Lemon-Pepper Tofu and Quinoa Salad

This dish was originally a non-vegetarian dish from The Food Network magazine, and it took me a couple of tries to work it into a satisfying vegetarian dish.  But it came together, and here we are!

Ingredients:
juice and zest of one organic lemon
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil, separated
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T. soy sauce or to taste
1/4 t. smoked paprika or to taste
1 lb. extra-firm tofu, chopped into 1/2-in. or 1-in. pieces (Tofu has a more pleasant texture if it is frozen first, then thawed before use.  Plan ahead.)
1.5 c. quinoa
1/2 small red onion, halved and very thinly sliced (I think scallions could easily be substituted here if you like the milder, greener flavor.)
1.5 lb. heirloom tomatoes, chopped
1 Cubanelle chile pepper or other Italian frying pepper, seeded and chopped (A green bell pepper will work, too.)
3 Persian cucumbers, chopped
2 T. vinegar of your choice (I used an orange-vanilla white balsamic vinegar.)
1.5 T. chopped fresh parsley

Method:
Mix the lemon juice, lemon zest, 1 T. olive oil, salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste (be very generous with the pepper), garlic, soy sauce, and smoked paprika in a wide, shallow container.  Toss the tofu with the mixture (the tofu will likely soak it up almost right away), and marinate until ready to use in later step.

On the day you plan to eat, rinse the quinoa. 

Heat 1/2 T. olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the quinoa, and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted (about 4 minutes).  Add 4 c. water and 1/4 t. salt, and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium, and simmer until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender but not mushy, about 15 minutes.  Set skillet aside.

Soak the red onion slices in cold water for 10 minutes, then drain.

Meanwhile, toss the tomatoes, chile or bell pepper, cucumbers, vinegar, 1.5 T. olive oil, parsley, 1/4 t. salt, and freshly ground pepper to taste in a large bowl.  Add the onions, and toss to coat.

Heat the remaining 1 T. olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Toss the tofu and lemon zest in the warm olive oil, and allow to cook until browned on one side.  Toss again, and allow to cook until browned on another side.

Fluff the quinoa with a fork, divide among 4 bowls, top with the tomato mixture, then the tofu.  Serves 4.

8 Vegan Breakfast Smoothies

I have been having these incredible vegan smoothies for breakfast 5 or 6 days per week for the last 2 years.  The recipes are really flexible, so feel free to play around with them.  Don't have lime?  Use lemon.  Don't have chia seeds?  Use flax seeds or omit altogether.

I like my smoothies to be the texture of milkshakes, so I have a high frozen-to-fresh ratio, and I only use the amount of liquid necessary to get things moving in the blender.  This can require several blender stops to stir things so they will move again, depending on the power of your blender.

Each smoothie includes a frozen banana, which I feel is essential to the texture of the drink.  Every Sunday I peel bananas for the week, cut them into 4 pieces, and freeze them in a single layer.  Then they all go into a freezer storage bag for the week.  A lot of the smoothies have fresh pineapple in them, so I cut up one fresh pineapple at the beginning of the week, too.

I also make sure I have a variety of smoothie colors to cover the nutrient spectrum.  Every week I have red, green, orange, and purple, then I pick another smoothie or two to round out the week.  Have fun!

RED SMOOTHIE

handful of fresh pineapple chunks

1 carrot, chopped into a few large chunks

1 date, pitted

slight handful of frozen raspberries

slight handful of frozen cherries

2 or 3 large frozen strawberries

1 frozen banana (see intro)

juice of 1/2 lemon or lime

2 T. hemp hearts

Put everything in the blender with just enough water to get things moving.  Puree to a drinkable milkshake consistency.

GREEN SMOOTHIE

1/4 - 1/2 fresh avocado (peel and pit removed)

1/4 of a fresh cucumber, cut into a few large chunks

2 handfuls fresh spinach

1 date, pitted

1 handful frozen mango

1 frozen banana (see intro)

juice of 1/2 lime

2 T. brown flaxseeds

Put everything in the blender with just enough water to get things moving.  Puree to a drinkable milkshake consistency.

Option:  You can add a peeled kiwi to the list of ingredients, if desired.

