Quinoa with Kale
1 block of extra firm tofu
4 leaves of organic kale, washe'd and chiffonated
olive or other oil for stir frying tofu
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cup spring water (for cooking quinoa)
1 tablespoon vegan sour cream (or to taste)
1 tablespoon vegan mayonnaise (or to taste)
sea salt to taste
1) Cook the quinoa according to package (or 1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups of water, boil water and grain together, turn down heat and let it simmer about 10-15 mins till water is gone. turn off heat and let grain sit, fluff with fork).
2) While quinoa is cooking, cut tofu into triangles, or chunks, whatever works for you. Brown the tofu in the oil.
3) When quinoa is done removed from heat.
4) Put the chiffonated or torn kale into the tofu pan and cook kale until just wilted.
5) Add the quinoa to tofu/kale mixture and cook for approx 2 mins till well mixed and everything is cooked and warm.
6) Add the vegan sour cream and vegan mayo to the tofu/kale/quinoa and mix.
7) Add salt to taste and more sour cream or mayo.
This sounds weird at first because the thought of anything mayo-ey in my food really grossed me out but this is so good! Its super quick, a great way to try a new grain and includes kale in a way I can actually eat it. Feel free to change it and make it better. My 2 year old loves it too.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
I used lentils instead of tofu and I cooked the quinoa and lentils in vegetable broth so it wouldn't be so bland. But it was still bland. This recipe needs something more, I am just not quite sure what...
I was really excited about making this, because I'm a big fan of quinoa and kale. But I was so sad when I took a bite of this concoction and discovered how utterly bland it was. Then mixing in small amounts of the optional vegan mayo and sour cream (Wildwood plain soy yogurt is my favorite substitute), the mooshy creaminess just made it weird. I think that next time I attempt a combination of this kind, I will add far more vegetables and spices than this recipe calls for, and leave out the vegan creams.