This post is part of a blog collaboration on healthy comfort foods and recipes, as well as thoughts on comforts beyond the kitchen. Links to the other participants’ articles are below my recipe.
With the end of the holiday season comes a return to the daily grind, and with that, higher stress levels. What do you do to find comfort and unwind? My friend Katie from Whole Nourishment has set out to provide approachable tips on this very topic, and has asked me to share my thoughts as well.
I was so excited when Katie reached out to me about a possible collaboration. After discovering her blog over a year ago, I quickly realized that she and I share the same philosophy about nutrition. Katie is a Certified Integrated Nutrition Health Coach who advocates eating a balanced, whole foods diet; like me, she doesn’t prescribe to fad diets or strict regimes. I love reading Katie’s blog for her thoughtful, detailed advice on nutrition, and am constantly learning new things from her. Nutrition tips aside, I also love when she shares snippets of her life in the tiny village of St. Gallen, Switzerland! Katie is working on a series to address how to seek comfort inside and outside of the kitchen. She redefines comfort food to focus on foods that actually make our bodies feel better. “I’ve found that the more broadly I define comfort food, the more it shows up in my every day,” she writes. To read more about Katie’s philosophy, read her post here.
I often find that when I’m in need of comfort food, meals like this Thai red curry with tofu immediately come to mind. I’m drawn to the warming spices, the creaminess of the coconut milk, and the bright colors of the vegetables – especially on dreary, rainy days like the ones we’ve had lately in San Francisco. There’s something to be said about finding comfort from the act of cooking itself, too: when that red curry paste hits the pan and its fragrance wafts up to me, I’m happy. Coming together in about 30 minutes, this is an easy weeknight dinner that I’ve already made several times this winter.
Maybe this isn’t what you’d think of as classic comfort food, but as Katie questions: why can’t we define it to mean something new? While we often have the knee-jerk reaction to reach for unhealthy foods when we are stressed, it only leads us to feel worse afterwards. This meal will leave you feeling nourished and happily full rather than uncomfortably stuffed.
Katie makes the great point that seeking comfort can involve so much more than reaching for food. For her, it can be as simple as cozying up under a blanket her mother-in-law knitted her and watching the fog out the window. For me, it’s spending time with family and friends, cuddling with my kitties, reading a book, or watching a favorite movie. Exercise is also really important for me as a stress reliever, but only if it’s something I truly enjoy like tennis or yoga. Even a walk to clear my head works wonders for me. Everyone is different in this sense, so you have to find what works best for you.
What are your favorite ways to de-stress in and out of the kitchen? I’d love to hear!
- For the tofu:
- 1 package extra-firm tofu (preferably vacuum-packed if you can find it)
- 1 teaspoon peanut oil or vegetable oil
- Pinch of cornstarch
- Pinch of salt
- For the curry:
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil or vegetable oil
- 1 shallot, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 cup sugar snap peas
- 1 14 oz. can of baby corn, drained and cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 8 oz. can of sliced bamboo shoots, drained
- 3 tablespoons of Thai red curry paste
- 1 14 oz. can coconut milk
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- To serve:
- Grain of choice
- Cilantro
- Start by preparing the tofu. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Thinly cut the tofu into about ½ an inch slices. Add to a bowl and drizzle with the oil; use your hands to coat the tofu evenly. Lay out the tofu slices on a baking sheet, adding a small pinch of corn starch to each slice. Lightly sprinkle with salt and bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway through. The pieces should be golden and crisp on the outside.
- While the tofu is baking, prepare the curry. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add diced shallot. After 2-3 minutes, add the garlic and ginger; add the pepper, snap peas, baby corn and bamboo shoots about one minute later.
- Let the vegetables cook for five minutes, and then add in the red curry paste. Stir to coat the vegetables, and then add the coconut milk, salt, sugar, and rice wine vinegar. Stir to combine and let simmer for 10 minutes, adding in the tofu once it is baked.
- Serve with a grain of your choice and garnish with fresh cilantro.
Check out these other great blogs for their thoughts on comfort food!
Cinnamon Hot Chocolate |Whole Nourishment
Self-Saucing Cheese & Roasted Vegetable Pasta Bake |Food to Glow
Vegetarian Pho |Highgate Hill Kitchen
MCT Hummus | Sarah Bellum
What a delightful dish and thoughtful introduction to Katie at Whole Nourishment. I find fragrant thermogenic foods energizing this time of year as well and embrace intuitive eating in my approach to holistic nutrition. My husband and I just returned from a great day in San Francisco – (there may have been a stop at Tartine :o)) along with some long, beautiful walks – feeling revitalized and happy. Thank you for the delicious inspiration Julia, x.
Kelly, I think you’d love Katie’s blog! And how fun that you went to Tartine! Despite living somewhat nearby (I’m in Noe Valley), I haven’t been there in ages. SF is a great city to walk around, don’t you think?
