Tofu Lettuce Wraps

This week I had dinner at the home of a very lovely couple. They hooked me on a brand new dish I'd never even thought to make! Tofu Lettuce Wraps :)

I spun it a little (as I do everything) in my own way but my taste buds are very thankful for the inspiration!

You'll need:

Green Leaf Lettuce
1 block Organic Firm Tofu
1 Zucchini
1/2 Lemon
1/2 c. of Corn (more or less to taste)
Garlic to taste (I used about 7 cloves but I'm a bit of a garlic freak and they were pre-roasted so they weren't as potent)
Soy Sauce
Sweet and Sour Sauce
Sriracha
(Spicy Mustard...I didn't use this time but wished I had)
Ginger
Salt
Pepper

I got my corn and garlic from an anti-pasta bar at the market but you could also use regular cob corn and raw garlic.

Here goes!

1.Add soy sauce and 1/4 lemon juice to a wok  or skillet and allow to heat
2. Cut Zucchini into fourths and add to wok
3. Let Zucchini cook for a minute or two and add corn and garlic, stir

4.In a separate skillet add soy sauce, the rest of the lemon juice and diced tofu
5.Mash tofu and scramble as you would an egg, it can be as chunky or smooth as you like
6. Add ginger and sriracha to taste

7. Once tofu has warmed, add it to the veggie mixture and let simmer until hot
8. Rinse and separate lettuce

Ta Da!!  Yummy, healthy lettuce wraps!

I added the sweet and sour sauce and sriracha into each lettuce wrap as I wanted...the sweet/spicy flavor was awesome! So tasty, I definitely ate WAY too much!

** You could have a side of brown rice with hoisin or sweet and sour OR Brussel sprouts and potatoes like my super cook friends served**

Enjoy!

Avocado Pasta Sauce

Tonight I rummaged the pantry and found everything I needed to make creamy avocado pasta sauce! You'll need:

1/2 lemon
1 avocado
Parsley
Basil
Spinach
Black olives
2tbsp olive oil
Salt
Pepper

I didn't use a food processor so it was a slight time suck but still very easy!

Put the juice of one half lemon into a mixing bowl and whisk together with spices to taste and olive oil. Peel, pit and mash the avocado until very smooth. Whisk avocado with lemon mix the chip spinach and olives finely and add. Mix in the pasta, add a bit of crushed red pepper and there ya go! :) Delish!

Vegan Pesto and Asparagus

Most store bought Pesto has Parmesan cheese in it, which I try not to eat, so I decided to make my own!

You'll need:

Basil
Garlic
Yellow Onion
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
A food processor
Any type of past you like, preferably without an egg base
Sun dried tomatoes
Asparagus


9 ingredients for an entire meal? Not bad!

Cook the pasta as the box instructs. As the pasta is cooking, cut the asparagus (just the white ends) and coat in olive oil, salt and pepper on a cookie sheet. bake for about 15 minutes on 350.

For the pesto:
in a food processor combine basil, garlic cloves to taste, olive oil, salt and pepper

I always estimate on my measurements and typically add to taste since I like stronger tastes then most but here is a guideline:

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Some people add pine nuts or walnuts as well, I didn't this time.
In a separate pan i sauteed the sun dried tomatoes and yellow onion until the tomatoes were slightly blackened.

Drain the pasta and add the pesto sauce on top (don't be alarmed if it isn't creamy like most pesto, the lack of cheese means it won't be) and sprinkle sun dried tomatoes and onion to taste. Have some baked asparagus on the side and enjoy!

Sweet Breakfast

People don't pay much attention to breakfast but I recently helped make a fantastic Sunday Funday Brunch and my vegetarian/vegan contributions were pretty tasty!

Super Simple Fruit Salad:
As a vegetarian (aspiring vegan) and someone without much of a sweet tooth, i often forget about fruit. This sweet salad made me happy I remembered fruit for this brunch.

Banana, Strawberry, Grapes and Orange Juice

Vegan Waffles:
I skimped a bit and bought a freezer version of these yums. You can look for the "vegetarian/gluten free" section in your local grocery store and find any number of brands with dairy and egg free waffles. I put a very small amount of Agave and Justin's Peanut Butter on the waffles. I will be learning how to make my own vegan waffles and I'll share that soon!

Lastly I added a side plate of whole grapes and watermelon...just because I love them so much!

Curried Tofu Scramble

This is one of my favorites!!

You'll need:
Curry Powder
Cumin
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
Avocado
Firm Organic Tofu
Bell Pepper
Yellow Onion
Tomato
(You can add or take out any veggies you like/don't like)

First I cut the tofu into cubes and place din a skillet with a small amount of olive oil. I mashed the tofu and then mixed as i would a cracked egg, adding in the curry powder and cumin to taste.
I added the vegetables which I'd chopped as I would for a stir fry (maybe a bit smaller).
Add the tomato last, it's better when it's not too mushy from the heat.
Lastly I chopped the avocado and topped the scramble with it.

This was fantastic! It reminded me SO much of eggs and had that curry kick that I love. It was a really clean, refreshing meal.

Avocado Stuffed Mushrooms

I was searching the internet for some interesting ways to use avocado and I came across a recipe for stuffed mushroom. I tweaked it A LOT and here is what I got:

You'll need:
Crimini Mushrooms
Avocado
Chinese Spicy Mustard
Ginger Pear Dressing (or any similar dressing of your choice...just nothing dairy based)
Extra Firm Organic Tofu
Spinach
Sweet Potato
Red Pepper
Onion

First I took the stems out of the mushrooms and marinated them in the Ginger Pear Dressing.

Next I chopped, mashed and whipped the avocado with Chinese Spicy Mustard 

After the avocado was nice a creamy I stuffed the mushrooms with it :)

 

Next came the tofu. I cut the tofu into thin rectangular strips and sauteed them in soy sauce and the Ginger Pear dressing until golden brown.

As I sauteed the tofu I put the mushrooms on a baking sheet and placed them in the oven (after adding a bit of cracked pepper to the tops). I baked them on 350 for about 20 minutes. During this time I also sliced the sweet potato into fry like slices and baked them.

After the mushrooms and sweet potatoes were done I made a small salad with spinach, red pepper and mushrooms. I placed the mushrooms and tofu on the salad, added some Ginger Pear Dressing and had the fries as a side.

It was great! The avocado puree had a small spice to it from the mustard and the mushrooms and salad were sweet from the dressing. Yum!

 

Sweet Potato and Kale Sautee

This one was super simple and super yummy!
Kale Sautee:
Fresh Kale leaves
Spinach leaves
Red Bell Pepper
Yellow Onion
Mushroom
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Sweet Potato:
Sweet Potato
Pecans
Salt
Pepper

I cut and boiled one sweet potato then mashed it with salt, pepper and pecan.
While I did this I sauteed the onion (it takes longest to cook) with the other veggies. Take into account that the kale and spinach largely decrease in size as they cook. You may want to use more than you think you'll need.

Very filling and the sweetness of the potato was offset by the very slight bitterness of the cooked kale.