Baked Vegetable Stew

This past Saturday, I posted a recipe for Tomato Soup.  I thought it was kind of ironic that I posted this soup recipe on a day that it was 60 degrees outside.  However, I figured it would be a good chance to get in at least one more soup recipe before the winter ends.  Well after this weekend, the temperatures haven't been that warm and have been quite windy.  I don't think we even got into the 50s (maybe just on Monday).

I guess I had been wishing for warmer weather a little too early, especially now that we have an extra hour of daylight.  But since we are not quite to that warm weather yet and we still have 5 more days until the first day of Spring! I am going to post one more stew recipe I enjoyed this winter.  This recipe was super easy to make and would make a great last comfort meal to celebrate the end of winter.

This recipe was adapted from here:

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 red medium onion, finely chopped
• 4 potatoes, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 vegetable stock cube dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water
• 3 cups petite peas, frozen
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 cups water, divided
• pinch of paprika
• salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan.  Add onion and saute for about one minute.
2. Add the rest of the veggies and lower heat, stirring about every minute.
3. Mix in the remaining ingredients, except for the water.
4. Cover and allow to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring about every minute.
5. Add half the water (one cup), lower the temperature, and allow to cook for 30 minutes.
6. Add the other half the water and stir.
7. Pour mixture into a large baking dish.  Bake in oven at 200F for about an hour, or until the potatoes are soft.

One thing I really like about this recipe is you can easily swap the peas and carrots for different veggies if you would prefer.  Or maybe even add extra veggies like some corn!

I am roughly estimating this recipe makes 4 entree servings.  However, this recipe can also be made into 8 smaller side dish servings.

One entree serving yields approximately 306 calories and 11g protein.

Tomato Soup

I almost didn't post this soup recipe today because it is absolutely gorgeous outside!  High 50s/Low 60s and sunny with no wind!  Wow!  Haven't seen a day like this in forever and I am absolutely loving it!  Spring is definitely in the air and I can totally feel it as I relaxed on the back porch this afternoon soaking up some sun and relaxing with a good book.  Knowing that we spring the clocks forward an hour tomorrow makes today even that much better.  Sure we lose an hour but hello sunlight!

With all that said (if you can't tell I'm extremely excited for this warm weather) I figured I would post this soup recipe anyway since this may be the last chance you actually want to make soup before saying goodbye until next winter when soups become popular again.  Not only is this soup tasty, but it is super easy to make which makes it great to make if you don't have much time but want something nutritious.

This recipe was adapted from here:

Ingredients:

• 1 15oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 2 28oz cans fire-roasted tomatoes
• 2/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 2 tsp chili powder
• garlic powder, to taste
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. In a blender, blend chickpeas until broken down.
2. Add the remaining ingredients, except the garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and blend until smooth and creamy.
3. Pour into a large pot and heat until warm.  Season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper and/or any other seasonings you desire.  Alternatively, you can pour the soup right from the blender into individual bowls and heat in the microwave for an even quicker meal.

I doubled this recipe since it is such a light soup and the original recipe only made 1-2 servings.  

This soup makes 12 cups.  Based on a 2 cup serving, this recipe yields approximately 193 calories and 11.5g protein. 

Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili

Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite foods.  They are great baked as fries, in a savory mexican style dish, or even as a sweeter dish topped with almond butter.  You can also use sweet potato as a replacement for anything that calls for pumpkin.

Today I am sharing a delicious savory meal I made on a Sunday.  I made it in the crockpot so it was quick and easy and I had a perfect nutrition meal ready for me when I got home from a busy day!

This recipe was adapted from here:

Ingredients:

• 2 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 lb sweet potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 6oz can tomato paste
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 3 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1.5 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup dry quinoa
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients except quinoa in a crockpot.
2. Cook over high for 4 hours.
3. Add quinoa.  Turn temperature to low and cook for an additional hour or until quinoa absorbs all the liquid.
4. Adjust seasonings to desired taste.

