Thursday, August 29 Red Thai Tofu with Sesame Spinach and Basmati Rice; Rating: 4.75

Ever have one of those recipes that you love and can’t ever figure out why you don’t make it all the time? This is one of those for me. It’s so good, and so simple, and I feel like I should make it several times a month, but it’s usually several weeks, if not months in between. Maybe that keeps me from getting too used to it? I don’t know. The first time I made Red Thai Tofu (Appetite for Reduction), I asked Seth if he ever thought I could make something so yummy. There’s no need to marinate the tofu, but I do like to press it before I start. This is the perfect time of year for this dish, since red peppers are in abundance at the farmer’s market. At least they are here, anyway. I picked up a couple of them over the weekend, and since they were a little on the small side, I used 1 ½ instead of one. I also like to add extra shallots and garlic, but that’s just our taste. You can have the tofu on the table in about 30 minutes or so, not including pressing time. Don't worry if you can't find Thai basil, I never can either so I just use the regular stuff. We always want green stuff for dinner, so I usually serve the tofu over sautéed greens, usually spinach, on a bed of basmati rice. There’s really no secret to making the sesame spinach – I just put about a teaspoon or two of sesame oil, several big handfuls of spinach, a splash of tamari and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Easy peasy. Seth really likes the Whole Foods frozen spring rolls, I prefer Ling Ling brand, but we always have a spring roll with this kind of dinner. And lots of dipping sauces.