Thursday, 15 July 2010

• A Workin' Girl's Meal

  

  It feels like it’s been years since I last posted and a lot has happened. I’ve graduated, met so many new people, moved into an apartment, bought a car, become a Connecticut resident (but will always be a Southern Californian), and decided to move yet again, to New York City come October.  

  Between moving, settling in, catching up with friends, working, and putting up with the heat (without an air conditioner because I was too stubborn to buy something I wasn’t going to use for very long), I haven’t really had time to cook. Well, I cook, but I don’t have time to write about it.

  And since I’m post-college poor right now, I’ve been living on oatmeal, quinoa, soymilk–all three of which I bought in bulk–fruit, tofu, chicken, chocolate, and summer greens. My pantry, thank goodness, is stocked with dozens of spices to make my meals a little more interesting–I love flavor permutations!

  Last week, when it was too hot to move, I decided (genius that I am) to cook. My roommates thought I was crazy, but then again, they’ve got AC units and I don’t, so the kitchen was just as hot as it was in my room anyway. I bought an onion and decided to make a curried tofu, kale, and quinoa “salad.” I say “salad” because it ended up being too hot to eat something that was hot, so I waited for it to cool, put it in the fridge, and ate it a while later.

  Benefits to this dish? It’s a one-pot meal.
   
  Curried Quinoa w/Tofu, Kale, Onions & Carrots (serves 4)

  1/2 bunch kale, roughly chopped

  1/2 yellow onion

  1 carrot, cut into dime sized pieces

  1 cup quinoa

  1/2 package of extra firm tofu

  1 tsp curry powder

  1 tbsp mustard

  1 tbsp olive oil

  salt to taste

  1. Heat olive oil on medium-high in a medium saucepan. When the oil’s hot, sautee the onions and carrots with a pinch of salt. Once they’ve softened a little, add the tofu and chopped kale with another pinch of salt and the curry powder. Sautee for about 2-3 minutes.

  2. Add the cup of quinoa and 2 cups of water, vegetable stock, or other stock and mustard. Cover, decrease heat to medium and let it cook for about 12-15 minutes, or until the quinoa has absorbed most of the water. Add salt to taste, and wait for the quinoa to finish cooking through.

  What are some other easy-&-cheap-to-make meals?

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