Category: Grains

Stir Fry Veggies and Quinoa with Seared Tofu

4/6/2015

Stir Fry Veggies with Quinoa and Seared Tofu

I had some of the best tofu ever when eating out the other day - the firmness and texture were amazing. It was hard to tell that I was eating tofu (they had even sliced the tofu on an angle so that it looked like chicken breast). I asked the waiter how it was prepared and he told me that the chef pressed, seared, and baked the tofu. I had to try to recreate it! It turned out great and was not difficult to make. If you have a cast iron skillet (or other oven-safe pan) you can use the same pan from the stove right into the oven and would probably be ideal.

As I have all winter - I had some carrots on hand and some butternut squash that I had shredded and froze. I added some cooking greens and mushrooms. Feel free to use whatever vegetables you have on hand. Make sure to chop them to approximately the same size so that they all cook for the same amount of time.

I made mine for lunch, so I divided everything into four portions to bring into work with me.

Ingredients:
I block tofu
2 cups cooked quinoa
4 Medium sized carrots
1 cup butternut squash
2 cups greens
1/4 cup mushrooms
Turmeric
Ginger
Sriracha (optional)

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 4

Instructions:
Press your tofu for about 5 to 10 minutes. Slice in fours. Sear tofu for 5 minutes on each side on high heat with a little bit of water or oil. Sprinkle turmeric and ginger on each side. Cook in oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, flipping halfway.

While the tofu is cooking - chop and saute the vegetables with water over medium heat. Start with the carrots and squash. Once again, add a generous coating of turmeric and ginger and stir in to cover all the veggies. When they are soft add the greens and mushrooms and cook until the greens are wilted. I generally need to add the greens a little at a time and let them wilt down until I have room for some more.

Serve the veggies over quinoa and top with a slice of tofu. Top with sriracha, if desired. Enjoy!

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Brussel Sprout Casserole

12/12/2014

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Ingredients:
Brussel Sprouts
1/2 Cup Dry Millet
1 8 oz Package Tempeh
1 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
Orange Rind

Cranberry Sauce:
1 Pound Cranberries
Juice of 2 Oranges
5 Tablespoons Agave Nectar
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Ginger
1/2 Cup Coconut Milk
1/2 Cup Water (as needed)

I made this casserole for Thanksgiving this year. Since there's not much else at Thanksgiving that I can eat I wanted to make something that was substantial with vegetables and protein. A casserole seemed like the perfect way to combine everything together. I thought that brussel sprouts and cranberries would be a nice seasonal touch. I added millet and tempeh for some protein. My brother recently went gluten free so I decided to pick items that he could eat.

I hadn't had millet before, it's a gluten free grain from northern Africa, and it reminded me a lot of couscous. Tempeh is fermented soybeans so its a great source of probiotics. The fermentation process forms the soybeans into a loaf that then can be sliced or crumbled. When I used it sliced I like to slice it very thinly because I find it can sometimes be dry and ensure the rest of my recipe has enough moisture to make up for it - hence the cranberry sauce.

The cranberry sauce ended up being more involved than I thought. I wanted it to simply be cranberries and oranges so I didn't have too much sugar, etc. added in but cranberries are way more sour than I thought. I added the agave to temper the sourness and the coconut milk and water to thin it out (the coconut milk adds some sweetness as well). My original reasoning for adding the orange was because it was the featured ingredient in the Virtual Vegan Potluck, but it really adds a lot to the dish, especially the zest at the end. It's a finishing touch that often gets left off, but I urge you not to!

To go back to the previous post in the Virtual Vegan Potluck click here: A Journey with Tiffany
To move on to the next post click here: Coconut & Berries
To go to the beginning of the Virtual Vegan Potluck click here: Virtual Vegan Potluck

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 8 as a side

Instructions:

Prep your brussel sprouts by cutting the end off and slicing them in half. Steam them on top of the stove for about 5 minutes, so that they get soft but aren't cooked too much. If you don't have a steamer then put them in a pot with about half as much water as sprouts. Stir them a bit to even out the cooking, so the ones on the bottom are not super mushy. Coat the sprouts in balsamic vinegar.

Cook the millet according to package directions - bring 1 cup of water to a boil, add the millet and reduce to a simmer until the water is absorbed.

Combine the cranberry sauce ingredients in a sauce pan on the stove over medium heat. It will cook for about 10 minutes. You should hear the cranberries popping. Stir it throughout to prevent the sauce from burning. If the sauce is too tart add more agave or coconut milk - note that the agave will act as a thickener while the coconut milk will thin it out. If you want the sauce thinner but without adding more sweetener, then just add water. You want the sauce to be thin enough that it will drip down to coat all the ingredients in the casserole dish.

Slice the tempeh in thin strips. I find that tempeh can be dry, so I like to cut it thin in order to allow the sauce to soak into it as much as possible.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine the sprouts and millet and add to the casserole dish (reserve some sprouts to put on top of the casserole). Cover with the strips of tempeh and pour the cranberry sauce on top. Cover and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Thinly slice the remaining sprouts. Remove the covering from the casserole and top with the thinly sliced sprouts. Cook for another 5-10 minutes until the sprouts are browned. Top with orange zest and serve. Enjoy!

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Stuffed Acorn Squash

11/19/2014

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Stuffed squash is a great recipe to make on those days when you have a ton of random vegetables in your fridge and you don't know what to do with them. Just chop them all up and make some filling for a stuffed squash! If you don't have any squash the filling could also be used as a side dish or as a topping for baked potatoes. What's great too is that you can customize the flavor of your dish based on the spices you add. If you're full fledged into fall mode you can add some sage, nutmeg, cinnamon, and even pumpkin pie seasoning! Or make it spicy with cumin, paprika, and red pepper flakes.

Ingredients:
2 Small Acorn Squash
1/2 Cup Barley (or your favorite grain - quinoa, rice, farro, millet, etc.)
1 Small onion
1 Bell Pepper
1 Small head of broccoli
2 Carrots
1 Cup of Kale (or greens of your choice - collars, spinach, chard, etc.)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cooking Time: 20-25 minutes

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Serves: 4

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Place the squash with the cut side down into a glass dish with 1/4 inch of water in the bottom and cook for at least 30 minutes or until the squash is soft when poked with a fork. This will vary depending on the thickness of your squash. Once they reach the desired softness, remove them from the oven, drain the liquid, and return them to the dish, cut side up.

Meanwhile, cook grains according to package directions. Here is a quick guide to cooking times for various different grains.

While your grains and squash are cooking, prepare the rest of the filling. Chop your vegetables into your preferred size. If you want your carrots, pepper, and broccoli to be softer I would recommend chopping them smaller. Add some water (or oil) to a pan and cook the onions on medium heat, stirring frequently. Once the onions are translucent, add the carrots, bell pepper, broccoli, and greens, in that order. Continue adding water as needed to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan. Add the spices and cook for about 5 minutes, depending on how soft you like your vegetables, keeping in mind that they will continue to soften in the oven.

Add the cooked and rinsed grains into the vegetable mixture and stir until well combined. Scoop the mixture into the squash halves and return the squash to the oven. Cook for another 15 to 20 minutes. Enjoy!

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Stir Fry Veggies and Quinoa with Seared Tofu

Brussel Sprout Casserole

Stuffed Acorn Squash

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