Easy Basmati Spinach Ragout

This is one of those recipes that my husband says I can "make anytime." (In other words, it's high on the list of his favorite meals.) This version is an adaptation of a substantially more complicated recipe. You can find the original in a cookbook called Vegetarian Planet by Didi Emmons, which I hope is still in print. It's a great book that's filled with wonderful recipes and ideas, but they aren't always easy and they aren't necessarily vegan.

Don't worry about the long list of ingredients: it's mostly spices. Basically, you chuck everything into the pot in stages, leaving you lots of in-between time to do other things.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp Canola oil
• 1 1/2 tsp Ground coriander
• 1 tsp Ground mustard
• 1 tsp Ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp Black pepper
• 1 tsp Ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper
• 1 14-oz can Coconut milk (don't to use the "light" version)
• 4 cups Water
• 1 cup Basmati rice
• 1 16-oz package Firm tofu
• 2 Carrots, peeled and sliced into half rounds
• 1 10-oz package Frozen spinach
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a large pot, heat the oil and add the spices. Saute spices for a few minutes until they are fragrant.
2. Add the water and coconut milk and bring to a gentle boil (do not let this boil over, or you'll have a big mess!)
3. Add the basmati rice and tofu and reduce heat to simmer (i.e., whatever temperature you use to cook rice). Cook for 10 minutes
4. Add the carrots and cook for 10 minutes more.
5. Defrost the spinach and squeeze out the extra water.
6. After 20 minutes of cooking the rice should be looking more or less done. If not, cook for a while longer.
7. Add the spinach and cook for another 3-5 minutes to heat it up.
8. Take the pot off the heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
9. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 45 minutes