Mango Curry Tofu Salad

Things have been a bit busy for me lately, and between schoolwork and weekend trips, I haven't been able to spend as much time blogging as usual (sadly I won't have a new Halloween recipe this year!). I've still been cooking and making recipes, but I've been leaning more towards easy and quick dishes that can be made with minimal ingredients, like this one!

This mango curry tofu salad was the perfect meal to have around for lunches last week - with no cooking involved, it can be thrown together pretty quickly, and it will keep in the fridge for a couple of days so you can make it ahead of time and bring the leftovers for lunch. 

If you've never had tofu salad, it's basically uncooked firm tofu that you crumble up into pieces to resemble egg salad. Whip up a creamy dressing and add in some fruit, veggies, or fresh herbs and you get a refreshing and light lunch that can be eaten on its own or stuffed into a wrap or pita. 

I usually make a simple tofu salad with apples and a mustard dressing, but this time I changed things up a bit and made an Indian-inspired version.  I left out the mayo in the dressing and used yogurt instead, mixed with curry powder and mango chutney for a sweet-and-spicy combo.

Along with the tofu, I added fresh chopped mango, cilantro, raisins, cashews, and toasted coconut for a mix of textures. The tofu soaked up the dressing to become extra creamy and cool, and I loved the burst of fruitiness from the mango along with the crunchy nuts and chewy coconut. 

I liked eating this both on its own and inside of a pita, or you could try toasting some naan bread to make naan "chips" and eating it like a dip! 

Mango Curry Tofu Salad
Inspired by Whole Foods Market and Eating Well

1 small package (175g) firm tofu

1/2 a large ripe mango, chopped into small pieces (about ½ cup)

2 tbsp unsweetened flaked coconut

2 tbsp chopped roasted cashews

2 tbsp sultana raisins

2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt (use vegan yogurt if desired)

2 tbsp mango chutney

1 tsp curry powder

Dash of salt and pepper

Slice the tofu in half and press between layers of paper towel under a heavy book for about 15 minutes to remove some of the water. Crumble the tofu using your hands or a fork into a bowl. Add the mango to the bowl.

Heat a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add the coconut flakes and toast just until they start to turn light brown. Immediately remove from pan and add to the tofu mixture.  Add the cashews, raisins, and cilantro to the bowl as well and toss to mix everything.

In a separate small bowl, stir together the yogurt, mango chutney, curry powder, salt and pepper. Pour this mixture over the tofu salad and stir well to mix.

Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.  Eat on its own, with naan bread, crackers, or stuffed into pitas.

Makes 2 servings.

Indian Six-Layer Dip

Since Super Bowl recipes seem to be pretty popular right now, I thought I would follow up my last post with another appetizer that would be a great addition to any game day party menu.

In my last post, I shared a recipe for an appetizer that I'd never made before, but it turned out amazing!  Today I'm sharing a recipe that I've already made many times before, so I know it's good!

This Indian-inspired dip is based on the idea of a traditional layered dip, but it becomes much more interesting by adding some Indian flavours and ingredients that you wouldn't normally think to put in a dip!

The bottom layer is a combination of curry powder and sour cream, which is topped with a layer of shredded cheese, then a mixture of yogurt and mango chutney, and finished off with a generous sprinkling of coconut flakes, peanuts and cilantro.  All of the layers come together to make a delicious dip that combines sweet and spicy, creamy and crunchy, all in one bite!

I like to serve this with toasted pappadums (a thin crispy Indian wafer), but if you can't find any, then it would also go well with pita chips or plain tortilla chips.

So if you want to change up your traditional chips and dip this year, I hope you'll give this recipe a try!

Indian Six-Layer Dip
Adapted from The Monterey County Herald

1/4 cup light sour cream
1 tsp curry powder
1/4 cup shredded marble cheese
1/4 cup low-fat plain yogurt
2 tbsp mango chutney
2 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes (or shredded coconut)
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbsp chopped roasted peanuts
pappadums, pita chips or tortilla chips for serving

In a small bowl, mix the sour cream and curry powder, stirring well until the curry powder is completely incorporated. Transfer to the bottom of your serving dish, spreading evenly. Top with shredded cheese.

In a separate bowl, mix the yogurt and mango chutney together. Pour over the cheese, spreading evenly across the top of the dish. If you are making this ahead of time, stop here and refigerate the dip before adding the remaining toppings (otherwise they will get soggy).

When you are ready to serve,sprinkle the coconut, cilantro, and peanuts over top of the dip, making sure each component is evenly distributed.


Serves 2-3 as an appetizer, or one person as a meal (which I like to do!).  If you are making this for a party, you will want to double or triple the recipe.

On a different note, I wanted to share an update on the 2011 Ninjamatics Canadian Weblog Awards....I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that my blog was included in the top five nominations for Best New Weblog and Best Weblog About Food and Drink.

Well, the team at Ninjamatics has been working hard since then to choose the final winners, and I was super excited to learn this morning that Vanilla & Spice was awarded second place in both categories!!

I still can't quite believe that I even made it to the top five, let alone being chosen as one of the winners.  There are so many wonderful Canadian food blogs out there, so I'm very grateful to have my blog acknowledged this way!

I just wanted to say thank you to Ninjamatics and the team of jurors, and congratulations to the other winners and nominees.  Be sure to check out the other two food blogs who won first and third place in the Food & Drink category - Crumb and Cookin' Canuck!