vegan or Vegetarian recipes. And she did! So here is the first of what I hope will be many culinary creations by my amazing friend, the one and only Jenny P!
Thank You Please!

1 sweet potato
1 red skinned potato
1 plantain
tofu (thankfully!)
1 apple
1/2 a red onion (of which I only used a portion....it's a big onion!)
garlic
ginger root
1/4 of a lemon
fresh herbs (sage, parsley, coriander, Thai basil)
a few tbs unsweetened almond milk
Earth Balance Buttery Spread

And here goes....I knew I wanted a tofu scramble. Normally we do it "potatoes and eggs" breakfast-style (I know some people have never heard of this (insert gasp here)...but if you watch Jamie Oliver at all....you know what I'm talkin' 'bout) but, considering the ingredients I had on hand....I decided to go a bit more fall festive. This probably took about 45 minutes total to make, but that's because the potatoes take a bit to cook through. You can nuke them ahead of time if you want, but I'm trying to phase out all things microwave so I fry 'em up old school.

First I diced the potatoes (peeled the sweet potato, but not the red skinned) and put them in a medium sized tupperware with a little chopped onion, minced garlic, sage & parsley, salt,  pepper and a couple TBSP of olive oil. Then I put the lid on and shook it all up. I like how this evenly coats all the potatoes with all the spices (I do homemade french fries this way too). Then I dumped them in a hot skillet coated with Earth Balance Buttery Spread. You want to get them going over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Next I cut the tofu block (firm tofu) in half and smooshed it all up in a bowl with my hands. Then I grated some lemon zest over it, salt, pepper, fresh parsley, cumin and a few tbs of unsweetened almond milk. Stirred it all up with a fork and set aside.

Then I sliced up the plantain, diced up half the apple and a smidge of red onion, and put them in the same tupperware the potatoes had been. Some fresh, grated ginger, salt, pepper, coriander & fresh Thai basil. Cover and shake it up yo! (there was still plenty of olive oil in the tupperware already) Then I dumped it into a separate heated skillet also coated with buttery spread.

*At this point you can add the tofu scramble to the potatoes and start frying it up together. You want the potatoes to be mostly cooked before you add anything else to the pan. *

I fried up the plantain/apple mixture on high-ish heat, adding a hearty drizzle of balsamic vinegar and a little drizzle of honey. I gave it a stir and then let the plantains fry up on the one side all nice a golden brown before flipping them over.

Once everything has cooked thru, I put the plantain mixture in with the tofu/potato mixture, stirring it all together. Add a light drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon.

Top with fresh Thai basil and serve.

Vegan deliciousness that sticks to your ribs on a chilly fall eve.

Altho....truth be told, if I had French feta in my fridge...it sooooo would have been crumbled on top....negating the previously stated vegan status and bumping it to mere vegetarian deliciousness. If I was feeling fancy pantsy I would have made a balsamic reduction to drizzle on the top....and def crumbled the feta on top!  But it turned out super yummy. It's always an experiment! LOL.

Either way....bon appetit!