Sweet n Sour Chik'n

How did "Chik'n" become the shorthand for "vegetarian chicken"?  I don't know, but it works for me! So, the "Chik'n" in this recipe has sort of a cute story involving some very nice Whole Foods employees. I made a version of this recipe when I lived in Tallahassee, and the Chik'n I used was Quorn non-breaded chick'n nuggets. I thought they were great, because I love Quorn products. Anyway, I moved to Winston-Salem and wanted to make this recipe for EJ, but I couldn't find any suitable non-breaded chik'n nuggets. What's a girl to do? I went to Whole Foods, and bought the Quorn chik'n cutlets, intending to cut them myself. I asked the cashier if there was a way I could request for Whole Foods to carry what I was looking for. He thought that they should have a better product, but wasn't sure what it was. The girl that was bagging my groceries brought me to the frozen "meat" section and showed me the Gardein scallopini cutlets (which I love, but weren't right for this recipe). Then she showed me these Delight Soy nuggets that I'd never seen before. Apparently they are what Whole Foods uses to make their Mock-Chik'n salad. I told her I hadn't tried the salad before, and she brought me to the deli and got me a (huge) free sample! It was delicious, so I bought the Delight Soy nuggets, and for no reason at all, the cashier gave me a 20% discount. Thank you for your excellent customer service, Whole Foods!

That was the longest introduction ever to a blog post, so without further ado, I give you Sweet n Sour Chik'n (which I will just say quickly was amazing!)!!

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Israeli cous-cous with tons of broccoli

Israeli cous cous is so cool looking and so fun to cook with, I don't know why I don't use it more often. Just like regular cous cous, it goes well with pretty much anything! This was a spin off Heidi Swanson's double broccoli quinoa. I tried to make it taste a little creamy and cheesy and not too healthy. Even though its super healthy and low-calorie, you'd never know it, I swear!

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Spiced Sweet Potato Fries

Sweet potato is my favorite of the fried starches - or in this case, of the baked starches. Baking the potatoes is just as easy and a million times healthier, and oh so yummy.

I recently heard something I hadn't heard before about making french fries - that with regular potatoes, you should remove excess starch by soaking them in cold water, but that with sweet potatoes, you should try to add some extra starch to add crispiness. I gave it a try with these, and they came out wonderful! Two thumbs up from me and EJ!

I used an Indian spice blend called garam masala - it should be available in the spice section of any grocery store. I've also made sweet potato fries with cajun seasoning, plain old salt, salt and sugar, or with garlic and onion powder. Use what makes you happy!

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Watercourse Foods Tempeh Burger

This isn't the first time I've linked to Watercourse Foods in Denver, CO. I have only been there once, but I am now making it my personal mission to visit every time I visit Denver!

I did not try the veggie burger when I went, but I have heard raves about it. Their recipe has now been published, and since my wonderful husband loves veggie burgers, I thought I'd test it out. I took some liberties with the recipe*, and the burgers came out a little dry. Other than that, they were super tasty, and these sweet potato fries were the perfect accompaniment! There was a lot of prep work, but my food chopper gets the job done (or if you have a nice sous chef, that works also).

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Basic Scrambled Tofu

Scrambled tofu is a simple and easy-to-put-together breakfast dish. You can dress it up any way you want - my favorite way to eat it is covered with beans and salsa (and guacamole when I really want to go crazy!). I served it (to myself) with an everything bagel-thin and two strips of fakin'. Yum.

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Sausage and Gravy Filled Biscuits

I've become obsessed with Morningstar sausage egg and cheese breakfast pockets, and I eat them way more than I should. They're so good! I decided to try to recreate them myself, but make them vegan and maybe slightly more healthy (I don't think there is ever such a thing as a healthy biscuit, but at least I know I used good, fresh ingredients!)

Anyway, these came out fabulous. Seriously amazing. They were a little time consuming, so next time I make these I probably will just have the biscuits and gravy the old-fashioned way (unstuffed). The reason I stuffed these was because I wanted to freeze them. My husband and I are moving out of state, and I'm trying to cut down on the amount of cooking I do. I'll update this when I find out how they are after being frozen.