ORANGE SMOOTHIE

handful of fresh pineapple chunks

1 carrot, chopped into a few large chunks

1 date, pitted

handful of frozen mango

handful of frozen peaches

1 frozen banana (see intro)

juice of 1/2 lemon or lime

2 T. golden flaxseeds

Put everything in the blender with just enough water to get things moving.  Puree to a drinkable milkshake consistency.

Option:  You can add fresh peaches to the list of ingredients during the summer when they are in season.  SO good!

PURPLE SMOOTHIE

handful of fresh pineapple chunks

handful of fresh spinach OR 1 carrot, chopped into a few large chunks

1 date, pitted

slight handful of frozen blueberries

slight handful of frozen blackberries

slight handful of frozen raspberries

1 frozen banana (see intro)

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 T. of black chia seeds

Put everything in the blender with just enough water to get things moving.  Puree to a drinkable milkshake consistency.

Option:  I buy a frozen mix of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries, which makes this super convenient.  If you can find such a thing near you, just throw in a couple of handfuls of the mixed berries.

TROPICAL SMOOTHIE

generous handful of fresh pineapple chunks

1 date, pitted

handful of frozen mango

1 frozen banana (see intro)

1/2" - 1" piece of fresh ginger, peeled

1/2 c. whole coconut milk (The fat and coconut water usually separate in the can, so stir them back together before pouring into your smoothie.)

juice of 1/2 lime (lemon will also work)

Put everything in the blender with just enough water to get things moving.  Puree to a drinkable milkshake consistency.

Option:  You can also add frozen (or fresh, when in season) peaches to this smoothie.

PEACH-COCONUT SMOOTHIE

1 fresh peach, pitted

1 date, pitted

handful of frozen peaches

1 frozen banana (see intro)

1/2 c. whole coconut milk (The fat and coconut water usually separate in the can, so stir them back together before pouring into your smoothie.)

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 T. white chia seeds

Put everything in the blender with just enough water to get things moving.  Puree to a drinkable milkshake consistency.

PEACH-BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE

1 fresh peach, pitted (or use fresh pineapple chunks if peaches aren't in season)

1 date, pitted

handful of frozen peaches

handful of frozen blueberries

1 frozen banana (see intro)

1/2" - 1" piece of fresh ginger, peeled

juice of 1/2 lemon

Put everything in the blender with just enough water to get things moving.  Puree to a drinkable milkshake consistency.

PEANUT BUTTER-BANANA-COCOA SMOOTHIE

1 fresh banana, cut into chunks

3 large spoonfuls of freshly-ground peanut butter, or to taste

1 - 2 spoonfuls of cocoa powder, or to taste

1 - 2 frozen bananas (see intro)

plant-based milk

Put the first 4 ingredients in the blender with just enough PLANT-BASED MILK to get things moving.  Puree to a drinkable milkshake consistency.



Hearty Irish Lager Stew

Here's an Irish recipe vegetarians can enjoy on St. Patrick's Day next week, courtesy of Vegetarian Times.  I made this for the holiday last year, and it was a hit!

Ingredients:

• 1 T. vegetable oil, divided
• 8 oz. button or shiitake mushrooms, halved
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 t.)
• 1 c. diced onion
• 3 small red potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes (1 ½ cups)
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 small parsnips, peeled and sliced
• 1 ½ t. tomato paste
• 1 15-oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 1 ½ c. vegetable broth
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme, tied in bundle, plus 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme, divided
• ½ cup lager beer
• 1 ½ T. all-purpose flour
• 1 cup shredded cabbage
• 2 Tbs. chopped parsley

Method:
1. Heat 1/2 T. oil in large pot over medium heat. Add mushrooms and garlic; sauté 8 minutes, or until mushrooms are browned. Remove from pan. Add remaining 1/2 T. oil to pot. Add onion, and cook 5 minutes or until translucent. Add potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and tomato paste. Cook 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, broth, and thyme sprigs; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Add lager, flour, and mushrooms. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes, or until thickened, stirring often. Remove thyme sprigs, stir in cabbage, and simmer 4 to 5 minutes, or until cabbage softens. Stir in chopped thyme and parsley, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. 

Serves 6.