There’s a Thai place around the corner from where I live and I always end up getting the red curry when I go! It’s so soothing, especially during the winter. The colours are so vibrant, too, which helps to brighten the darkness that sets in around 4pm. I agree that comfort doesn’t have to be unhealthy- very often comfort food is just something warm that I can hold and eat in a bowl!
Ooh, I’m jealous you have a Thai place around the corner from your place! I think I’d be there all the time 🙂 Curries are such a staple of my diet during the winter – and I totally agree that the bright colors help on dark, dreary days. And yes, anything out of a bowl is bound to be so comforting!
Yes, as Kelly above said you have given some delicious inspiration. And I also find comfort food to be comforting when it can be made in 30 minutes or less. So this curry is for me. Plus anything warm and in a bowl to be slurped is extremely comforting to me too.
Thank you Julia for such a thoughtful post and and introduction. I’m so glad you were part of this collaboration, and I especially appreciated your perspective on exercise being a stress-reliever, but only when you truly enjoy it. You said it so well.
You’re right – there’s something to be said about quick comfort food, especially in bowl form! Thank you again for the great collaboration. I had so much fun writing this post! Heading over to read yours now 🙂
Totally made this for dinner tonight Julia, and it was a total winner. And I love your note that the act of cooking itself can be a source of comfort, how true!
That’s so great to hear, Sarah! I’m really glad it turned out well for you. It’s a nice recipe to have in your pocket, since it’s so easy and I typically have the ingredients on hand. Thanks for letting me know your verdict 🙂
Curry IS a comfort food for me too Julia! As comforting as curling up on the couch with a good book, blanket and roaring fire! Love this recipe, including those little corn cobs. There is so much healthy comfort food, as you said. It really just depends on how we define it. Thank you for this my dear! xo
Oh yes, a good book + blanket + roaring fire sounds just about perfect! I’m glad you’re a fan of the little corn cobs too 🙂 Aren’t they cute? I’ve loved them since I was a kid and always jump at the opportunity to cook with them. Xo!
This winter, I’m trying to veer away from the traditional comfort foods and turn to vegan bowls (rice, beans and sautéed veggies) instead – this fills me up and leaves me satisfied without feeling bad about my diet. I will have to add this thai red curry dish to my rotation – it looks lovely and warm and delicious. Love the snap peas in there. As for de-stressing, a long walk is way up on my list. I take my dog and listen to a podcast (loving the new Serial podcast) and a hour is up in no time at all – leaving me feeling relaxed and in a better mood.
I’m all about bowlfood too, Geraldine! It’s such an easy (and delicious) way to cram in all of my favorite foods. Your walks sound great. I haven’t listened to the new Serial podcast, but I loved the first season. I bet that hour would fly by!
I really enjoyed reading your post and thoughts on comfort food. I too find comfort in the act of cooking. I cook a lot for my classes, and even if I won’t be eating it myself, I gain a lot of peace and groundedness using wholesome ingredients to make something that will be nourishing, and hopefully inspiring others to do the same. Lovely recipes too, Julia. I can almost smell the aroma from here in Scotland. 🙂
Thanks for your thoughtful comment, Kellie! I’m so glad that Katie got us thinking about comfort food and what it means to us. It was so fun to read your post about comfort food as well – I love your philosophy on nutrition!
Oh yes, curry is a favourite comfort food of mine, and honestly nothing lifts my spirits than a cup of tea! I used to love snuggling up and reading a book, but these days I multitask by reading in the bath 🙂
A cup of tea can really work wonders, can’t it? And I love your multitasking tactic 🙂 It’s so important that you still make time for yourself, even if it’s just a few minutes every day!
I totally agree with the sentiment that comfort food is food that makes you feel good. I don’t know how things got to the point where it’s come to mean something overtly unhealthy or indulgent! Bowls of warming flavours and veggies always do it for me and I love how your gorgeous recipe looks Julia. I also love that it’s nice and quick to make! Do you have a favourite brand of red curry paste that you could recommend? I haven’t had any luck finding one with much flavour!
Hi Christine! I totally agree that warming flavors can be so comforting. I have tried a few red curry pastes, and I think my favorite so far is the Thai Kitchen brand. Have you used that one before? Luckily it’s pretty easy to find!
I completely agree that comfort comes from a number of things. I love that you mentioned exercising as a big stress reliever. I’ve definitely turned to exercising, then baking, then exercising. Then repeat. Haha. This curry dish looks like just the thing to provide some much needed comforts (along with those outside of the kitchen of course). 😉
Thanks for visiting, Demeter! Baking and exercise are both on my list for comforting activities – I love that you’ve paired them together! It’s all about balance, isn’t it?
I so agree with what you have written here. Comfort to me means feeling good, and I can only imagine how good I would feel after this warm, nourishing curry. I actually haven’t made curry before but I definitely want to try your recipe! I love the addition of bamboo shoots and baby corn.
Thanks for visiting, Liora! If you love curry, I promise it’s quite easy to try at home. I hope you give it a shot – let me know how it turns out if you do!