vegetables

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Things are very busy around this household, and to cut back on prep time everyday, I have been trying to make extra large dinners that will last for at least two or three lunches. Plus we’re both trying to get a little more fit, so the focus has been on healthy, generally vegetarian meals with lots of protein.

Sunday night I pulled together a bunch of random ingredients to make a delicious quinoa dish with crumbled tofu and peanut sauce.

lime and ginger

This dish was super simple and ended up being delicious. Here’s the scoop:

Ingredients

3 cups quinoa, cooked according to package instructions

1 package extra firm tofu, thoroughly drained and crumbled into small pieces

1 cup natural peanut butter

1 cup coconut milk

1/2 medium purple cabbage, chopped finely

8 large carrots, chopped finely

1 tsp red curry paste

4 tsp grated ginger

juice of one lime

peanut butter

carrots and cabbage

While the quinoa cooked, I prepared the vegetables, chopping them to tiny bits together in my Cuisinart.

image

Once the carrots and cabbage were ready, I mixed them and the tofu in with the quinoa. I thinned out the peanut butter by adding some warm water and poured that in as well.  I then added the coconut milk.

Once all of the vegetables, quinoa, tofu, and peanut butter were mixed, I added in the curry paste and ginger, stirred some more, and let it simmer until heated all the way through. Right before serving, I added a squeeze of lime to each bowl.

peanut tofu quinoa

This no-fuss meal was a perfect dinner and an even better lunch with a little extra coconut milk and some leftover sweet potato added to it. The quinoa and tofu gave it a hefty protein kick, and the veggies added some extra nutrients.

It was definitely not a fancy meal, but the flavors and the little prep worked involved made it a new favorite. We’ve been making chilis, curries, and other big batches of food to get us through the week.

What are some of your favorites?

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Tags: dinner, Lunch, quinoa, recipe, tofu, vegan, vegetables, Vegetarian

I’ll be honest. It has been quite awhile since I cooked anything new or exciting. First I was away in New Jersey and then I was eating loads of pasta and other carbs plus lots of kale smoothies, prepping for the Boston Marathon. Once the marathon was over, I had almost no appetite, and when I did, I was starving and eating pretzels, chips, pudding, and other snacks or takeout.

After a week of that, I not only started to get bored with my eating, but I also realized that without the training, I need to adjust the way I eat. I am also going to be in and out of a new office for awhile, so eating real meals and planning is going to be key.

On Monday night, I decided to get back in the kitchen with a new ingredient I picked up at Trader Joe’s, Just Almond Meal. My original plan was to add it to yogurt for an extra boost of protein, and I did that for breakfast. After spending some time googling, I also decided to make a pizza crust.

almond meal

Pizza crust made with almond meal is gluten free and has a nice amount of protein. Making the crust is easy, just 2 cups of almond meal, 3 eggs, a few drops of olive oil, and a pinch of salt. I added some garlic powder for seasoning, mixed it all up, and then formed it into a pizza on an oiled pizza pan.

almond meal

To dry the dough out, I baked it for about 6 minutes in a 425 degree oven. The recommended temperature is 350, but I was roasting perfect Brussels sprouts at the time too.

While the dough got nice and dry for the toppings, I chopped leeks and melted them down in some nice brown butter. I also made a quick pizza sauce with canned plum tomatoes with basil, salt, and a pinch of sugar.

leeks

When the dough was dry, I topped it with the sauce, goat cheese, and leeks. I cooked it for about 15 minutes, until it was brown at the edges and the cheese was melted.
gluten free pizza

I served the pizza with roasted Brussels sprouts that had been drizzled with honey. I was trying to recreate the Russell House Tavern sprouts. Mine were good, but not that good.

Brussels sprouts

The pizza? It was delicious. It definitely had a hefty crust that filled me up quickly, but I really enjoyed how buttery it was and how easy it was to make. The toppings were perfect. You can’t go wrong with leeks and goat cheese! I didn’t tell my husband about the crust until he finished and was raving about the pizza. We were both pleasantly surprised at how good this nutrient-rich option was. I’ll definitely be using almond meal to make crust and other baked goods in the future. But don’t worry, I am not going all Paleo on you, just mixing things up a bit.

Have you tried any new-to-you ingredients or cooking methods lately?

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Tags: brussels sprouts, dinner, Food, leeks, pizza, vegetables, Vegetarian

More vegetables! I absolutely love blended, creamy soups, and despite the warm weather yesterday was craving something hot and comfy. A veggie soup was just the thing, light enough for the weather but a little bit comforting too. This “recipe” would work with all sorts of vegetables. I totally eyeballed it and used what I had in the house.

I started by thawing about two cups of frozen cauliflower.

frozen cauliflower

And cleaning and chopping eight large carrots. (There were more than just the carrots in this pic; I can count. Winking smile)

carrots

One large white onion, cut into thin slices, tossed with a glug of olive oil went into the pot. I set the onions cooking low and slow while I boiled some water and prepped my potatoes.

onion

I used four fairly large potatoes, skins and all, boiled until soft.

potatoes

When the potatoes were ready, I opened a can of cannellini beans, drained them, and tossed them into the pot which now contained the cauliflower, onion, oil, carrots, one jalapeno, and ground black pepper.

white beans

I poured in just enough chicken stock to cover the vegetables and let them all simmer until soft.

making soup

And then I got distracted by my open windows, warm breezes, and blasting music. I figured a dance party was more important than photographing dinner.

The rest of the process included pouring the contents of the pot into the blender and blending until smooth. It was a bit of a hassle and mess to pour it in to the blender, but I find I am often disappointed by my immersion blender. It just doesn’t do the trick.

The soup was delicious, smooth and velvety with flavor from the chicken stock and onions. It was definitely one of those dishes that required several bowls to be satisfying; something with it might have rounded out the meal a little better. I actually made frozen fries at 10:00 pm because I was still hungry. I was really dreaming about cheesy bread again though.

I guess this soup gets two thumbs up as an appetizer or a side. I would definitely make it again.

Has this lovely weather changed your food cravings yet? I for one can not wait for tomatoes, corn, strawberries, and watermelon, but I will be happy to get through asparagus, ramps, artichokes, and fiddleheads first.

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Tags: Food, recipe, soup, vegetables

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