When you can’t get away for vacation, but still want the feeling of a vacation, this dinner is for you! Better yet, have someone make it for you while you sip a margarita. It’s tropical, refreshing, and perfect for those warm summer nights when you want to change up your go-to meals.
Plus, you simply cannot go wrong with juicy fruit cascading over your dinner plate, especially during a heat wave. This was quite simple to throw together, but still felt like a dish I’d find on the menu of my favourite veg restaurant (only better because it was made at home!).
I’ve never made coconut rice before, but after a quick scour of the internet, I settled on Jaden’s recipe. Only I didn’t have jasmine rice or full-fat coconut milk so I used brown rice and light coconut milk instead. I was a bit worried I’d end up with a “healthy tasting” coconut rice, but it tasted nothing of the sort. It was as creamy and decadent tasting as I hoped it would be. A tiny amount of brown sugar, nutmeg, and toasted coconut really made the flavours pop. Without these it was a bit bland, but with, it’s now a rice dish I’m crazy about.
I’m not sure if you can tell in this photo below just how thick and creamy it turned out. You’ll have to trust me on this one!
I pressed the extra-firm tofu, sliced it into four huge triangles, and brushed oil over all sides with a sprinkle of herbamare. Eric was in charge of grilling the tofu, which didn’t take very long at all. Maybe 5 minutes per side.
We’re both tofu fans and enjoy it plain, but if you think you’d like the tofu spruced up a bit more feel free to use a marinade prior to grilling. We added a bit of BBQ sauce on the side and it was the perfect accompaniment for dipping.
Grilled Tofu with Pineapple Salsa and Coconut Rice
Yield
2-3 servings
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Ingredients
For the tofu
- 1 package extra-firm or firm tofu (I used Sol-Cuisine organic brand)
- Cooking oil, for brushing
- Herbamare or salt, for seasoning
For the coconut rice
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut
- 1 cup dry/uncooked short grain brown rice
- 1 can (400ml) light coconut milk (yields 1 & 3/4 cups)
- 2 tsp packed brown sugar
- 1 tsp coconut oil (optional)
- Sprinkle of nutmeg
For the pineapple salsa
- (this makes over 5 cups so feel free to make a half batch!)
- 1 pineapple, cored & diced (makes about 3 cups diced)
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 2 jalapeños, seeded and diced
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1 red pepper, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 orange pepper, diced (about 1 cup)
- 3 tbsp fresh lime juice (1 large lime)
- 1/4 cup packed fresh mint leaves, minced
- Red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)
Directions
- Press Tofu: Remove tofu from package and rinse with water. Press the tofu for at least 20 minutes following these directions. After pressing, slice the tofu block down the middle, lengthwise to make two halves. Now slice each piece diagonally to make 4 triangles total. Brush each side with cooking oil and then season generously. If you don’t enjoy plain tofu try using a marinade prior to cooking.
- Coconut Rice: Preheat oven to 300°F. Toast shredded coconut for about 8-12 minutes until golden. Rinse brown rice in colander and then place into a medium-sized pot. Add one 400ml can coconut milk (equal to 1 & 3/4 cups). Stir. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat immediately to low. Cover with lid and cook for about 25-30 minutes until most of the coconut milk is absorbed and rice is tender. Remove from heat, keep lid on, and let it “steam” for another 10 minutes or so. Stir in brown sugar and optional coconut oil. Garnish with toasted shredded coconut.
- Salsa: Meanwhile, add all salsa ingredients into a large bowl, adjusting to taste. My pineapple was very watery, so I dumped the pineapple into a colander and let the water drain for about 10 minutes prior to using. Feel free to do this too or just leave it as is.
- Grill tofu: Preheat the BBQ grill for about 15-30 minutes (depending on your grill) on high. Turn heat down to medium/low. Carefully, grease the grill with a cooking oil safe for high heat (e.g., canola, sunflower, safflower, or sesame). Grill the tofu for about 5 minutes on each side (this will vary). Be sure not to overcook the tofu or it will be dry.
- To serve: Spoon coconut rice on a plate and sprinkle with a dash of nutmeg if desired. Add grilled tofu next and then spoon over a generous amount of pineapple salsa. Sprinkle everything with more toasted coconut and garnish with mint leaves. Feel free to serve with a bit of BBQ sauce on the side to spruce up the tofu.
In other news, I had a fun photoshoot with Sketchie this weekend. You can head over to my Facebook page to check it out. All hail crazy cat ladies!
What are your favourite summer entrees? As always, feel free to leave your recipe requests below!
Hope you have a great start to your week.
Ooh, that looks awesome! I love pineapple salsa and I can’t wait to make the coconut rice. I miss the kind Trader Joe’s used to make before they yanked it. I can’t believe I forgot about it!
Looks awesome!!! It’s been awhile since I’ve made tofu and I really need to give this a try!
Oh wow, that looks so good. I’ve always been to scared to cook with tofu, will have to try this recipe as a way to overcome that fear!
