Coconut milk adds a creamy richness to this vegan take on a traditional saag paneer. Fragrant spices are combined with seasonal greens and roasted tofu in a nutritious, flavourful stew-like dish that’s abundant in iron and antioxidants, and as full of flavour as it is vibrant in colour! Dial the heat of spice up or down with the amount of added green chili. Serve piping hot on its own or enjoy with your favourite side.
Green vibes only
The trick to maintaining the vibrant green colour when blanching vegetables, such as spinach, broccoli, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, green beans, Swiss chard, and kale, is an ice bath. Immediately submerse strained blanched green vegetables in an ice-water bath and the cooking process will halt, retaining green colour and preserving texture.
This collection was originally published in the October 2025 issue of alive magazine.
Brussels Sprout and Spinach Saag Tofu “Paneer”
Ingredients
- 12.5 oz (350 g) firm tofu
- 1 Tbsp + 2 tsp (25 mL) nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp (10 mL) garam masala
- 1 tsp (5 mL) avocado oil
- 1/2 tsp (2 mL) sea salt, or to taste
- 4 cups (1 L) Brussels sprout leaves, no stems
- 4 cups (1 L) spinach leaves
- 1 Tbsp (15 mL) coconut oil
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and grated or finely minced
- 1/2 to 1 green chili, stem removed and sliced (depending on your heat preference)
- 1 Tbsp (15 mL) grated gingerroot
- 2 tsp (10 mL) ground cumin
- 1 Tbsp (15 mL) ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground turmeric
- 3/4 cup (180 mL) coconut milk
- 1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) sea salt, divided, or to taste
- 1 cup (250 mL) reserved blanched greens water
Directions
01
Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C). Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
02
Remove moisture from tofu by wrapping in clean towel and resting cast iron skillet or heavy object on top for minimum of 10 minutes. Cut tofu into 1/2 inch (1 cm) squares. In medium bowl, add tofu, nutritional yeast, garam masala, avocado oil, and sea salt and toss together.
03
On baking sheet, place tofu in single layer and roast in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Turn tofu after 6 minutes to ensure browned evenly. Remove from oven and set aside.
04
To large pot, add water and 1/2 tsp (2 mL) sea salt; bring to a boil on medium to high heat. Prepare large bowl with water and ice and set aside. Blanch Brussels sprout leaves for about 1 minute; add spinach leaves and blanch for a further 30 seconds. Turn off heat. Remove greens with slotted spoon or mesh hand strainer and plunge into ice bath. Reserve 1 cup (250 mL) of blanched greens water.
05
To large sauté pan on medium heat, add coconut oil and red onion and sauté until translucent. Add garlic, ginger, and green chili and sauté for another minute. Add cumin, coriander, and turmeric and continuously stir. If sauté pan is dry, add 1 Tbsp (15 mL) of reserved greens water to avoid burning spices. When fragrant, remove from heat.
06
Remove greens from ice bath with slotted spoon or fine mesh strainer and add to high-speed blender. Add cooked onion mixture, remaining 1 tsp (5 mL) sea salt, and coconut milk and blend until smooth.
07
Return sauté pan to medium to low heat and pour in blended greens. If mixture is too thick, add and stir in reserved greens water, 1/4 cup (60 mL) at a time, until thick and creamy consistency. Add roasted tofu to saag mixture and continue cooking until heated through. Enjoy with your favourite side.
Susan Rossit, RHN, is a holistic nutritionist, recipe developer, and food fanatic. If she’s not in her kitchen cooking it, she’s in her garden growing it. @ahealthylatitude
