Meatless Monday Recipe-Beer Battered Tofu & Veggies with Sweet Chili Sauce

Beer Battered Tofu & Veggies with Sweet Chili Sauce For those who know me well, you know I'm not one to crave deep fried foods. Nor, am I one to use a lot of oil in my cooking, however I've been craving a deeply encrusted tofu dish. Bruce loved all of it, always one to be up for a gourmet meal. This dish stands alone perfectly with the chili sauce. While I was prepping the chili sauce, I had the tofu between two plates with a can or jar of whatever you have that is 8 oz. or heavier. This squeezes/presses out the extra liquid from the tofu, without a lot of hands on. Sweet Chili Sauce Vegan; Serves 4 (Before I started cleaning the veggies, I prepped the sauce. I put all of the ingredients {except the liquids} in a bowl and set aside until I put the tofu and veggies in the pan. I wanted the sauce and the tofu to be done at about the same time.) 3 Tbs red curry paste (hot ground-I went with a red curry paste, since the chili paste had shrimp.) 2 tsps minced garlic 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar 2/3 cup water 1/3 cup sugar (I used a little over 1/3 cup, and could have cut it to the 1/3 cup) 1 tsp salt 4 tsps cornstarch 4 tbsps chopped cilantro 1. Combine everything, except cilantro, in a small sauce pan and mix. 2. Once blended, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 5 minutes. 3. Remove from heat and stir in cliantro. Beer Battered Tofu & Veggies Vegan; Serves 4 1 (14 oz) package of drained extra firm tofu 1 (12 oz) can cheap beer (I used a blond lauger) 1 1/2 cups flour (I used 1 cup of whole wheat, and 1/2 cup of all purpose) 1 1/2 cups cornmeal 1 Tbs garlic pepper seasoning (I used a roasted red bell pepper with garlic) 1/2 Tbs oregano and 1/2 Tbs of thyme (I put both in 1 Tbs. measuring spoon) 1/4 teaspoon salt (I used a little less) 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 3/4 cup canola oil Use veggies you have on hand, I used asparagus and baby portobello mushrooms. Sweet potato and zucchini would be great, too..... Directions: 1. Mix beer and flour in a bowl until you have a thin batter. Sometimes this uses more or less flour. Just adjust until it looks like a thin pancake batter. 2. On a large plate, mix remaining 6 ingredients. 3. Cut tofu into 1/4 inch thick slices. Clean/cut veggies (I left the mushrooms whole and cut the asparagus "butt" ends off.) 4. Heat oil in heavy skillet or cast iron pan. Carefully dip slices of tofu in beer batter shaking off the excess. Place in cornmeal mixture and tap each side to get coating to stick. 5. Place in hot oil and fry until golden about 3 minutes each side. Remove from pan and place on paper towels to drain. 6. Serve with sweet chili sauce, and enjoy!

Meatless Monday Recipe-Kale, Blueberry, Goji & Avocado Salad

Kale, Blueberry, Goji and Avocado Salad Serves 4 2 small bunches of Tuscan kale 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/4 cup dried goji berries (soak them if they’re very hard or dry) 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, soaked overnight, drained 1 cup blueberries 1 medium avocado, cubed 1. Remove stems and center ribs from kale. Stack leaves and thinly slice crosswise into ribbons. Drizzle with oil, and sprinkle lightly with sea salt and white pepper. Using hands, massage oil and salt into kale leaves. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes. 2. Add goji berries, pumpkin seeds and blueberries to salad, and toss to mix. Divide between individual plates, top with avocado, and serve. Found: Care2.com

Meatless Monday Recipe-Awfully Good Waffles

Awfully Good Waffles
Vegan, Serves 2

I hope everyone had a beautiful Easter! I spent it with Bruce and his sons, and I made these for breakfast. I'm working on more kid friendly recipes, and using them as my "test subjects". The fact that I had to double this recipe. (Yes, I had to make two batches so Bruce and I could have breakfast!) I know this recipe is definitely a keeper, since his oldest was liked plate clean and had 4 pancakes.....

