Vegan Apple Crisp

Today I made apple crisp for my work Christmas party tomorrow. I also put together a small batch for my landlord as a little Christmas gift. :)

I love this recipe because it's super easy and utterly tasty. The worst part of the deal is peeling and coring the apples. :/



Ingredients:
2 c. whole wheat flour
2 c. rolled oats
2 c. brown sugar
3 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. 100% vegan buttery spread
6 c. your favorite apples (washed, peeled and sliced)
1 tbsp. vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix all the dry ingredients together.
Cut in the vegan butter spread. Then set aside while you prepare the apples.
Combine the apples, vanilla and 1/3 of the dry mixture. Spread on the bottom of a large baking dish. Then cover with the remaining crumbs and press down gently.
Bake in the preheated 350 degree oven for 35 - 40 minutes, until the apples are tender.

I usually also add almonds for garnish but avoided it this time in case anyone has an allergy...and also I don't have any almonds at home right now. :P

Red Hot Pumpkin Soup

Since I had about 1/2 a can of pumpkin left after making the cookies in the last post, I decided that rather than wasting it I would whip up some pumpkin soup. I didn't want to lose the pumpkin flavor completely but I also don't like sweet soups so lo and behold, another Violette original! I wouldn't try this one unless you actually enjoy the flavor of pumpkin. :)

Red-Hot Pumpkin Soup


Ingredients
1 tsp. margarine
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/2 can of pure pumpkin (unsweetened)
1/2 can vegetable broth
1 tsp. red chili paste
2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. all-purpose seasoning
dash of cayenne pepper
1/2 cup water

Directions
Place margarine in a medium sized pot and let it melt.
Add the onions and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Pour in the veggie broth and stir.
Stir in the pumpkin.
Add the dry spices, as well as the curry paste and keep stirring.
Once the spices have been mixed in, add the water.
Let cook for an additional 5 minutes and serve,

Pumpkin Cookies!

It's been sort of a tradition for me to make these cookies every year for Thanksgiving. Since we are having a Turkey Day Pot-Luck lunch tomorrow at work, I decided to make them a bit early.

They're super delicious AND super non-diet friendly. :D


I can't believe the cookies photographed so well through saran wrap!! It looks like it's not even there! I obviously forgot to take a picture when they were fresh out and had already wrapped them for tomorrow. :)

Ingredients:
1 cup butter (2 sticks) - I used "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter - Light" to make it a bit less unhealthy. :P
1 cup sugar
1 cup pumpkin
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 cups flour - I used Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat
lots of chocolate chips! - I use Nestle mini-chips, around 1/2 a bag

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cream the butter and sugar together.
Add the egg, vanilla, and pumpkin. Keep mixing.
Sift the dry ingredients together and mix into batter-pumpkin mixture.
Once combined, add chocolate chips and mix a little more.
Spoon onto greased baking sheet - I use parchment paper to cut down the grease.
Cook for 30 minutes, checking often.

Baby Cabbages!

So I might be in the minority here but I love Brussels sprouts. Even when I was a kid, they were a veggie I thoroughly enjoyed.

After dinner, I was still kinda unsatisfied so I made some traditional Brussels sprouts, and am eating them up right now. :)



Ingredients:
Non-stick cooking spray
10-20 Brussels Sprouts (cut in half)
3 cloves of garlic, diced
1 cup vegetable broth
a dash of your favorite all-purpose seasoning (my fave is George Washington brand)

Directions:
Cut the Brussels Sprouts up and coat a non-stick pan with cooking spray.
Throw the sprouts in the pan flat-side down.
Once the spouts start to get a bit darker, throw in the garlic.
Let it all cook up, and the sprouts get all nice and blackened. Toss them around and let them mix in. Add seasoning.
Pour the broth over the sprouts and let it reduce so that there is no liquid left in the pan.

Serve piping hot as a side or as a yummy snack!

Rolled Oats rock!

So since I'm home today due to evil stomach pains, I decided to cook up a tofu loaf. I figured it would bother my stomach less than eating a lot of other stuff. Although the loaf didn't turn out right (I should have stuck to my original recipe), I used rolled oats this time around instead of bread crumbs and was very surprised at how well it worked.

