Thai Curry Turmeric Rice Noodles w/ Grilled Tofu

Rice noodles and sauteed veggies simmer in a deliciously creamy, coconut Thai curry turmeric sauce topped with grilled tofu. A hint of sweetness and spice, this is a super fast and easy dish that’s perfect for a weeknight.

I’ve employed the best wee assistant photographer ever. Just look how cute! I mean, come on… he even did double duty as a little sous chef, helping me pick the snow peas from the garden for this dish.

We’ve been doing lots of very quick meals lately that are really cheap and super easy. Those are always the best ones though, right? The dishes that most folks make, most of the time. Sometimes food bloggers can get carried away in the beauty of the unique and the original (guilty) but honestly, the beauty of a tasty dish that can be done in 30 minutes flat after a busy day at work can be just as beautiful. Especially when you have a little one constantly pulling on your arm to please, '“Come play trains!” (he’s obsessed with these) or “Come play the wrestle game!” (the latter is just him jumping up and down on us on the bed…), because those playful moments with the munchkins are the truly beautiful moments you don’t want to miss.

A word to the wise: be careful when eating this one. Turmeric will stain the shizz out of anything and everything. It’s incredible for inflammation though! I ensure Todd gets a lot of it in his diet because of his rheumatoid arthritis. I put it in everything. Be sure to add a dash of pepper when consuming turmeric because it super boosts the absorption rate.

Thai Curry Turmeric Rice Noodles w/ Grilled Tofu

By Katie Henry - Produce On Parade

Rice noodles and sauteed veggies simmer in a deliciously creamy, coconut Thai curry turmeric sauce topped with grilled tofu. A hint of sweetness and spice, this is a super fast and easy dish that’s perfect for a weeknight.

Ingredients

• 6 oz rice noodles (I like the wide ones)
• 1 14 oz package of firm tofu, drained and cut into four rectangles
• ½ tbsp coconut oil (or olive oil)
• ½ medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed and thinly sliced
• 1 ½ tbsp Thai green curry paste
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• Dash of white pepper (black will work)
• 1 medium carrot, julienned
• 2 medium celery stalks, cut on the bias
• 1 15 oz can full-fat coconut milk
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• ½ tbsp brown sugar
• Small handful of snow pea pods, whole
• Sprinkling of sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil for the noodles. Cook until al dente, drain and set aside.
2. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat and coat with a nonstick cooking spray if needed. Grill each tofu piece for 5-8 minutes on each side, until grill marks appear. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. While the noodles and tofu cook, heat the coconut oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic; saute 2 minutes. Add the curry paste, ginger, turmeric, and pepper; saute 2 minutes. Add the carrot and celery; saute 2 minutes.
4. Stir in the coconut milk, soy sauce, and brown sugar; reduce heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes. When the noodles are done stir them into the pot with the pea pods, remove from heat and let rest for additional 3 minutes so the noodles can soak up some of the sauce.
5. Serve the noodles hot, topped with grilled tofu. Drizzle some sauce over the tofu and top with sesame seeds.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 00:15
Total time: 00:25
Yield: 3 servings

Save Money!

I buy my nutritional yeast here. It’s only $9.55 per lb versus $13.99 per lb in the bulk bin (!) at our local grocery store!

I buy my canned coconut milk here, at half price almost. It’s only $2.12 per can versus $3.99 per can at our local grocery store!

More Curry and Thai Recipes

Delicata Squash and Broccoli Coconut Curry

Healthy Tofu Curry

Effortless Thai Pasta

Thai Coconut Curry with Kelp Noodles

Garden Pesto Pasta

If your garden is overflowing with basil, green beans, and potatoes this is the perfect recipe. Do you have chickweed growing (unintentionally) in your garden? Don’t throw it in the compost! It makes the most delicious, earthy pesto. This pasta whips up in the time it takes to boil the potatoes, so it’s a terrific weeknight meal. Inspired by Food52.

I am all about one pot meals, you guys. Anything to make dinner easier while working a full-time job and parenting at two and half year old. We could all use more recipes that are easy, quick, and tasty. Technically I did use a food processor to make the pesto but the potatoes, green beans, and pasta all boil in the same pot!

The best part of this meal though? Much of it was grown from the garden! Free food!! The basil and chickweed came from my garden, and the green beans from my stepmom’s. I tried to use my own potatoes I grew but I dug a few up and they weren’t quite ready yet. I’m growing Magic Molly potatoes which are purple inside and out! They have a rich and nutty flavor that I just can’t get enough of. My grandpa used to grown them and when I found them at our local nursery I had to get some. Fun fact: As a child I used to sneak away and dig up my grandpa’s “treasures” well before they were ready because I just couldn’t contain my excitement. It appears as if I have not outgrown this. There is just something so exciting about digging up potatoes! Is it just me?

