I got this idea from a recipe card at SunFlower Market near the bulk bins. It's a simple cold salad that we loved. It's a nice dish to be able to make ahead and put in the fridge till you're ready to eat it or take to whatever dinner party or pot-luck you're going to. (We had it this week alongside a simple veggie stir-fry with this quick recipe for ginger citrus sauce.)
Direction for Orzo Salad:
1 1/2 cups uncooked orzo pasta
2 (6 oz) can marinated artichoke hearts, drained, chopped
1 tomatoes, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
1 (2 oz) black olives, drained
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbl lemon juice
2 Tbl olive oil
salt, pepper, opt.
Boil pasta for 8 to 10 minutes. Chop and dice other ingredients. Stir all together and put in fridge. Let chill for at least 1 hour. (I didn't have the black olives, as called for, when I made it. But I'm sure it would be great with them, or even kalmata olives.)
Also, can I tell you what my current food obsession is? It's pita bread stuffed with veggies and a little vegan mayo or salad dressing. I actually had a little pita sandwich for breakfast twice this week. Weird, I know, but it's what I wanted!
I think I could have this for dinner every day. It's hearty and hits the spot!
1 Tbl Oil
1 Onion, chopped
2 Celery stalks, diced
8 oz package Mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
Fresh herbs, chopped finely (I used Sage)
4 Tbl Whole Wheat Flour
5 cups Vegetable Broth
1 Tbl Lite Soy Sauce
3 cups Brown Rice
opt: Tofu strips, cooked and cut into cubes
(pan-fried or baked previously)
green onion, optional
Heat oil in deep sided skillet or large saucepan. Saute onion, celery, mushrooms, and herbs till softened, stir in flour and cook just a little bit till browned a little, and then add vegetable broth and soy sauce. Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes until rice is cooked. Try not to open lid often while cooking. Optional : Add already cooked tofu at the end and serve when all is warm.
In this Bok Choy and Baked Tofu Stir-fry wtih Ginger-Citrus Sauce recipe I explain how I make baked tofu. If done right, tofu tastes good! I like when my friends say "there was tofu in that?" That's when I think it's done right-when it's not noticable but enhances a dish. Tofu is great because it takes on any flavor it's with.
Garnish this dish with chopped green onion and enjoy.
I put a couple of recipes together to make this tasty lunch today. Since the classic mushroom taste and texture are NOT what you notice or taste when you are eating, I think even non-mushroom lovers will love this meal.
You'll need: 2 Portabella/Portobello Mushrooms(there are 2 different spellings for the same thing) de-stemmed and 'fins' cut off then coarsely chopped (here's an ehow video on how to do that. do you love ehow.com? It has taught me many things... like some acupressure techniques for one and what to do with anise for another.) 1/2 onion, chopped Chipotle Barbecue Sauce (recipe below) (or other bbq sauce) Cheeze Sauce (recipe below) (or other veggie cheese or cashew cheeze)
Heat a little oil or water in a skillet. Add portabellas and cook 5 minutes. Add onions and cook maybe another 3-5 minutes or until mushrooms and onions are soft.
Meanwhile make barbecue sauce and cheeze sauce.(I love this bbq sauce recipe! The deep smokey flavor of chipotle and the surprise flavor of cinnamon make it a really special one.) Spicy Chipotle Barbecue Sauce -recipe found here at fatfreevegan.com- 4 cloves garlic clove, minced 1/2 cup organic ketchup 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar (or other sugar or agave nectar-I used agave) 2 tablespoons chopped chipotle chiles in adobo 1 teaspoon tamari soy sauce 1 tablespoon cider vinegar 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon celery seed (optional)
Stir all ingredients together then add to skillet of cooked mushrooms and onions. Cook for 2 minutes and remove from heat.
Cheeze Sauce -recipe found here at fatfreevegan.com- 1 1/4 cups water 1 cup plain, fat-free soymilk (may use other non-dairy milk) 3/4 cup nutritional yeast 3 tablespoons cornstarch or potato starch 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste) 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon onion powder 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika 1/2 teaspoon turmeric pinch cayenne pepper 2 tablespoons tahini 1 teaspoon mellow white miso (or additional salt) black pepper to taste blend in blender or food processor. Simmer in saucepan or skillet till thickened.