The original recipe actually calls for cumin, and not the cinnamon.  But I love cinnamon and think sweet potato and cinnamon go really well together.  It definitely did in this chili!  Try out my recipe, the original recipe, or play around with your own spices to get the flavors that taste best to you!

I am roughly estimating that this recipe makes 8 servings.  Based on one serving, this recipe yields approximately 262 calories and 11g protein.

Tofu Jambalaya

Here is a great, tasty meal for when you want something spicy and full of nutrients.  This jambalaya is packed with veggies, healthy carbs from the brown rice, and the tofu packs tons of protein!  It is also a very easy and quick meal to make and leftovers are just as delicious the next day!

This recipe was adapted from FatFree Vegan Kitchen:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb extra-firm tofu, frozen and defrosted
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped (green and/or red)
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup uncooked brown rice
• 1 28oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup water
• 2 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke
• cayenne and black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Cut the tofu into 1/2 inch cubes. Set aside.
2. In a large pot, saute onion, bell pepper, and celery over medium-high heat until soft.
3. Add rice and garlic and cook for about 2 minutes while stirring.
4. Add tomatoes, water, and all seasonings and stir to combine.
5. Gently stir in tofu.
6. Cover the pot tightly and turn heat to low.  Cook for about an hour or until rice is done and the liquid is absorbed.

The original recipe recommends using white rice because it cooks faster.  I prefer brown rice, though, and I can wait an extra 30 minutes while it only simmers; it is not like I had to do any extra steps for the brown rice.  But I guess if you are in a rush, you should use the white rice and you will only need 1/2 cup of water instead of 1 cup.  

Also, if you want to make this more like regular jambalaya that is more "meatier" than tofu, you can probably use vegan sausage in place of or in addition to the tofu.

Besides chopping all the vegetables, this meal came together very quickly.  And here's a tip, to quickly chop all the vegetables, I added them all to a food processor and pulsed a few times.  Then, once everything is mixed together in the pot, there is really nothing more to it!

I am roughly estimating that this recipe makes about 8 servings and each serving yields approximately 175 calories and 8.5g protein.

4 Bean Chili

I woke up this morning to a 2 hour delay for school/work due to freezing rain!  I think that means this is a perfect morning to post a recipe for this delicious, warm chili I made last week.  This chili is full of protein, vegetables, and taste.  The seasonings in this chili were amazing!  This chili is also another easy meal.  Just toss everything into a crockpot (which requires very little chopping) and let it work its magic.

This recipe was adapted from Daily Garnish:

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 10oz bag of frozen mixed bell pepper strips, chopped
• 1 15oz can black beans
• 1 15oz can red kidney beans
• 1 15oz can great northern beans
• 1 15oz can white kidney beans
• 2 15oz can fire roasted tomatoes
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• sea salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a crockpot.
2. Cook on high for about 4 hours or low for about 8 hours or until ready to serve.

Since my mom is not a fan of really spicy food, I kept the spice level down.  However, feel free to add more spice if you like a spicier meal.  I thought the cinnamon helped give this chili the perfect sweet & spicy flavor though.

Also, feel free to switch up the kinds of beans you use.  You can use chickpeas, lentils, cannellini, adzuki, etc.  Or if you want a "meatier" chili, try adding about 1/2-1 cup dried TVP to the crockpot, but you will probably need to add at least another 1/2-1 cup of liquid.  (I haven't tried adding TVP yet so I can't vouch for the results of the chili with this version.)

This was so easy and tasty and made plenty so that I had leftovers for lunch the next day!  I cannot wait to make this delicious meal again!

I am roughly estimating that this chili makes 8 hearty bowls.
One serving yields approximately 213 calories and 12g protein.

White Bean Kale Soup

With these colder months, I have been making a lot of soups, stews, and chilis.  This recipe is one of my family's favorite soups.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 4 medium carrots, sliced
• 3 small celery ribs, sliced
• 5 garlic gloves
• 4 tablespoons dried oregano
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 15oz cans white beans
• 1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 3 cups kale (or more)
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic and oregano and saute until the onion is translucent.
2. Add the broth, beans, and nutritional yeast.  Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.  Once it begins to boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer 20 minutes, or until the carrots are soft.
3. Once the carrots are soft, blend with a stick blender to the desired consistency.  (I leave some soup unblended to add texture.)
4. Add kale and allow to simmer for about 4 more minutes.
5. Season with salt and pepper, serve, and enjoy!

