Friday, December 28, 2012

Cajun Tofu Skillet

This recipe was inspired by one found on fatfreevegan.com that she called Tofu Jambalaya.   I have changed the cooking method and some of the ingredients and made it my own.  I don't find it really resembled jambalaya though so I changed the name too.


 CAJUN TOFU SKILLET

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Jasmine Rice and enough water to cook rice according to package directions
1 tsp vegan No-Chicken Bouillon mixed with water to cook rice
1 lb extra firm Tofu
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 large Onion, chopped
1 large Green Bell Pepper
1 Jalapeno, deseeded and minced
1 cup Celery, chopped
1 cup Okra, chopped
4-5 cloves Garlic, minced
1 - 28oz can Diced Tomatoes
3 tsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 tsp Hot Pepper Sauce

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Start rice cooking according to package directions adding the bouillon to the water.

2.  Pat/squeeze moisture out of tofu and cube into 1/2 - 1 inch cubes and set aside.

3.  Drizzle olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add in onion, celery, green pepper, jalapeno and saute until soft. Add garlic and saute another minute.


4.  Add tomatoes, okra, chili powder, salt, liquid smoke, cayenne pepper, hot sauce and tofu.


5.  Cover and cook on low for 20 minutes.  When rice is cooked, add rice to skillet and stir so that it is incorporated into the tomato mixture.  Serve.


I have made this dish several times, but it has actually been a while since I've cooked rice because we have been eating quinoa instead for it's nutritional value.  I am thinking that this dish might be better with quinoa as I found the rice to be a little mushy.  It could be because I used jasmine rice instead of a more substantial variety.  Next time I am trying it with quinoa though.

- Au Revoir

"We fry everything - if we could stick a bike tire in the right kind of batter, we'd eat it." - Gas Station Attendant, Port Fouchon
.

4 comments:

  1. Gonna have to get that recipe to Josh! Easy enough for him to make on his own :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And it makes enough for leftovers to heat in the fridge for lunch the next day too.

      Delete
  2. I've made a very similar dish in the past as well as a lot of jambalaya.

    Very similar ingredients though the order of cooking is a little bit different. Start with the oil and garlic, add the onions, peppers and celery (aka trinity), fry a bit, add the uncooked rice, fry a bit more until the rice is toasted, add the tomatos, broth, okra and spices and vegetable broth. It should be boiling immediately if the pan was hot enough, simmer until the rice is cooked.

    Another option...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is the way the recipe was originally written was to cook the rice with everything else in broth/tomatoes. I just found it seemed to take forever the first few times I tried doing it that way so I switched it to cooking separately.

      Wonder how it would be in a crock pot?

      Delete