Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
• 1 (8oz) package of tempeh,large dice
• 8-10 button or cremini mushrooms
• 8 Rosemary Stalks; remove all but the top leaves, reserve 1 Tbsp of leaves and finely chop
• 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
Preheat oven to 400F
1. Using the rosemary stalks, skewer the tempeh and mushrooms. Place in one layer in a shallow baking dish.
2. In a small bowl whisk together the tablespoon of rosemary, garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, salt and pepper; evenly pour over the skewers.
3. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes until most of the liquid has reduced; flip and baste after 20 minutes.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
• 1 tsp toasted cumin seeds
• 1 (14oz) block of extra firm tofu, 1/4 inch thick slices
• 1 small onion, minced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp coconut oil or vegetable oil
• 1 Tbsp ginger, grated
• 1.5 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp tumeric
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp white pepper (optional)
• 1 tsp raw sugar
• 1 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1-3 red chilies, minced
• 1 (14oz) can coconut milk
• 2 limes, zest and juice
• 1 Tbsp sweet or dark soy sauce
1. In a small dry sauce pan over medium heat toast the cumin seeds for 3-5 minutes, until aromatic.
2. In a medium sauce pan heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat; add the onions and garlic and saute for 8-10 minutes until soft and slightly caramelized. Add to a medium bowl.
3. Stir in the ginger, turmeric, coriander, curry powder, smoked paprika, white pepper, toasted cumin seed and sugar into the onion-garlic mix.
4. Stir in the sweet soy, lite soy, lime juice, lime zest, chili pepper and coconut milk.
5. Pour 1/3 of the coconut milk mixture onto a medium sheet pan (size is around 15! x 10! x 1!), place the tofu down in one layer and then pour the remaining coconut milk mixture over. Marinate at room temperature or in the fridge for 30 minutes -2 hours.
6. Preheat oven to 425F and bake for 35 minutes, or until sauce has reduced slightly and the tofu is lightly browned on top. There should be a little sauce leftover; spoon the sauce over the tofu or toss with a vegetable side!
This burger is great for the entire family! Serve on a bun or in a wrap and top with your favorite condiments! Have extra patties? Freeze them and cook them up whenever you have a craving for a yummy veggie burger.
INGREDIENTS
• 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup red onion, finely diced
• 1/3 cup bell pepper (color of your choice), finely diced
• 1/3 cup corn, frozen or fresh
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4oz (1/2 package) tempeh, grated
• 1 (15oz) can of kidney beans, black beans or pinto beans, drained and rinsed then pulsed in a food processor 2-3 times
• 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
• 1 tsp each of cumin, chili powder, Italian seasoning & paprika
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 Tbsp hot sauce
• 1 tsp sherry or red wine vinegar
• 2-4 Tbsp water
Directions:
1. In a small skillet heat the olive oil over medium-high heat; add in the onion, pepper and corn and saute for 6-7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and saute for an additional 5-6 minutes until the onions and peppers begin to caramelize. Transfer the onion mixture to a large mixing bowl.
2. To the mixing bowl add the grated tempeh, beans, wheat gluten, spices, salt and pepper; stir to combine. With a wooden spoon stir in the hot sauce, vinegar and 2 tablespoons of water. Stir until the mixture begins to come together similar to a dough; if the mixture seems dry add additional water 1 tablespoon at a time.
3. Once the burger mixture has come together form into six thin patties. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. To cook the patties, heat a thin layer of oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Cook the patties for about 5 minutes per side; until they are firm to the touch.
8oz mushrooms, quarter and pulsed in a food processor 5-6 times
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
1/2 bunch of parsley, finely chopped
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp dried crushed fennel
1/4 tsp dried rubbed sage
1 Tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce (optional)
1/2 tsp liquid smoke (optional)
Water
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup vegetable broth + 1 tbsp cornstarch, whisked together
1/4 cup non-dairy creamer
Directions:
1. In a small skillet heat the olive oil over medium-high heat; add in the onion saute for 5-6 minutes until the onions begin to caramelize. Transfer the onion to a large mixing bowl.
2. To the mixing bowl, add the grated tempeh, mushrooms, wheat gluten, parsley, spices, salt and pepper; stir to combine. With a wooden spoon stir in the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke and 4 tablespoons of
water. Stir until the mixture begins to come together as a dough; if the mixture seems dry add additional water 1 tablespoon at a time.
3. In a large skillet heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil oil over medium-high heat. Crumble the sausage mixture into the pan and cook until browned. Stir in the vegetable broth mixture and non-dairy creamer and simmer until the sauce has thickened.
Serve the gravy over your favorite savory baked good.
This past weekend the Hubz and I went out for lunch at Zabby & Elf’s Stone Soup where I debated between two soup/chili options and ultimately ordered a big cup of chili while the Hubz had the hot/cold bar. The other soup that I was hotly debating over was a Sweet Potato-Carrot Soup which became my inspiration for last nights dinner. Having no idea what else was in Stone Soup’s Sweet Potato-Carrot Soup my inspiration was limited to sweet potatoes and carrots and the fact that it was a creamy pureed soup. I decided that I would go for a smoky sweet flavoring for the soup and serve it up with a nice green salad (and a veggie frankfurter for him).