Beet Risotto with Greens

This exquisite dish is from Deborah Madison's cookbook Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.  Her description of the "jewel-toned" dish intrigued me, and I'm kind of a sucker for beets anyway, so I had to try it.  Scott, on the other hand, is a hard sell on beets, but even he liked this unusual and lovely dish.  The color is brilliant!

Ingredients:

5.5 - 6.5 c. vegetable stock or bouillon

3 T. butter or a mixture of butter and olive oil (I always use vegan margarine in place of butter.)

1/2 c. finely diced onion

1.5 c. Arborio rice (It's important to use this type of rice, which gives risotto its creamy texture.)

1/2 c. dry white wine

2 T. chopped parsley

2 T. chopped basil or 1 T. dried basil

2 - 3 medium beets, peeled and grated, about 2 cups

2 - 3 c. greens (beet greens, chard, kale, spinach, or collards - stems removed, finely chopped)

salt and freshly ground pepper

grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

Method:

Have the stock simmering on the stove.  Heat the butter in a wide, deep pot, add the onion, and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the rice, stir to coat it well, and cook for 1 minute.  Add the wine and simmer until it's absorbed, then stir in half of the parsley and all of the basil, the grated beets, and the chard, kale, or collard greens (if using...if using beet greens or spinach, wait).  Add 2 c. stock, cover, and cook at a lively simmer until the stock is absorbed.  Begin adding the remaining stock in 1/2-cup increments, stirring constantly until each addition is absorbed before adding the next.  When there is 1 c. of stock left, add the beet greens or spinach, if using.  Taste for salt (I'm generous with this maligned seasoning.), season with pepper, then stir in the lemon zest and juice to taste.  Serve with the remaining parsley.

Broccoli Cornbread

This recipe is modified from a couple of recipes that appear in a cookbook my extended family put together for a family reunion.  I love this as a hearty snack or as an entrée served with a big pot of beans.  I think you'll love it, too.

Vegans could try substituting Ener-G's Egg Replacer.

Ingredients:
1 stick vegan margarine (I like Earth Balance.)
2 c. yellow cornmeal, plus more for dusting the skillet
1 c. flour
1.5 T. baking powder
1.25 t. salt
2 T. sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1.5 c. plant-based milk of your choice
1 medium onion, chopped
1 10-oz. bag frozen broccoli

Method:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  During the preheat, melt the vegan margarine in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet in the oven.  (Cast iron is traditional for cornbread, people!)

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together with a fork.  Stir in the eggs and milk.  When well mixed, stir in the melted butter until well blended.  Stir in the chopped onion.  Finally, stir in the broccoli.

In the butter-coated skillet, sprinkle cornmeal to cover the bottom, then pour the batter over the cornmeal.  Bake until the cornbread is golden and the sides of the bread start pulling away from the skillet (45 - 60 minutes).  Serve huge, delicious chunks with a side of beans, if desired.

Grits with Spinach and Summer Tomatoes

Here's a non-traditional and delicious breakfast that makes use of all those wonderful summer tomatoes...a bowl of grits (prepared according to package directions) topped with chopped spinach (which the hot grits will wilt without any effort from you) and chopped summer tomatoes.  Outstanding!

Heck, this could also be a light lunch or dinner.  Have fun!

Braised Cabbage with Red Beans

This lovely recipe is another barely modified dish from Donna Klein's book The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen.  It's got a creamy, soft taste, and it's easy enough for a weeknight.  Serve with crusty bread for a complete meal.

Ingredients:
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
1/2 - 3/4 head shredded green cabbage (enough for about 8 c.)
4 c. vegetable broth
1 c. arborio rice (It's important to use this specific variety of rice for this dish.)
salt and freshly-ground pepper, to taste
2 15-oz. cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Method:
In a medium stockpot with a lid, heat the oil over medium-low heat.  Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened (about 10 minutes).

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Add the cabbage and 1 c. broth, tossing to combine.  Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring a few times.  Add the remaining broth, and bring to a boil over high heat.  Add the rice, salt (I used 3/4 t.), and pepper.  Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until the rice is tender and most of the broth has been absorbed (15 - 20 minutes).

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Add the beans and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until heated through (about 5 minutes).  Serve warm.
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Serves 4.