Monday night means I take a look at what I have in the pantry and put together something creative for dinner. 

The only vegetable I had to work with was carrots and as far as aromatics went I had shallot, garlic and onion.  The sweetness of the carrots made me recall a delicious pilaf I haven't made in a couple of years.  Comprised of browned butter, toasted pine nuts and the unexpected goodness of dried apricots, this pilaf would be ideal with carrots.  I had the necessary ingredient to make the pilaf, now I needed a little something to round out this meal.

Tofu is a staple in my home so it was a simple matter of choosing a marinade to compliment the pilaf.  A simple combination of balsamic vinegar, honey, olive oil and garlic was just the thing.  I pressed the tofu for about an hour before placing it in the marinade and keeping it in the refrigerator for the day.

Not only did the marinade flavor the tofu, it also served as a sauce for the tofu and a manner in which to cook the carrots. 

Tonight's dinner was very light, pleasant and full of flavor.   The pilaf was as good as I remembered and I hope you like it as well.

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Brown Butter, Apricot, Pine Nut Pilaf

3 T butter, divided

¼ heaping cup shallots, chopped

1 cup basmati rice

1 ½ cups vegetable broth *

¼ tsp kosher salt

¼ cup pine nuts

½ cup dried apricots, chopped

Heat the butter in a medium sauce pan. When the butter is melted, add the shallots and saute until caramelized. Add the rice and stir until all the grains are coated in butter and they start to turn opaque.  Add the broth and salt, stir just to combine. Cover and simmer until tender and all the broth is absorbed.

While the rice is cooking, melt the remaining 2 T butter in a small saute pan. Add the pine nuts and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until evenly browned. The butter should be richly browned but not burnt. Set aside.

When the rice has completed cooking, fold in the pine nuts in their butter and the apricots. Cover and let the rice steam for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice and serve.

*Adjust the amount of broth used based on the directions on your rice bag.

Tip: Use kitchen scissors to easily snip the dried apricots.

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Balsamic Honey Glazed Tofu

½ cup balsamic vinegar

3 T honey

2 T olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound firm tofu, cut into 6 pieces and pressed

Options

2 carrots

Whisk together the vinegar, honey, oil, and garlic in a small bowl. Pour the marinade into a glass baking dish and add the pressed tofu, turning to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, ideally all day.

Remove tofu from marinade; set aside. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring often, until it thickens slightly and becomes syrupy.

Preheat a grill pan that has been lightly brushed with oil. Grill tofu over medium heat until nicely browned and caramelized, turn over and grill the other side.

To serve, plate and drizzle the reduced sauce over the grilled tofu.

Option: Cut two carrots on a diagonal about 1/4 inch thick and add to the marinade as it simmers along with some salt and pepper.  If you are using more then two carrots you will need to increase the quantity of the marinade.