I am severely trying to cut back on processed breads and grains, which is why I experimented with oats. I think I'll incorporate them more into my cooking.

Chana Saag (Chickpea Spinach Curry)

This was my first time cooking with mixing so many spices and I was a bit nervous about the outcome but it was great! Next time, I'll probably add more chili powder, as there wasn't much spice, even though I added a dash of paprika. As you may have already figured out, I add paprika to everything! :D Overall, though, the result was great and something I would most likely make again.

This time, instead of quinoa, I served it with couscous, which I just picked up from the Turkish market downstairs.



Ingredients:
1lb fresh spinach
2 15oz. cans of chickpeas (next time, I think I'll use 1 1/2 cans, since the chickpeas were overwhelming)
1 inch piece of ginger, grated
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. cardamom
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 cup onions, chopped
1 can of stewed tomatoes in juice, diced
.5 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp chili powder
.5 tsp. garam masala
1 tsp. salt

Directions:
1) Rise chickpeas and roughly chop spinach (make sure to clean well)
2) Heat oil over medium heat. Add cardamom and cinnamon and let it cook a minute
3) Increase the heat to medium-high. Add garlic and cook til it starts to change color. Then add onions and sautee until golden.
4) Reduce heat to medium. Add turmeric, coriander, chili powder, garam masala and salt. Mix well, for 1 minute.
5) Add ginger. Stir, then add tomatoes and saute for 3 minutes, until well blended.
6) Add chickpeas. Stir and let cook for 4-5 minutes. Then cover and cook for another 10 minutes, until chickpeas soften.
7) Add half of the spinach, stir and put the lid on the pot for 1 minute. Remove lid and add the other half and cover for a minute.
8) remove the lid and let simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Indian-Spiced Kale with Chickpeas

I stole this recipe from my co-worker's deliciousness blog, and it was sure yummy!

Ingredients:
Extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch of kale, ribs removed, coarsely chopped
1 cup reduced-sodium vegetable (or other) broth
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed

Directions:
Heat oil in a Dutch oven (or any large pot) over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add kale and cook, tossing with two large spoons, until bright green, about 1 minute.
Add broth, coriander, cumin, garam masala and salt. (I also added a touch of paprika for spice)
Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
Stir in chickpeas; cover and cook until the chickpeas are heated through, 1 to 2 minutes.



I served this with some quinoa and it was utterly delicious. Great as a main dish OR a side!

I Return...With Eggplant

It's been a while since I've last updated and frankly, it's because I haven't really been cooking...at all. Recently though, I did come into some fresh produce that inspired me to start whipping things up again. I miss cooking. I miss creating delicious dishes. Last night, I decided to remedy that and I made myself a delicious, huge, and simple dinner.

Cheesy Eggplant Rounds

Ingredients:
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chives
1 small eggplant, raw
1/4 cup of light mayonnaise

Directions:
Slice eggplant into four 1-inch slices.
Spread mayonnaise on both sides of eggplant rounds and arrange them on cookie sheet.
Sprinkle each slice with some Parmesan cheese and chives.
Bake at 475°F for 15 minutes.

I know the picture is kinda fuzzy but I love the detail.


My dinner last night...the brown stuff is AMAZING tamari-sesame dressing.

Broccoli Mushroom Cheesy Pie

This is totally from scratch.

Ingredients:
1 10oz package of frozen chopped broccoli florets.
5 large mushrooms, chopped
2 packages of Pillsbury crescent rolls
2 cloves of garlic, chopped.
2 eggs, beaten
3 cups of shredded mozzarella

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Thaw out the broccoli and dice up the mushrooms. Make sure to drain broccoli of excess water.
Line the bottom of the pie pan with 1 package of crescent roll dough.
Combine broccoli, garlic, mushrooms a big bowl of the shredded mozzarella.
Stir in the beaten egg.
Place mix inside the pan and cover with other package of crescent rolls dough.
Cook for about 25 minutes or until the crust is lightly brown.






