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Coconut Crusted Tofu & Pineapple Bites with Creamy Green Curry Sauce {Guest Post by Diet, Dessert and Dogs} |
No matter how busy and stressful the holiday season can be, I look forward to it for all the fun times I get to spend with family and friends. Someday, I hope that one of these shindigs includes my friend Ricki. She’s a hoot and a sweetheart, not to mention, I know she’d show up something absolutely delicious – yet nutritious and guilt-free in its own right. You can always count on Ricki for over-the-top, naturally-sweetened, vegan treats like Cookie Dough Topped Brownies, Chocolate Pate, and Strawberries ‘n Cream Layer Cake (with white chocolate coated cookie crumbs, pastry cream and silky strawberry puree), but she’s no stranger to elegant savory treats either, like the ones she brought today!
For more of Ricki’s vegan, gluten-free and refine sugar-free recipes, visit Diet, Dessert and Dogs, “Like” her page on Facebook, and follow @rickiheller on Twitter.
I’m thrilled to be here today as a guest at Cara’s cocktail party!
Even though my specialized anti-candida diet means that I long ago had to give up standard cocktails, I can still clearly remember the very first cocktail party to which I was invited, when I was still a university student. Two guys, friends of a friend, threw a massive soirée. From the moment I entered their immaculate house, scented candles in each room, original artwork on the walls and tasteful Mission furniture throughout, I was in awe of my hosts. These men were incredibly suave and debonair, great dressers (with buff bodies, to boot). They seemed to have a preternatural flair for decorating, an unbounded love of Cher and Barbra Streisand, and finesse in the kitchen that I’d never before encountered among any of my female friends.
The party remained a highlight for the rest of my years at university, partly because that night, I also sampled my very first martini (gin, vermouth, three olives). I was smitten! More than the martini, though, was the mind-boggling array of bite-sized nibbles that were carefully placed around the room and offered throughout the evening. For instance, at one point Host One approached with a silver tray strewn with Triscuits, cream cheese, smoked oysters and just a tiny sliver of fresh lemon (we were meant to pop those into our mouths in one go). Later, browsing the buffet table, I sampled cheeses from around the world, olives of every type and color, pâtés aplenty, and gorgeous, voluptuous grapes and cherries that looked as if they’d been manually inflated to within a minim of bursting. Later on, Host Two made his rounds, offering tiny spirals of cheese, roasted pepper and sundried tomato; coconut shrimp impaled on individual toothpicks; falafel balls with tahini; and at least two dozen other miniature appetizers that I can no longer remember.
That party was the inspiration for many of my own gatherings later on. Most often, I threw dinner parties, serving one or two appetizers as an introduction to a larger meal (and spectacular dessert). These days, my diet is quite different from what it was back then, but I’m no less enamored of bite-sized hors d’oeuvres.
I created these Coconut-Crusted Tofu Bites to be eaten in one mouthful, like sushi. The fusion of coconut, Thai spices and pineapple creates a little sparkle in the mouth, with all the elements asserting themselves simultaneously like a little firework of flavors. I loved these nibbles, and also how they reminded me of that first thrilling cocktail party way back. These would be perfect to serve to family or friends—old, or new.
Coconut Crusted Tofu & Pineapple Bites with Creamy Green Curry Sauce
Yield: 18-24 appetizers
Crispy baked coconut crusted tofu and pineapple drizzled with creamy green curry sauce. A gluten free & vegan one-bite appetizer.
Ingredients:
For the sauce:
1/4 cup (60 ml) full fat canned coconut milk
1/4-1/2 tsp (1-2.5 ml) green curry paste (I like Thai Kitchen)
4 tsp (20 ml) pineapple juice
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) finely grated lime zest
10 drops plain liquid stevia
1 tsp (5 ml) arrowroot powder
For the tofu:
2 tsp (10 ml) Dijon mustard
1/4 cup (60 ml) full fat canned coconut milk
2 Tbsp (30 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice
10-15 drops plain stevia liquid, to your taste
Pinch fine sea salt
1 block (about 1 lb/500 g) firm or extra firm tofu, pressed of excess liquid
1 cup ( g) finely shredded unsweetened coconut
18-24 small chunks of fresh pineapple
Cilantro leaves, to garnish (optional)Directions:
Make the sauce: In a small saucepan, whisk together all ingredients except arrowroot until smooth. Cook over medium-low heat until the mixture begins to bubble. Remove about 2 Tbsp (30 ml) of the liquid to a small bowl and mix with the arrowroot until smooth, then pour back into the pot and continue to cook and stir until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. (May be made up to a day ahead and refrigerated until ready to use).
