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.)
I love roasted vegetables! Here's a simple recipe if you like brussels sprouts and honestly, even if you're not sure if you like them, you will be eating them up after you make this dish.
Ingredients:
1 lb bag of Brussels Sprouts (Trader Joe's has them pre-washed) - halved lengthwise6 Small Portobello Mushrooms (Trader Joe's has these packaged) - sliced
4 Tbsp of Butter or Vegan Margarine
1-2 tsp of Rosemary Leaves
2 tsp of Garlic Powder
1/4 cup of Olive Oil
1-2 tsp of Salt
1-2 tsp of Black Pepper1/4 cup of WaterPreparation is key for this recipe to work under 30 minutes. First, pre-heat your oven to 450º, meanwhile halve your brussels sprouts and place them in a baking pan or sheet. Take the olive oil and spread evenly across your sprouts. Take 1-2 tsp of salt and sprinkle evenly over the sprouts. Do the same for garlic powder and black pepper. Place pan in oven. Bake for about 20 minutes.
While your sprouts are in the oven. Slice your mushrooms. Heat your pan with 2 Tbsp of butter or margarine. When butter starts to melt toss in your sliced mushrooms. Cook until covered in butter or until soft. Toss in rosemary, salt and black pepper to taste. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes. Take an additional 2 Tbsp of butter and melt in the pan again. Stir until well mixed. Pour in water. You'll want to make a sauce out of this so the dish won't be dry.
Once the sprouts are finished in the oven... (they're done when you see them begin to caramelize.) Yum! you can take them out of the oven and taste test it as well. When you're satisfied, take the sprouts and place them in the pan with the mushroom sauté. Make sure you have enough sauce so that your dish doesn't wind up dry. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Finish by serving over a bed of rice! (I can't believe how good this is...) Oh and if you want to get adventurous add fried onions. Heh.
With all of the family stuff I had to do the last couple of weeks and Halloween, I have been remiss in my regular cooking habits. But, I'm back today. The night before Super Tuesday is a chilly one in Los Angeles and it inspired me to make some warm yummy curry. All you need here are a few ingredients to get you going.
Ingredients:
10 Baby Carrots, sliced
5-8 Mint Leaves, chopped
1 Yellow Bell Pepper, sliced
1/2 of a Ginger, minced
1 Tbs of Canola Oil
1 Package of Thai Baked Tofu from Trader Joe's, sliced
1 Jar of Green Thai Curry Sauce from Trader Joe's
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of Black Pepper
Dash of Garlic Powder
Rice
If you want to serve your dish over rice you can save time by cooking it before you start preparing the ingredients. When you're ready, place the sliced carrots in a pan with some water. Boiling the carrots first will soften them enough to be able to sauté them with the peppers. Poke the carrots with a fork to make sure they are soft enough. You want your carrots to still be a bit crunchy so don't boil them for too long. Next heat a pan with oil. In the meantime, drain your carrots. Throw in the salt, pepper, ginger, garlic powder, peppers, mint and carrots into the pan. Stir. Keep cooking for a few minutes until the peppers soften a little. Now you can put the tofu in. Stir. If the ingredients start to dry out stir in a little curry sauce. Keep stirring. Once the mint looks a little cooked. Pour in the rest of the sauce to finish. Place lid over pan to let the steam heat the sauce and cook the vegetables a little more.
The sauce from Trader Joe's is a bit tangy so it's perfect over rice!
Do you like orzo, feta, tomatoes, and dill? If the answer is yes, then definitely try this recipe stolen from Epicurious.com once again. I loved this dish because it was super simple to make and I wound up with a lot of leftovers!