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Crunchy Miso-Peanut Bowl

I've been on a peanut kick this week. Ever since I spur-of-the-moment grabbed a can of peanuts from Publix last week, I've been hooked. Instead of just gobbling them down by the handful (like I had been doing!) I decided to throw them in a recipe and see how it turned out. I also had some miso paste leftover in my fridge, and as it turns out, marrying peanuts and miso equals happiness. I ate this without any pasta or rice, but if you decide to add some you might need to add more of the miso sauce.

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Mango-Banana Smoothie

I freaking love smoothies. I make them a few times a week, especially now that it is officially summer and extraordinarily hot outside. I've been tempted in the past by those smoothie restaurants, and yes, I'll admit to getting them now and again if I'm in a hurry. However, every time I do, I'm disappointed by two things: There are way too many calories in those things, and they're never even half as good as the ones that I make at home with fresh, organic produce.

This smoothie was the perfect post-run snack. It has everything I need to refuel after a strenuous workout, plus its cold and satisfying. I added flax seeds to this, which are super healthy, especially for vegetarians (they contain a lot of nutrients like omega 3's that are primarily found in meat).

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Cold Soba Salad

This recipe was definitely a blog win! I adapted it a bit from this, and I was extremely happy with the result. This salad went together really fast, I usually have these ingredients on hand, and it was very, very healthy and flavorful. There's not a whole lot else to say about this, other than two thumbs up!

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Recipe Improv: Asian Tofu Salad

To recap the Recipe Improv Challenge: I asked 3 friends to name the first non-meat ingredient that came to their minds. The challenge? I have to create a delicious meal using those ingredients. I definitely won this one - this salad was tasty, healthy, incredibly flavorful and packed with protein! (Of course, I am the only judge.) The ingredients I used were avocado, capers, and lemongrass paste.

I got the idea for this salad from a tofu salad that I recently tried, so this was a take off that. It was totally awesome, if I do say so myself. And extremely healthy. I love eating salads, but the problem is that I never feel full afterward. The protein in this salad definitely gets rid of that problem. Give it a try - I think you'll be impressed!!

And now a call for another recipe improv! The first 5 people to list the first VEGAN ingredient that comes to mind will be the winners! (Sorry, but you only win your name mentioned in my blog). So thanks to April and Jess for suggesting these awesome ingredients!

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Halava

If you attend Florida State University, you are probably aware of the amazing vegetarian lunches served in the Student Life building (previously in the International Student Center). These are colloquially referred to as "Krishna Lunches", because the head chef, Daru, is a Hare Krishna who also runs a local yoga center. And he cooks amazing vegetarian Nepalese/Indian food every day.

Halava is one of his most common desserts, and Daru calls it a "helluva good dessert" (which is a good way to remember it!). Not the most healthy, but when is a dessert actually healthy? When I made it for myself, I reduced the butter and sugar by about 25% each, and it was fine, though not quite as good. Below I've listed "fruit" as an ingredient, and really, you can use anything you want. This time I used about 4 oz of canned pineapple, but I've made it previously with about 1/4 cup blueberry ginger compote, and that was my favorite. You could do chocolate, peanut butter, or just about anything you can think of.

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Falafel-Crusted Tofu and Spinach-Pomegranate Salad

Three words can describe this meal - yummy, easy, and healthy (only two of these words describe the fried version). This tofu and salad would go great with Israeli Cous Cous (check back next week for the recipe) for a wonderful Middle East inspired meal. It also looks pretty fancy, which is good for the cook, because this really didn't take any time to throw together. I used two methods of preparing the tofu - baking and frying. They both have their perks, just depends on what you're into. Obviously, the baked tofu is way healthier, but tasted a little dry (but I bet a tzatziki sauce would be great!) . They were both easy, so try both and see what you like!

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Roasted Beets

Remember The Beets? Oh wee ohhh...killer tofuuuuu...

These roasted beets were so good - they don't even taste like a vegetable! Salty and sweet, they taste like something I would feel guilty eating at a carnival! And they were so easy!

Ingredients:

Beets (washed super well)
olive oil
sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
(or experiment with spices of your own!)

1) Preheat oven to 400.

2) Slice beets to about 1/8 of an inch thick.

3) Drizzle with olive oil and spices. Layer on a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Flip them, add more spices if desired, and bake another 10, or until nice and crispy.

