Super Healthy Quinoa Tofu
This one is a proper weeknight hero in our house. It's got everything you want: fluffy quinoa, golden crispy tofu, and loads of fresh flavour that somehow comes together in about 20 minutes. We keep coming back to it because it genuinely makes you feel good after eating it, not just during. It's the kind of meal that proves healthy food doesn't have to be boring or sad. Make this tonight and you'll see what we mean.
Before You Start
- Sieve
- Saucepan with lid
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp garlic purée
- 1 tbsp Nooch
- 150g quinoa
- 300ml water
- 1 banana shallot
- 200g smoked tofu
- 8 cherry tomatoes
- 4 cavolo nero leaves
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp sun-dried tomato pesto
- Juice of 1 lemon squeeze of
- tbsp Nooch to serve
- sprouting seeds to serve
Method
1
Prepare the quinoa
- Rinse the quinoa in a sieve under cold water
- Add the quinoa, water and a pinch of salt to the saucepan, put the lid on and bring to the boil over a high heat
- When the water reaches boiling point, reduce to a gentle simmer, move the lid so there’s a gap and cook the quinoa for 15-20 minutes (test the quinoa after 15 minutes to check the doneness)
2
Prepare the main ingredients
- Peel, trim and finely slice the shallot
- Crumble the tofu into rough 1cm pieces
- Halve the cherry tomatoes
- Strip the cavolo nero off the stalks and shred the leaves
3
Cook the dish
- Warm the olive oil in the frying pan over a medium high heat
- Add the banana shallot and a pinch of salt and stir for 1 minute
- Add the tofu and stir for 3-4 minutes
- Add the garlic, sundried tomato paste and nooch and stir for 1 minute
- Add the cherry tomatoes and stir for 2 minutes (if the pan is looking a little dry, add a splash of water to loosen)
- Add the cavolo nero and fold into the mixture
4
Finish and serve
- Spoon the cooked quinoa into the frying pan and fold into the rest of the ingredients
- Spoon the quinoa into the serving bowls and squeeze over the lemon juice, catching any pips in your free hand
- Sprinkle over some mixed seeds and season with nooch and pepper
- Sprinkle over a few sprouting seeds and serve immediately
Tips & Variations
- Press your tofu well: The drier your tofu before it hits the pan, the crispier it gets. Even 10 minutes wrapped in a clean tea towel with something heavy on top makes a real difference.
- Cook the quinoa low and slow: Once it's simmering, resist the urge to crank the heat. A gentle simmer with the lid slightly ajar gives you perfectly fluffy quinoa every time. Trust us on this one.
- Swap the protein: Ian loves this with chickpeas when he hasn't got tofu in the fridge. Just drain a tin, pat them dry and pan fry until golden. Works brilliantly.
Why This Works
The trick with this recipe is getting your tofu properly golden before anything else happens. We find pressing it well and giving it space in the pan makes all the difference between soggy and crispy. And rinsing the quinoa properly before cooking gets rid of that bitter edge so it tastes nutty and light, not gritty.