An Evening Alone

Most days now I am cooking for two--my boyfriend and myself--but there are still occasions when I eat alone, and therefore must revert back to my days of cooking for one. After two years of experience, I've gotten pretty good at preparing a meal just for myself. And now, because the occasions are rare, it is actually quite fun creating a meal just for me. When I recently had an evening alone, I decided to try out a recipe I had been eager to make: Tofu Saag with Brown Rice, from the Skinny Bitch Ultimate Everyday Cookbook. It may not sound exciting...in fact, it probably sounds odd to many of you...but the description in the book caught my eye and I'd been wanting to make the dish for some time now. The book's recipe makes four servings, so I made a few adjustments to create a meal suitable for one. That is not the only alteration I made... 

I used frozen spinach instead of fresh (because it's winter time and fresh spinach is way more expensive than the frozen stuff). I significantly increased the amount of coconut milk, because I wanted a strong coconut flavor. And when I went to put in a 'dash' of cinnamon, the bottle cap flung open and I ended up with WAY more cinnamon than necessary...an unintentional WOW factor was added to the dish. The extra cinnamon was amazing. I finished the dish off with some sriracha, for a little spice. Obviously an optional addition for those of you with more sensitive palates. 

So here is my solo and slightly altered version of the recipe. Obviously you can double, triple, or quadruple it to make a meal for more people. But sometimes an evening alone is fun. Enjoy!

Tofu Saag with Brown Rice 
Serves 1
Ingredients
-1/4 onion, chopped
-1 teaspoon olive oil
-1 cup frozen spinach
-1/4 cup coconut milk
-1/2 teaspoon cumin
-1-2 teaspoons cinnamon (depending on how crazy you want to get!)
-pinch of salt
-pinch of ground black pepper
-1/5 block of firm tofu, cubed (about 3/4 cup)
-1/2 cup cooked brown rice
-sriracha!

Directions
1. Heat oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 1-2 minutes, until onion starts to brown
2. Add frozen spinach and sauté until spinach starts to thaw (about 2 minutes)
3. Once thawed, add coconut milk, cumin, cinnamon, and salt. Stir well and let simmer for 2 minutes. 
4. Add tofu and pepper, and cook until tofu is heated through (about 2 minutes)
5. Serve over brown rice and top with sriracha!

PS--some suggestions for using the leftover coconut milk: 

1. My new favorite snack: 1 cup frozen spinach, 1/4 cup coconut milk, dash of cinnamon, 1 tablespoon raisins or dried currants. Microwave the spinach and milk for about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Add the cinnamon and raisins. Perfect for your post-lunch munchies!

2. Pina-Colada Oatmeal: 1/2 cup dry quick-cooking oats, 1 cup water, 1/4 cup coconut milk, 1/2 cup frozen pineapple bits, 1 tablespoon shredded coconut. Combine oats, water, and pineapple. Microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Add coconut milk and shredded coconut. Delish!