I have been wanting to make coconut rice for a while! This sounds so delicious. I got into a thai peanut, pineapple and tofu salad kick for a few weeks and forgot how much I loved it. Loved the Sketchie photo shoot as well!
oh this sound to die for! I can’t wait to give this a try!
This sounds wonderful! I wonder if I could substitute quinoa for the rice…do you think it would turn out okay? Will definitely try this regardless!
I made it with quinoa tonight. Very creamy!
oh im glad to hear quinoa worked!
Pineapple isn’t my favorite in savory dishes but this looks too great to not try. And coconut rice is just amazing, my recipe isn’t quite perfect, I think adding the sugar might help it out!
And more love for the Sketchie photo shoot over here.
I’m usually not a huge fan of fruit in savoury dishes either. I think this one helps that the salsa isn’t “warm”, even serving it chilled would be nice too!
Thanks for the Sketchie love.
This looks so delish!! I’ve starred this in my Google Reader to make soon :)
This looks fabulous! Since I’m trying to get an insane amount of protein everyday, I’m constantly looking for new ways to prepare high-protein items like tofu. I love that you added mint to the pineapple salsa! I bet some avocado would be fabulous in there too!
Oh I love coconut and pineapple together! Good one, Angela. Lately we’ve been marinating pineapple and grilling it on kabobs with veggies on the BBQ!
I love coconut milk. It makes EVERYTHING super creamy and luscious – even brown rice! Heck, even a “healthy tasting” one would probably be right on point!
hah so true :)
I like anything I can make without heating up my kitchen. Last night I made some Gardein chick’n strips for my kids, made a huge salad, & had several bowls of add-ins to choose from, that way everyone got to make their own salad creation. Didn’t heat up the kitchen & everyone got what they wanted!
I like making rice in my rice cooker–helps to reduce heat in the kitchen on these blazing summer days.
Everyone raves about their rice cooker…I can’t wait to get one some day! If only I had more storage space in this kitchen. Can you make other things in it besides rice?
Yes! You can pretty much use it like a crockpot.
I like to mix a grain (any grain!) and a bunch of veggies in the rice cooker, add enough liquid, then turn it on. When it’s done, top with salad dressing and serve with a protein.
That sounds SO easy (and fun!). Why do I get so excited about these things? hah. Do you recommend a particular brand? Sorry for all the q’s.
Ha! I get excited, too.
I bought a Black & Decker rice cooker for about $10-15. The nonstick coating on the inside is starting to scrape off and it sorta leaks a little now (I put it on a plate to catch the liquid), but I’ve uesd it heavily for the past six years.
Apparently you can also bake cakes in them? I’ve never tried it, but am definitely intrigued. It seems more energy-efficient than heating an entire oven. I’ll let you know how it goes!
http://www.shinshine.com/my-blog/2012/04/rc-carrot-cake-updated.html
I love my Zojirushi Stainless Steel rice cooker. I am able to make steel cut oats in the rice cooker because it has a porridge setting. It also has a timer and you can program it to have the steel cuts oats ready when you wake up. My rice cooker plays twinkle twinkle little star when the oats are ready – it’s the best sound and smell to wake up to. I make risotto, rice pilaf, and all types of grains in the rice cooker. I just love it!!!!
Yes, I love my Zojirushi Rice Cooker as well. In fact the product is so good that we have used it for years and it is still going. It cost quite a bit but you can do several things in the cooker. The thing I love is that the rice comes out so lovely when cooked. It does not bake to a “crust” on “keep warm” as other rice cookers I have owned have done. I am not affiliated with the company in any way. I just love that product and know you would too. Right Helene?
It’s hard for me to believe that you don’t have a rice cooker Angela! I couldn’t live without mine, mostly because I’m hopeless when it comes to cooking rice on the stove (it doesn’t help that I have 4 little distractions!). I like how I can dump ingredients, push a few buttons, then forget about it until it’s time to eat. Yes, you can make other grains in the rice cooker.
Delicious!
What a beautiful presentation!
Looks sooooo yummy!! As for rice cookers… I bought one from Zehrs and somehow it makes rice worse than I did via pot and stove. I yearn for the day I make rice that is beautifully separated grains… ;)
I am hungry and this made me more hungry! Great recipe. I love coconut rice!!
This is like something out of a restaurant!! Looks delicious!
Mmm this looks amazing! Coconut rice is one of my favourite side dishes! I first had it at the Rude Native in Burlington a few years ago and loved it. And it turned out that one of the sous chefs was related to a family friend, so I was able to get the recipe – and it’s actually really similar to yours here!
that pineapple salsa sounds superb! so refreshing and delicious! yum! gorgeous photos as always!
Ohh I love me some coconutty carbs! It’s really good when you mix the coco. milk+rice+soy sauce too! xD When I first saw the picture of your dish, I thought the tofu was a big tuna steak! So I got really startled thinking that you were now eating fish, haha!