Tofu Stir Fry

This was such a simple meal to throw together, since I used the leftover marinade from the baked tofu I made the other day. I just bought some frozen stir-fry veggies, cubed up some tofu, and voila – dinner! You can really play around with this recipe – you could use whatever fresh or frozen veggies you have on hand, and substitute just about any nut for the almonds! As a busy mom of 2, the frozen veggie mix was perfect for a quick and easy (yet healthy!) dinner.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb firm or extra-firm tofu
• 1 portion of marinade from Marinated Baked Tofu
• 1 pkg frozen mixed stir-fry vegetables
• 1/4 cup toasted almond slices*
• 1-2 tbsp sesame seeds
• soy sauce to taste

Preparation:

Cut tofu into 1-inch cubes. Heat wok or large skillet on high. Add marinade and frozen veggies, and stir-fry until veggies are cooked. Add tofu and stir-fry another few minutes, being careful not to mash the tofu. Pour extra soy sauce over mixture if it becomes too dry.

Remove from heat and stir in toasted almond slices. Transfer to a serving dish and top with sesame seeds. Serve over brown rice, with extra soy sauce if desired.

* If you buy raw almond slices, simply toast on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for 5 – 10 minutes. You will need to check on these toward the end as they burn easily.

Breakfast – Soy Yogurt Parfait

Breakfast is probably my favorite meal of the day. Here’s another option for those of you stuck in the cereal & milk/soymilk rut. I just take soy yogurt and top it with some granola and fresh blueberries. I used Wholesoy Plain yogurt and Kashi GoLean Crunch cereal today (yes, I know GoLean Crunch has honey in it, but I’m not a stickler about avoiding honey!). You could use any granola and any fresh berry that you want – we are definitely coming into berry season in the Pacific Northwest and I am SO excited about that!! For some extra nutrition you could sprinkle some nuts or ground flaxseed on top. Have a nice day!

Marinated Baked Tofu

If anyone is unsure about trying tofu, give this recipe a try!! Tofu is the perfect food for marinating as it readily soaks up flavors, and once baked takes on a lovely chewy texture. If you cut the tofu into thin slabs, it makes a nice sandwich filling; if you cut it into cubes, it’s great thrown into a stir-fry. But once I have smelled this baking for an hour, it’s all I can do not to gobble it all up immediately just as it is! For that reason, I always double or triple this recipe! Joanne Stepaniak deserves the credit for this delicious marinade, which can be found in her cookbook Vegan Vittles.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp soy sauce (I use low-sodium)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp brown rice vinegar (you can substitute regular white vinegar, I did!)
• 1 Tbsp fresh gingerroot, grated or minced (or 1/2 tsp ground ginger)
• 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil*
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
• 1 pound firm or extra-firm tofu (use extra-firm if you can find it!)**

Preparation:

Drain the tofu, then pat dry with a kitchen towel. Set aside on top of another dry towel while you prepare the marinade. This will take some of the moisture out of the tofu, which will allow it to soak up more flavor!

Combine all other ingredients in a bowl. Cut the tofu into any shape you desire! You can cut it into cubes, slabs, or triangles. To make triangles, like those pictured above, simply cut the block of tofu in half or in thirds so that you have 2 or 3 equal slabs (depending on the thickness desired). Then cut each slab into quarters, and cut each quarter across diagonally to form triangles. Lay tofu in the bottom of a container and pour marinade over the top, being careful to cover every inch of tofu! Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight if you wish. Turn tofu over once or twice during this time so that all sides marinate equally!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain marinade off of tofu and save for another use – it makes a great sauce for a stir-fry! Place marinated tofu pieces in a single layer on a lightly oiled or sprayed baking sheet. Bake for about 1 hour, flipping tofu after 30 minutes! Let stand at least 5 minutes before serving. Serve hot or cold.

*Don’t skip the toasted sesame oil – it is really a key flavor in this marinade! You can find it at some supermarkets, Asian food stores, or health food stores. I got mine from Trader Joe’s.

**Make sure to use regular tofu, found in the refrigerated section of the supermarket and packed in water (as opposed to silken tofu, which is found in aseptic packaging on a supermarket shelf).

Lentil-Rice Soup

After posting the time-consuming Spanokopita recipe, I figured I should share something that doesn’t take 2 hours to assemble! Here’s a basic lentil soup recipe that is simple and easy to prepare. I was in the mood for cumin today, but you can substitute any spices you want, such as oregano, sage, thyme, or basil. Also, pearl barley is a delicious substitute for the brown rice! Here’s the basic recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups dry brown/green lentils
• 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 large shallots (or 1 medium onion), finely chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 tsp ground cumin (or whatever spice you are in the mood for!)
• 5 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup dry white wine
• salt* and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 3-4 cups loosely packed baby spinach (or chopped spinach)

Preparation:

Rinse lentils and brown rice, and set aside. Heat olive oil in a stock pot over medium heat. Add shallots, garlic, and celery and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add carrots, cumin, stock, water, and wine and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover. Let simmer for 1 – 1 1/2 hours. Add salt and/or freshly ground black pepper to taste. Remove from heat and stir in raw spinach. Let stand 2 or 3 minutes before serving, giving spinach time to cook slightly. Enjoy!