This soup tastes best the next day.  However, the soup is so good it is hard to wait that long!  I highly recommend doubling the recipe so you can eat some immediately and save the leftovers for another day.

This is such an easy soup to make.  The hardest part is chopping the vegetables, but you can use a food processor to help chop vegetables or I have found that buying pre-chopped vegetables is a great alternative for when you are in a rush or don't mind spending a few extra bucks to save some time.  We get these pre-chopped carrots, onions, and celery from Trader Joe's:

I am roughly estimating that this recipe makes six servings.
One serving is approximately 175 calories and 9.5g protein.

Rainbow Quinoa Salad

I am like a little kid when it comes to colorful food.  Thankfully, as an adult, I enjoy natural foods.  So when it comes to turning my food green, blue, red, purple, etc. I do not use food coloring.  I use natural healthy foods like spinach, avocado, beets, berries, etc. like in these recipes:

Blueberry Beet Overnight Oats - It looks purple in the picture, but in person it was a bright pink color!
Green Monster Overnight Oats
Mint Chocolate Chip Protein Pancakes
Green Breakfast Pudding
Beet Juice
Green Lemonade
Morning Start Green Juice
Grasshopper Pudding Parfait

I definitely want to try out more recipes to naturally turn my food fun colors!

Today I have a recipe that includes a rainbow of colors.  I had heard of purple cauliflower but never tried it before.  I love white cauliflower so I decided to give the purple cauliflower a try.  To me, it tasted exactly like the white, so I enjoyed using this purple cauliflower to add even more color to my food.  What better way to incorporate purple cauliflower than  in a Rainbow Quinoa Salad!

This isn't really a recipe.  The idea for this recipe was adapted from here:

Ingredients:

• red bell pepper
• orange carrots
• yellow corn
• green edamame
• purple cauliflower
• white quinoa

Directions: 

1. Cook quinoa according to directions on package.
2. Once quinoa is cooked, mix together all ingredients.
3. Season however you would like with any dressing or seasonsings.  (I personally used Bragg's Liquid Aminos, a splash of lemon juice, Srirach, and some garlic powder.)

You can also use different colored vegetables instead of the ones listed, or in addition to the ones listed.  Try broccoli, green beans, peas, red kidney beans, red lentils, yellow or green squash, yellow cauliflower, red quinoa, tri-colored quinoa, etc.  The possibilities are endless!

Purple cauliflower gets its color from the same pigments, called anthocyanins, as blueberries which help reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and neurological problems.  It also has high nutritional benefits, just like white cauliflower.  Purple cauliflower is a great source of vitamin C, fiber, potassium, and B vitamins. (Source)

Sweet Potato Tempeh

After all the cooking and baking I did on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I decided to keep New Year's Eve an easier night to prepare dinner.  I made less food and nothing as spectacular or special.

For dinner we only had 2 dishes:
Sweet Potato Tempeh
Jerk Asparagus

Here's the recipe for the Sweet Potato Tempeh that was adapted from here:

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup tamari
• 1 tbsp mirin (sweet Japanese cooking wine) (Or any sweet wine could work, I used Marsala)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 8oz package tempeh, cut into bite-sized pieces
• about 2 pounds sweet potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 tsp EVOO
• 1/8 tsp ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2-1 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley

Directions:

1. Combine tamari, mirin, garlic powder, onion powder, and sesame oil into a wide, shallow container and stir to combine.  Add tempeh, toss to coat, cover, and set aside to let marinate for at least 30 minutes. (I let mine sit overnight and almost all the marinade soaked into the tempeh).
2. Toss sweet potatoes with olive oil, ginger, cinnamon, and 1 1/2 tbsp of the marinade from the tempeh.  Set aside. (I just combined the rest of the marinade into the sweet potatoes.)
3. Preheat oven to 350F.
4. Heat 1/2-1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Drain any leftover marinade from the tempeh. Add the tempeh to the skillet and cook, turning frequently, about 5-7  minutes or until golden brown.
5. Transfer to a 2-quart baking dish, toss with sweet potatoes, salt, and pepper.  Cover with foil and bake until sweet potatoes are tender.  (Mine took about an hour.)
6. Garnish with parsley and serve.

