Hey Fam,
Finally getting around to contributing to this blog!
So yesterday I went to the grocery store for my $30 worth of yogurt and fruit (Working at a restaurant keeps the grocery budget down, but the waistline up) and I was walking around trying to decide if I wanted kale, spinach, or broccoli for my greens of the week, when I saw that tofu was on sale. So I bought some, and found some mango/jalapenio dressing (with minimal sugar added) to marinate it in. Then, since it was a sunny day and my Saturday, I decided to just make a full on tropical themed dinner. So I bought a pineapple, a plantain, some jalapenos, and some coconut milk. I got home and put the tofu on to marinate. For those of you into the meatier sides of things, my roommate is a veg, so we usually go for the pan-fried tofu, but chicken would obviously work. I then cut up the pineapple pretty fine (small dice), threw it in a bowl with some minced ginger and cilantro, and a little bit of coconut milk, maybe about a third or a half cup? I took a potato masher to it to get a saucierish texture, so it was still chunky, but slightly pureed. I then texted my friends telling them dinner was on me, and cleaned up my apt a little bit. When they were on their way, I cooked up some white rice, and pan fried the tofu, and set to work on the greens. I loved that salad that Andy posted a while back with the kale and canellini beans (or something like that), and also Kate's idea of cooking kale in milk (years ago from a trip to Portland) so I put some butter in the saute pan with more ginger, garlic, and a jalapeno. Added the beans, and the rest of my can of coconut milk. Right before serving I tossed in the kale with some fresh lemon juice and a bit of salt and sauteed it up. The result was a killer dinner of pan fried tofu, white rice with the pineapple cilantro coconut salsa, and some truly kickass kale.
I know Dad won't go for this because he JUST LIKES PLAIN SHORT GRAIN WHITE RICE but I highly recommend the cool pineapple salsa topping the hot rice. I really surprised myself with how much I liked it, and I don't think I'm too biased, but it got good reviews from my friends as well.
All in all, it was really damn good, if i do say so myself, and perfect to celebrate the oncoming summer. Happy eating!