Surprisingly Good

A new year means making that goal again to eat right, so while KC and I were looking for good healthy recipes we happened upon this, Sweet Potato Curry with Tofu.

Upon first look at the ingredients I wasn't convinced that it would taste good. My experiences with tofu haven't been positive. But I promised KC I would make it and it turned out surprisingly good.

Now served over a cup of rice it isn't the most low calorie dish. The culprit? Coconut milk. But if you increase the number of servings to 8, reduce the rice to 1/2 cup, and if you can find light coconut milk all will be well. 

KC and I like the count our calories using the weight watchers point system. Basically 1 point is about 50 calories and your daily allowance is based on your age, activity level and current weight. I am only allowed about 22 points a day. Before changing this recipe it would have sucked 12 points out of my day allowing me to eat hardly anything the rest of the day. With a smaller portion size and taking all the fat out of the coconut milk it is now 7 points per serving... awesome. Now the problem is only eating one serving.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients 

• 1 pound extra-firm tofu
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided use
• 1 large clove garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 1-inch piece fresh gingerroot, peeled, smashed with the side of a heavy knife, and minced
• 3 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 14-ounce can light coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 pound sweet potatoes (2 medium), peeled and diced 
• 1 cup green peas (frozen is fine) 
• kosher salt
• Chopped cilantro and roasted peanuts for garnish
• 2 cups of rice (cook to make 4 cups)

Directions

1. Press the tofu to dry it a bit: wrap it in a clean dish towel, and set a heavy pot on it while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2. Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a wide skillet over medium-low heat and sauté the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds or so, until just fragrant. Stir in the curry powder, then add the coconut milk, tomato paste, and water, and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring.
3. Add the sweet potatoes and stir, then cover the pan and cook over low heat, at a gentle simmer, until the sweet potatoes are tender (around 15 minutes).
4. Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick pan and slice the tofu into 1/2-inch cubes. Fry the tofu for 10 minutes, turning it to brown as many sides as possible (don't try to brown them all -- just a few is fine).
5. Add the tofu and the green peas to the pan of sweet potatoes, and simmer it uncovered for 5 minutes to blend the flavors, cook the peas, and thicken the sauce.
6. Taste for salt (you may need to add a lot or a little, depending on whether there's salt in your curry powder) and serve over 1/2 cup rice, garnished with chopped cilantro and peanuts.

Nutrition Information: 8 Servings - 364 calories, 9.8 g fat, 4.4 g fiber - 7 points per serving