This meal was really good!  I ate a large serving of this Sweet Potato Tempeh since it was the main part of my meal, but it is probably a better recipe for a side dish.  However, to make it more of a meal, you could probably even add Kale to it and Quinoa or brown rice.  I definitely should have done that and the next time I make this as a meal think I will try adding those ingredients.

For dessert I made Pineapple Spongecake from Everyday Happy Herbivore.  I'm still perfecting the recipe since I have to make it gluten-free and haven't yet found the right flour, but it was tasty and if you own the book I definitely recommend giving it a try.  If you don't own the book, I definitely recommend buying it because there are a ton of simple, delicious recipes.  A new book has even been published, Happy Herbivore Abroad, which I just bought and cannot wait to try out some new recipes!



Based on making 6 side dish servings, 1 serving yields approximately 252 calories and 10g protein.

Baked Beans and Greens

Over the last few days I posted all my recipes I made for Christmas Eve dinner.  Today, I'm going to post a new recipe that I tried for dinner on Christmas Day.  The entire menu for Christmas day looked like this:

The tofurkey was a store bought one from Trader Joe's.  It contained wheat ingredients so I did not eat that dish.  My main dish was the Baked Beans and Greens.  I am so happy there were leftovers of this dish because I enjoyed this dish a lot!  In fact, I think by the time I ate all the leftovers, I probably ate most of the dish myself.

This recipe was inspired from here:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup dried white, red, or black beans (rinsed)
• 1 tbsp EVOO
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 rib celery, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup tomato paste
• 4 cups kale (or other greens)
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1/3 cup grated vegan Parmesan cheese (or nutritional yeast)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1. In a medium pan, combine beans and enough water to completely cover beans by several inches.  Bring to a boil, remove from heat and let sit for 30 minutes, covered.
2. Preheat the oven to 300F.
3. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add onion and cook until browned, about 6 to 7 minutes.
4. Stir in carrots, celery, and garlic and cook about 2 more minutes.
5. Stir in tomato paste and cook about 1 minute.
6. Stir in greens a little at a time.  Drain beans and add to the skillet.  Stir in the vegetable broth, cayenne pepper, and salt.
7. Pour the mixture into a 9x13 inch casserole dish and cover with foil.  Bake until beans are tender about 1.5 to 2 hours. (It will depend on the type of beans you use).
8. In a small bowl, combine Parmesan and parsley.
9. When the beans and greens are done baking, sprinkle on the Parmesan and parsley mixture.  Bake, uncovered, for about 10 more minutes.

I used red kidney beans and it took about 2 hours to bake in the oven.  I think next time I make this dish I am going to try it with nutritional yeast.  

You can also add 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (see the original recipe).  Just combine them with the Parmesan and parsley before adding it to the top of the beans and greens casserole and continue baking, uncovered, until the top is brown and crispy.

I enjoyed this meal as a main dish, but it can also easily be served as a side dish.  It is a very filling dish.



Christmas Day 2012 Dishes:
Tofurkey (From Trader Joe's)
Baked Beans and Greens
Walnut Brussels Sprouts
Butternut Squash Risotto (I am perfecting this recipe and will post it sometime in the future)
Dark Chocolate Avocado Pudding



This recipe makes 8 servings.
Based on using red kidney beans, kale, and Galaxy Nutritional Foods vegan Parmesan Cheese, 1 serving yields approximately 157 calories and 11g protein.

Rosemary Citrus Maple Tofu

I have so many delicious recipes to share that I enjoyed for dinner on Christmas Eve.

