Thai Curry Turmeric Rice Noodles w/ Grilled Tofu

Rice noodles and sauteed veggies simmer in a deliciously creamy, coconut Thai curry turmeric sauce topped with grilled tofu. A hint of sweetness and spice, this is a super fast and easy dish that’s perfect for a weeknight.

I’ve employed the best wee assistant photographer ever. Just look how cute! I mean, come on… he even did double duty as a little sous chef, helping me pick the snow peas from the garden for this dish.

We’ve been doing lots of very quick meals lately that are really cheap and super easy. Those are always the best ones though, right? The dishes that most folks make, most of the time. Sometimes food bloggers can get carried away in the beauty of the unique and the original (guilty) but honestly, the beauty of a tasty dish that can be done in 30 minutes flat after a busy day at work can be just as beautiful. Especially when you have a little one constantly pulling on your arm to please, '“Come play trains!” (he’s obsessed with these) or “Come play the wrestle game!” (the latter is just him jumping up and down on us on the bed…), because those playful moments with the munchkins are the truly beautiful moments you don’t want to miss.

A word to the wise: be careful when eating this one. Turmeric will stain the shizz out of anything and everything. It’s incredible for inflammation though! I ensure Todd gets a lot of it in his diet because of his rheumatoid arthritis. I put it in everything. Be sure to add a dash of pepper when consuming turmeric because it super boosts the absorption rate.

Thai Curry Turmeric Rice Noodles w/ Grilled Tofu

By Katie Henry - Produce On Parade

Rice noodles and sauteed veggies simmer in a deliciously creamy, coconut Thai curry turmeric sauce topped with grilled tofu. A hint of sweetness and spice, this is a super fast and easy dish that’s perfect for a weeknight.

Ingredients

• 6 oz rice noodles (I like the wide ones)
• 1 14 oz package of firm tofu, drained and cut into four rectangles
• ½ tbsp coconut oil (or olive oil)
• ½ medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed and thinly sliced
• 1 ½ tbsp Thai green curry paste
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• Dash of white pepper (black will work)
• 1 medium carrot, julienned
• 2 medium celery stalks, cut on the bias
• 1 15 oz can full-fat coconut milk
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• ½ tbsp brown sugar
• Small handful of snow pea pods, whole
• Sprinkling of sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil for the noodles. Cook until al dente, drain and set aside.
2. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat and coat with a nonstick cooking spray if needed. Grill each tofu piece for 5-8 minutes on each side, until grill marks appear. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. While the noodles and tofu cook, heat the coconut oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic; saute 2 minutes. Add the curry paste, ginger, turmeric, and pepper; saute 2 minutes. Add the carrot and celery; saute 2 minutes.
4. Stir in the coconut milk, soy sauce, and brown sugar; reduce heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes. When the noodles are done stir them into the pot with the pea pods, remove from heat and let rest for additional 3 minutes so the noodles can soak up some of the sauce.
5. Serve the noodles hot, topped with grilled tofu. Drizzle some sauce over the tofu and top with sesame seeds.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 00:15
Total time: 00:25
Yield: 3 servings

Save Money!

I buy my nutritional yeast here. It’s only $9.55 per lb versus $13.99 per lb in the bulk bin (!) at our local grocery store!

I buy my canned coconut milk here, at half price almost. It’s only $2.12 per can versus $3.99 per can at our local grocery store!

More Curry and Thai Recipes

Delicata Squash and Broccoli Coconut Curry

Healthy Tofu Curry

Effortless Thai Pasta

Thai Coconut Curry with Kelp Noodles

Vegan Pad See Ew

This is a staple in our home, especially when we’re looking to treat ourselves. Thai food is my favorite cuisine but it’s not always budget friendly to go out to a restaurant, so I’ve recreated my favorite Thai dish - Pad See Ew. A ‘recipe’ that’s been in my head for what seems like forever, I finally wrote it down and now I’d like to share it with you for your gastronomic pleasure! Baked tofu, and sauteed carrot and broccoli mingle with thick rice noodles; bathed in a sweet and salty Thai sauce with fresh basil. This is sure to be a family favorite.

“The hardest thing to do is to be true to yourself, especially when everybody is watching.”