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A (garlicy) hummus among us!

This was knock-your-socks-off and hope-you're not-kissing-anyone-soon garlicy hummus. You might not want to eat this if you have a first date coming up. You can scale down the garlic if you want, its up to you.  Also, I used roasted garlic that I roasted specifically for this recipe. The olive oil that I used in the hummus was the same oil I roasted the garlic in.

Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas with 1/2 the juice reserved
1/2 a clove raw garlic
2-3 cloves roasted garlic
1 Tbsp olive oil (garlic infused is best)
1 Tbsp tahini
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender. You might need to periodically scrape the sides down. If its a little too dry for your taste, add water by the tablespoonful.

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Weeknight Stirfry

Too lazy to cook but you still need to eat? Fear not - This is the easiest stir fry you'll ever make. It came together in under 20 minutes, and there are totally a few shortcuts you can take if you have even less time. There's not much for cleanup, either!

I just used what I had in the house - you could take this any direction you want! Scramble an egg and throw it in (don't crack the raw egg into the dish and cook it in the dish - I've done that before and its not the same), add some sprouts (yum!) or any random veggies or beans that you have on hand.

Ingredients:
1 cup brown rice
2 cups water
1/2 block of extra firm tofu
about 1 cup frozen broccoli
about 1/4 cup slivered almonds
several shakes each of soy sauce and rice vinegar

1. Cook the rice. I have a rice cooker that I am obsessed with. I can never get the proportions rice : water to be perfect for brown rice - its always too dry. After the rice was done, it wasn't completely cooked, so I added about 1/2 c more water and cooked again. This time it was perfect.

2. While your rice is cooking, get your tofu. I didn't even drain mine - I just gave it a good squeeze over the kitchen sink. Cut it into cubes and saute for about 10 minutes, until its mostly brown.

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3. Grab whatever veggies you're going to use. I basically always have frozen broccoli and/or brussels sprouts on hand for nights like this. I used broccoli this time. To thaw it, I threw it in a saucepan with a little water, covered, and heated it for about 4 minutes, until - and this is a no brainer - the broccoli is thawed. (You can use the same wok or skillet that you cooked your tofu in, just remove the tofu first.)

4. Throw everything together in a wok or skillet, add the sauces, taste for flavor, and you've got yourself a weeknight stir fry!

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Recipe Improv: Vegetable tempura with quinoa and arugula

Last week I asked 5 friends to name the first ingredient that came to their mind. The ingredients were: quinoa, potatoes, zucchini, peas, and arugula. The challenge? I have to make a meal out of it. This was fun, and I got to be a little creative with what I made. Obviously there are a million combinations, but I settled on vegetable tempura over quinoa with an arugula salad. Totally awesome, if I do say so myself.

So check out the pics and the recipe below. I'd like to do this more often, and I need your help. The first 5 comments with ingredients will be my next meal! (ok, not my next meal, but you know what I mean).

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Flour Tortillas

I also made these during my pantry challenge, but didn't get a chance to post them. My friend Joanne gave me this recipe a few years ago, and I forgot I had it until now. Making these tortillas was much easier than it sounds, and they came out amazing! You can fill them with all kinds of yummy fillings, or just eat them plain!

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Yield: 12-14 tortillas

Ingredients:

2 1/2 c flour
1/4 cup vegan margerine (melted)
1 tsp salt
3/4 c hot water

1. I melted the butter in the hot water. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl.

2. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until its homogeneous. There is no need to do it on the counter top - I just kneaded it right in the bowl.

3. Tear apart golf ball size chunks and roll them into a ball with your hands. On a very lightly floured counter, roll each ball out with a rolling pin until it is as flat and round as you can get it. Seriously put some elbow grease in here - the flatter, the better.

4. Cook each one in a nonstick frying pan for a couple minutes each side. I don't think you need to use oil - I used a tiny bit of spray oil for my first few, but then figured I didn't need it, and the rest came out just as good. Careful not to overcook these - overcooking will make them stiff.

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(This one is filled with spinach, salsa, black beans, and a little cheddar cheese - delish!!)