Besides the baked cod and the mushroom bread stuffing, everything was vegan and gluten free and since the vegan and gluten free meals are the ones I made and enjoyed, those are the meals I will be sharing over the next few days.  First up, the main entree on Christmas Eve, the Rosemary Citrus Maple Tofu.

This recipe was adapted from Healthy Happy Life with a few changes:

Ingredients:

• 19 oz extra firm tofu
• 8 tbsp tamari
• 6 tbsp maple syrup
• 6 tbsp orange juice
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

Directions:

1. Press tofu to remove all moisture.  If desired, freeze the night before for a different texture and allow to thaw before marinating.
2. Combine all marinade ingredients in a shallow bowl.  Slice tofu into equal pieces (I made 20 slices.)  These can be cut in rectangles or triangles.  Allow to marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 375F.  Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking oil.  
4. Place tofu on the pan without overlapping and bake for 20 minutes.
5. Remove tofu from the oven, flip, and spoon the rest of the marinade on top.  Place the tofu back in the oven for another 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, broil for about 3 minutes for a chewier texture, if desired.

You can also add fresh orange slices with the tofu when serving to make this a more presentable dish.  

I really enjoyed the marinade for this tofu and freezing the tofu beforehand definitely gave it a great texture.  The juices just flowed out of the tofu with every bite!  Delicious :)

Christmas Eve 2012 Dishes:
Rosemary Citrus Maple Tofu
Broccoli and Rice Casserole
Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes with Sage Gravy
Sweet Potato Casserole
Apple Crisp



Based on making 20 slices of tofu, 1 serving (or 5 slices of tofu) yields approximately 220 calories and 15g protein.

Sweet Potato Chickpea Patties

I was really in the mood to make some patties for dinner and so that I would have extra for ready-made lunches for the next few days.  Normally I make these typical Black Bean Patties but I really wanted something different.  I was reading around on the internet and saw that sweet potatoes and chickpeas were two common burger ingredients.  However, all the recipes I came across called for all these extra ingredients and I really wanted something that would be quick and easy.  I decided to take a risk and basically follow the black bean patty recipe but sub in sweet potato and chickpeas.  I also had half a zucchini from a recipe I made earlier (it will most likely be the next recipe I post) so I decided to add that for some veggies.

Ingredients:

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 small sweet potato, baked and peeled
• 1/2 grated zucchini
• 2/3 cup gf instant oats
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseeds
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp mustard
• sea salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F and grease a baking sheet.
2. Mash chickpeas with a fork until desired texture.  Alternatively, pulse for a few seconds in a food processor, or until desired texture.  (I like some whole pieces of beans in my patties).
3. In a medium bowl, combine chickpeas, sweet potato, grated zucchini, oats (pulse in a food processor for a few seconds to turn rolled oats into instant), flaxseeds, and all seasonings and spices.  Mix until well combined.
4. With your hands, form 6 patties and place on the baking sheet.
5. Bake for 15 minutes, flip carefully, and then bake for another 15 minutes or until crispy on both sides.

You can bake the sweet potato in the oven or the microwave depending on how much time you have.  I used the microwave and it came out fine, though it probably would have been better in the oven.  

I loved the zucchini added to this mixture.  I'm definitely going to be making this meal again and next time I want to experiment with different kinds of veggies (or a mixture!) and maybe even some different seasonings.

Based on forming 6 patties using Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Rolled Oats and Goya Chickpeas, 1 patty yields approximately 129 calories and 6g protein.

Homemade Tofurkey

This year for Thanksgiving I made a few dishes to include at our family dinner that were vegan and gluten free, which included:

Homemade Tofurkey
Quinoa Sage Stuffing
Sage Gravy
Walnut Brussels Sprouts
Sweet Potato Casserole
Chocolate Pie with Graham Cracker Crust

Over the next few posts, I will include the recipe for each of these dishes.  Let's start with the main dish, my Homemade Tofurkey.  Since packaged Tofurkey is not gluten free, I had to find something else to replace the main part of my Thanksgiving meal and I came across a homemade tofurkey and was surprised at how easy the recipe was to make.  I highly recommend giving this a try.  It was easy to make and tasted great!

