Summer Salad

A refreshing and simple salad that is super easy and quick to make!

Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado
2 small tomatoes
1/2 small cucumber
shredded Parmesan cheese (or soy cheese)
Choice of favorite dressing (mine is Amy's Goddess which has Tahini in it)
Black pepper

Directions:
Slice avocado into small strips. Chop tomatoes into small triangles. Slice cucumber about 1/4 inch thick then stack and chop into 4, making 4 triangles each with a rounded side. Add shredded cheese, black pepper to taste and dressing!

Cauliflower, Tofu, and Spinach... Yum!

Although it's New Year's Day, I couldn't sleep in due to the fact that I've been recovering from a nasty upper-respiratory 'thing.' So I'm leaving you with this wonderful recipe that Steve just conjured up from that many faceted brain of his. I'm not hungover at all, but I bet this recipe is well and good if you're feeling that way today.

Ingredients:
10 oz of Cauliflower, thinly sliced
8 oz Extra Firm Tofu, cut into thin long strips
2 Handfuls Spinach, chopped coarsely
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
2 Pinches of Black Pepper

Combine olive oil, soy sauce, and pepper in pan. Turn to high heat. Add cauliflower. Stir and let cook, remaining on high. Cover for 5 minutes. Add tofu strips. Cover again and cook for an additional 3 minutes. When cauliflower begins to soften add spinach. Turn down to low heat and let spinach wilt. Stir.

Add salt to taste and serve (over bed of rice.)

Peruvian Lima Bean Casserole

I found this great recipe from a cookbook called The World in Your Kitchen by Troth Wells. This great book is chock full of simple vegetarian recipes from all around the world. Lots of exotic dishes which don't take hours to prepare! If you like Lima beans and a tangy taste you'll love this dish.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups Lima or butter beans, cooked
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp chili powder
4 tomatoes, chopped
rind and juice of 1/2-1 lemon
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
oil
salt and pepper

Place the Lima beans in a bowl and partially mash with a fork. Heat the oil and fry onion for a minute or two. Add the garlic and chili powder and cook for a few minutes more. The mashed beans can be spooned in now, mix them well. Add the tomatoes, lemon rind and juice, parsley and seasoning. Cook, covered for 5-10 minutes more to let the flavor infuse. Serve over bed of rice or with tortilla chips.

Cauliflower and Tomato Curry

More curry! MMM... This one is super easy to whip up too! All you need are spices, cauliflower, and tomatoes.

Required: 1 Cauliflower, 2 Medium sized tomatoes, Canola Oil, Garlic Powder, Turmeric, Cayenne Pepper, Curry Powder, Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Butter or Soy Margarine

Take a vegetable steamer and place it in a pot or deep pan and fill with water. Add cauliflower. Bring to a boil. Steam the cauliflower until soft. Meanwhile chop two tomatoes into small chunks. Take 2 Tbsp of canola oil and heat on high in pan. Throw in tomatoes and stir. Keep on high heat. Toss in the steamed cauliflower. Stir in 4 tsp of garlic powder, 4 tsp of cayenne, 3 Tbsp of curry powder, 1 Tbsp of turmeric, and 1/4 cup of margarine or butter. Keep stirring until butter melts completely. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over bed of brown or saffron rice!

Stuffed Mushroom and Carrots

Pictured here are some julienned carrots and a stuffed portobello mushroom. Thank you guest chef Steve for making the yummy carrots!

Julienned Carrots
Required: Carrots, Spinach, Canola Oil, Sugar, Salt, Soy Sauce, Black pepper

First you'll want to take your desired amount of carrots. We used baby carrots so it was easier to cut them. Julienne basically means to cut into long thin strips. Steve prepared this, by cutting the carrots first. Mix 1 1/2 of Tbsp of oil, 1 Tbsp of sugar, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, salt, black pepper in a separate bowl. Make sure the pan is heated for a few seconds before placing the mix in. Place the carrots in the pan. Use high heat. The carrots should caramelize a little. Stir. Once the carrots look nearly blackened on one side, you'll want to put in some spinach. Carrots should be crunchy on the inside and sweet on the outside. Spinach goes into the pan last since it cooks very quickly. Add salt to taste.

Stuffed Portobello Mushroom
Required: Broccoli, Tofu, Shredded Cheddar Cheese, Onions, Black pepper, Salt, Olive Oil, Garlic, Cayenne Pepper

For this dish, you'll need to preheat your oven at 350 degrees. Make sure you have a small oven tray or baking sheet to place the stuffed mushroom on. You could also use aluminum foil if you don't have either.

Prepare a mushroom or two by chopping off the stem and boiling for a little bit in a pot. For the stuffing, take a few pieces of broccoli and mince. You'll want to do the same to the onion. Use about half of a block of tofu. Smoosh with fork in a bowl. Oil your pan. Throw in the onions and a small clove of garlic. Stir. Cook onions until soft. Next throw in broccoli. Finally toss in the tofu. Continue stirring. Add some cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt for taste. I like it spicy so I put in a little more cayenne pepper than usual. Keep stirring.

Once your mushroom is cooked, place it on the baking sheet. Spoon in some stuffing. Top it off with a lot of cheddar cheese. It's better if you use more than you think you'll need. Take your baking sheet and place it in the oven. Cook until cheese is fully melted. I would give it a good 10-15 minutes depending on how quickly your oven cooks.

It sounds complicated, but this stuffed mushroom is really not hard to make at all. It does take a bit more preparation and it's a small and light meal. Don't expect to be very full after having one mushroom. Personally, I had a fun time making it and it was super yummy!