Fantastic Salad

A lovely, easy rainbow salad brought to you by me...

Ingredients:
pre-washed, packaged spring mix
chopped red cabbage
shredded carrots (I buy the packaged, pre-shredded kind when I'm super busy.)
roasted red peppers, chopped (Make sure there is no sugar in the brand you buy.  I use Mezetta.)
yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
canned red beans, rinsed and drained
vinaigrette dressing (homemade or your favorite brand)
pepitas (These are hulled pumpkin seeds.  I buy them in bulk at Whole Foods.)
pepperoncini peppers

fancy crackers, for serving (I like La Panzanella's rosemary crackers.)

Method:
Using amounts suitable to you, combine the spring mix, chopped red cabbage, shredded carrots, roasted red peppers, cherry tomatoes, and red beans in a salad bowl.  Toss with a small amount of vinaigrette.  Top with pepitas and serve with pepperoncini peppers and fancy crackers.

Edamame Quinoa Salad

Here's a great recipe from the Eating Well website, which I have been LOVING this year.  I like a bigger ratio of dressing than they suggested, but if you like less dressing, I encourage the tweak.  This salad is good warm or cold.  We serve it over butter lettuce with a baked potato on the side.

Ingredients:

1.5 c. quinoa (I used the tri-color quinoa in the photo, but any color will do.)
3 c. vegetable broth
3 c. frozen mukimame (shelled edamame)
2 T. freshly grated lemon zest
4 T. lemon juice
4 T. extra-virgin olive oil
4 T. fresh tarragon, thyme, or basil, chopped (or substitute 4 t. if using dried herb)
1 t. salt
1 c. jarred roasted red peppers, drained and diced






Method:
Toast the quinoa in a large, dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until it becomes fragrant and begins to crackle, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to a fine mesh strainer and rinse thoroughly.

In a large saucepan, bring the broth to a boil over high heat.  Add the quinoa and return to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 8 minutes.  Lift the lid and, without disturbing the quinoa, add the edamame.  Replace the cover and cook until both the quinoa and the edamame are tender, about 7 - 8 more minutes.  Drain any extra liquid, if necessary.

Whisk lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, herb, and salt in a large bowl.  Add the chopped peppers, quinoa, and edamame.  Toss to combine.

Serves 4 - 5.

Tempeh Breakfast Sandwich

I am not really a huge fan of traditional breakfast fare.  Too starchy, meaty, eggy, or sweet, in general, for my tastes.  Don't get me wrong, I love homemade biscuits (I'm from the Southern U.S., so I have them nearly every weekend.  Recipe here.), and I definitely want pancakes or waffles every once in a while, but usually I'm looking for something off the beaten path.

One of my new favorites is this breakfast sandwich, which I guess you could really eat at any meal.  It's filling and tasty!  Fry up the whole package of tempeh, and you'll have sandwich fixin's for the week.

Ingredients:

canola oil

soy sauce

smoked paprika

tempeh (I love the Lightlife "Garden Veggie" variety.), cut into 1/4-inch strips

bagel

avocado slices

roasted red peppers (from a jar or from your grocer's olive bar)

Method:

In a non-stick skillet, heat the canola oil over medium heat.  Add soy sauce and smoked paprika to taste, then add the strips of tempeh.  Fry the tempeh until browned on the bottom, then flip and fry the other side until browned as well.  Remove from pain and drain on paper towels.
NOTE:  I usually fry up a whole 8-oz. package of tempeh at a time, which takes about 3 T. canola oil and maybe 1/2 t. of soy sauce and a heaping 1/4 t. smoked paprika.  I'm guessing, but the amounts are flexible.

Toast both halves of the bagel in a toaster.  Sandwich tempeh strips with avocado slices and roasted red pepper, and enjoy.

Tofu Cubans

I got this excellent Cuban recipe from Food Network magazine...and no, I didn't substitute the tofu for something else.  Their recipe called for it!  Although I was a little skeptical about the combination of the ingredients, these sandwiches were so good last night that we're having them again for lunch today.  YUM.

Ingredients:

1 14-oz. pkg extra-firm tofu, well drained (Not the silken kind.  I like to freeze my tofu for 24 hours, then thaw it.  It improves the texture.)
1.5 T. canola oil
1 small onion, sliced 1/4-inch thick

3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

juice of one orange

4 small hoagie rolls, split

1/4 c. yellow or stone-ground mustard (optional)

2/3 c. roasted red peppers, drained

1/2 kosher dill pickle, sliced (about 1/4 cup)

Method:

Squeeze the excess moisture out of the block of tofu.  Lay the tofu on a cutting board and cut into 8 equal slices.

Heat the canola oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic, and sauté until the onion is translucent.  Remove the onion and garlic from the pan and set aside.

Add the tofu slices to the iron skillet and pour the orange juice evenly over the tofu. Salt to taste.  Turn the heat to medium-high, and cook until the tofu is golden, about 3 or 4 minutes on each side.  Remove the tofu from the pan.  Turn heat back down to medium.

Spread the cut sides of the rolls with mustard, if using. Sandwich each prepared roll with 1/4 of the peppers, pickle, tofu, and onion mixture.  Working in batches, add the sandwiches to the hot cast-iron skillet, then top with another heavy skillet to flatten.  Cook until golden brown, 2 - 3 minutes per side.  Serve warm.
(I admit, sometimes I skip cooking the whole sandwich and just layer the onion/garlic mixture, tofu, pepper, and pickle on the roll and get chomping!)

Serves 4.