Verdict:
Delicious!! Although too cheesy, even for me! Next time I think I'll cut the cheese down to 2 cups and add 1 cup of ricotta instead.

I've Been Away

But I did get to enjoy some yummy food in North Carolina, like these awesome home-made scrambled eggs with baby portabella mushrooms, onions, and American cheese.



I'm enjoying my new camera. :)

Portabellas Stuffed With Pesto-Mashed Potatoes

It's been a while since I've updated my blog with any uber yumminess but that's all about to change! I got a new camera that I am in in love with and thus can take even better food pictures for everyone to drool over!

I kinda stole this recipe from Fat-Free Vegan.com and I didn't make much modifications but since it was so delicious and such a perfect side dish, I couldn't help but copy it here to spread the yumminess. This is perfect as a side dish to protein or even by itself! Two of those were my dinner last night.




Ingredients
10 ounces potatoes (I used two white potatoes)
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts (or walnuts)
1 cup basil, packed
1 tbsp. parmesan (or nutritional yeast for vegans)
2-3 tbsp. plain soymilk
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
6 medium-sized portabella mushrooms
sprinkling of parmesan (optional)

Directions:
Boil the potatoes until they are completely tender.
While they are cooking, make the pesto:
In a food processor, puree the garlic, 1/4 cup nuts, and basil, using a tablespoon or two of water to make the blades run smoothly.
Mixture should be coarsely chopped, not completely smooth.
When the potatoes are done, remove them to a mixing bowl and mash them thoroughly (I left the skin on them but if that sorta thing isn't your bag, feel free to peel them beforehand).
Add 2-3 tablespoons of soymilk, until they achieve a creamy yet still stiff consistency.
Add the pesto mixture, 1 tablespoon of parmesan or nutritional yeast, and salt and pepper to taste; blend thoroughly.

Preheat oven to 375 F.
Clean the portabellas and remove the stem and any fluffy flesh that surrounds it.
Brush a baking dish with a few drops of olive oil, and use the same brush to brush the bottoms of the mushrooms.
Fill the mushrooms with the potato mixture, heaping it in the middle, and set them in the baking dish.
Sprinkle the tops with the parmesan, if desired.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until mushrooms are tender and potatoes are beginning to brown. Serve hot.

Oh Dear!

It's been entirely too long since I've updated this blog with any deliciousness. Now, that doesn't mean that I am no longer a veggie-eating-newb. Rather, my desire to cook recently has been waning. I blame the summer heat and a lack of A.C. in my house. On top of that, my trusty camera is broken. I mean...it takes pictures well enough but the batteries die after every use. I'm not sure what the issue is but I currently have my sights set on an amazing camera. I hope to obtain it in the near future and then the delicious pictures shall continue. It's a shame too, because I have made yummy treats sporadically.

It's been three months since I went vegetarian and I still feel amazing. What I love most is days like today when I stop over at Whole Foods to get some lunch, and my vegan lunch is so deliciously amazing, I wonder how anyone could miss eating meat.

I hope to update more soon, along with some new recipes for low-calorie veggie food.

Grocery Fun

I bought a couple of items at Westerly today that I am would like to mention.

1) GT's Organic Raw Kombucha - I spoke with one of my super awesome veggie friends today and she recommended this drink, but warned me about the weird taste. I am drinking it as I type and well...I love it! The first sip was very weird, the second better and now...yum! I can only describe the flavor as tea with liquefied sour candy. I just wish I saw this around more and that it was a bit cheaper.

2) Lisanatti Almond Garlic and Herb Cheese - Yes, almond cheese. I am still looking for a good alternative to fatty, dairy cheese. I tried this one and, while very mild out of the package, it tasted pretty amazing melted. I got excited until I turned the package around and saw that the product was not vegan. It contains casein. Well, I guess my gradual transition is still just that- gradual.

3) SweetLeaf Stevia - I decided to finally break down and buy a bottle of stevia - which runs like $13 a pop. Stevia is a natural zero-calorie sweetener that is completely plant-based. It is also like 100x sweeter than sugar. The bottle that I bought comes equipped with a dropper. I placed one drop onto my finger and tried it. Wow! It was indeed super sweet. I am going to love playing around with this ingredient. I look forward to using it in smoothies, drinks, and baked goods (once I learn how to control the flavor). If you would like to read up more on stevia, check out this article on WebMD.

