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.
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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.
Just made this tonight and it was was sooo delish! Perfect combination of flavors and textures. Thank you so much!
I forgot to mention that I marinated the tofu for about 20 minutes in lime juice, tamari, oil and rice vinegar before grilling.
I made a similar dish tonight and it was sooooo amazing! Followed the recipe for the rice (and it was delicious!) but substituted some other ingredients for what I had on hand. I used mango instead of pineapple and added tomatoes to the salsa! Also, I was cooking for a meat-eating group, so I also made shrimp and green beans seasoned with cajun and blackened seasoning! The sweet rice mixed with the spicy shrimp and green beans was amazing!!! And then the salsa….oh my! There were absolutely no left overs!
First off i LOVE your blog!! it is the only one i cook from now, and i have LOVED all of your recipes! i saw this one and just had to try it!!! I love coconut, i love pineapple, and i love trying your recipes so…why not right?
good news: pineapple salsa was great!!
bad news: i tried cooking the rice 4 different times in the last week or so when you posted this. and all 4 times terribly unsuccessfully:( Not sure if cooking something 4 times failing each time is determination or foolishness…;)
either way if you have any suggestions i’d LOVE to hear them **oh and i have cooked rice before…um….only 2x to be exact…;) both were a few weeks ago making your amazing butternut squash burritos, and the rice turned out great, so… not sure what my deal is… :(
Hey Erin!
I’ve had problems cooking rice in the past too and I discovered that it’s crucial to cover the pot with a lid while cooking. Are you leaving the lid off by chance? Other than that I’m not sure why it wouldn’t be turning out.
Glad you enjoyed the pineapple salsa!
yah i am:( seriously i am so sad i can’t figure it out, ive decided to take a break from rice for a week, then i’ll try it again;) your recipes are just SO fantastic and such an answer to many prayers! THANK YOU!!!!!!
I made this recipe for my mom and her friends and it was delicious! Thanks for always making such colorful, tasty and healthy meals!
An awesome use of coconut rice – brown rice porridge (just add water to get it soupy) with dried fruit (cherries, strawberries, or craisons) & walnuts. Side bowl of maple syrup for dipping. It’s awesome.
I made this with quinoa instead of rice and marinated our tofu in a sesame teriyaki sauce. The salsa is AMAZING!!!! We barely had room for the entree after dipping tortilla chips in the salsa once it was prepped. I love the fresh jalapeno’s in there – used two from my garden.
I love every recipe that I’ve ever made of yours – nothing has ever lacked flavor or been to intricate of a meal for me to put together after a long day at work. Keep them coming and I look forward to buying your cookbook in the near future!! :-)
I can’t wait to try this recipe! Do you use sweetened or unsweetened coconut? Thanks!
Unsweetened :) Enjoy Cindy!
I made this tonight! I could have eaten the entire bowl of rice on my own. Can’t wait to eat the leftovers!
Angela! This was so delicious! How do I send you my picture?!? Thank you for inspiring me!
Hey Gina, You can upload your pic to my Facebook page, I think!
Angela,
I only discovered your site recently and this was the first recipe I’ve attempted. Also my first time barbecuing tofu. Everything turned out perfectly and the smell and presentation was so nice, that my cheeseburger-eating family members were all jealous. Thanks, and keep up the great work!
Hey Alicia, I’m so happy you enjoyed it! Thanks for letting me know.:)
I made this tonight hoping to bring on some spring weather after a long hard Michigan winter. It is sooo good, and I know we’ll be eating it many more times before next winter comes along. I had a little trouble getting the coconut rice cooked all the way; I had to keep adding water until it was cooked. Finally realized that I had used long-grain rice instead of short grain….oops! It all worked out and it was great once it finished cooking, haha! Next time I’ll try the quinoa! It was my first time making tofu like this; definitely a keeper recipe! Thanks!
I made this for the first time tonight – but I made it with grilled lemon chicken instead of tofu since my husband isn’t a fan. I also added an avocado to the salsa which turned out fantastic – but the hit from this recipe has to be the coconut brown rice! I just bought a huge bag of brown rice from Costco, but have to admit, it can sometimes taste so bland. This is definitely a recipe I’ll be keeping around – don’t forget to grate the fresh nutmeg on top, it really hits it home!
Thanks for the great recipe!
This looks like a good summer recipe. Could you or any one recommend a marinade for the tofu. It starting to grow on me but years of being a carnivore my hubby still is not a big fan by any means.
Just made this with marinaded tofu.. For the marinade I used parsley, lemon juice (1) , nutritional yeast (1 tbsp), garlic (2), olive oil (2 tbsp), hemp seeds (1 tbsp) and a bit of ground ginger and salt…blended everything then added some cashew butter until it was thick enough. Perfect match for this recipe. :)
yum! i love rice + coconut.
An AMAZING recipe, thanks so much! My husband and I are trying to watch our calories, so at roughly 440 per serving (assuming 4 servings for this recipe), we had to choose between the rice or the tofu, but not both. We decided on a compromise…farro. Texture of rice but has a lot of protein. We love your salsa, and the coconut rice is a great combo!
Thanks for sharing a wonderful Grilled Tofu recipe. For Grilled Tofu sharing the recipe with all. Let’s have varieties with the same recipe
2 tbsp chopped mint leaves salt 1 tsp turmeric powder 1 tsp paprika powder olive oil 1 tbsp lemon juice 200 gm tofu: For Pineapple Salsa:½ chopped pineapple salt 1 tsp cinnamon and nutmeg powder 1 tbsp mixed herbs 1 tbsp pickled jalapenos 5 garlic cloves 2 tbsp brown sugar 1 tbsp olive oil
: For Coconut Rice:
1 onion
1 cup rice
½ red bell pepper
½ yellow pepper
few mint leaves
½ cup grated coconut
1 cup water
salt
2 tbsp coconut milk
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp coconut milk
This was fantastic! What a great summer dinner! We liked your idea of including BBQ sauce so we marinaded the tofu in it. Yum!