

I took a little holiday from here and I really hope you don’t mind. Two weeks away from this space in the middle of spring-to-summer felt a bit indulgent and lazy until I realized that hey, I was never aiming for an endless conveyer belt of content with this site anyway.

We’re always growing together over here. Maybe it’s a new kale salad technique, a new spice, some all-too-human recounts of events and feelings felt.

Today I grilled an avocado for the first time! Its natural shape is perfect for a little stuffing, so I went to work on charring a few more things for that component. Some marinated tofu, pungent broccoli and a sweet lemon and mildly curry-ish sauce for smothering. The curry part was an accident too, the little bag of it selected when I intended to reach for ground cumin. No need to cope with the error because it was great! Bright, warming, and lightly sweet. I found the whole dish a little strong/rich in terms of mouthfeel, so the sauce is in there to help along with some diced apricots that weren’t quite ripe. Just a touch of pucker to balance things.

I always feel compelled to dream up some kind of wholesome, feel-good grilled main for y’all this time of year. I know full well that the inclination is just rooted in what I want to eat since we’re creeping up on summer, ever so slowly.

CHARRED BROCCOLI & TOFU-STUFFED AVOCADOS WITH SWEET LEMON CURRY SAUCE

Print the recipe here!

SERVES: 6

NOTES: Some cooked grain in this mix would be yummy if you’ve got some around. Also, swapping tempeh for tofu could be delicious. If you don’t want to bother with making the sauce, I think some super classic/classy barbecue sauce would be so, so proper.

charred broccoli, tofu + avocados:

1/4 cup olive oil + extra

1 tbsp dijon or grainy mustard

1 clove of garlic, peeled + sliced (optional!)

2 tbsp chopped chives + blossoms if you’ve got ’em

big pinch chili flakes

5-6 sprigs of thyme, leaves rough chopped

2 tbsp lemon juice + zest

salt + pepper to taste

ground cumin to taste

1 package of extra firm tofu, cut into 1/2 inch slices

2 stalks of broccoli, stems removed

3 firm, but ripe avocados

1-2 barely ripe apricots

sweet curry lemon sauce:

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 strip of lemon zest

1/2 tbsp dijon OR grainy mustard

1-2 tbsp maple syrup OR agave nectar

1/4 cup diced red onion

fat pinch of mild curry powder

small pinch of ground cumin

splash of filtered water (more or less depending on desired consistency)

salt + pepper

1/2 tsp tamari soy sauce

3 tbsp-1/4 cup olive oil

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, mustard, garlic, chives, chili flakes, thyme, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, pepper and cumin. Set aside.

Lay the tofu slices in a large dish and cut the broccoli into florets. Add the broccoli to the dish with the tofu slices. Pour the marinade mix over the tofu and broccoli. Cover and refrigerate, allowing to marinate for at least 1/2 and hour.

While the tofu and broccoli is marinating, make the sweet lemon curry sauce. Combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, mustard, maple syrup, red onion, curry powder, cumin powder, water, salt, pepper, tamari, and oil in a blender and blend on high until you have a completely smooth mixture. Check the sauce for seasoning and place in the fridge while you grill

Preheat your grill to high. Cut the avocados in half, and remove all pits. brush the exposed surfaces with oil and season with salt + pepper. Set aside.

Start laying the tofu and broccoli on the grill. Cook until char marks appear on all surfaces, carefully flipping pieces of tofu and broccoli over here and there for even cooking. Remove all tofu and broccoli once it’s sufficiently cooked/charred. Place avocado halves on the grill and cook until char marks appear. Remove and place on a serving platter.

Chop up the tofu and broccoli into small pieces and toss together in a medium bowl. Dice up the apricots and add to the bowl as well. Toss with some more chopped chives or chive flowers if you want and spoon into the grilled avocado halves. Finish with drizzles of the sweet lemon curry sauce.

