peanut spinach & tofu

Maybe this is swimming rama? I think so, but I'm not totally sure. Swimming rama is a common dish at Thai restaurants - typically spinach in peanut sauce served over rice. But I'm not sure if peanut sauce + spinach = swimming rama, or if there are other requirements. And Google wasn't much help in this area - it led me to a few recipes for swimming rama, but I didn't find any good info on what it actually is. So rather than title this post "Cole's swimming rama", to be safe, I'm going to stick with peanut spinach & tofu.

Those who are familiar with my schedule know that I'm on vacation right now. No, I'm not cooking on vacation (I'm letting others cook for a change!). Rather, I'm still catching up on some items from last week when I was still in the kitch. 

Variations of this recipe are one of my favorite, easy, weeknight dishes. I typically make it with: rice + vegetable + protein + peanut sauce. The peanut sauce changes from time to time depending on what I have on hand, as does the vegetable and protein. Here's how it goes:

Peanut Spinach & Tofu

Serves 2

For peanut sauce:

2 cloves of garlic, minced

3 Tbsp. tamari

3 Tbsp. lime juice

2 Tbsp. agave

1/2 c. natural peanut butter

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/8 tsp. sea salt

about 4 oz. soy, rice, lite coconut milk, or water

2 Tbsp. coconut oil

12 oz. firm tofu, rinsed, pressed, and cut into cubes

4-6 cups spinach*

*Any good stir fry vegetable (or combo of stir fry vegetables) would be good here - red peppers, sweat peas, mushrooms, broccoli, etc.

Whisk garlic through sea salt in a small bow. Add rice milk, a little at a time, whisking after each addition until the sauce reached desired consistency.

Heat oil in a wok or large pan over medium-high heat. Stir fry tofu until it begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add spinach and continue to stir fry until wilted. 

Remove from heat. Add sauce and mix through. Serve over hot rice.

This will be my last post for the next week or so, as JR, Romeo, and I continue our vacation. I'm going to do something I havent' done in a really long time - stay offline. I'll be back in the kitch late next week - hopefully with inspiration from the coastal towns and great vacation meals we're sure to enjoy over the next week. I'm thinking after a week of eating out, I'll be itching to get back to stirring and cooking. See you next week!