Assemble quesadilla: Spread mushroom/onion and barbecue sauce mixture on whole wheat tortilla, drizzle cheeze sauce on or serve on side. Brown each side of tortilla on the skillet. You could use bottled bbq sauce and veggie cheese for a quicker meal. But you'll save yourself eating a lot of sugar/high fructose corn syrup, sodium, and preservatives if you take a few minutes to make homemade! Make a double batch and put extra in the freezer!
I found this recipe here. Click for the simple instructions that involve yellow and zucchini squash, coconut milk, curry powder and red curry paste. (I'm sure you could substitute the red curry paste for any other color curry you like as well. Here is some info on curry.) It was simple to make in the morning and let chill till dinner time. I added some leftover cilantro sauce from my avocado spring rolls- it was great.
After two bites of this delicious dish at the Cheescake Factory the other night with my girl friends, I said "I'm going to re-create this!" And they believed me. So here it is. Whole grain. Baked, not fried. And delicious.
The dipping sauce is where it's at, really:
(Approximate quantities since I hardly ever measure anything.)
Fresh cilantro (1 cup?)
Cashews (1/2 cup)
Olive Oil (1/4 cup)
Honey (1/4 cup)
White vinegar (3 tsp)
Lime juice (3 tsp)
1 clove Garlic
1 Green Onion
Balsamic vinegar (1 tsp)
dash of Salt
-Blend well in a blender or food processor.
-Filling:
Avocado (I used 3 avocados which made 4 tortilla's full. I cut each tortilla in half when serving)
1/2 to 1 Red Onion
some diced Tomatoes
dash of Salt
Whole Wheat Tortillas
-Cut avocados into big chunks. Stir, gently, with onion, tomatoes and salt. Fill whole wheat tortillas with 1/4 cup of mixture and roll, cigar-style.
-Cook at 375 degrees F for 6 minutes, flip, and cook for 4 minutes more until crisp on the outside. Enjoy with your cilantro dipping sauce.
You could go authentic with real spring rolls/egg rolls and frying. But this way you are saving tons of calories, avoiding bad fats, and maintaining your whole foods lifestyle- all without sacrificing ANY taste (I promise!)
There are three way to gnoocchi. 1, buy the gnocchi frozen, 2, make easy gnocchi, or 3, make gnocchi the long way. (Which really isn't complicated, you just have to boil potatoes and put them through a ricer.) The other day I did the second way.
Next I boiled some sliced sweet potatoes (you could also use butternut squash) until semi-soft. Then I put the slices in a hot oiled skillet, added diced mushrooms, slivered leeks, and some oregano and thyme. I let it all cook until it got a little color on everything, then served hot.
Sushi is fun and easy to make. And if you make it this way it's healthy too.
1 cup jasmine brown rice
2 cups water plus more to soak
seasoned rice vinegar
opt: 1 Tbl brown sugar
veggies cut into strips (I used green pepper, yellow pepper, cucumber, carrots, and spinach)
opt: fresh ginger and green onions
nori (roasted seaweed wraps)
or soy wraps
To make some sticky brown rice, soak 1 cup rice for 1/2 hour at the least (a few hours at the most.) Drain and rinse rice. Pour 2 cups water over and bring to a boil. Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes or until rice is tender. Let rice cool a little and stir in about 3 Tbl rice vinegar and 1 Tbl brown sugar.
Put a fist sized ball of rice on nori and spread flat leaving 1/2 inch border at top. Spread some water with your finger on the border so it will glue shut.
Put any veggies you want in the middle of the rice and a little strip of green onion and some grated ginger for flavor.
Roll up. It's easiest with a little bamboo roller that you can buy for about 1 or 2 dollars. If you don't have one, why not try a thin kitchen towel? Cut into 1 inch pieces and enjoy with some wasabi, soy sauce, maybe some chili sauce, or this magic little dip: equal parts soy sauce and white vinegar, plus a little of water and a dash of sugar.
For seaweed haters, I found these soy wrappers that are virtually tasteless. They are super cute and made different colors naturally (with turmeric etc.)
I whipped this dish up last minute to balance out Thanksgiving dinner. I remembered seeing a recipe somewhere once for apricot glazed asparagus. I couldn't remember where I saw it so this is what I did based on what I had in my fridge:
-Rinse/wash asparagus well. Snap the ends of the asparagus off about 1 inch up from the bottom. When you start to bend them down there they will break where they should.
-Use a vegetable peeler to remove the outer, tough layer off.