This recipe was adapted from here:

Ingredients:

• 2 16oz packages of Extra Firm Tofu
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp liquid smoke
• 1 1/2 tsp agar flakes
• Stuffing* 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a large loaf pan with non-stick spray.
2. Drain tofu and pat dry as much as possible. (You can also prep the tofu ahead of time and let it air dry for an hour or so before patting dry the rest of the moisture.)  Crumble the tofu into small pieces.
3. Place the tofu and the rest of the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.
4. Add additional seasonings or more vegetable broth to your desired taste and blend until combined.
5. Measure out a heaping cup of tofu mixture and set aside. 
6. With the remaining tofu mixture, spread a layer on the bottom and all sides of the loaf pan. 
7. Firmly, but gently press your stuffing into the pan.
8. Cover the stuffing with the remaining tofu mixture and seal the edges.  (I ran a spatula along the edges to help smooth it out and seal it together.)
9. Loosely cover the pan with aluminium foil so the foil is not touching the tofu but is "tented" over the top and bake for 50 minutes.
10. Remove the foil and cook an additional 20 minutes or until golden brown on top.
11. Allow to cool before unmolding. (Since I prepared this a day in advance, once mine cooled I refrigerated it overnight then unmolded it the next day and it came out easily.  I then sliced a serving and reheated it in the microwave.)
12. Slice and serve with sauce or gravy. ( I used Sage Gravy.)

*Any kind of stuffing will work to fill your tofurkey.  I used  Quinoa Sage Stuffing.  It worked out really well because I used most to fill the tofurkey but had some leftover to be eaten as a side dish.

As I made this I was really nervous because this was my first time making this dish and if it didn't come out right I did not have a backup Thanksgiving meal main dish.  However, I was very surprised at how well it came out.  Not only did it unmold really nicely, but when I sliced it and took a serving the stuffing stayed nicely packed in the center of the tofu.  I wonder if it helped stay together so nicely since my tofurkey was cold when I unmolded it, sliced it, and grabbed a serving?  

Here's how the tofurkey looked just after filling it 

with the stuffing before adding the tofu mixture on top.

My tofurkey before adding Sage Gravy on top!

Since this tofurkey can be made with any stuffing, for the tofu mixture only, the entire recipe yields approximately 780 calories and 72g protein.

For the tofurkey with about 4 cups of the Quinoa Sage Stuffing:

Based on 8 slices, each slice is approximately 185 calories and 11g protein.

Butternut Squash Apple Soup

This Monday we are on the letter "O" for Meatless Mondays from A to Z and "O" is for Onions.

Similar to last week's Nutmeg post, onion is a common ingredient I use in many dishes, but not as the main component.  I do not like onions at all, unless they are well-cooked into a main dish. This weeks post does not really highlight onions.  But that is okay because it highlights two of my favorite fall ingredients, butternut squash and apples.  This is a great fall dish, especially with Thanksgiving coming up!

I've seen a lot of recipes online for Butternut Squash Apple Soup so I took bits and pieces of ingredients from each that I thought I would like best and estimated on the spices.  Here is the recipe I followed to make my soup:

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash, about 3 pounds (I used butternut squash that was already prepared and cubed)
• 3 apples
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• pepper and salt, to taste

Directions:

1. If using fresh butternut squash, peel and remove all seeds; then chop it into pieces.
2. Core and chop the apples.
3. Chop the onions into chunks.
4. In a large pot, combine squash, apples, onion, and vegetable broth.  Bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and let it slightly cool.  
7. In small batches, transfer soup to a blender and puree until smooth.
8. Once pureed, season soup with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cayenne, and salt and pepper.

This would be great topped with hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, squash seeds, etc.

Also, several of the recipes I saw online also included carrots and celery.  That seems like a great idea to add more vegetables!  I might give that a try next time.  If I do, I'll update this post!

Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash

I cannot believe I have never had an acorn squash before!  I have had butternut squash, spaghetti squash, and of course pumpkin!  Just like the other squashes I have tried before, I absolutely love acorn squash.  In fact, since making this meal I have returned to the grocery store to buy another acorn squash!

Unfortunately, I had to cook my acorn squash in the microwave (still have an unfinished kitchen being remodeled) but it was still very tasty.  I'm hoping next week I get a chance to roast the acorn squash I just bought in the oven.  If it tasted great in the microwave I can just imagine how it will taste roasted in the oven!

Since this was my first time making acorn squash, I wasn't quite sure if I just wanted to dice it up and add it to a rice/quinoa bowl, but I came across some ideas on the internet about filling the acorn squash and using it as a bowl.  What a great idea!

Here is the recipe I used to stuff my acorn squash:

Ingredients:

• 1 small acorn squash
• 1/4 cup cooked quinoa
• 1/2 cup black beans
• 2 tablespoons mango peach salsa

Directions:

1. Cut acorn squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds.
2. Either, place the acorn squash halves, cut side up, on a baking sheet and bake in the oven at 400F for about 30 minutes or cook in the microwave cut side down with a little water for about 12-15 minutes.
3. While that is cooking, mix together quinoa, black beans, and salsa.  Stir in any other seasonings you may like. (I added garlic powder and Sriracha.)
4. When the acorn squash is cooked, fill it with the quinoa mixture.

This is only one way to eat acorn squash.  You can stuff it with a variety of other foods.  You can also eat it plain or dice it and add it to a bowl of rice and veggies.  Or you could even eat it as more of a treat by sprinkling it with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.

Oh, and the skin is edible!  However, it probably tastes best roasted in the oven, but it tasted fine from being cooked in the microwave.  Remember, a lot of important minerals and fiber are stored in the skin.

Vegetable Lentil Stew

This Monday the letter for Meatless Monday's from A to Z begins with L for Lentils.

Surprisingly, I have never cooked with lentils before.  I always found that if I wanted beans it was easier to grab a can of chickpeas or black beans that just needed to be heated or just grab a can of pre-made lentil soup (like I did Saturday night for dinner.)  This really is not an excuse to not cook lentils since all that is required is tossing some lentils with water in a pan and letting them cook for 30-40 minutes.  What could be more difficult?  However, with this recipe I still cheated because I did not pre-cook the lentils.  I simply tossed them into a crock pot to make this soup.  I'm still without a kitchen and needed something easy and not time consuming.  Plus, I wanted dinner ready for me when I came home.

This recipe was adapted from FatFree Vegan Kitchen.  I made several changes to the original recipe.  Here is how I made my Vegetable Lentil Stew:

Ingredients:

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 16-oz packages frozen vegetables (I used one that was a vegetable soup mixture)
• 1 15-oz can diced tomatoes
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 cups dry lentils
• 1/3 cup quinoa
• 2/3 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cumin

Directions: 

1. Combine all ingredients in a crock pot.  
2. Stir to combine everything together.  
3. Allow to cook for approximately 6-8 hours.

Possible Variations:

• To make this even more simple you can use onion flakes and minced garlic (the kind you keep in the fridge). Just follow the directions on the containers to add the appropriate amounts. 
• You can also precook the lentils if you want them to be softer.
• If you want to (and have that luxurious time) you can can buy fresh vegetables to chop.
• I also like more spice so I added some Sriracha sauce to my own bowl of stew.

One thing I really like about this stew is you can buy different types of frozen vegetables each time to have a different variety of stew!

I am roughly estimating that this recipe yields 12 cups.

Based on one cup:

Approximately 127 calories and 6.5g protein

Sweet and Spicy Tofu

Yesterday, I posted a recipe for Jalapeno Cornbread.  If (like me) you have leftover cornbread, here is another great meal to pair with the cornbread.

Basically, I was in the mood to make some tofu and wanted to try something new instead of using my typical marinade when I bake tofu or tempeh.  I found a recipe with some different marinade ingredients and it was very tasty!

