Roasted Potatoes, Green Beans, and Tofu in Tomato Curry
Serves 4 to 6

I had this queued to post yesterday, and it just dawned on me that it didn’t. Better late than never, I guess. Curries can be complicated to put together, but this recipe proves that they can also be simple. I noticed this 101 Cookbooks recipe when it was recently posted to Tumblr by Lovely Lovely Food. (Which, by the way, if you are not familiar with 101 Cookbooks, I highly advise that you change that right away. It is a wonderful blog focused on natural, whole foods. While not strictly vegetarian, it is extremely veg friendly. To top it off, the photos are absolutely gorgeous). I decided to adapt it a bit, swapping out tempeh for tofu, opting to roast the potatoes with garlic, adding green beans, and using Greek yogurt instead of cream.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/4 pounds small waxy potatoes no bigger than a small lime, halved

3 large cloves of garlic, sliced

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

1/4 pound green beans, ends trimmed

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped

1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

scant 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 cup canned diced tomatoes

3/4 cup water

1 teaspoon kosher salt

generous dollop of plain Greek yogurt (about 1/8 cup)

8-ounces firm tofu, pressed, and cut into small cubes

a small handful of cilantro, loosely chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

Step One: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss potatoes, 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, and garlic slices in a roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until tender and golden brown, about 25 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove potatoes from oven and set aside.

Step Two: Fill a medium pot with a few inches of water and bring to boil. Place the green beans in a steamer basket, cover, and cook until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Remove beans from steamer and place into an ice bath. Set aside.

Step Three: In a large skillet, melt the butter in the olive oil, add the onion, and cook over low heat until onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cumin seeds, curry powder, turmeric, and cayenne pepper, wait about thirty seconds, then stir in the tomatoes, water, and 1 teaspoon salt. Remove from heat, stir in the yogurt and blend with a hand blender—(or leave it unpuréed if you like!). Note: you might need to transfer it to a bowl to purée, then return it to the skillet. You may also carfeully transfer to a standing blender to purée.

Step Four: Return the curry to the pan, add the tofu and bring barely to a simmer. Let the tofu cook for 10 minutes or so, then add the potatoes and allow to heat through. Add the beans, stirring well. Remove from heat and transfer to a large serving dish. Sprinkle with cilantro before serving.

Source: Adapted from “Tempeh Curry Recipe” from 101 Cookbooks, which was inspired by “Potato with Tomato Curry” from I Am Almost Always Hungry: Seasonal Menus and Memorable Recipes by Lora Zarubin (Stewart, Tabori and Chang, 2003). View the original recipe on 101Cookbooks.com. View the book on Amazon.com.