-Toss in a hot pan with a little extra-virgin olive oil in it
-Saute for a few minutes till the outsides get a little color
-Remove from heat
-While pan is still hot pour on some soy sauce (about 3 Tbl for one bunch of asparagus-the size they sell in the store, about a handful around) And stir in a few tablespoons of apple jelly.
-Remove and place on a baking sheet lined with foil (spoon any glaze that dripped in the pan on top of the asparagus.)
-Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes, more or less depending on your preference and depending on your asparagus (thickness, age, etc) -taste as you go
*Some grated orange or lemon zest would have been great on top. Or some candied ginger? Next time.
This is another great recipe from 'fat free vegan' found here. It's about the easiest, quickest, most filling recipe a person can make. Quinoa is a whole grain; it's so good for you; and takes less time than brown rice to make. I love butternut squash because it lasts so long. I always have one sitting in my pantry to put in a quick meal like this.
10 ounces butternut squash (about 2 cups)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup quinoa
1/4 cup chopped shallots
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons lightly toasted pine nuts (optional)
1 teaspoon minced fresh chives (optional)
Cut butternut squash into big chunks, removing skin as you go (it takes a little bit of muscle!) Toss with lemon juice and put on a baking sheet at 400 degrees for 15 minutes in the oven. Meanwhile put shallots (or other onion) and garlic in a deep skillet or saucepan with a tiny bit of olive oil and warm for a couple minutes. Add rinsed quinoa and cook maybe a couple of minutes till quinoa becomes fragrant. Add the squash, thyme and vegetable broth. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add lemon peel, a squirt of lemon juice and pine nuts if using. (They say you can toast the pine nuts in the oven if you want. I, personally, skip any step I can when I cook. I'm too busy to do unnecessary things!)
The most delicious way to eat raw veggies as far as I'm concerned! My friend Mika taught me how to make these.
Ingredients:
Spring roll wrappers (The dry ones, not the fridge/freezer ones.
I had to go to the international market to get these)
Filling:
Green onions
Fresh Basil
Then any raw veggies you want like:
Spinach
Carrots
Green Pepper
Grilled Tofu
Dipping Sauce:
Peanut Butter
Soy Sauce
Chili Sauce
Lime Juice
Brown Sugar
Water
Stir up the dipping sauce. Slowly stir in some water (about 1/8 cup) to peanut butter (1/3 cup) till thinner. Add a little bit (1 Tbl?) of brown sugar (if using unsweetened peanut butter), about 2 Tbl soy sauce, 2 tsp. chili sauce, and a squirt of lime juice.
Put a little bit of water on a plate or dish. Put a dry wrap in water for 5 seconds, then flip over and put in water for 3 more seconds. The wrap will start to be pliable. Place on another plate, add some filling including a little bit of green onion and basil in each wrap. Fold in ends and roll up. Enjoy with dipping sauce.
Although there's lots of things I make and wrap in lettuce, this has to be the best yet. My friend came over and made it the other day. Thanks again for another great recipe!
Tofu, firm
Bamboo shoots (canned)
Water chestnuts
Dried black mushrooms, soaked
or mushrooms in any form
Garlic, 1 clove
Cilantro
Green onions
1/4 c. Water
1/8 c. Soy sauce
1 T Cornstarch
Lettuce for wrappping
Fry the tofu in a little bit of oil in the wok or skillet to firm it up a bit. Add bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook a little and add green onions and cilantro towards the end. Stir together 1/4 cup water with 1/8 c soy sauce and 1 Tbl cornstarch. Pour into wok and cook for 1 min till thickened. Wrap in lettuce and eat!
4 or 5 Tomatoes (they said Roma but I just used what I had)
1 Red pepper
1 Clove garlic
1 Onion
Fresh thyme (I didn't have any so I had to use dried)
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Balsamic vinegar
Tomato paste, 1 can
Vegetable stock, 1 can
Quarter tomatoes, red pepper, onion, and peel garlic. Put on a baking sheet and drizzle with oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with salt (if you want) and roast at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Blend in a blender and put in a saucepan with tomato paste and vegetable stock to desired consistency.
* I roasted some white asparagus with my veggies and served it on the side. I've always avoided it because it seemed strange and unnatural, being white not green. But it was so good! I highly recommend eating it this way, roasted with a little oil on it.
Here is an approximate recipe from by friend Mika.
