Jamaican Rice Salad with Spicy Tofu

On our recent trip to Jamaica, I brought home a grocery item called Island Spice Coat & Bake – basically a Jamaican Jerk-flavored Shake & Bake. Last night I finally cracked open the package, and created a Caribbean-inspired rice salad that was perfectly tangy and cooling, complemented by peppery, crunchy tofu.

There are three basic parts to this recipe: baking the tofu, “pickling” the onions, mixing the rice with vegetables. Any one of them could be pulled apart and taken in a different direction. I’m especially interested in doing something different with the onions – soaked in this delicious dressing, they would be great tossed with a spinach salad, or laid into a bean burrito. But I digress…

Ingredients:
Shake n’ Bake-type seasoning (look for something spicy, made with cornstarch and breadcrumbs)
1 block extra firm tofu
1/3 large onion, chopped into a small dice
4 Tablespoons lime juice
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 celery stalk, diced
1 tomato, seeds removed, diced
1 avocado, diced
1 cup brown rice
1 Tablespoon olive oil

Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 350. Press the tofu in paper or cloth towels and let sit, weighted, for 20 minutes to remove some of the moisture.

Mix together the lime juice, vinegar, soy sauce, thyme, and brown sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Completely submerge the diced onion in the mixture and set aside. (This can be done 24 hours in advance, with the mixture left in the refrigerator.)

Cut the tofu into 1-inch cubes. Toss with the seasoning mix, covering them well. Spread them in a single layer on an ungreased cookie sheet, giving each cube as much room to itself as possible. Bake for 15 minutes, flip all the cubes, and bake another 15 minutes, until the cubes are hot and crunchy. Set aside to cool.

Cook the brown rice as directed on the package (or by your super-duper rice machine), then while still hot, stir in the olive oil and mix well. Add the celery and tomato and mix well. Add the onions and the lime juice mixture, season with salt and pepper, and (guess what) mix well. Finally, add the avocado and mix gently but thoroughly.

Serve a mound of rice on a plate, covered by tofu cubes. Ya mon!