Other than that, I picked up a lot of essentials, including Vital Wheat Gluten flour for when I attempt to make seitan later this week. Now, THAT should be an adventure.

LifeThyme Natural Market

Yesterday, I decided to take a walk down to the Lifethyme Natural Market on 6th ave. and 9th street. I heard it was pretty small but I was curious, especially because I saw that they stocked Sheese (vegan cheese), which I have been looking for forevah!

Lifethyme was your typical small, health store with some yummy essentials and an insane stock of Yogi tea. What really stood out about the market was their delicious selection of buffet foods and pre-made goodies. Their bakery treats also looks irresistible and they have a juice bar! I would have loved to dig into one of the above mentioned treats but since I'm watching my calories, I did not.

As far as Sheese goes, they only had the creamy product in stock and while I would have loved to try it, it was around $11 a package (since it's imported from Scotland and all). Also, I don't mind Tofutti cream cheese so I'm really looking for a hard/melty cheese substitute.

Overall, I think I will visit the juice bar at Lifethyme as a weekly treat to myself (after walking down), but for a major healthy grocery shopping adventure, I'll stick with Westerly.

Fat-Free Vegan Strawberry Banana Muffins

I've been updating this blog like a mad woman!

Today I decided to make fat-free vegan muffins that sounded super delicious. The recipe was actually posted by another chikkie in the vegan cooking community on Livejournal. I decided to give it a go since the recipe was super simple and well...yum! I'm SO glad I did!



Ingredients:
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 1/4 c. sugar
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. soymilk
1 tsp. vanilla
15 or so strawberries, chopped.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. "Cream" together bananas and sugar. Mix together dry ingredients and add, then blend in soy milk and vanilla. Make sure it's well mixed, then quickly stir in the strawberries (the more you stir once they're in, the more squished-up they get). Grease muffin tins, and spoon in. This made 12 large muffins for me. Bake 25-20 minutes.

These muffins are about 170 calories a pop and super delicious! Even my vegan-food hating boyfriend liked them!

Tofu Loaf

Last night for dinner, I really wanted a hearty meal - something to hit the spot. Since I didn't eat much throughout the day, and kinda felt like baking, I decided to attempt making a tofu loaf. Although it didn't turn out quite "loafy," I thought it was utterly delicious.

Ingredients: (Serves 4 people)
1 lb. Tofu, Firm
1 cup Dried Bread Crumbs
1/2 medium White Onion
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
4 tablespoons Tomato Ketchup
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 tablespoons Italian Herb Seasonings
1 teaspoons Pepper, Black
1/2 cup Carrots (I used 1 cup of canned mixed veggies since I didn't have anything fresh)
1/2 cup Celery
(I also added a long squirt of Dijon mustard, which was probably overkill and contributed to the consistency problem)


Some of my ingredients. The asparagus and chopped garlic were served on the side.

Instructions:
1) Preheat oven to 350°F.
2) Drain and press the tofu for about 15 minutes.


3) Dice up the tofu and put all the ingredients in a food processor, except for the carrots and celery.

How gross does THAT look?

4) Blend until smooth. Add the carrot and celery, and blend in the tofu mixture.

Looks like hummus!

5) Put in a greased loaf pan and bake for one hour.

Don't mind the white stuff, just some excess seasoning.

Now, while this loaf was baking, I fried up the asparagus and made some (instant, boo!) mashed potatoes. When it came out, I was sooo starving, and it smelled sooo good that I completely forgot to take a picture of it, or of my delicious looking, full plate. The best I could do is this, which is clearly after I had already taken my share.



The only major problem with this loaf was that, although it doesn't look like it here, it's texture was actually that of mashed potatoes. It was definitely not slice-able. Also, it was a bit too pungent for the normal person (at least according to my boyfried). I'm not sure how I could modify the recipe for next time. I would definitely omit the mustard, and probably add a tiny bit less soy sauce. The tofu might have to be a bit drier, as well.

