Fried Tofu

I served fried tofu with rice noodles in spicy peanut sauce and roasted veggies. Yum!

2 packages extra firm tofu pressed and cut into cubes

1/4 cup liquid amino

1/4 cup corn starch

1 Tbsp. Garlic powder

1 tsp. Pepper blend

1 c. oil of choice for frying

Marinade tofu cubes in aminos. The tofu will absorb the liquid.

Mix corn starch and seasonings and toss gently with tofu.

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet and have pan with wire rack ready to drain cooked tofu.

Fry until golden and crispy. Drain on wire rack.

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I roasted bok choy, broccoli, red peppers, green onions, and snow peas.

I served it up over rice noodles tossed with spicy peanut sauce (store bought)

Vegan Sausage With Mango Coconut Curry Lentils

Mangoes everywhere! It’s that time of year. I’ve been searching for recipes so they don’t go to waste, and came up with this winner!

1 large onion, chopped

2 bell peppers, chopped

1/2 C. chopped carrots

2 cloves garlic minced

2 Tbsp. Coconut oil

1 can whole coconut milk

1 packet Mantiou Thai Green coconut curry starter (or 2 Tbsp. Green Curry paste)

1 C. Green lentils

1 C. Water

3 mangoes, diced

6 vegan sausages, sliced

Cook onions, peppers, and carrots in Dutch oven in coconut oil until softened.

Add sliced sausage. Cook until browned.

Add coconut milk, curry, lentils, garlic, water, and half of the mango.

Cook in crock pot until lentils are tender. 4 hours high or 8 hours low.

Add remaining mango right before serving.

Serve over rice.

Super yummy!

Cinco de Mayo Chicken, Rice, Beans and Homemade Baked Tostones

My son gave me a plantain press, so I decided to try homemade tostones for the first time.  What better day than Cinco de Mayo.  They were a huge success.   I cooked them in the oven along side the chicken while the rice and beans were on the stovetop.

6 plantains, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices

1/4 c. grapeseed oil

Salt to taste (we like them pretty salty)

8 chicken patties (I actually used Gardein Crispy Chick’n Patties)

1 jar salsa (I used roasted tomatillo with pineapple)

Cheese to melt on top (I used vegan cheese, which isn’t pretty, but tastes yummy)

Start rice cooking and black beans heating on stovetop.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Toss plantain slices with oil and spread out on a baking sheet.

Place salsa in the bottom of two 13 x 9 taking dishes.  Top with patties and sprinkle with cheese.

Place plantain slices on the lower rack and patties on the upper rack.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove plantains from oven.  Reduce heat to 375F.

Smash plantains and place brown side up on the baking sheet, and return to the oven with the chicken for 15 minutes more.

The rice was done first, so I kept it warm on the stovetop.

We will definitely have this again!

Vegetarian Green Bean Main Dish Casserole

This is a super easy for a weeknight meal.  Ingredients on hand, ready to go.  Variations are endless.

2 packages frozen crumbles

1 onion, chopped

Oil to soften onion

1 tsp. seasoned salt

1 tsp.  garlic powder

(variations available based on seasoning choices!)

2 cans french style green beans, drained

1 can garbanzo beans, drained

1 pouch Imagine non-dairy cream of mushroom soup

1 pouch vegan cheddar shredds

1 package tater tots (I used Ore Ida mini tots)

Chop onion – I used a sweet red onion

Put tater tots in oven to cook according to directions.

Cook onion in large skillet in oil with seasonings until translucent.

Drain beans and add in to onion.

Stir in soup and heat through.

Keep warm until tater tots are ready.  I cooked them on parchment and made them extra crispy.

Pour skillet ingredients into prepared baking dish.

Top with cooked tater tots.  I could have used sweet potato tots to eliminate nightshades.,

Sprinkle with vegan cheddar shredds.

Pop into the oven at 400-425F for 15 minutes or until shredds melt.

Variations – veggie tater tots or sweet potato tots, other varieties of soup, other vegetables besides green beans, real ground meat instead of crumbles.  Mexican style?  Indian style?  Italian style?  Yum, Yum, Yum.

 

 

Amazing Gluten Free Lactose Free Mac and Cheese

This is hands down the best yet!

2 packages Modern Table noodles

16 oz.  Lactose Free cottage cheese

8 oz. Vegan cream cheese

8 oz.  Vegan cheese

Seasoned salt and garlic powder to taste.   I used about 1/2 to 1 tsp. each.

Cook noodles according to directions.

Meanwhile heat cream cheese, cottage cheese and seasonings in small saucepan to melt cream cheese.

Pour drained, hot noodles into 13 x 9 baking dish.  Pour sauce over and mix.

Top with vegan cheese and bake 25 minutes at 400F.   Yummy.

I cooked it alongside Garden turk’y cutlets.  Yumm.

Easy Ginger Miso Chicken Stir Fry

Some days dinner just comes together and is perfection.  My picture doesn’t do it justice, but you will thank me!!!  Yummmmm.