— Dave Chappelle

Growing up in with two brothers and no sisters, I think it's pretty safe to say I was a bit of a tomboy and a pretty low-maintenance gal. I've always feared drama, dreaded gossip, and despised conflict. Men were naturally more easy to get along with than women. These are things I've always known about myself.

Yet, over the past year or so I've been trying to accept and learn more about my true self. I'm trying to celebrate my introversion while attempting to kindly sweep my social anxeity out the door... or at least under the rug; that's probably more accurate. I've learned a lot about myself over the past couple years: tendencies and peculiarities that have always laid dormant, but now that I'm somewhat grown up (I have a genuine house now, dammit!) I've come to recognize them. Here's a few:

• My eco-friendly habits are becoming a bit severe.
• Imposter syndrome is a real thing.
• I'm getting better at speaking/public engagements... but will try to get out of it first.
• I'd have to be kidnapped to participate in anything that involves crowds.
• Being vulnerable online will always be scary, but it always helps that person who relates.
• When it comes to clothing, first and foremost - comfort. Life's too short to be uncomfortable.
• I finally like my bed-head and natural curls.
• For me, I usually find makeup to be a waste of time (except for a sweep of blush).

Over the holiday weekend, a couple family members were innocently poking fun at me; saying they were going to take photos of my mussed, no-makeup style and post them onto the blog. As if I've been sporting some kind of facade? I'm not sure. I couldn't help but laugh, "Do it!" I said. I think they thought I was joking. Demonstrably, I'm always looking like a rag-a-muffin. Even growing up my mom would beg me to run a comb through my wild, wind-blown tangles. 

My photo in the top-right of the side bar was taken quickly one morning in the fall. I actually have short bangs, but having just woken up I had yet to straighten them... so they just ended up plastered to the side of my head. Those are my natural, imperfect curls you see which do whatever they like. I used to fight them, but no longer. I wasn't even wearing any make up and had to do a quick photoshop of a bit of mascara! #mascaraistheworst #allergies

I've always felt this space was a place of transparency. I talk about anxiety, depression, introversion, family, disease, and being comfortable in your own skin. It's not in my nature to shy away from difficult topics and I never showcase a facade of how my life actually is. So, in the spirit of transparency, here are some photos from a couple weeks ago when my brother-in-law was playing with Todd's camera. We happened to all be snuggled up on the dog bed and he thought it would be funny to take some 'family' photos, just goofing around. Find more after the recipe and enjoy. Here's to the good life and being yourself! 

A makeup-less mug, hair messy enough for a scolding, and an LL Bean flannel nightgown IS my uniform. 

Vegan Pad See Ew

By Kathleen Henry @ Produce On Parade

Published 04/01/2016

This is a staple in our home, especially when we’re looking to treat ourselves. Thai food is my favorite cuisine but it’s not always budget friendly to go out to a restaurant, so I’ve recreated my favorite Thai dish - Pad See Ew. A ‘recipe’ that’s been in my head for what seems like forever, I finally wrote it down and now I’d like to share it with you for your gastronomic pleasure! Baked tofu, and sauteed carrot and broccoli mingle with thick rice noodles; bathed in a sweet and salty Thai sauce with fresh basil. This is sure to be a family favorite.

Ingredients

• 1 lb firm tofu (optional), pressed and dried well then diced into small rectangles
• 16 oz thick rice stick noodles, dry
• 2 tbsp peanut oil
• 1 large yellow onion, cut into half moon slices
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 medium carrots, sliced on the diagonal or julienned
• 1 large head of fresh broccoli, florets chopped and stem peeled then sliced on the diagonal or julienned
• ⅓ cup fresh basil (optional), leaves halved lengthwise
• - Sauce -
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup hoisin
• ¼ cup water
• Scant ¼ cup agave nectar
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Arrange the tofu on a baking sheet; bake for about 30 minutes until slightly crunchy and browned.
2. Cook the noodles according to the package. I bring a large pot of water to boil then wait until everything else is done before adding the noodles. They usually only take about 4-6 minutes until al dente. They should be slightly chewy still so they soak up the sauce. Drain and set aside.
3. While the tofu and noodles are cooking, heat the oil in a large rimmed frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic; saute for about 5 minutes until the onion begins to brown. Add the carrots and broccoli and continue to cook for 8-10 more minutes until the vegetables are just tender.
4. While the vegetables cook, whisk together all the sauce ingredients in a liquid measuring cup.
5. Once the noodles are done, add to the vegetables and stir in the sauce, tofu, and basil until well combined. Allow to sit for at 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the noodles become have soaked up some of the sauce.
6. Taste and add additional soy sauce, agave, or vinegar as you see fit. Serve hot.