It was very good though and I would DEFINITELY make this again. As a matter of fact, it's my lunch today!

Low-Calorie Tofu Alfredo Sauce

Today, I decided to make something healthy yet satisfying for dinner. Since I haven't been shopping in a while, I had to try to make something using the bare ingredients I had on hand, so I experimented and made tofu alfredo sauce...which came out rather...odd. I'm going to post the recipe I made with suggestions for improvement in parentheses. This is what happens when you try to make alfredo without cheese. :/

Ingredients:
- 1 package of Soft Silken Tofu (no problems there)
- 1 cup of vegetable broth. (I used garden vegetable broth which gave the sauce a orangey hue and I would recommend using plain old veggie broth here. Also, I would probably only use 3/4 cup since the sauce was a little thin)
- 3 tablespoons "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter - Light" (again, no problems)
- 1/5 cup garlic powder (No! No! No! - I only used it because I had no Parmesan cheese. Next time, I'd definitely fry up some cloves and wait until I had Parmesan to make this).
- 2 wedges of Laughing Cow Light Swiss cheese

- 1 box of Rigatoni pasta (or whatever kind you enjoy)
- 1 box of frozen broccoli florets



Directions:
1) Cook the pasta and defrost the broccoli.
2) While both are cooking, combine all the other ingredients in a blender and mix well, until a creamy sauce is formed.



3) Transfer the sauce into a medium sized pot and heat to pour over pasta and broccoli.



It was edible at first but I did not want to finish it. This is a recipe I definitely have to play around with a bit more. Once I have my Parmesan, I will try again. After all, it would be amazing to find an alternative to the fatty original Alfredo sauce. To be continued!

Delicious Veggie Fast-food!

Today it's a billion degrees outside here in NYC so the last thing I feel like doing is cooking a meal that actually requires effort. Because of this, I decided to try the Yves Good Dog veggie hot dogs that I purchased at Westerly. I also decided to try the Boca Chick'n Spicy Patties.

I had a horrid experience with Smartdogs veggie hot dogs so I was a bit skeptical. Instead of boiling them, as I did previously, I decided to cook them in a hot pan with some cooking spray. They browned pretty nicely and after a few rotations, looked fairly done. I tried a piece without toppings and it was actually not bad! That was most definitely a step up from Smartdogs. I enjoyed the veggie dog immensely. I had it with some bread and ketchup for dipping. Yum! I'm so happy I found a delicious veggie hot dog! Yves rocks! I can't wait to try their other meat-less sausages!

As far as the Boca Chick'n Patties go...also super delicious!!! I don't think anyone would be able to tell they weren't chicken! They had a nice aftertaste of spice and were just sooo yummy! I also cooked these in a small pan with a spray of cooking oil.

I'm so happy that both of these products were good. I feel like I definitely have more options now, especially at cook-outs and the like. I've been a vegetarian for 1 1/2 months now and I still love it!

Westerly Natural Market

I got out of work a bit early today so I decided to check out the Westerly Natural Market on 54th st. and 8th ave. It was absolutely amazing!! Aisles and aisles of veggie-friendly foods. I totally felt like I was in heaven. Best of all, it's certainly the cheapest health store I've been to.
I spend $54 and came out with 24 items ranging from tofurkey slices, frozen entrees, and rice. I would definitely recommend this Market to anyone in the NYC area that is looking for a healthy shop with decent prices. Oh, I have to add that their prepared food (sandwiches and salads) looked very yummy. I just didn't want to chance it since I am trying to watch my caloric intake.

Next I plan on trying the LifeThyme market downtown, so we'll see how it goes. :)

No dinner recipe tonight as I just had some shirataki fettucine noodles with Laughing Cow Light Swiss and shredded cheddar.

Falafel!!

For my birthday, which was on May 30th, I got lots of awesome kitchen supplies such as a rice cooker, a blender, and a food processor!! Since I finally had a real human-sized processor, I decided to finally make some falafel. I must warn you, there are A LOT of pictures in this post.

First, I decided to make tzatziki (yogurt) sauce. This is the only part of the recipe that is not vegan. If you follow a vegan diet, you can use a tahini-based sauce such as the one found here.

