I decided to go for comfort food this week. A nice creamy dish that make me happy and reminds me of what mom used to make. Alexandra Barnett at Taste of Home had a recipe for Paprika Pork that reminded me a lot of Chicken Paprikash. I decided to make my own take on this dish with a vegetarian and dairy free spin. I’m going to try to keep the pasta too, if I can. The one thing I noticed in the original dish is there was a lack of vegetables. I can easily add those in myself. The result will be a comfort food classic with a healthy spin.

Here are the original stats:

Here’s what I changed:

• I deleted the added salt to reduce the sodium.
• I replaced the pork with tofu to make it vegetarian
• I replaced the cream with coconut milk to make it dairy free.
• I deleted the flour and replaced with corn starch to make it gluten free.
• I added red bell pepper and carrot to increase the vitamin A and C.
• I replaced the egg noodles with brown rice to make it gluten free.
• I added some green cabbage for bulk.
• I increase the servings to lower the calories.

Here are the final stats:

Here is the final recipe:

Paprika Tofu

Serves 5

• 1 block of extra firm tofu, pressed and cut into cubes
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 pound green cabbage, shredded
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 4 teaspoons paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3/4 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup brown rice
• Minced fresh parsley

• Add the 1 cup of rice to two cups of boiling water.  Turn down to a simmer, cover and cook for 45 minutes or until tender.
• In a large skillet,  over medium heat; spray with cooking spray and saute vegetables until soft.   Add in the tofu and cook until lightly browned, 4-5 minutes.  Add in all the seasonings. and stir.
• Add coconut milk; bring to a boil, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Cook, uncovered, until milk is slightly thickened, 5-7 minutes.  Add in cornstarch mixed with one tablespoon water.  Simmer until thick
• Serve with rice and sprinkle with parsley.