Ingredients:
3 Tbs of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 cups of Cherry Tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup Chopped Dill
1 tsp grated Lemon Zest
1 cup Orzo
1 1/2 cup Crumbled Feta (6 oz) (I bought an exact 6 oz plastic tub of this at Trader Joe's)
Toss together oil, tomatoes, dill, and lemon zest in a large bowl. By the way an easy way to zest a lemon is to take a vegetable peeler and peel some skin off of a lemon. Then mince. 1 tsp of zest is easy to get from just peeling it a few times. Add a little pepper and a tiny bit of salt to your mix. (The feta is pretty salty so you want to make sure you don't add too much salt.) Let sit after stirring.
Meanwhile, boil salted water and cook orzo. Drain. Add to the above bowl mix. Stir vigorously. Add feta. Stir once more. Add additional salt or pepper if necessary. But only after you taste test it!
Simple and good!
Another stolen recipe from Epicurious.com. Although quick, this recipe does take a little time to cook in the oven. But it's totally worth it! All I have to say is: YUM!
Ingredients:
1 pound of Asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 large Yukon Gold Potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 Tbs of Olive Oil
1/3 Cup Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (Parmesan) - they sell tubs of these already grated at Trader Joe's
Preheat oven at 450ºF using middle or lower rack.
Toss together cut asparagus, potatoes, oil and sprinkled salt and pepper about 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp in a large shallow baking pan. Spread evenly. Roast stirring once after 20 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and roast until cheese has melted. About a minute or so.
I accidentally placed my pan on the top rack for almost 15 minutes. It really depends on your oven. I have a powerful gas oven which I had preheated, so it cooked pretty quickly.
Yummy!
I know what you're thinking, mango in a burrito? Adding a mango slice will add a nice and subtle sweetness to the burrito. I was inspired from an old recipe I had tried from The Millenium Cookbook which used mango in a Vietnamese style roll. On a whim, I decided to try it in a burrito. The below vegan recipe serves 1, but you can increase the amount for more.
Ingredients:
1 Slice of Mango
2-3 Small Slices of Avocado
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Clove of Garlic
1/2 12 oz. Can of Pinto Beans
Handful of Cilantro
5 Mushrooms
1 tsp of Red Chili Pepper
1/4 tsp of Cayenne Pepper
1/2 of an Onion would've been nice, but I didn't have one during the making
1/2 tsp of 21 Seasoning from Trader Joe's (some might consider this cheating, but it makes the recipe quick)
Large flour tortillas
Salt and Pepper to taste1 Tbsp Canola Oil
Prepare by chopping up garlic and cilantro. Slice bell pepper into strips. Slice mushrooms too. Place oil, red chili pepper, cayenne pepper, seasoning, and garlic in a pan over medium heat. After pan has been heated, about 5 to 10 minutes - add bell pepper, mushrooms, and pinto beans. Stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add a little water if necessary. Keep stirring. In the meantime, place a tortilla in the toaster oven for about a minute just to warm up and soften. Cover your pan. Slice the avocado and prepare a slice of mango.
After the tortilla has been heated. Spoon 1/2 or 1/4 of bean stir-fry onto the tortilla. Add a few avocado slices, cilantro, and mango. Fold burrito. Click here to see how to fold a burrito. Top off with salsa if you'd like. My dinner for two consecutive nights!
Don't try this at home if you're vegan. At least not yet. This recipe is vegetarian but uses a lot of dairy. I will have to report back on the vegan version, that I haven't made yet. For now, I'm posting this recipe variation that I tried from Epicurious.com. The original recipe was too bland for me, so I decided to change it a little.
Ingredients:
1 cup frozen peas, not thawed
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tsp of dried red-pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves smashed
3 cups packed baby spinach (3 oz)
2 tsp grated lemon zest
2 tsp of lemon juice
1 pound of dried gnocchi
1/2 cup of grated ParmesanSimmer peas with cream, red-pepper flakes, garlic, and 1/4 tsp salt in a 12-inch skillet or pan. Be sure to use smashed garlic. Peel and use the side of a large knife. Use your right hand to press down on the flat part of the knife. This will 'smash' the garlic. Simmer for about 5 minutes covered or until peas have soften.