Simple Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients
- 1 cup plain lowfat yogurt
- 1 medium cucumber, peeled and seeds removed
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- a dash of dill (optional)


My ingredients.

Directions
In a small bowl (I used my mini food processor), mix all of the ingredients well.


Once mixed, let cool in refrigerator, to maximize flavor.


Now that we have our super delicious cucumber sauce, it's time to make the falafel.

Ingredients*
- 1 lb. dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
- 1/2 large onion, coarsely chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
- oil for frying

*These measurements make enough to serve 6 people

My ingredients.

Directions
*Soak the chickpeas in cold water in the refrigerator overnight.*

The next day, drain the chickpeas and mix with onion and the rest of the ingredients in a food processor.


Mix it very well, stopping the processor occasionally to scrape the mixture. Once it looks complete, process the mixture for a second time for 2-4 minutes.

Mmm...chickpeas.

Next, pour some oil into a large pan on medium heat. Take the mixture and clump it together to form walnut sized balls.


Place the balls in the pan and fry them up until golden-brown.


While the falafel fries, slice up some tomato and lettuce for serving. Also, halve pita bread.



Some of my falafel came out well-done. :P

And that's it! Stuff the pitas with lettuce, tomato, and falafel, using cucumber sauce to drizzle over the top. I also served this with extra sauce on the side because the falafel was a little bland.


My pita bread was too dry. :(

Overall, this was a very good dish and very easy to make (although pretty messy). The only change I would make next time is to add more spices into the falafel mix such as curry, red pepper flakes, and more garlic. Other than that, A+ and super filling too!!

Veggie Dogs ::shudder::

Two weeks ago, I purchased "Smart Dogs," which are 100% vegan hot dogs. They're soy and they're also horribly disgusting.
I decided that for breakfast today, I wanted chilli with hot dogs. I got my Amy's Organic Chill (which is yummy) and decided to google the best methods for cooking Smart Dogs. Every website recommended steeping them in boiling water as the best method. I tried it out and yuck! I mean, hot dogs are pretty disgusting to begin with but I was hoping I could find an alternative to veggie burgers, which I adore.
My experience with faux meats/cheeses has been pretty horrid so far. I'm scared to try any veggie cold cuts because of this. I think I'll stick to more natural foods which agree with my taste buds better. The only positive I've found is Tofutti cream cheese. Mmm...

Tofu Scramble & Randomness

Today was my first experiment in cooking with tofu and actually it turned out very delicious, even though I made something super-simple. For my main course, I had tofu scramble. Mmm... I honestly thought it was scrambled eggs for a split second. :) Now, feel free to throw in any ingredients you have on-hand. I didn't have any peppers or mushrooms so I was kinda suck with onion. :)

Scrambled Tofu

INGREDIENTS:
- 1 16 oz. block of firm tofu
- 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced thin
- 1/2 small onion
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup sliced scallions
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce

DIRECTIONS:
1) Drain the tofu and press it, using paper towels. Then crumble it using your clean hands.

2) Sautee the garlic and onion in olive oil on medium heat for 3-5 minutes.
3) Stir in the crumbled tofu then add turmeric, salt, pepper, scallions, and soy sauce.

Looks like eggs! Whoah!

4) Cook with tofu for 5 more minutes, stirring often.
5) Serve as an egg dish or with salsa and burrito wrappers.


Mmm... delicious!

To add to my meal, I also made some stir-fried asparagus, which is as simple as olive oil, salt, and pepper.


The final product:


And...last but not least, I made curried zucchini chips as an appetizer, which is something I kinda made up and throw all kinds of spices on.

INGREDIENTS
- 2 (or more) zucchini
- olive oil (for brushing)
- Salt
- Pepper
- Curry
- Paprika
- Garlic Powder

DIRECTIONS
1) Preheat the oven to 400
2) Take a large, flat oven tray and lightly brush it with olive oil
3 ) Cut the zucchini into thin slices and place them onto the tray
4) After all the chips are placed, take a small brush and cover the the tops of the chips, lightly, with olive oil.


