| |  Tofu Scramble Veggie Tacos | I've been on a taco kick - tacos with corn tortillas, tacos for dinner or breakfast. Yes, breakfast. And, they are a great addition if you're trying to loose a few pounds. Corn tortillas have virtually no oil. Trader Joe's brand Ingredients: stone ground corn, water, traces of lime. Can't beat that! So I'm encouraging you to experiment with your taco ingredients. I like to substitute hummus for cheese. It adds the kick and creaminess that you get from a good cheese. It's always fun to top them off with chopped tomatoes, lettuce, a little avocado, and salsa, but a few sprouts works well, too. Here's a basic recipe for veggie tacos. I added crumbled tofu for the breakfast version. Try them, I think you'll really like them. Served with a fruit for breakfast tops off the meal and makes it uber plant-based :) OH, and to heat the corn tortillas, I like to put them into the toaster oven and "toast" them until they are just crispy and still easy to fold in half. Ingredients: 6 corn tortillas 1/2 red onion, diced 4 oz. mushrooms, sliced 1/2 bell pepper, diced 1 tomato, diced 3 leaves romaine lettuce, diced 1 avocado, diced 1/3 cup hummus recipe (see here) salsa salt & pepper Tofu scramble: 1/2 block of tofu, crumbled in a town with a fork. 1/2 tsp. turmeric for color Optinional: use broccoli sprouts as a topping or mango chutney as a "salsa" Method: 1. Add red onion, mushrooms and bell pepper to a sauté pan with a little water. Saute until tender. 2. Toast corn tortillas in toaster oven until crisp but pliable. 3. Smear a tablespoon or so of hummus on one side of the corn tortilla. Fill the bottom with the veggie mixture. 4. Top with the tomatoes, lettuce, avocado and salsa. For Tofu Scrambled tacos:5. Add crumbled tofu to the veggies in the sauté pan along with the turmeric. Stir to combine. Fill taco shell and top with remaining ingredients.
Kobacha Squash is a relatively new addition to the American vegetable isles, but it's been a Japanese staple for many years. High in beta carotene, it also has a skin which becomes tender and edible when roasted. Enjoy this easy dish with balsamic vinegar, maple syrup and a little olive oil.
Ingredients:
1 Kobacha squash
2 T. balsamic vinegar
2 T. maple syrup
1 tsp. olive oil
Method:
1. Cut off stem ends of squash and cut in half. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Cut into your preferred shape.
2. Single layer squash in a roasted pan lightly sprayed with non-stock spray.
3. Brush tops with balsamic mixture and lightly salt and pepper.
4. Roast for 15 minutes, then turn and brush the other side with balsamic mixture. Roast for another 15 minutes until tender.
With left-over whole wheat spaghetti noodles from the No Oil Peso Pasta, I decided to make this Asian Noodle Salad. It's chock full of plant-based veggies. Substitute rice noodles for wheat if you want to stay gluten-free, but either way, this recipe is a flavor burst in your mouth! printable recipeAsian Noodle Salad Ingredients: serves 4-6 1/4 cup peanut butter 1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce 2 T. rice vinegar 2 T. chili garlic sauce 1 T. sugar 1 T. minced ginger 2 carrots, grated 4 scallions, chopped 1 small red pepper, cut into small strips 3 cups snow peas, string removed and cut into thirds 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped 1 12 ounce package of pasta Method: 1. Boil pasta in a large pot of water until tender (al dente). Drain, reserving a little pasta water. 2. While pasta is cooking, with a whisk, blend the peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, chili garlic sauce, sugar, and ginger until smooth. Add a little pasta water if it's too thick. 3. Cook the snow peas in scant water for about 3-5 minutes. Add them to a large bowl with the other vegetables. 4. Add cooked pasta and pour dressing over. Toss well to coat.