Prick the skin of the sweet potatoes and bake in a 350F oven for 1 hour.
In a medium heavy bottom pot heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in the onions and saute for 3 minutes.
Stir in the carrots and saute for 5 minutes.
Stir in the garlic, chipotle powder and sweet paprika and cook for 1 minute.
Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce and simmer for 10 minutes uncovered.
While the broth is simmering remove the sweet potato from the skin and mash together in a bowl.
Place the broth and sweet potato in a food processor or blender (you may have to do this in two parts depending on the size of your machine) and process until smooth.
Return to the pot and season with salt, pepper and umeboshi vinegar.
Why use umeboshi vinegar? Umeboshi vinegar helps to balance flavors by adding a little tartness to your dish. I always use it to balance the flavors in my soups, sauces and with tomato recipes. Have you ever made a recipe and tasted and gone “there just something missing but I’m not sure what” well I recommend adding a little umeboshi vinegar to your recipe and my experience is 9 out 10 times it is just what the recipe needs. Now a little goes along way so start with 1/4-1/2 teaspoon because you don’t want to overwhelm the other flavors in your dish.
Neil and I decided (very) last minute that we would partake in the Pete’s Greens CSA again this summer since we love their produce. Last week was the first pick up because we were away we ended up giving away most of it except the potatoes and garlic scapes that we had for our camping breakfast. This week we received:
Bag of Mesclun Greens
Beet Greens
Napa Cabbage
Sweet Salad Turnips
Garlic Scapes
Scallions
Zucchini
Easter Egg Radishes
Sage
Potatoes
Tonight is the first of many meals using these amazing organic and local ingredients. Enjoy- I know we did!
Garlic Scape Pesto Pasta with Zucchini
Yields 4 servings
Takes about 30 minutes total to make
Ingredients:
Garlic Scape Pesto
1 cup raw walnut pieces
1 bunch of garlic scapes (about 1 to 3/4 cup), chopped
4 cups basil leaves
2/3 cup olive oil
1t salt
1T sesame seeds
2T nutritional yeast
Place the walnuts and garlic scapes in the bowl of a food processor and process until small crumble. Add in the basil leaves, turn the processor on low and slowly stream in the olive oil through the feed tube. Add in the salt, sesame seeds and nutritional yeast; process to combine.
Sauteed Zucchini
2 medium zucchini, sliced into half moons
Cooking Spray
1/2t salt
1/4t black pepper
1/2t garlic powder
1t nutritional yeast
Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray and toss in the zucchini and saute for 3-4 minutes just until they start to lightly brown. Stir in the salt, pepper, garlic powder and nutritional yeast; cook for 2 more minutes.
4 servings of pasta of your choice
In a large bowl toss the pasta, zucchini and 1/4 to 1/3 of the pesto together. Serve warm, room temp or cold!
The pesto makes a lot more than you need for this dish so place any extra in a jar top with a layer of olive oil and seal tightly. Store in the freezer until you need it again. To defrost move from the freezer to the fridge 8 hours before using.
For dessert we shared one of these wonderful vegan, raw, gluten free tarts from Hail Merry.
It was one of the best desserts I have ever tried and I am looking forward to picking up the other 3 flavors over the next month. It was so rich and the perfect balance of creamy chocolate, cookie crust and almond butter center- to die for.
After dinner the Hubz and I headed back to the Aloft for a drink (or two) at the hotel bar. Unlike most hotel bars the prices weren’t ridiculous and the best part was the beautifully lit patio, the fun seating areas and of course the pool table. The Hubz and I had a drink and had a mini photo shoot on the patio while we waited for the pool table to free up.
We played a few (okay like 5) rounds of pool before calling it a night and heading back to our comfy giant bed. It is always nice to sleep in a king bed and it makes me miss having one (serious who down sizes from a king to a double-not recommended).
After a night of dinner, drinks, pool and of course elevator dancing we were in need of a gym sesh. So we headed to the hotel gym and I got in a run and the Hubz used the elliptical. After that we showered and hit the road to the most amazing bakery I have ever been to.
WE CAME TO DANCE DANCE DANCE
C25K Week 5 Day 2
We spent a hungry hour in the car making our way to Wildflour Vegan Bakery what I am now claiming to be the most amazing bakery I have ever been to in my life. I could honestly eat here everyday (and would if it wasn’t 4 hours away). We walked in and were overwhelmed by the vast selection of baked goods as well as other tasty items such as kale chips, fresh juices and smoothies. To help us decide we took advantage of the free samples of basil lemonade, peanut butter brownie and raw chocolate brownie.
As you can see there were so many options to choose from but in the end the Hubz and I decided that the scones looked most appealing for breakfast. After a heated debated over which ones we would get we decided on the granola scone and the spinach and mushroom scone. Along with the scones I got a green juice and the hubz an avocolada smoothie.
Everything was amazing and we obviously ordered too much so we ended up taking the granola scone with us and snacked on it throughout the day. The scones were absolutely amazing and flakey; I have never experienced anything so good.
It was one of the best desserts I have ever tried and I am looking forward to picking up the other 3 flavors over the next month. It was so rich and the perfect balance of creamy chocolate, cookie crust and almond butter center- to die for.
