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Spicy Coconut Braised Collard Greens with Tofu and Culinary Medicine in Action

Posted by spicebox travels in About Me, coconut, cooking class, culinary medicine, Dr. Linda Shiue, events, gluten-free, healthy, leafy greens, lifestyle medicine, one-pot meal, plant-based, plantbased, produce, quick, Recipes, san francisco, The Doctor's Spicebox, Thrive Kitchen, tofu, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian and tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

I am heading into a very exciting and very busy couple of months of teaching culinary medicine!

In a couple of days, I will be presenting again at Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives, the continuing medical education course that started me on this career path way back in 2012! I’ve been presenting and serving on the planning committee for the last five or more years (I’ve lost track!) and it keeps getting better and better. Please say hi (or stop by my signing of my cookbook Spicebox Kitchen, which is turning 5 next month)! Then next week, on Wed 2/11, is this month’s Thrive Kitchen at Home cooking class, on the theme of Eat Your Greens! If you’re new here, these are online cooking classes free to Kaiser Permanente members in Northern California and only $20 for anyone else. Then the week after that I will be teaching the second cohort of medical students at the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine in the culinary medicine elective that I co-founded with a fabulous team of colleagues. And in April I will be presenting in the Nutrition pre-course for the 2026 American College of Physicians Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

I’ll admit it’s a bit much. So it’s even more important to eat well! On that note, here’s one of the recipes I’ll be teaching next week. Join me in Thrive Kitchen at home for the full menu, or just try this recipe on your own schedule.

To your health! Linda Shiue, MD, Chef

Spicy Coconut Braised Collard Greens with Tofu

Adapted from Bon Appetit

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/aromatic-wilted-greens-with-coconut-milk

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 package firm tofu

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons coconut oil

4 garlic cloves, lightly crushed

2 small shallots, chopped

1 red chile (such as Fresno), thinly sliced, or ½ tsp chile flakes

1-inch piece ginger, peeled, thinly sliced into matchsticks

1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced

Kosher salt

2 bunches collard greens, chopped

½ cup unsweetened coconut milk, divided

For serving: steamed brown rice

Method

  1. Drain tofu and wrap in 2 layers of paper towel.  Sandwich wrapped tofu between two cutting boards and place a heavy pot on top, and press for 30 minutes.
  2. After 30 minutes, slice the tofu into bite size pieces (1/4 inch-thick x 1 inch x 2 inch rectangles).
  3. Heat a nonstick frying pan with 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. When oil is hot, fry the tofu slices until each side is browned and crisp. Set aside.
  4. Heat coconut oil in a large skillet over medium. Cook garlic, stirring, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Add shallots, chile, ginger, and scallions. Season with salt; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. 
  5. Add collard greens a handful at a time, letting them wilt slightly before adding more. Cook, tossing occasionally, until greens are crisp-tender, 6–8 minutes. Add half of the coconut milk and toss to coat.
  6. Transfer greens to a serving bowl, top with fried tofu, and drizzle remaining coconut milk on top.  Serve over steamed brown rice.