Ingredients:

• 1 block of extra-firm tofu
• 3 tablespoons tamari
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons bbq sauce
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce

Directions:

1. Press tofu to remove all excess liquid.  Cut into cubes and freeze overnight, if desired.  
2. Combine all marinade ingredients in a container and place tofu in the marinade making sure all pieces are covered.  Place lid on container and put in the fridge for at least one hour.
3. Preheat oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with foil.
4. Place tofu on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
5. After 20 minutes toss the tofu pieces, spoon some extra marinade on top, and continue baking for another 10 minutes or longer depending on how you want the texture of your tofu.  
6. For extra chewiness, place under the broiler for about 3 more minutes.

After I baked my tofu, I served it atop of brown rice and kale that was made with balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, and nutritional yeast!

Hominy Chili

This Monday for Meatless Mondays from A to Z uses the ingredient Hominy for the letter H.

Since my family is in the process of remodeling and we do not have a kitchen, I was afraid this challenge would be difficult.  At first, I thought I would just do something simple with hominy grits, but then I came across this recipe for a chili and thought I could make it in the crockpot.  I am so glad I decided to try out this chili because it is the simplest recipe ever! And so tasty we all went back for seconds!

This recipe was adapted from here:

Ingredients:

• 1 (20 oz) can hominy
• 1 cup kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (15 oz) can stewed tomatoes, undrained and quartered
• 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a crockpot and stir to combine.  Turn crockpot to low and let it simmer until the TVP has soaked up most liquid.  (I just made this in the early afternoon and let it simmer on low all day so it would be done and warm for dinner.)

In the crockpot, ready to be eaten!

This recipe is so easy and tasty.  I will be making this recipe a lot this winter!

I'm estimating that this recipe yields 8 cups. Based on a 1 cup serving:
Approximately 169 calories and 11.5g protein. 

Garlic Ginger Stir Fry

This Monday for Meatless Mondays from A to Z is Ginger for the letter G.

I have never really used ginger before unless you count ginger powder in pumpkin pie.  I was really excited to go out of my element here and try fresh ginger.  After researching recipes I came across a Garlic Ginger Stir Fry which sounded delicious.  I was excited to try out this stir fry because this is the first real stir fry I have ever made!  Normally if I'm in the mood for stir fry I'll just order take out or heat up a bag of frozen mixed veggies, put it on top of brown rice, and add some tamari.  I would definitely make this stir fry again!  It is so good with freshly made brown rice and freshly chopped vegetables all cooked in a garlic ginger sauce!

This recipe was adapted from here:

Ingredients:

• 3 medium carrots, sliced
• 2 cups broccoli, chopped
• 3 stalks bok choy, sliced
• 4 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 1 sweet red pepper, sliced
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
• 1 package tofu, baked
• 1/2 cup tamari
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 4 green onions, sliced

Directions:

1. Prepare tofu by cutting it into cubes.  Then, marinate and bake tofu.  (I used the ingredients in this marinade but baked the tofu at 375F for 40 minutes flipping halfway through baking time.)
2. While the tofu is baking, blanch carrots, broccoli, and bok choy in boiling water for 2-3 minutes and set aside.
3. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.  Add onion and saute until just tender.  Then, add garlic and ginger and continue cooking for another minute.
4. Add tofu, mushrooms, and red pepper and cook for a few more minutes until everything is heated.
5. Stir in blanched vegetables.
6. Add tamari and vinegar and bring to a boil.
7. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch with a little water.  Add mixture to the pan of veggies and stir until thick.
8. Add green onions and serve over brown rice or rice noodles.

Don't be overwhelmed by all the ingredients.  Once everything is chopped, it does not take long to cook.  It also only requires one cutting board, a knife, and a pan so it is pretty easy clean up as well.  You can also prepare the veggies earlier in the week or day so that when you are ready to cook, you can just toss everything together!

All the veggies and tofu in the pot waiting to be served over brown rice!

The flavors of this stir fry were perfect together!