Since we're eating less meat, I do try to get protein from other sources and tofu is a great one. See my post, "Is Soy Bad" here if your wondering about eating soy... This dish was inspired by Chez Cayenne's recipe, but it was a bit mild for my taste so I added extra spices and left out the margarine... No cheese, no eggs and it was a very satisfying dish. Top it with a bit of fresh salsa or enchilada sauce for a Mexican flavor. Serve with a salad or use crackers and eat it as a dip. printable recipeIngredients: 1 14-16 oz. block of firm tofu 1 cup cornmeal 1 1/2 cup water 3/4 cup milk alternative like almond 1 pkg of frozen spinach, thawed and water squeezed out 2 cans diced mild chilies 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 ears fresh corn, taken off of cob, or pkg frozen, thawed 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. cumin 1 tsp. Salt & Pepper to taste 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper Condiments: Store-bought Salsa or Enchilada sauce Method: Preheat oven to 400 degrees 1. Prepare cornmeal by heating 1 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan with 1/2 cup of the milk alternative until almost boiling. Slowly whisk in the corn meal and stir constantly until mixture thickens. Transfer to a large bowl. 2. To a food processor, add the garlic, tofu, 1 cup corn and remaining 1/4 cup milk alternative. Process until smooth. Stir into the cooked cornmeal in the large bowl. 3. Add the spinach, remaining whole corn, diced chilies, baking powder, spices, salt and pepper and mix well. This may take some elbow grease. 4. Bake for 60-70 minutes until crispy and firm at the edges. The middle will be a bit wiggly still. Let stand for 20-30 minutes before serving. 5. Serve topped with salsa or enchilada sauce
 Organic Whole Wheat Bionaturae Pasta. Rated highest along taste testers. |  Home grown basil. | With my potted basil growing like crazy and flowering already, I picked a huge handful. I know that pesto usually has a lot of oil and I wondered if it could be made without it. Well, I can't believe how great this recipe turned out and thank you, Eat, Live, Run for the inspiration. I changed up a few ingredients (left our the bread crumbs and added pine nuts) and served it over organic whole wheat pasta from Bionaturae. This pasta brand was highest rated at the America's Test Kitchen for whole wheat pasta. Watch the video and read about it here. They ask you to register, but you can see the video for FREE without registering.printable recipePasta with Pesto (No Added Oil)Serves 4-6 Ingredients: 2 cups tightly packed basil 3 cloves garlic 3 Tbl. white or red miso 3 Tbl. nutritional yeast 1/8 cup toasted pine nuts 1/4 cup water (more or less depending on desired consistency) Method: 1. Blend basil, garlic, miso and pine nuts in food processor. 2. Slowly drizzle in water while machine is running to desired consistency. 3. Serve over whole wheat spaghetti adding a little pasta water if it becomes too thick.
| This recipe came from the cookbook, Cooking with the Seasons, by Lisa Heebner. It's a few years old now, but Lisa, was way ahead of her time when she prepared these healthy, nutritious dishes. She used to have cooking classes in her house and it was so much fun. She now has switched jobs and is the mayor of a little town nearby, Solana Beach. She looks as young as ever and most likely it's from her vegetarian diet... I changed a few things on the recipe, upping the amount of onions and adding a layer of kale or swiss chard.
Ingredients:
Serves 8
4 medium size potatoes, sliced in 2/4" rounds
2 large red onion, sliced into rounds
1 bunch of kale or swiss chard, cleaned and chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 Tbl dry white wine
1/3 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried marjoram
4 medium size ripe tomatoes, sliced into rounds
10-12 black olives, pitted, rinsed, and sliced.
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400 Degrees F.
2. Place the sliced potatoes in a steamer basket and steam for 20-25 minutes or until tender.
3. Saute the onion and garlic in 3 Tbl water and the wine for 5 minutes, or until the mixture becomes transparent.
4. Add herbs and cook for 2 minutes more, then remove from the heat onto a plate.
5. Steam the kale / swiss chard with a little water in the same pan as the onions until soft and wilted.
6. Cover the bottom of a casserole dish with half the onion mixture, then a layer of tomato slices. 1 layer of potato slices, a layer of swiss chard or kale, a sprinkle of chopped olives, tomato slices, potato slices, swiss chard/kale, olives, and so on. End with the other half the onion mixture.
7. Bake, covered for 20 minutes (note*), then uncovered and bake for 25 minutes more, or until the tomatoes are soft and the potatoes are done.
*Note: I had to up the time from 20 minutes to 40 because the gratin was not cooked enough. Check after 20 minutes and add more time if necessary.
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You can't have too many hummus recipes. Still my go-to that works for a party or every day snacking. This recipe is inspired from Chef Matthew Purnell's recipe and the "vegan Nights" cooking class I took in May. He used sprouted chickpeas, but it works as well with canned garbanzo beans. To reduce the calories and fat, I've eliminated the oil and reduced the amount of sun-dried tomatoes in oil in his recipe. Serve with crackers or veggies or you can also use it on your sandwiches or lettuce wraps in place of mayonnaise. It's one of the most delicious hummus recipes ever! Enjoy.
