Last week we went on a short get-away to Southern Oregon. It’s a beautiful, but rather long drive. We had fun exploring small towns, ate some great food and visited one of my favorite parks, Lithia Park, in Ashland.

Then we came home and it was back to reality of cooking dinner!

That first night home, I put on some jade rice and preheated the oven to 425°.  I drained a tub of firm tofu, sliced it into smallish triangles and pressed those between paper towels for a few minutes.
Next I slathered some Thai curry paste onto the tofu, and then placed the triangles onto an oiled baking sheet. This got placed into the oven and baked for about 30 minutes.

While the tofu roasted, I washed and cleaned the bok choi and sliced each one in half lengthwise. I drizzled a little toasted sesame oil over the bok choi and baked it for the last twenty minutes along with the tofu. Both got turned over about half way through.

Day 2, I trimmed a bunch of asparagus and drizzled it with the toasted sesame oil and roasted it for about 20 to 25 minutes at 425°, then sprinkled a few sesame seeds over the asparagus and roasted it for a few more minutes. The tofu was added to the oven for the last 10 minutes. With leftover some rice, we had an easy and tasty dinner that second evening.

On Day 3 I roasted some more asparagus and reheated the curried tofu. We were out of rice, so I decided to try something new!
I cooked some potatoes and turned them into Thai-style curried mashed potatoes with coconut milk.. It does sound somewhat strange, but it was incredibly delicious! To add a little color, I added a few sliced green onions.

We ate really well for several days with minimal effort!

Toasted sesame oil is wonderful! Roasting vegetables with this fragrant and flavorful oil is something I need to do more frequently. Once the veggies are done, I simply sprinkle a bit of sea salt over them.

As for the tofu, roasting it with a little curry paste or really any spice paste you like gives it a crispy exterior and a chewy interior. This tastes so much better than the store-bought version. It’s also a lot less expensive!

And what about the Thai mashed potatoes, you might wonder! Simply boil your potatoes as you would for making mashed ones. Drain them well. In the same pot heat some Thai curry paste over medium-high heat until fragrant. Add some canned coconut milk and the drained potatoes. Mash and stir until the desired texture is achieved. Blend in the sliced green onions or perhaps some chopped cilantro. Taste and adjust salt if needed.

That’s it! Three easy dinners for those nights when you don’t feel like slaving over the range for too long!

Gartenzwerg spotted in Ashland, Oregon