AnchorMommy

Tiger Tofu with Jungle Vines: a dinner for little adventurers

July 20, 2009 by Shannon

Kellan often asks me to tell him stories. Sometimes they’re about traveling on a pirate ship in a deep, blue ocean. And sometimes, if I know I’m going to make this meal, the stories are about swinging on vines with monkeys in a green, leafy rainforest. It’s all a setup to get him to eat his “jungle vines” at mealtime. 

And it works. 

Put a pile of “jungle vines” alongside a slab of “tiger meat” and a mound of coconut rice, and you’ve got a fantasy meal on the table that tastes good, looks good and is just downright fun to eat for both kids and parents. This recipe is vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free. The tofu has an earthy, smoky flavor balanced by the zingyness of a lemon-tinged marinade and grilled pineapple. The coconut rice could basically be a meal in itself — it is sweet, delicious and you won’t want to stop shoveling it in. The green beans are crisp-tender and drizzled with a light sesame dressing.

Since this is a whole meal plan, I’m going to list ALL the ingredients you’ll need first. Then we’ll get into the actual recipe-making part. Don’t be put off by the ingredient list! Most of the things you’ll need are common spices, vinegars, oils or plain ‘ol water and salt.

Tiger Tofu ingredients:

And now, the recipes!!!

Tiger Tofu

1. Open the tofu packages and cut into slabs about 1 inch thick. Press with a paper towel and set aside.
2. In a large, shallow dish whisk together lemon juice, paprika, chili powder, garlic, brown sugar, olive oil and salt. 
3. Put the tofu slabs in the marinade, cover and let rest for 30-60 minutes.
4. Once it has marinated, you’ll grill it on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes per side.
5. Put the pineapple pieces on the grill at the same time, but cook for 2-3 minutes per side.

Note: If you use extra firm tofu, it shouldn’t stick to the grill. But if you’re worried about it, brush a little oil on the grill beforehand.

Coconut Rice

1. While tofu is marinating, rub vegetable or canola oil on the bottom and sides of a deep-sided pot with a securely-fitting lid.
2. Turn the burner on medium high and pour in coconut milk, water, rice and salt. Stir continuously until it comes to a boil. (This just took a couple minutes for me.)
3. Once the liquid is boiling, turn the heat down to low. Put the lid askew on the pot and let simmer 15-20 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. (You can start prepping the green beans and/or whisking together the Jungle Vine Dressing while this is simmering.)
4. When liquid is gone, turn off the heat but leave the pot on the burner. Put the lid on securely and let the rice rest for 5-10 minutes, or until ready to eat. You can keep it warm this way for about an hour. (Which is good for me, because my dishes never seem to come together at the same time!) 

Jungle Vines

1. Whisk together soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil and pineapple juice (optional). Set aside.
2. Set a large pot of water on the stove to boil. Set out a separate bowl of cold water.
3. Rinse and trim the green beans.
4. Once water is boiling, dump the green beans into the pot. Let them boil for about 2-3 minutes.
5. Remove the beans from the boiling water with tongs and dunk them in the cold water to stop the cooking.
6. Stack up the spinach leaves, one on top of the other. Then roll them as if you were rolling a piece of paper into a tube. Slice the spinach roll from left to right, creating spinach “ribbons.”
7. Put the spinach on a plate, drain the beans and place them on top of the spinach. Drizzle with the sesame dressing and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

There you go! An edible adventure for the whole family. 

A few tips:

• Michael would like me to note that people who like their food with a little kick should have their Sriracha bottle on standby. He says it goes great with this meal. I wouldn’t know. I don’t touch the stuff.
• If you really want to get fancy, you can drizzle a little sauce on the plate before serving. A little soy, some teriyaki…even a bit of the leftover Jungle Vines dressing would be super yum.
• We found the Tiger Tofu to be especially delicious when paired with a bite of grilled pineapple. You could serve the pineapple on top of the tofu, or on the side.
• The Tiger Tofu pictured here actually turned out a little too perfect-looking for my taste. If you shift it around on the grill a bit, the lines won’t be quite as straight. And as anyone knows, tiger stripes aren’t perfect either.