Ingredients:
1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
2 cloves garlic roughly chopped
juice from 2 lemons
1 cup basil leaves
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
2 T. tahini (found near the peanut butters in the store)
5-7 shakes of Tabasco sauce
small amount of water
Salt to taste
Method:
1. Add all of the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine and then stir mixture with a spatula. Continue to run processor, adding a little water to thin to a consistency you like.
2. Serve with a side of raw vegetables or crackers.
Ingredients:
24 oz white and baby portbellos mixed mushrooms, sliced
1 red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, finely chopped in a blender or food processor
2 T. Worchestershire sauce
4 green onions, chopped
1 cup red wine
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
store-bought pre-made polenta or 3 cups potenta, prepared:
Method:
1. Saute onion in water until softened. Add garlic and mushrooms and continue to cook until mushrooms are tender and most of the moisture has evaporated.
2. Add tomatoes, Worchestershire sauce, green onions and wine. Continue to cook until reduced by about half.
3. Soften pre-made polenta by warming in the microwave. Add about 1 cup milk or stock and stir to combine until it's about the consistency of mashed potatoes.
4. Add chopped parsley at the last minute.
5. Serve mushrooms with sauce over softened polenta.
Kale is at the top of the list for super foods. And, if you aren't a fan, yet - try these delectable Baked Kale Chips. They are fast and easy to make. I love, love this recipe because it's made without oil. Read about it's incredible super powers here. Although I changed it up just slightly, thank you Heather Nauta at healthyveganrecipes.net for this fabulous recipe! Try them with a Falafel Burger. Ingredients: 4 stems kale, washed and torn into large pieces 2 Tbsp sunflower seeds (or ground nuts) 2 Tbsp (approx) water 1 tsp onion powder, or 1 Tbsp fresh onion (I used 2 tsp. garlic powder instead) 1 tsp nutritional yeast 1/2 tsp dill (I left the dill out) sea salt, to taste Method: 1. Grind the sunflower seeds in a coffee grinder or a mini food processor. If you're using the food processor, add 1-2 Tbsp of water - just enough water to form a paste of the seeds - then blend in the fresh onion (if using) seasonings. Don't try this in a large food processor. The coffee grinder works well. 2. If you're using a coffee grinder, transfer the ground seeds to a bowl and mix with 1-2 Tbsp of water and the seasonings. You'll have to blend the onion as well if you aren't using powder. 3. Dip the pieces of kale in the mixture to coat them, then lay them out on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake the chips in a dehydrator or oven. You can dehydrate or bake at any temperature - the higher the shorter the time until the chips are done, but the lower the more nutrients will be retained. In a dehydrator, I go with 115 degrees F and they take about 2 hours. The chips should be super crispy, like potato chips. 4. In an oven, the lowest temperature is usually 200 degrees F, and they'll be done in about 20-30 minutes. If you go up to 350 degrees F, they get crispy in about 10 minutes.
As part of my quest to find a great veggie burger, I tried - the FALAFEL BURGER. Falafels have a place in my heart for I consumed mucho quantity of "fried falafels in pita" during my college years at UC Santa Barbara in the little town of Isla Vista. This version, of course, is not fried and turned out most excellent! Served with baked KALE CHIPS and one of our favorite wines from Calcareous Vineyard, this is at the top of our list for the yum factor. As a side note, you may be interested to know that this wine won "Wine of the Year" at the 2012, San Diego International Wine Competition. Read a fun article about the judging process here. It is the 2008 Calcareous Winery Syrah from Paso Robles, California. Ingredients: Makes 3-4 patties 1 15 oz can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas) 2 garlic cloves, smashed 1 small onion, chopped 1/4 cup parsley, chopped 1/4 cup mint, chopped 1/2 tsp. cumin 1/2 tsp. coriander 1/4 tsp. cayenne 1/3 tsp baking soda 3/4 tsp salt juice of 1 lemon 3 dashes of Tabasco sauce chickpea flour burger buns or pita bread sliced tomatoes, red onion, lettuce and tahini dressing for serving Tahini dressing:1/4 cup tahini Juice of 1 lemon salt to taste Method: Preheat oven to 400 degrees 1. Place half of garbanzo beans in a food processor a pulse a few times until chopped, but not smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. 2. Place remaining garbanzos in food processor with garlic, onion, herbs, spices,baking soda, salt, and lemon juice. Pulse to a thick paste. Transfer to bowl with chopped garbanzos. 3. Add enough chickpea flour to make them easy to handle. Stir to combine. 4. Shape into patties and place onto a sprayed baking sheet. 5. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, flipping burgers half way through until golden and firm. 6. Serve with all of the fix ins' and a dollop of tahini dressing.
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