Add spinach and cook over medium-low heat, uncovered, stirring until spinach has wilted. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest and juice. I used a vegetable peeler for the zest by peeling the skin off of the lemon. I then chopped the peel into bits.
Meanwhile, cook gnocchi in a pot with 3 Tbs of salt per 6 quarts of water until the gnocchi floats to the top. Reserve about 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain gnocchi.
Add gnocchi to sauce with cheese and the pasta water. Stir. Add salt, pepper, and possibly more Parmesan cheese to taste. So good!
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.
If you like Thai food and you shop at Trader Joe's, you should definitely try this super simple recipe I made up yesterday. Even my picky non-vegetarian boyfriend loved it.
Ingredients:
Trader Joe's Brand Organic Baked Thai Tofu - cut into cubes
Trader Joe's Brand Thai Yellow Curry Sauce
1/4 sliced Yellow Onion
3 sliced Green Peppers (for variation use 1 yellow, 1 red, and 1 green pepper)
2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Sea Salt (or regular salt)
1 Tbsp Canola Oil
Optional:
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper if you like it a little spicy
1 cup cooked basmati rice to serve with
First, prepare your pan with 1 Tbsp canola oil, 2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp of cayenne, and 2 tsp of garlic powder over high heat. Throw in sliced onion. Cook while stirring occasionally. When onion softens throw in the sliced green peppers. Keep stirring. Cook until the peppers start to soften. Throw in thai tofu. Stir. Cook for about 5 more minutes. Take the thai curry sauce and pour about 3-4 Tbsp in. Depending on how you want your dish to taste, I would recommend putting the initial amount in and then tasting it. Pour additional amount in to your liking. Cook for a final few minutes until peppers are softer. Be careful not to overcook them. Peppers should be softer, but not mushy.
Serve over bed of rice!
These yummy vegan pancakes were the easiest pancakes I've ever made. For variation, you can throw some fresh fruit, walnuts, and maple syrup on them!
Ingredients:
1 Cup Flour
1 Tbsp of Sugar (I used organic cane sugar from Trader Joe's)
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/8 tsp of salt
1 Cup Soy Milk (I used Trader Joe's Soy Creamer)
2 Tbsp of Canola Oil
Combine flour, sugar, powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Add soy milk and oil to your mixture. Mix with wire whisk. I used a wire whisk hand blender. Mix until smooth. Set a non-stick pan over medium heat. I kept a can of canola oil spray handy just in case. The pan can get really hot after the first pancake, keep watch so you don't overcook them. Also, make sure your pan is lightly oiled especially if you're not using a non-stick pan (thus keeping spray handy).
Take a ladel (I used an ice cream scoop) and pour one spoonful of mix into the pan. Make sure you spread it around a little by picking up the pan and circling. You want the pancake to be thin, but still completely covered. Flip carefully with a spatula when you see the mixture bubble or if the sides turn a yellowish brown. Step and repeat until all the mix is gone!
Total Time: 30 minutes! Top with maple syrup. YUM!
I was happy to see Vegan Yum Yum post a quick and simple recipe. It was really easy to make and of course yummy to boot. You will need a blender, I used my hand blender and it worked nicely. I modified it only ever so slightly. Click here for the original recipe.Ingredients:
1 large Ripe Tomato, chopped
1/2 Cup Raw Cashews
1 Tbs Tomato Paste
1/4 Cup Water
2 Tbs Olive Oil
2 Cloves of Garlic, minced
6 oz. of Spaghetti (I used Linguine)
3/4 tsp of Salt
1-2 tsp of Black Pepper
1 Large Handful of Fresh Basil, chopped
Boil water with salt and add in pasta when finished.
Add chopped tomato, cashews, tomato paste, and water. Blend smoothly. Add olive oil to a large pan over medium-heat. Add garlic and sauté until golden. Pour sauce into the pan bringing to a simmer. Add salt to taste and cook for 5 minutes, stirring.