Eggplant (largest quantity)
Dried Shitake mushrooms
Dried black fungus (don't worry about it if you can't find it)
Mung bean noodles
Tofu (I usually use firm for all me recipes)
Soy sauce (a little bit to taste)
Sesame oil (a tiny bit)
Green onions
Won-ton wraps
Dice up eggplant and cook in skillet/wok until soft. Meanwhile soak dried mushrooms and fungus, and also mung bean noodles (or rice noodles)for a few minutes. Dice everything, add and stir together. Put a little into wrappers, whatever kind you can find- spring roll wrappers or eggroll wrappers. you should be able to find square or circle wraps near the tofu. Pleat the edges after you wet the edges with water and press together. Put into a lightly greased skilled. Brown a little and then add a little water to the pan, cover with a lid and steam for a couple minutes. Dip in soy sauce mixed with white vinegar.
I always have.... Thank you, Post Punk Kitchen for these lovely baked ones. http://www.theppk.com/ and P.S. I can't wait for Esa's new book coming out on amazon http://www.amazon.com/Appetite-Reduction-Filling-Low-Fat-Recipes/dp/1600940498/ref=pd_sim_b_1
2 Vidalia onions (about a pound)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 cup cold almond milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup store-bought whole wheat bread crumbs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons olive oil
Cooking spray
Slice onions into 3/4 inch thick rings. Separate the rings and place in a bowl.
Preheat oven to 450 F. Line a rimmed 12x18 baking sheet with parchment paper, spray with cooking spray and set aside.
In one bowl, dump in the flour and cornstarch. Add about half of the almond milk and stir vigorously with a fork to dissolve. Add the rest of the almond milk and the apple cider vinegar, and stir to incorporate. Set aside.
In the another bowl, mix together the bread crumbs and salt. Drizzle in the oil and use your fingertips to mix it up well.
Assemble the onion rings:
Get a conveyor belt going. From left to right, have the onions, the flour mixture, the breadcrumbs mixture and lastly the baking sheet. Dip each onion slice into the the flour, letting the excess drip off. Transfer to the breadcrumbs bowl and use the other hand to sprinkle a handful of breadcrumbs over the onion, to coat completely. This may take a bit of practice. Carefully transfer each onion to a single layer on the baking sheet. Make sure you use one hand for the wet batter and the other for the dry batter.
Spray with a little cooking spray, bake for 8 minutes, then flip, and bake another 6 minutes. Rings should be varying shades of brown and crisp. Taste one to check for doneness. Serve as soon as possible. With ketchup if you must.
note: I didn't use oil in mine and it still tasted great!
This recipe is also from the "Deceptively Delicious" cookbook. I've been making all my produce that is going bad into purees and putting them into the freezer or fridge for when I need to stick them into recipes like this soup one. I've also been dicing up veggies like tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, and yellow squash and freezing them. It's handy for those days when I'm short on prep time but I still want to make something like soup, veggie/bean enchiladas or anything else that I need diced veggies for . I'm happy when I don't waste any of my produce! And when I can get produce at low prices to use later. And I'm very happy that my grocery bill has decreased since I switched to a plant based diet!
A creamy soup is comfort food to me,and sometimes you just need comfort food. This version was so filling and good! Next time I think I'll try sweet potatoes rather than white potatoes.
2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, cut in half
2 (14 oz) cans veggie broth
2 lbs potatoes, any kind, diced
1/2 c. cauliflower, pureed
1 1/2 c. butternut squash or carrot puree
1 c. non-dairy milk
dash of salt and pepper
In a large pot add oil and saute onions till tender. Add veggie broth, garlic, and potatoes. Boil until potatoes are tender. Mash potatoes then add cauliflower and squash purees. Heat till warm, adding salt and pepper if desired. (I didn't need to add milk to mine, but you can if you need to thin down the consistency)
My friend made me this cold pasta salad one day. It was simple but delicious
Cook whole wheat pasta. Drain and cool. Dice up cucumber, bell peppers, tomatoes, shallots (in the onion family) and kalmata olives (a more meaty, salty olive bought in a jar.) Toss everything with lemon juice, salt and pepper and serve cold.
I found this recipe here: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/Artisan-Bread-In-Five-Minutes-A-Day.aspx?page=4 You stir up the dough, let it raise, and then keep it in the fridge, pulling out a ball of dough every day (or whenever you want bread) and plop it on a pizza stone (or cookie sheet if you're like me and don't have a pizza stone) and cook it for 30 minutes. No kneading or shaping, it couldn't be easier!