Make the tofu: Preheat oven to 375F (190C). Line two cookie sheets with parchment or spray with non-stick spray.In a shallow bowl, whisk together the mustard, coconut milk, lime juice, stevia and salt. Set aside.
Cut the block of tofu into cubes about 1 inch (2.5 cm) big. Coat the cubes in the coconut-mustard mixture (you can do this individually, or place about half the cubes in the bowl and gently mix with a rubber spatula until they are all coated; repeat with second half of the tofu).Place the shredded coconut on a plate and gently roll each tofu cube in it to coat on all sides. Place the cubes on the cookie sheets and bake until they are well browned on top, 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature. (May be baked up to a day ahead and stored, covered, in the refrigerator until ready to serve).
To serve, place one cube of tofu and one chunk of pineapple on a soup spoon or other small serving plate, or serve on individual skewers (or pierce with toothpicks). Spoon a small amount of the sauce over all and garnish with a cilantro leaf if desired. Serve.
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I'm Cara, lover of creative, clean food and healthy living. Pumpkin, goat cheese, and eggplant make me swoon. I have an insatiable sweet tooth and desire to lift heavy things. 
Cookin' Canuck — November 24, 2012 @ 11:11 am
It sounds as though your first cocktail was definitely one to remember and set the bar high. These tofu curry bites are absolutely brilliant!
Ricki — November 25, 2012 @ 7:41 am
Thanks so much! They don’t compare to many of the hors d’oeuvres served that evening, but they did taste delicious! 🙂
Hannah — November 24, 2012 @ 11:45 am
How lovely! I grew up eating Thai green curries at home, and this version is too adorable. I’ll have to email the link to my mum for Christmas; she’ll love it!
Ricki — November 25, 2012 @ 7:42 am
Aw, thanks so much, Hannah! I adore green curries! Hope she likes it.
Kate — November 24, 2012 @ 3:09 pm
I would love to attend that cocktail party!
Ricki — November 25, 2012 @ 7:42 am
It was quite the initiation, let me tell you! 😀
christine — November 24, 2012 @ 5:11 pm
these look soooooo appetizing and appealing as you have served them – it’s not a combination I’ve tried so far, but I feel I must do some time soon:) thank you
Ricki — November 25, 2012 @ 7:42 am
Thank you so much, Christing! You won’t be disappointed. 🙂
Stephanie, The Recipe Renovator — November 24, 2012 @ 9:02 pm
Oh how very, very delicious these sound, and I loved how you took us on that journey. How long before you realized the hosts were gay? That’s the sort of thing I probably wouldn’t have known at the time, and ten years later it would have hit me, “Doh!” 🙂
Ricki — November 25, 2012 @ 7:44 am
Stephanie, yep–it did take about 10 years, until I was well into my 30s and became friends with another couple who had similar traits–by then, I knew THEY were gay! I learned so much about entertaining (and humor) from those guys. 🙂
Marissa — November 25, 2012 @ 2:44 pm
How lovely! I have only been to one cocktail party. It was at a college reunion event. Being vegan, I wasn’t able to eat much of anything, but if I could go to a party and have things like this, I’d be one happy lady!
Heather — November 25, 2012 @ 10:19 pm
Yummy, so perfect for the holidays! I will be making this – ive been craving tofu lately but I haven’t eaten it in over 10 years!! So strange but I gotta go with it right?!
River (Wing-It Vegan) — November 26, 2012 @ 9:12 am
Fabulous recipe and beautiful pictures! Thanks for sharing! I love the idea of a clean eating cocktail party – if only the mere thought of large gatherings of people didn’t make me hide in my turtle-shell!
Joanne — November 26, 2012 @ 10:54 am
So many of the crispy delicious appetizers have meat in them so I never get to partake but I LOVE the sound of these coconut crusted tofu bites!! A little bit of Thai flavor during the holidays always appeals to my tastebuds!
Shannon — November 30, 2012 @ 1:34 pm
wow, what a cocktail party! they knew what they were doing 😉 these appetizers look so amazing, i’m totally trying these!
Johanna GGG — December 19, 2012 @ 3:26 am
these look great – so fancy and elegant – just like your first cocktail party – my first cocktail parties were in college where it was anything but fancy and elegant – and let’s not even mention the food. I tried a coconut coated tofu last year but it needed tweaking – I love what you have done with the idea – esp the pineapple accompaniment – wish I could go to cocktail parties with such food elegance
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