Pantry Challenge Day 5 - Farfalle with crumbled tofu

Wow, I'm on day 5 already? Well, the rest of the recipes will be a little more pantry-esque, but they will still be tasty (I hope)!

Farfalle with tofu was good - I accidentally added way too much pepper. It was still ok, just a little overpowering. The fresh basil was nice (I keep a large basil plant in my kitchen), though I really wish I had a few garlic cloves in the house. That would have added a better flavor. Cheese makes things taste better - Romano cheese sprinkled on top would have added a lot here.

Ingredients:
1 block firm or extra firm tofu, drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 box farfalle pasta
2 tsp olive oil
4-5 leaves fresh basil
salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder

1) Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente.

2) Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add the oil, spices, tomatoes (drain them) and taste for spice levels.

3) Crumble the tofu in your hands until it resembles feta cheese and drop it in the pot. Heat for about 10 minutes, until the tofu has lost its extra liquid and is heated through. Add the basil. Enjoy!

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Pantry Challenge Day 4 - Jerk Seitan with fruity quinoa

My favorite description of jerk flavors is, of course, from Isa Moskowitz. She says that when you're putting the jerk seasoning together, you're thinking that there is no way that these flavors will go together. When the final product comes out and you taste it, you're a jerk for ever questioning.

I used a prepurchased block of seitan that had been sitting in my fridge for weeks. I'm out of vegetables, so I was hoping that by adding some dried fruit to the quinoa then that would count...sort of.

Jerk seitan

Ingredients
seitan, cut into bite-size pieces
red pepper flakes, to taste
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 pinch each of allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon

1) Put everything in a non-stick skillet. Saute for about 5-8 minutes, until the seitan is heated through and slightly browned.

Quinoa

1 cup quinoa
1 cup vegetable broth
handful dried fruit - I used about 1/4 cup each of dates and cherries
1/4 cup crushed pecans

1) In a saucepan, bring the veg broth to a light boil. Add the quinoa. Reduce heat to low,cover, and cook 15 minutes stirring occasionally. Taste it to make sure its done; it may need a few more minutes. The measurements here are less finicky than when you're cooking other things, like rice. If the quinoa starts looking dry before it is done cooking, add some water or broth. If its done but still kind of watery, just let the cover off the saucepan and let it evaporate over low heat.

2) When the quinoa is done cooking, stir in the fruits and nuts. I was thinking of adding some curry spice here, but I decided against it because the broth made it so flavorful.

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(This is really one of those times that I wish EJ was here to do the photography; he would have made this dish much more appetizing than I can. But I promise - it was really good!!)

Pantry Challenge Day 1 - Pomegranate tofu with roasted potatoes

These were really nice. The pomegranate molasses added a bit of fruit flavor without the sweetness, so it still felt like a savory dinner dish. I did have to buy the molasses online - I purchased it several months ago for a different recipe.

Baked Tofu

For the marinade:
1 cup vegetable broth
2 tbsp balsamic vinagrette
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
1 tsp thyme
lots of shakes of garlic and onion powder
salt and pepper, to taste

1 block firm or extra firm tofu

1. You'll definitely want to drain your tofu for this. Place the block of tofu on a plate, and put another plate over it. Place a heavy object on that plate. You'll have to discard the tofu juice every once in a while. I let mine drain for an hour.

2. Slice the tofu and put in a bowl with the marinade. Let marinate for at least an hour, but overnight is better.

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2. Preheat the oven to 375. Spray a casserole dish with cooking oil. Bake the tofu for 20 minutes, then flip each piece and bake another 10 minutes. Serve with a little extra marinade.

Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:
1 potato (I think mine was an Idaho...?)
Spice blend (I used the peppercorn salad dressing spice blend from Penzey's, but I think any combo of garlic/onion/salt/pepper with some sage or thyme would have been great.

1. Slice the potato into pieces that are about 1/2 an inch thick and place immediately into cold, salted water.

2. Bring the water to a boil and let it boil for 15 minutes.

3. Spay a cookie sheet with oil. Line the potatoes on the sheet and sprinkle with your spice blend.

4. Roast the potatoes in your preheated oven for 10 minutes. (Yes, I'm aware that it is possible to roast potatoes without boiling them first, but I wanted to use half of this potato for another recipe...check back later this week to see it).

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