Golden Tofu with Spicy Spinach and Kale

There are many factors lately that could contribute to a lack of cooking time in the kitchen for me.  For one, it's too blazing hot to cook!  Summer comes late to San Diego, and it's finally here with a vengeance.  Even though we live only 7.8 miles away from the ocean, we are still inland enough that it gets to about 95 degrees at out house.  Yikes.

Another reason to not cook is that I have just been too exhausted when I get home from work.  Late nights watching the Olympics combined with 5:00am workouts and nine hour work days equal one tired veggie lover.  One night last week, we just wandered around lazily, grazing from whatever we could find in the fridge or pantry.  That so-called meal consisted of something like pickles, almonds, apples, and some chips and salsa.  And then we ate rice for three days in a row because that's super easy to make and you can eat it with anything. 

Anyway.

I was missing cooking so much that I finally vowed to get some fresh ingredients and just cook this week no matter how hot or tired.

Sunday's are pretty easy and nice because I'm not coming home at 7pm from a long work day.  For this reason, I have decided to move "Pasta Sunday's" to another day of the week because pasta is an easy enough meal that can be created in little time on a busy week night.  And on Sunday's I can spend a little more time fixing a fun new recipe.

Today I made Golden Tofu with Spicy Spinach and Kale.  Trust me, it was still hot while I was cooking, but in the end it was all worth it.

This recipe is inspired from a Whole Living recipe.

Ingredients:

12 oz firm tofu block, drained, pressed, and cut into 1/4 -inch cubes
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
dash red pepper flakes
about 5 ounces fresh spinach
about 5 ounces fresh kale
Salt and Pepper

In an electric or non-stick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the canola.  Add tofu and cook, turning often, until browned on all sides.  Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste on tofu.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a large pot.  Add onion and garlic and cook until softened.  Add ginger and spices, stir, and cook for another minute.  Add a splash of water.  Add the kale and let cook for about two minutes until it starts to soften and wilt.  Add spinach, mix, and take off heat.  Let sit while spinach softens and wilts.

When the tofu is done, serve it on top of the spicy spinach and kale.  Add some sliced avocado on the side.  Delicious!