Tag Archives: vegan

Italian Herb Spiced Tofu

I love this lightly fried tofu on pasta with marinara sauce and spinach for an easy, satisfying weeknight meal. The nutritional yeast is optional and while it does add a nice richness, the tofu is still delicious without it.

1 package of firm tofu, drained and lightly pressed with paper towels, cut into 1” dice
bit of olive oil
1 tsp Italian dried herb mix (oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme, rosemary)
¼ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp nutritional yeast, optional
pinch of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper

Heat a bit of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Add tofu cubes and sprinkle with seasonings, gently stir to coat tofu evenly. Then don’t touch tofu and let brown for about 5 minutes, then flip over and cook (without touching) for about 5 minutes more, until golden and a little crispy.

Roasted Squash Quinoa Bowl with Arugula Pesto

Who doesn’t love a good, cozy bowl? This one will fill you right up with beans, quinoa, roasted butternut squash, and a creamy, dreamy, slightly peppery pesto. The three year-old I care for during the week gave this dish two thumbs up and described it as “magical.” (Okay, so she may or may not have had princesses on the brain.)
*The recipe makes about 1 cup of pesto, a little more than needed for this dish. Enjoy any left-overs on sandwiches, sweet potatoes, scrambled tofu, or pasta.

For the arugula pesto:
2 cups arugula
½ cup chopped pecans
1 clove of garlic
1½ tbsp fresh lemon juice
½ cup olive oil
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
salt and black pepper, to taste

Use a food processor fitted with a steel blade to process the arugula, pecans, garlic, lemon juice, and a bit of salt and pepper, until relatively smooth, scraping the sides as needed. With the machine running, slowly pour in the olive oil. Add the nutritional yeast, and pulse to combine. Taste for seasonings and adjust as necessary.

Everything else:
1 cup quinoa (dry measure), cooked
1 medium butternut squash, cubed and roasted
1 cup cooked/14 oz rinsed and drained can of beans (borlotti, chickpea, great northern, etc.)
couple handfuls of arugula

When the butternut squash is fresh from the oven, toss it with the beans. Or, if the squash has been made ahead of time and has cooled down, gently reheat it with the beans on the stove for a few minutes, until hot. Serve squash and beans over quinoa with pesto spooned on top and garnished with a few arugula leaves.

Yield: About 3 servings.

Summer Pizza

This is essentially summer in pizza form, featuring the season’s superstars corn, tomatoes, squash, and pesto. Philip says, “It’s the best pizza ever!” (But he’s a little biased.) I say summertime rocks.
*I used this gluten-free pizza crust recipe, sans xanthan gum, to make two 12″x8″ rectangular pizzas.
*I recommend slicing the squash even thinner than the zucchini half-moons shown in the photo; squash ribbons would be lovely.

par-baked pizza crusts
½ cup pesto (use your favorite)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced
¾ cup roasted corn kernels (from 1 to 1½ ears of corn)
2-3 small summer squashes, sliced very thinly (I used 2 zucchini and 1 yellow)
a few pickled jalapeño slices, optional
olive oil
salt and black pepper
generous handful of fresh basil, roughly chopped at the last minute

Preheat oven to 425°F. On each parbaked pizza crust, spread a layer of pesto, then add tomato slices, scatter the corn kernels, and top with squash . Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place jalapeño slices on top, if using. Bake for about 7 to 10 minutes, til squash is just cooked, then remove from oven and garnish with fresh basil.

Easy Peasy Cold Noodle Salad

Here, a summery cold noodle salad, with crunchy radish, creamy avocado, fragrant cilantro, and simple green peas. If you’re not keen on cilantro then just leave it out– it will still taste delicious.
*To toast the sesame seeds, heat in a dry skillet over medium heat for about a minute, watching closely, just until lightly browned and fragrant.

1 (8.8 oz) package of noodles (I used black rice)
1 heaping cup of frozen peas
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
a few small radishes, thinly sliced
1 avocado, diced
handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
sriracha for serving (optional)

For the dressing, whisk together:
3½ tbsp tamari
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil

Cook noodles according to package directions. At the last minute of cooking time, add the peas, cook for remaining minute, then drain and rinse with cold water.
Add dressing and toasted sesame seeds to the noodles and peas, mix to combine. Top with radish slices, avocado, and cilantro. Serve with sriracha.

Yield: About 3 servings

Peanut Noodles with Kale

Apparently I have a thing for kale. And noodles. Heaven knows my boyfriend and I have a thing for peanut butter— in fact I just ordered of 4 pack of our favorite kind online since our local natural foods store appears to have stopped carrying it. I probably eat so much kale because it’s so ubiquitous and is pretty much a mainstay at the farmers’ market; you can depend on kale even when those fair weather vegetables totally flake on you. It’s also really good, good for you, and incredibly versatile. I doubt I have to sell you on noodles.
*I use salted peanut butter here. If yours is unsalted, you might want to add a pinch of salt or a little extra tamari to the peanut sauce. Conversely, if you use super salty peanut butter (like some of the Whole Foods 365 brand varieties), you might want to use reduced sodium tamari.
*If your kale seems very tough, you might want to boil it first (before braising), for about 5 minutes.

1 (8.8 oz) package of soba noodles
drizzle of olive oil
½ small red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch kale, rough ends removed, chopped
salt
2 tbsp hemp seeds (optional)
sriracha for serving (optional)

For the Peanut Sauce, whisk together:
¼ cup smooth unsweetened peanut butter
1 tbsp tamari
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
½ tsp agave
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and minced
3 tbsp warm water

Drizzle some olive oil into a large pan and cook onion over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring fairly frequently.
Add garlic and cook another 2 minutes, watching closely and stirring as needed.
Stir in kale and a small pinch of salt, add a couple splashes of water, cover, and raise heat to medium high. Cook for about 6 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more water if needed.
Meanwhile, cook noodles in lightly salted water according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
Toss noodles with kale and peanut sauce, and sprinkle on the hemp seeds, if using. Serve with sriracha if desired.

Yield: About 3 servings