Garden Pesto Pasta

By Katie Henry - Produce On Parade

If your garden is overflowing with basil, green beans, and potatoes this is the perfect recipe. Do you have chickweed growing (unintentionally) in your garden? Don’t throw it in the compost! It makes the most delicious, earthy pesto. This pasta whips up in the time it takes to boil the potatoes, so it’s a terrific weeknight meal.

Ingredients

• 1 large red or Yukon Gold potato, peeled and quartered and cut into ¼ inch thick slices
• ¼ lb fresh green beans, chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 8 oz dry thin spaghetti (if using regular spaghetti increase cooking time)
• 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup packed fresh chickweed, removing any thick stems and cleaning thoroughly (or basil, spinach, arugula, or other greens)
• 2 whole garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• Heaping ¼ cup pine nuts (or walnuts)
• 1 tbsp miso paste
• ¾ tsp table salt
• ⅓ cup vegan shredded mozzarella cheese
• ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Garnish of vegan parmesan (optional)

Instructions

1. Place the sliced potatoes in a large pot of cold water. Bring to a boil then salt; continue to boil for 5 minutes then add the pasta and green beans. Boil for an additional 5-8 minutes until all the vegetables and pasta are cooked. Drain and return to pot.
2. While the pasta cooks: to a food processor add the basil, greens, garlic, pine nuts, miso, salt, and cheese. Pulse until coarse and grainy. With the processor running drizzle in the olive oil and process until mixed thoroughly.
3. Stir the pesto into the cooked pasta and veggies. Serve hot and topped with vegan parmesan!

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Yield: 3-4 servings

Chickpea Artichoke Rice with Lambsquarter Greens

This is a hearty brown rice dish featuring protein-rich chickpeas, tasty artichoke, savory herbs and spices, wild-foraged lambsquarter greens, and a dash of zingy fresh lemon. Hands-off and great for a weeknight meal, this is a healthy and delicious way to introduce picky eaters to brown rice and foraged greens (or spinach!)

Do you ever forage for wild plants? I really love to incorporate treasures from our backyard in our meals and each year I try to include more. We have an abundance in our woods that offer themselves at various times of the year. Highbush cranberries, red currants, horsetail, many wild edible flowers, bolete mushrooms, spruce tips, fiddlehead ferns, chickweed, wild raspberries, and lambsquarter. These are just a few; Alaska has so much to give!

I remember foraging lambsquarter with my grandmother and eating it. “Tastes like spinach!”, she used to say. And she was right, it does taste like a mild spinach. It’s very recognizable and has a white powdery substance that coats it. Anything you forage should be washed well and of course it’s vital to be absolutely 100% sure you know what you are picking.

If you’re not able to harvest any wild greens where you are, spinach will work just beautifully in this dish or feel free to just omit the greens completely if you prefer.

What kinds of things do you forage?

Chickpea Artichoke Rice with Lambsquarter Greens

By Kathleen Henry - Produce On Parade

This is a hearty brown rice dish featuring protein-rich chickpeas, tasty artichoke, savory herbs and spices, wild-foraged lambsquarter greens, and a dash of zingy fresh lemon. Hands-off and great for a weeknight meal, this is a healthy and delicious way to introduce picky eaters to brown rice and foraged greens (or spinach!)

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked long-grain brown rice
• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 cups + 2 tbsp (thereabouts) vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small brown onion, diced small
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• ½ tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp seasoning or table salt
• dash of white pepper
• 1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained
• 1 15 oz can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
• 1 cup unpacked foraged lambsquarters leaves or spinach
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• ½ lemon, zested and juiced

Instructions

1. Add the dry rice to a rice cooker. Drain the diced tomatoes, reserving the juice in a liquid measuring cup; add in enough vegetable broth to equal 2 ¼ cups of total liquid (for me this was about 2 cups and 2 tbsp of broth). Add to dry rice, and cook according to your rice cooker. Brown rice takes about 1 hour to cook.
2. While the rice cooks, heat the oil over medium-low heat in a large rimmed frying pan. Add the onion and garlic, sauteing for about 5-8 minutes until the onions are translucent. Stir in the spices, herbs, salt and pepper; cook for an additional 2 minutes.
3. Stir in the chickpeas and artichokes; simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and cover; allow to rest until rice is cooked.
4. Wash the greens well. When the rice is done cooking add the greens to the pan and stir until wilted. Add in the rice, parsley, and lemon juice and zest; stir well to combine.
5. Serve hot and topped with additional parsley and lemon zest if you like.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 4