Quick and Easy Oil-Free Vegan Creamy “Masala” Style Tofu “Paneer” with Vegetables

I’ve been on an Italian kick for a while with Risotto and Lasagna, and decided it was time for a change of ethnicity in my cuisine. I was in the mood for Indian flavors but I was just back from a trip and didn’t want to go grocery shopping just yet.. I did have some tofu and frozen vegetables and decided to come up with an Indian inspired masala type dish with whatever ingredients  I could find , even if it wasn’t truly authentic. This dish turned out to be so delicious and warming and filling!  And incredibly fast and easy! It takes just a few minutes to put together and makes a lot of servings for family and friends, or to freeze for later. It is hard to believe that this rich and creamy tasting dish has no oil, butter or dairy!

I liked this dish with organic brown rice. So, the first step is to get your rice cooking.

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While the rice is cooking, assemble your ingredients for the sauce, tofu  and vegetables.

Here is how I made it:

First, I heated a large saute pan and added my spices to bring out the aromatics. I usually love using garam masala in Indian dishes, but found I was out of stock. So, I used, 1 Tablespoon of curry powder, 1 teaspoon of ground coriander, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground ginger (I would have preferred fresh, but was out), 1 teaspoon of paprika, 1 teaspoon of onion powder, a dash of cinnamon, and added them all to the hot pan, stirring to release the flavors. Then I added a cup of water and about 6 cloves of fresh garlic, chopped, and a bag of frozen mixed bell peppers and a bag of frozen mixed vegetables, and water sautéed the vegetables with the spices for about 5 minutes.(Any vegetables you like would work–this is just what I happened to have).

While that was cooking, I made the sauce. The sauce is based on tomatoes and the creaminess comes from cashews. I decided to try making the sauce all together in my Vitamix.  I used a 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes and a cup of raw cashew,, 1 date  (dates are optional but add a little sweetness– use more if you like a sweeter taste–I think 1 was enough), and one-half cup of water and blended that on high speed and then added it  to the pan with the vegetables.

I drained and cubed a package of extra firm tofu and that went into the pan as well. Then I seasoned the mixture with salt, pepper and chili flakes, and let it simmer for about 15 minutes while the rice was finishing. I needed to cover the pan because it was bubbling up and splattering all over the place!

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The result was thick, rich, creamy and delicious!

Enjoy!