Yield: 6

I enjoy spending my mornings getting nibbled on; on the same bed that Bob spends his nights.

Have you ever seen a dog yawn from below? The teeth on this bro tho...

Enjoying a coffee shrub spritzer with one of my main men. Nightgowns for life!

Ross and Anouk, just chillin' like we do.

I love this article from Refinery29 about the depression problem that no one talks about. A must read. 

Thai Purple Pasta

Ever since I stumbled upon black bean noodles, I've been absolutely dying to try them. It's like my life wish, these noodles. Is this normal? Anyways, I finally found some at a health food store in Anchorage along with Beyond Meat (OMG!). I knew exactly what I wanted to make with the both of them. 

When I opened up the noodle package, examining it, I realized they were not in fact my irrationally sought after black bean noodles but instead black rice noodles....whoops. I'm almost ashamed to admit how devastated I was, but alas they turned out to be fantastic.

On purpose, I normally don't buy gluten-free things, so I was surprised to discover that they had a wonderful texture. If you have celiac disease, are gluten-sensitive, or just avoiding the stuff for some reason you give these noodles a try. I think you'll enjoy them. 

“Animals never worry about heaven or hell. Neither do I. Maybe that’s why we get along. ”

— Charles Bukowski

I joined Full Circle a couple weeks ago and received my first box this week. In it was absolutely the most adorable tiny purple pepper, which you'll see in my next post. There was a lot of gorgeous stone fruit, some sturdy kale, and silky chard too (that guy's in the next post as well!) I ordered two bunches of beets because I must have them in excess and a little head of purple cabbage. 

Half of that little purple cabbage, you'll see found it's way into our purple pasta today. Good thing the noodles were already purple I guess! Feel free to use soba noodles in this recipe, I think they'd work beautifully. Black rice noodles probably aren't lingering around your local grocery store, so don't feel bad.

My cilantro has been showing off these sweet and delicate little white flowers now that the autumn leaves are falling and the mornings are windy and chilly. I'll be sad without my little herb garden in the coming month.

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Thai Purple Pasta

by Katie @ Produce on Parade September-12-2014

A beautiful purple pasta with sauteed purple cabbage and plant-based meat, laden in a sweet, Thai sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ small purple cabbage head, chopped
• 12 oz. plant-based meat strips (I used grilled “chicken” strips), thawed and halved
• 9 oz. black rice noodles (soba work too!), dry
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
• -- Sauce --
• 2/3 cup water
• ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. vegan sugar
• 1/2Tbsp. sweet chili sauce
• dash of crushed red pepper
• dash of sesame seeds

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to boil for the noodles. Once boiling, parboil the noodles according to package but deduct a few minutes. You want the noodles to be a super al dente. Mine only needed three minutes, so place them in the water when prompted below. In a large rimmed frying pan, heat the oil over medium low. Add the garlic and sauté for a few minutes, until fragrant. Add the cabbage and meat strips. Increase the heat to medium and cook for about 8 minutes, until the cabbage becomes wilted and tender and the strips are heated thoroughly.Meanwhile whisk together the sauce ingredients, ensuring that the sugar has mostly dissolved. Place the noodles in the boiling water to cook. Drain when super al dente and add to the frying pan. Next, add in the sauce and stir well to coat. Turn the heat to medium-low for a few minutes, until the noodles have soaked up most of the sauce. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Serve hot and topped with sesame seeds and additional cilantro.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 25 mins Yield: 5

German Word of The Day

Purple --> Violett (vee-o-let)

Good Deed of The Day

Don't take my word for how great being vegan is. Check out Bustle's, The 7 Best Health Perks of A Vegan Lifestyle.