All convenience foods, so easy.

2 to 3 lbs. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs.

1 bottle Organicville Miso Ginger Vinaigrette

1 pouch Kame Thai Stir Fry Noodles

1 bag Eat Smart Stir Fry Noodles

Cook thighs in slow cooker on low 7 hours.

Cook noodles and vegetables in microwave.

Cut up thighs into bite- size pieces using kitchen shears.  Stir in noidles and veggies. It sat on warm for 30 to 45 minutes and held up well.

Gluten Free Non Dairy Grilled Cheese and Sheet Pan Potato Skins

0These were soooo good.  Creamy, stringy vegan cheese,  amazing gluten free rye bread, and tofutti sour cream.

Canyon Bakehouse Gluten Free Rye Bread

Daiya Dairy Free Cheddar Style Slices

Vegan Butter for outside of sandwich

Russet Potatoes

Vegan Cheese Shredds

Vegan bacon (optional)

Grapeseed oil for brushing.

1.  Bake and cool potatoes.  Cut in half and scooped-out potato leaving just a little white and the skins. Reserve the stuff you scoop out for mashed potatoes another night!

2.  Brush skins with oil, top with shredds, and place on sheet pan.  Season as desired.

3.  Assemble grilled cheese sandwiches and prepare to bake on sheet pan or cook in large skillet.

4.  Bake 425 for 15 minutes.  Sandwiches need to be flipped halfway through.

Top the skins with chives mod sour cream if desired.  Yummmm.

The Canyon Bakehouse rye bread was the best! We used it when we had Beyond Burger patty melts. Recipe to be posted soon!

 

Gluten Free, Non Dairy, Vegetarian Burritos

My niece is in town for a visit adding yet another set of food allergies to cook around!  We all loved these burritos!  I was glad to find a taco sauce with no black pepper that she could eat.

We are lucky here in Florida to have so many great allergen free foods.

1 onion, chopped

3- 4 Tbsp. Grapeseed oil

2 tsp. The Spice Hunter coriander lime rub

1/2 cup Brazilian spinach, torn

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. salt

4 cups cooked brown rice

1 package Gardein crumbles

1 pouch Frontera Texas skillet taco sauce

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 pouch vegan cheese shreds

Large tortillas.  Recipe makes approximately 12- 14 burritos.

Start by softening onion in a little oil, reserving some to brush the burritos prior to baking.  Season with salt and coriander lime seasoning.

Add in spinach, garlic, and crumbled, cooking till spinach is softened.

In a large bowl, combine rice, beans, taco sauce, shredded vegan cheese and crumbles.

I used a standard ice cream scoop and put 2 scoops on each tortilla, wrapping envelope style.

I placed them on a sheet pan and brush them with oil and bake at 350 F for 20 minutes or until golden.

Salmon and Brown/Wild Rice with Veggies and Lentils

Lucky’s (the sip and stroll store) had some beautiful sockeye salmon on sale that called out to me!  My surrogate daughter Beth, who is vegetarian, was over.  I wanted to make a hearty  side for her to join us!  We all loved the rice, and the lentils and garbanzo beans provided her with a little protien.  The color is not as pretty when you cook the veggies in the rice cooker as opposed to stir frying them and adding them in at the end.  It is, however, much easier to throw it all in the rice cooker and walk away!  It tastes yummy, but if I was having guests, I would opt for the stir fry method for prettier presentation.  I threw together some things I had on hand for the marinade and it was a hit!  The non-fish eaters had boneless chicken with the same marinade and said it was good too.

Marinade salmon filet in a mixture of Italian dressing and balasamic glaze (2 to 1 ratio), with a little minced ginger added.  My marinade was about 2 Tbsp. dressing, 1 Tbsp.  balsamic glaze and 1/2 tsp. ginger for each serving of fish.  The filet was 1.2 lbs. and I cut it into three servings.

Meanwhile preheat the oven to 350F and start the rice in the rice cooker, because it will take about twice as long as the salmon will.

For the rice:

2 C. brown rice

1/2 C. wild rice

1/2 C. dried lentils

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 bag broccoli slaw or other coarsely chopped vegetables

3 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. seasoned salt or other seasoning blend

6 C. water

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

Combine all except garbanzo beans and cook in a rice cooker (one of my favorite small appliances!).  It will take about 40-45 minutes, so set the timer for 20 minutes, then put the salmon in the oven in a shallow baking dish, pouring remaining marinade over it.

When the liquid in the rice cooker was almost gone, I stirred in the garbanzo beans.  My rice cooker has a tendency to overcook towards the end, causing some of the rice to stick and over cook, so I usually stir in a little olive oil while there’s still a little liquid left to keep this from happening.

 

 

Pearl Couscous With Broccoli Slaw

I had some Pearl couscous and was inspired to mix it with some broccoli slaw I had on hand.  The result was so yummy and so easy, I will definitely serve it again!

Just cook the Pearl couscous according to directions, let it cool and then mix it with the broccoli slaw. Yummm.