Shichimi Mushroom Rice Bowl

No more than two minutes before serving this up, Todd sweetly announced that he would not be liking this meal.  Much to his surprise, Todd really liked this mushroom rice bowl.  It’s super cheap, too, especially if you buy dry mushrooms.  Don't forget to season with salt or soy sauce after serving!

Shichimi Mushroom Rice Bowl
(adapted from 101 Cookbooks, 3-4 servings)

2 cups cooked brown basmati rice
2 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced12 ounces shitake mushrooms of your choice, sliced ~1/4-inch thick

12 ounces firm tofu, cut into tiny cubes
1 small bunch kale well chopped
About 8 shakes red pepper flakes, or to taste
1/4 bunch green onions, sliced

Heat skillet over high heat. Add the mushrooms in a single layer, stir well, and cook until the mushrooms release their liquid, and then brown, about 5 minutes more. You want the mushrooms to be deeply browned on both sides. Stir in the garlic roughly 20 seconds before the mushrooms finish cooking. If you need to cook the mushrooms in two batches, do so. Transfer the mushrooms to a plate, set aside.

Using the same large skillet, no need to clean it out, cook the tofu along with a couple pinches of salt over medium-high heat until heated through, and until it starts to brown a bit. Roughly one minute before the tofu is finished cooking, stir in the kale. It should collapse and cook down over the next 60 seconds.

Season all the components generously with Shichimi Togarashi and salt to taste. For each serving, dish up a heaping spoonful of brown rice along with some of the tofu/kale mixture and a some of the mushrooms.  Season with salt or soy sauce to taste and sprinkle green onions on top of your serving.