Brown Basmati Rice Pilaf and Crispy Tofu with Orange Ginger Sauce.

The snow has turned to torrential rain here and now there's flood warnings because the storm drains are covered in snow banks and there's nowhere for the water to go.  One report is predicting up to 80mm (3.5 inches) of rain between today and tomorrow.  My yoga studio is closed due to flooding.  I hope their lovely hardwood floors are not ruined!

The snow on our roof was so heavy it ripped the gutter off as it slid to the ground and now we can't open our back door because there's a snow bank and a broken gutter blocking it.  Hmm I wonder why summer is my favorite season...

Well, at least the weather isn't affecting my kitchen and I can still cook ;)  Here's something I've make a couple of times in the past week because it's easy and tastes good:  Brown Basmati rice pilaf and crispy tofu with orange ginger sauce.

Brown Basmati Rice Pilaf
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup brown Basmati rice
1 small or 1/2 medum/large onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
2 cups vegetable broth or water
1 tsp dried dill
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
salt & pepper to taste

In a medium sized pot, saute onion, celery and rice in olive oil until onions become translucent.  Add broth/water and bring to a boil.  Add dill.   Cover with a tight fitting lid and simmer on low for 45 minutes.  Once the rice is finished cooking, stir in nutritional yeast, salt & pepper.

The orange ginger sauce I used came from a bottle.  Not very creative, but like I said, it was easy :)  To make the crispy tofu, slice it into strips and pan fry it in a bit of olive oil and a splash of Braggs (soy sauce) for 5-7 minutes on each side.  Top with orange ginger sauce and enjoy!