5) After the zucchini is covered, take the spices (or make alterations, to taste) and sprinkle them loosely over the slices.


6) Bake for 15 minutes, then check and flip. Bake for another 15 minutes or until the chips are slightly browned at the edges.


Voila!

Bear in mind that the zucchini shrinks a lot in baking so I would recommend using at least 2 thin zucchini per person.

Bento 002

1) Little salad with flower-shaped cucumbers, tomato, mixed greens, peppers, and parmesan
2) Dessert - blackberries and apple slices (with a little pink koala pick :D)
2) Asian box - Inari sushi (fried tofu filled with brown rice, which I had the pleasure of making earlier), a cucumber slice divider, and some kimchee
3) Leftovers! Whole-wheat rigatoni with basil/tarragon pesto, asparagus and shredded parmesan.

So far, I am digging this whole bento thing, at least while I have cool stuff in my fridge. :P

Bento 001

I finally got my cute bento set from Japan and I experienced making my very first. It's nothing too creative but I just didn't have the time tonight. I did try and cut the cucumbers into hearts and attached some cute animal picks.

Lo and behold:


Mixed greens salad with sun-dried tomato, regular tomato, and cucumber (a little parmesan sprinkled on), Eggplant parmesan and whole-wheat riagtoni with asparagus and zucchini as my main course, and banana on top of blackberries as my dessert!


All packed up...


And placed in this cute bag!

Lunch is gonna be good tomorrow. :D

Easy Guacamole

I love guacamole, it's absolutely delicious and I always try to have it in the house. The best part about it is that it's super easy to make and you can use it for sandwiches, tacos, as a dip, etc. Here is a recipe for some quick guacamole I whipped up with some basic ingredients.

1 ripe (softened) avodaco
1/2 small onion
1/2 small tomato
2 cloves of garlic
1 small jalapeno (optional)
salt, pepper, and paprika, to taste

Directions:
Cut the avocado in 1/2 and remove the seed. Using a spoon, remove the avocado from the shell and toss it into a food processor.



Dice up the onion, tomato, garlic, and jalapeno, and toss it into the processor. Season mixture with salt, pepper, and paprika.



Mix the ingredients until most of the tomato and onion have been mixed well in. I like my guacamole a bit thicker than completely mashed so I process it enough just to get a "lump" sort of texture from the onion and tomato.



That's it! Place in a dish and serve.



It takes about 5 minutes to make and stores well in the fridge when covered by plastic wrap.

Three Vegetable Penne With Tarragon-Basil Pesto

Courtesy of Rachel Ray and (as usual) modified a bit.

Recipe:

1 pound whole-wheat penne pasta
Salt
1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed of tough ends
1 small zucchini
1/4 pound, green beans trimmed of stem ends
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 cup basil, 20 leaves
1/2 cup tarragon leaves from 10 to 12 stems
Handful flat-leaf parsley
1 lemon, zested
2 clove garlic
1/2 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano
Coarsely ground black pepper
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil


Some of my ingredients

Heat a large pot of water to boil for pasta. Salt the water and add pasta to cook to al dente or, with a bite to it. Cut asparagus spears into 2-inch pieces on an angle. Cut zucchini into matchstick shapes. Cut green beans into 2-inch pieces on an angle. Add vegetables to pasta after penne has been cooking about 5 minutes. Cook veggies and pasta together 2 minutes.

While pasta cooks, toast pine nuts in a small pan until golden, then cool.


Place nuts, basil, tarragon, parsley, lemon zest, garlic, cheese and a little salt and pepper in a food processor.


Turn the processor on and stream in the extra-virgin olive oil until thick sauce forms. Scrape pesto into large, shallow serving dish.


Add a ladle of hot, starchy pasta water to the pesto. Drain penne and veggies and add immediately to pesto. Toss to coat pasta and vegetables evenly. Adjust salt and pepper, to taste.


Serve with extra grated cheese to pass at table.


* This was so absolutely delicious. I was a little scared making the pesto but it came out beautifully. I have some leftovers. I think tomorrow I will make another batch of pesto, just to freeze and have on-hand for any sort of pasta occasion. Yum!!!