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 Tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt (optional) {I added some salt, since it adds to the taste.}
1 cup soy milk or other non-dairy milk (add more if you are making pancakes) {I used hemp milk-it still has a creamy texture and has more omgea 3s and 6s.}
1/2 cup applesauce {I didn't have applesauce, however, I did have fresh apples. I cut one up [per batch], put apple, a little bit of water [about 2 Tbs.] and 1 tsp of sugar in a food processor until finely chopped. I heated the apple mixture up in a sauce pan, added 1/4 tsp. and 1-2 Tbs. of water on medium heat until fragrant. Add to pancake batter.}

1. Combine the dry ingredients and mix. Add the non-dairy milk and applesauce. pour into an oiled waffle iron, and cook until golden.

Serve with your favorite topping, Grant had his plain (he liked the way the apple chunks kept it sweet), Max had his with agave nectar, and Bruce and I had bananas with agave nectar.....

Meatless Monday Recipe: Spinach-Artichoke Pesto

Spinach-Artichoke Pesto
Vegan

So, what does one do when their boyfriend asks what's for dinner, and you think he'll have his kids-so I don't have to cook. Well this happened last week, since it was spring break and his kids were still out of town. One does what she can to not have to go to the store and still create a fabulous meal, so, while I was driving home and he was walking my four legged furry "kids", I was taking inventory of what is in his fridge. When I googled the recipe-to see how many variations, only one came up. To make it vegan, I went with my own.... Bruce LOVED it! This is great with veggies or to make a complete meal, mix it with some pasta and veggies....

1/4 pound spinach
1 handful of fresh basil, or 1 package
2 packages of artichoke hearts, I found mine in the fresh veggie section, packed in water (I only had 1 on hand, but it really did need the 2nd.)
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil (extra depending on how thick you want it)
2 Tbs. nutritional yeast flakes (add a little at a time)
2 cloves of garlic
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste (I used white peppercorns)
rosemary, to taste (I used maybe a little less then 1/3 tsp)
oregano, to taste (I used maybe a little more then 1/3 tsp)

1. Place ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the spices, more olive oil to taste.

2. We prepared spinach fettuccine and sliced up mushrooms, zucchini, and a tomato (to add more color, this would also be great with yellow squash and orange sweet bell peppers). I sautéed the veggies with olive oil, garlic and onion adding more rosemary, oregano and crushed red peppers. Served with some rosemary bread.

Meatless Monday Recipe-Peas, Carrots, and Tempeh with Miso-Almond Sauce

Peas, Carrots, and Tempeh with Miso-Almond Sauce
Vegan; 30 minutes; Serves 4

So, when I made this recipe, I used what I had on hand and didn't really follow the recipe. It still came out wonderful, I know this since there weren't any left overs the next day. Sorry about being late...... I was volunteering at a pet adoption yesterday. There were 36 pets adopted.

1 cup quinoa (I used bulgur wheat)
3 Tbs. almond butter
2 Tbs. lemon or lime juice (I used the lime-and zested the peel)
1 Tbs. yellow miso (I used soy sauce)
1 Tbs. grated fresh ginger (I zested mine, and used a tad bit more)
1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)
1 Tbs. peanut or canola oil (I used canola-organic)
1 8 oz. pkg. plain tempeh, cubed (I used extra firm tofu)
4 carrots, halved and sliced into half-moons (1 3/4 cups) (I used red and orange sweet bell peppers)
1 lb. sugar snap peas (2 1/2 cups) (I used frozen green beans-organic)

1. Bring 2 cups water to boil. Add quinoa, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 20 minutes, or until all water is absorbed. Remove from heat, let stand 5 minutes.

2. Whisk together almond butter, lemon juice (lime juice and zest), miso, ginger, and garlic. Whisk in 1/3 cup water and set aside.

3. Heat wok (I used a regular skillet) over high heat, until water droplets evaporate within 1 second. Add oil and swirl to coat wok. Add tempeh, and stir-fry two minutes. (If using tofu, this step will take longer. I cooked it until it was golden and "firm".) Add carrots and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add sugar snap peas, and stir-fry 1 minute. Remove from heat.

4. Fluff quinoa with a fork, top with vegetables, and drizzle with miso-almond mixture.

Per 2 cup serving: 448 cal.; 24 g prot.; 17 g total fat (2 g sat fat); 0 mg chol.; 256 mg sod.; 13 g fiber; 9 g sugars.

Found (original recipe): Vegetarian Times April/May 2012