Drain pasta once finished cooking. Add pasta to pan with sprinkling black pepper and chopped basil leaves. Toss in pan. Serve and garnish with basil leaves.
I really enjoy eggplant especially when it's a little fried. The following dish is adapted from the typical Chinese dish served in many restaurants.
Sauce Ingredients:
1 1/4 Tbs of Soy Sauce
1/2 tsp of Cayenne Pepper
2 tsp Sugar
1 tsp of Rice Vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp of Cornstarch mixed with 3 Tbs of Vegetable Stock
Remaining Ingredients:3 Cups Peanut Oil
1 Medium-sized Eggplant, peeled and sliced lengthwise into 1/2 inch strips
2 tsp garlic, mincedCombine sauce ingredients in a bowl. Reserve. Heat wok or pan over high heat for 45 seconds. Add the peanut oil and coat the wok with spatula. When heated, place the eggplant strips in a strainer and lower into oil. Cook for 1 minute, or until eggplant softens or gets a little fried. You'll notice when the eggplant starts to darken. Remove, drain, and reserve.
In another pan, place 1 1/2 Tbs of oil from the previous pan. Over high heat add the minced garlic. Stir until it browns, then place the eggplant in the pan or wok. Stir together and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Stir the sauce and pour it in. Stir until sauce thickens and bubbles. Remove from heat and serve!
If you like peppers this recipe is definitely for you. Inspired by the Chinese version of 'Kung Pao Chicken' this healthy vegetarian version is also simple to make. I stole this from Recipezaar.com and modified it a little bit. Click here for the original.Ingredients:
2 Tbs of Vegetable Broth
1 Tbs Soy Sauce, 2 tsp of Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp of Cornstarch
1/2 tsp of Sugar
2 Tbs of Sliced Garlic
2 Tbs of Minced Ginger
3/4 tsp of Cayenne Pepper
1 Tbs of Canola Oil
1 Red Bell Pepper - sliced into 1/2 inch squares
1 Yellow Bell Pepper - sliced into 1/2 inch squares
1 Green Bell Pepper - sliced into 1/2 inch squares
1 Carton of Firm Tofu - cut into 3/4 inch cubes
Salt to taste
1 Tbs of Chopped Peanuts In a small bowl combine vegetable broth, soy sauce, vinegar, cornstarch, and sugar. In a large wok or skillet over medium heat - cook garlic, ginger and cayenne pepper in hot oil for about 10 seconds. Add bell peppers and stir-fry until peppers start to soften. Add tofu and broth mixture. Stir-fry a few more seconds. Cover, reduce to low heat and cook until tofu has heated through and sauce has thickened. Add salt to taste and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Sprinkle with peanuts. Serve over rice!
Here's a simple Chinese style stir-fry that can be made very quickly. You could also use this for the inside ingredients to a spring roll.
Ingredients:
1 Small Cabbage
3 Large Shiitake Mushrooms or if you can only find small ones - use about 12-15
Peanut Oil
Fresh Ginger
Sea Salt
1 Scallion
2 Tbs of Vegetable Stock
Optional: Black Pepper
Julienne the cabbage. Slice mushrooms. Take the green part of the scallion and slice. Take about 1/2 inch of ginger and chop into really small pieces. Heat large pan or wok for 30 seconds. Pour in 2 Tbs of peanut oil in your pan. Throw in ginger and salt. Coat your pan with spatula. Keep cooking on high heat until some smoke starts to appear. Toss in cabbage and mushrooms. Stir-fry for one minute. Add 2 Tbs of vegetable stock. Mix well. Cook for 5 minutes or until cabbage softens. Add one more Tbs of vegetable stock. Add scallions. Add more salt and even pepper for taste. When the scallions turn bright green the dish is ready to serve!
