Cardamom-Scented Tofu with Coconut Spinach Rice

I was up early this morning...Olivia is cutting her two front teeth and she has not been sleeping well. She woke me up at 4 a.m., wide awake. She sat there and chattered to me in her baby language for almost two hours. Now she is back asleep, but I'm wide awake. I am watching the pouring rain that is supposed to turn into snow later, and eating a bowl of oat bran with raisins and banana. I usually eat oatmeal but I thought I would try something slightly different.

It has a chewier consistency than oatmeal and is a little more gummy, as well.  I like it, for a little change of pace. You really do have to pay attention to it while it is in the microwave, like the packaging tells you. Yesterday I walked away for a few seconds, and when I came back, it had bubbled up over the edges of my bowl and made a goopy mess in the microwave!

 Last night I made a tasty Indian-inspired meal from The 30 Minute Vegan's Taste of the East. I pressed the tofu in my Tofu Xpress, which helped it attain a firm, paneer-like texture when sliced into cubes. While the tofu was marinating and baking, I made the sauce, which tasted like a rich gravy, with notes of cardamom and sesame.

 

I served the tofu over the coconut-scented basmati rice. The rice was studded with chickpeas and spinach, and it was a perfect pairing.  And, it was no more difficult than making regular rice on the stovetop! The rice didn't overwhelm us with flavor on its own, but it soaked up the savory gravy and we couldn't stop eating it.  I haven't made many recipes from this cookbook yet...just haven't gotten around to it...but so far I'm loving everything I make.

Jackson and Olivia played with their wooden blocks while I was cooking. Jackson is getting a lot better at playing and sharing, which makes me very happy. He loves his "baby sisser," as he calls her He loves all babies, really. Yesterday I brought home a package of toilet paper with a baby on it, and he cried "Awwww, baaaaabyyyyyy!" and kissed it. He is the same way with pictures of dogs. Every day when it's time to feed Monster, Jackson has to kiss the dog on the Beneful package before I put it away. Little kids are funny.

I was happy to receive a package in the mail yesterday...new incense! There is nowhere around here to stock up on our favorite brands, so I have started ordering it online. It makes me feel like a kid, waiting excitedly for the mailman to deliver the box. We love Incensio de Santa Fe and Nag Champa. Nippon Kodo is also good, although we didn't get any this time. We are always burning some kind of incense or candle in our home. It is one of the few items we splurge on. Do you like to burn incense/candles? What are your favorite scents? Or, have you gotten anything cool in the mail lately?

Well, I should probably get some laundry going before the babies get up. Have a wonderful weekend!