I believe in eating whole grains only but they didn't have the recipe on here for whole grain. I used 1/2 oat flour (I do better on oat than on wheat) to 1/2 white flour and it turned out great. (I make oat flour by blending up oats in my blender.) Next time I will try all whole grain and see how it goes. Also I thought their recipe tasted too salty, so I would use less salt next time.
Their explanation is lengthy but here are the cliff's notes: Make a wet dough, (don't knead) let raise for 2 hrs. Refrigerate dough for up to 2 weeks. When you want bread, sprinkle on some flour, cut off a grapefruit size ball and let sit for 40 mins at room temp. Sprinkle again with flour and slash top with a knife. Cook at 450 for 30 mins.
The Master Recipe: Boule
(Artisan Free-Form Loaf)
Makes 4 1-pound loaves
3 cups lukewarm water1 1⁄2 tbsp granulated yeast (1 1⁄2 packets)1 1⁄2 tbsp coarse kosher or sea salt6 1⁄2 cups unsifted, unbleached, all-purpose white flour Cornmeal for pizza peel
Refrigerate the remaining dough in your lidded (not airtight) container and use it over the next two weeks: You’ll find that even one day’s storage improves the flavor and texture of your bread. This maturation continues over the two-week period. Cut off and shape loaves as you need them. The dough can also be frozen in 1-pound portions in an airtight container and defrosted overnight in the refrigerator prior to baking day.
Remember the “6-3-3-13” rule for this recipe. To store enough for eight loaves, it’s 6 cups water, 3 tablespoons salt, 3 tablespoons yeast, and then add 13 cups of flour.
1 Can roasted red peppers (or 1 large one you've roasted yourself)
1/4 T salt
2 Zucchini sliced long-ways into thirds
4 Cloves garlic, sliced
Pinch of salt
1 T balsamic vinegar
2 Whole wheat hoagie rolls or bread
6 basil leaves
Make a sandwich spread in your blender or food processor out of the white beans, roasted red peppers and salt. (the beans will water down the flavor so add more peppers or salt if needed.)
Heat a skillet and add thick cut zucchini till they start getting brown. Sprinkle with salt while cooking. Don't over cook! You don't want the zucchini to get mushy. When they are browned on each side throw the garlic into the pan and cook for a few seconds only, until you smell the garlic. Take the pan off burner and splash in the balsamic vinegar. The vinegar will caramelize quickly on the hot skillet.
Spread dressing on sandwich rolls, add zucchini and garlic, top with basil, and enjoy warm.
1/4 teaspoon tamarind concentrate (or omit and add extra lime juice)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
3 cups cooked chickpeas (or canned, drained and rinsed)
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 small jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded and finely diced (add more or less to taste)
1/2 cup peeled and diced cucumber
1 rib celery, diced
1/2 cup fresh pineapple, cubed
salt to taste
toasted cashews (optional)
In a dry skillet, toast the coconut just until it becomes fragrant and starts to turn off-white. Stir constantly and be careful not to burn. Set aside to cool.
Once the coconut is cool, put it into the blender along with the ginger, the white parts of the green onions (roots removed!), miso, vegetable broth, sugar, tamarind concentrate, and soy sauce. Blend until well-combined. Pour into a saucepan and add the drained chickpeas. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, add the lime juice, and refrigerate to cool completely.
Thinly slice the green onion tops and add them, the other vegetables, and the pineapple to the chickpeas and toss well to combine. Add salt and additional lime juice to taste. Refrigerate to chill thoroughly (tastes best if allowed to chill for at least 4 hours). Serve atop greens garnished with toasted cashews.
I have to admit that I don't toast the coconut and I have yet to use a jalepeno because my kids don't like the heat. Also, I wrap it in big pieces of lettuce. So good!
This soup is another one of my good friend's recipes. It's so simple but delicious!
Zucchini, diced
Asparagus, diced
Carrots, diced
Onions, diced
Diced Tomatoes (1 can or fresh)
Kidney beans (1 can)
Garbanzo beans (1 can)
Veggie broth
Oregano
Basil
Tortellini or other pasta
Lemon juice
Saute onions in the bottom of a saucepan. Add broth, spices and diced veggies. Simmer till vegetables are starting to soften. Add pasta and cook until done. Add a splash of lemon juice at the end of cooking.
Here is an approximate recipe from by friend Mika.
