Quick and easy side dishes: Fig balsamic kale quinoa, and spicy peanut tofu and broccoli

The two side dishes in this post could easily have been combined to form a complete meal. As it was, I had the kale quinoa alongside some Linda McCartney veggie sausages (yes, we do sometimes delve into processed foods!) and the tofu and broccoli as a nutrient-packed lunch before a planned afternoon tea out. They are both very versatile dishes, and could complement any number of other side dishes or main meal options.

The kale quinoa was flavoured by a sticky fig and balsamic dressing produced by Jamie Oliver. To be honest, I am not very enamored with the dressing and it is only in this dish that I have really appreciated its sweet and tart flavours. They worked to round out the kale and quinoa and made the dish a little more exciting than it would otherwise have been. If you don't have a fig and balsamic dressing, any fruit-flavoured balsamic would work, or you could use a small handful of chopped dried fruit with regular balsamic vinegar.

The ingredient list for the spicy peanut tofu and broccoli is a familiar one for me. Indeed, you may spot overlap with other recipes on this site. Salty soy sauce, spicy chilli, a hint of sweetener and gorgeous ginger combine to give a fool-proof mixture, only to be further enhanced by peanut butter. Add tofu and broccoli, and life looks pretty good. I used chilli sauce and coconut sugar here, but you could use fresh chilli if you preferred and any sweetener of your choosing. Sweet chilli sauce is a simpler and equally tasty alternative that combines sweet and spicy in one hit.

One difference to most of my tofu recipes is that this dish skipped the tofu marinating stage. The peanut butter helps the sauce mix to stick to the tofu without advance marinating, and whilst you don't get the same crisp coating that marinated tofu can provide, the flavours are just as enjoyable.

I can't claim much innovation with these dishes, but hope they may provide a source of inspiration for any kale, quinoa, tofu and/or broccoli you may have hanging around.

Fig balsamic kale quinoa

A side dish for 2

Vegan and gluten free

Author: Bite-Sized Thoughts

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Ingredients

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa

1 cup water

2 tsp fig or other fruit-flavoured balsamic vinegar OR 2 tsp balsamic vinegar plus 1 to 2 tbsp chopped dried fruit

1 to 1-1/2 cups kale leaves, roughly chopped

Method

Combine the quinoa and water in a saucepan, cover, and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or all the water has been absorbed. 

Add the balsamic vinegar and chopped kale leaves (and dried fruit if using) and stir through. Allow the mix to stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Spicy peanut tofu and broccoli

A side dish for 2

Vegan

Author: Bite-Sized Thoughts

Print recipe

Ingredients

2 tsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp spicy chilli sauce, or to taste
1/2 tsp coconut sugar or other sweetener to taste
1 tsp grated fresh ginger

1 tsp peanut butter

200g firm tofu, pressed and sliced

2 cups broccoli florets

Method

Combine the soy sauce, chilli sauce, sugar, ginger and peanut butter and whisk to combine. 

Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat and add the tofu and sauce mixture. Stir and flip the tofu regularly until cooked on both sides.

Add the broccoli and cook for a further 2 minutes, or longer if you prefer your broccoli well cooked.

What side dishes have you enjoyed lately?

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