*The amount of salt required will vary greatly depending on what kind of broth you use. I like to use a bouillon called “Better Than Bouillon” – 5 tsp bouillon paste mixed with 5 cups of water to make the 5 cups broth in the recipe. This is very salty and I never need to add salt at the end. However, if you make your own broth or buy liquid broth in a carton, you will probably need to add salt at the end.

Spanokopita (spinach phyllo pies)

I’ve made this as a casserole before, but for Father’s Day I actually attempted the traditional triangle-shaped Spanokopita! They turned out great, and the wrapping was surprisingly fun to do! They are easy but time-consuming, so I recommend you prepare the filling and then set up a table in front of the TV and watch a movie while you wrap! Or at least make sure you have some company! Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• Fresh ground pepper (to taste)
• 1 lb frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 1 lb firm tofu
• 1/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 pkg phyllo pastry* (if using frozen, thaw overnight in the refrigerator)
• Lots of extra olive oil for brushing
• Dried dill for garnishing

Filling:

Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, salt, and pepper and sautée until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Place thawed spinach into a colander and squeeze out as much water as possible.

Place tofu into a food processor and process until it resembles the texture of ricotta cheese. If you don’t want to use a food processor, mash finely with a fork. Transfer tofu to a bowl and add squeezed spinach and other remaining ingredients (except for the extra olive oil and dried dill). Mix thoroughly. Add additional salt and/or pepper to taste.

Pastries:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Unroll thawed phyllo pastry. Different brands of phyllo pastry come in different sizes. If a sheet of pastry is about the size of a 9 x 13 baking pan, you have small pastry sheets. If it is double this size, you have large sheets.

Take one sheet of pastry and lay it out on a cutting board. (Keep a clean damp cloth over the remaining stack, otherwise it will dry out!) If you have a large sheet, cut it in half widthwise – each half sheet will make one pie. Proceed to cut the half-sheet length-wise into two long strips. Brush olive oil onto one strip, layer the other strip on top, and brush olive oil onto the top strip also.

Place a heaping spoonful of the filling onto the bottom corner of the short end of the strip. Fold that corner up to form a triangle. Fold that triangle up again, then again, then again, until you have reached the top and have a single triangle. It is difficult to put into words but it is just like folding a flag! Place completed triangle onto a cookie sheet, brush with olive oil and sprinkle a little bit of dried dill on top. Repeat with remaining phyllo sheets until you have used up all the filling. You may or may not use the whole package – it depends on what brand phyllo you are using!

Bake for 20-25 minutes. You might need 2 cookie sheets to hold all of the pastries; if this is the case put two oven racks as close to the middle as possible, and place one sheet on top and one on bottom. Rotate halfway through cooking. After 20 minutes, keep an eye on these because they can brown very quickly!

*Phyllo pastry can be found in either the refrigerated or frozen section of most supermarkets. For large frozen phyllo sheets, I recommend The Fillo Factory Organic Fillo Dough – it comes in either white or whole wheat (I used whole wheat in the photo). For small refrigerated sheets, I recommend Athens Fillo Dough. Both brands are made without hydrogenated oils or trans fats.

Breakfast – Berry Smoothie & Oatmeal

Here’s a simple recipe to get us started – a very basic fruit smoothie! We probably drink smoothies once or twice a week. My basic recipe for one adult is: 1 cup orange juice, 1 cup frozen berries, 1 ripe banana, 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed meal. For kids, I’ll use half this amount. Today I used mostly blueberries and a few raspberries. Alternatively, I’ll occasionally make a creamy smoothie using soymilk instead of juice. I especially like this when I have frozen strawberries, peach, or melon to blend in.

This morning we paired a fruit smoothie with oatmeal for a healthy breakfast. We had oatmeal with raisins, raw walnuts, and a drizzle of pure maple syrup. Oatmeal has a good amount of protein and iron, and the vitamin-C rich smoothie enhances our bodies’ ability to absorb the iron, which is a plus! Also, both the flaxseed in the smoothie and walnuts on the oatmeal provide us with omega-3 fatty acids. I prefer oatmeal with a bit of chewy texture, so I use slow-cooking rolled oats and bring the water to a boil before adding the oats. A dash of cinnamon while cooking adds a nice touch.

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Welcome! I am a vegan mother of 2 and my passion is nutrition and delicious vegan cooking!! Check back for recipes, food photos, and discussion of nutrition, parenting, and other vegan issues!