My cucumber sandwich is probably one of the easiest recipes I'll ever post... It's the most refreshing, tasty and light sandwich yet! And it takes a mere 10 seconds to make.
Required: 1 Cucumber, Bread, Cream Cheese (I used Tofutti's Better Than Cream Cheese which is dairy free)
Take the cucumber and peel the skin off. I tried to peel mine with a knife since I could not for the life of me find my peeler... I will have to buy a new one tomorrow. (As you can see, not so successful with the knife.) Slice the cucumber thinly. Use as much cucumber as desired. My one sandwich called for half of a medium-sized cucumber. It also depends on how thick you want it.
Spread as much cream cheese on your bread as you desire. Take the slices and place them on the cream cheese. Place two pieces of bread together, cut in half, and eat.
SO EASY and so mmm! A great snack to eat during the hot summer weather!
Here we are again with the spicy dishes. This one is easy to whip up. All you need is a little eggplant, a tomato, and a handful of spinach.
Required: 1 Small Eggplant, 1 Large Tomato, Spinach, Turmeric, Cayenne Pepper, Salt, Black Pepper, Garlic Powder, Olive Oil
I was lazy today so I decided to use garlic powder instead of chopping some fresh cloves. Take your eggplant and chop into small rectangles. Do the same to the tomato. Tomatoes can be more triangular rather than square.
Heat up the pan with 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Throw in the tomatoes first. Stir. Then toss in the eggplant. Stir in 2-3 tsp of turmeric and cayenne. Add 1 Tbsp of garlic powder. Add salt and pepper for taste. Keep stirring. After the eggplant gets nice and soft, add the spinach and cover for a few seconds. Uncover and stir again. Serve over rice.
The spice from the cayenne will add a nice touch to the eggplant and tomato!
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!
The weather in Los Angeles has cooled down in the last week or so. It's allowed me to go back to cooking. I discovered a new treat from Trader Joe's in the form of bagged brown rice. It inspired me to make this Spinach Curry to serve over the rice.Required: 1 Batch of Spinach, 1 box of White Mushrooms, 1/2 of a Yellow Onion, Curry Powder, 2 cups of Brown Rice Medley (from Trader Joe's), Canola Oil, Garlic Powder, Turmeric, Sea Salt, Black Pepper
Prepare the rice before cooking. Follow the directions on the package. Or use a rice cooker!
Chop the onion. Slice the white mushrooms. Take 2 Tbsps of the canola oil and oil a pan. Turn on stove at high heat to warm the pan. Sauté the onion first. Cook until soft. Throw in the mushrooms. Add 4 tsp of turmeric, add 4 tsp of curry, and add 2 tsp of garlic powder. Stir. Make sure your ingredients get mixed well with the spices. Finally add spinach. The spinach will cook quickly. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
Serve over brown rice medley!
I can attest that this recipe is super yummy. It might even convince you carrot haters out there to start eating carrots (or not)! This simple dish can compliment other dishes really well. For example, I made the carrots and then cooked a separate batch of green beans. Then took a little of both and packed them over brown rice for lunch. I could just tell that my co-workers were envious!Required: Carrots, Olive Oil, Salt, Sugar, Black PepperFirst, you should julienne the carrots. Julienning is essentially cutting a food item into thin long strips. I used baby carrots and sliced them in half first. Then I took my knife and cut them thinly at approximately a 45 degree angle. This helps make them nice and thin!Poor about 3-5 Tbsp of Olive oil into a pan. Just realize that the ratio should match how much carrots you're using. Since I usually only cook for myself, I'll make a little more than I need so I can have leftovers for lunch or the following evening. If you need more olive oil, you can always add more. Set the stove to high heat. Wait until pan heats up and then add the carrots. Cook carrots until a little brownish and soft. In the meantime, add 1-2 tsp of sugar. Make sure you stir thoroughly, you want it to mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste.Simple, easy, fast, good, and good for you!
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.
