Scrambled Tofu and Sauteed Kale

Scrambled Tofu:
(for one)
1/2 package of silken tofu
1 tsp rice bran oil
1 tbsp nutritional yeast seasonings
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
dash of rosemary
dash or two of black salt
dash or two of black pepper
1 garlic cloves minced

Heat the oil and garlic in a pan, add the tofu. Let sizzle for 5 minutes, stirring as needed.
Add the soy sauce if it starts looking a little dry. Add the seasonings, stir fry for a couple more minutes until heated thoroughly.

Sauteed kale:
1 tsp rice bran oil (also great with sesame oil)
1 tsp soy sauce
2 minced garlic cloves
3 cups of chopped kale

Fry garlic in the oil, for a few minutes and then add the kale. Sizzle the kale until it's wilted but still bright green, and may even get a bit crunchy on the edges, if not it's still tasty!

Add the kale and the tofu to one plate and garnish with chopped tomatoes.

The ultimate breakfast burrito

Breakfast Burrito:
tortillas
chao cheese
condiment of choice (salsa, hot sauce, ketchup)
cilantro

Stir-fry Hashbrowns:
4-5 leaves of chopped kale
2 small potatoes grated
1 vegan sausage slice/chopped
2 tbsp vegan margarine
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
8 stalks of asparagus
2 cloves garlic
1 onion chopped

Melt the margarine in a pan, and add the onion. Cook until translucent.
Add potato, asparagus and sausage, cook until the potato softens. Add kale, salt and pepper, cook until the kale wilts, stirring continuously.

Not so Eggs, Tempeh:
2 packages of tempeh, finely chopped or processed using food processor.
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp ground sage
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp water
3 tbsp milk
2 tsp yellow or dijon mustard
2-3 tbsp salsa
1-2 dashes of smoked black salt (optional)

Take one tortilla, half slice of chao cheese and distribute it onto half of the tortilla.  Microwave for 30 seconds.  Alternatively you could put it in the oven on broil for 3-4 minutes, until cheese is melted.
Take out of microwave or oven and spread salsa, ketchup or hot sauce or other desired sauce onto one side of the tortilla.  Place about 1/4 cup of scrambled tempeh on the burrito, then 1/4 cup of the hashbrowns.  Use 5-6 cilantro leaves to top it off, before rolling it up.  Smother it in salsa or other condiment of your choice!

Quiche!!

I have been wanting to get back to posting on this!! Things with school have been really busy with the start of a new semester -- living off of a lot of Pro bars, oatmeal, cereal (corn flakes, dried raisins plus flax seed milk), ready made burritos (Sweet Earth) and going out to eat... I know it's terrible.

And I actually did sick for about a week -- which kind of got me behind in classes and everything -- I blame my husband lol. He went on a trip to Singapore and came back with a terrible virus.  Which I fortunately got.  I know. Lovely.  I consumed about 3 bags of coughdrops in a week, lots and lots and lots of tea.  Natural Philosophy (a local health food store/yoga studio) was wonderful and specially mixed some healing tea for me :) :)

I also did my best to get back into preparing fresh healthy meals and juices -- I am rather time constrained with my schedule, but I am doing the best that I can :)

I have taken a few pictures of some meals that I have made within the past few weeks, which hopefully I will post sooner rather than later... :)

I made this quiche today.. and it was amazing!!

Simple and amazing!

Tofu Quiche:

2 fresh tomatoes chopped
2 cups of swiss chard chopped
1/2 onion chopped
1 package of white mushrooms chopped
2 garlic cloves chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp all purpose herb mix
1/2 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
3-4 drops liquid smoke (optional)
2-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce (optional)
1 tsp vegan worcester sauce
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp black pepper

1/3 - 3/4 cup nut, seed, grain or soy milk
14 oz firm tofu
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp veggie bouillon powder or 1/2 - full veggie bouillon cube -- to taste

2 ready made pie or pizza crusts (deep dish).

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Saute onions, garlic and mushrooms in oil, until onions are transparent.  Add seasonings from herb mix to black pepper and mix well.  Turn off heat and add tomatoes and swiss chard and mix.  Set aside and pour milk into blender with tofu, turmeric, salt and veggie bouillon.  Blend until smooth.

Combine blended mixture with veggies.

Pour into 2 small pie crusts or 1 large.

Serves 4

Savory Breakfast

Cheesy breakfast potato scramble

This is a hearty breakfast, great for celebrations.  If you like vegan sausage, this is a good one to add it to, but it’s not missing if its not added.  Guacamole or chopped  chives would be a fabulous adornment but not necessary.

1 bunch dandelion greens chopped

1 russet potato chopped small

Steam the potato pieces, and once done, put them in a bowl.  Put the greens in the steamer for just a few minutes enough time that they just barely wilt. 

Cheesy sauce:

½ cup nutritional yeast

1 cup water

1 ½ tsp Dijon

½ tsp of salt or kelp ‘salt’

dash of zesty spice (ground lemon)

dash of pepper

1 tbsp of tapioca starch (this gives it’s stringy cheese texture)

1 ½ tsp braggs

‘Scrambled Eggs’

1 lb tofu

½ tsp sage

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

¼ tsp basil

½ tsp turmeric

1 tomato chopped.

1 small onion chopped

2 cloves garlic

1 ½ tsp brags

Saute the garlic and onion in 2 tbsp of water until onion is rather clear.  Mix tofu and seasonings in another bowl and then add to the pan.  Cook until hot.  Add chopped tomato to end. 

These dishes can be served side by side or mixed, based on preference. 

Ultimate Hollandaise Veggie Toss

I went to a potluck yesterday, as I am the only vegan that I know at my work/school I had to choose something that could work even if it was the only thing that I could eat.  I thought about bringing dessert too, I just didn't have that much time to do it as well.

I had a bunch of veggies in the fridge, but I wanted a really nice sauce to go along.

I wanted the sauce to remind me of a hollandaise sauce.

Surprisingly I did a really good job at getting that 'eggy' flavor and consistency.  Not quite sure how I did it, but the interesting this was, this sauce could also be made with a little less liquid and really tastes reminds me of deviled eggs! It would be interesting in future recipes to play with this recipe a little more.. and combine it with some kind of a tofu recipe to actually make vegan deviled eggs!! It would certainly be a fun experiment.

Ultimate Hollandaise Veggie Toss:
Serves 8-10

1 small head of broccoli chopped
1 bunch of kale chopped
1 small head of cauliflower chopped
1/3 head of purple cabbage chopped
3 carrots chopped
1 bunch of asparagus chopped

1/3 cup of tahini
1/4 cup of oil
1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
Juice of 1 1/2 lemons
1tbsp of 1/4 tsp of agave
1/2 tsp of salt
1 tsp of tapioca starch
1/2 tsp of mustard or powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp of broth powder
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp of black pepper
1-2 tbsp of smoked paprika
1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper
1 tbsp of all purpose herbs

Steam the asparagus, carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli together in a pot until a bit softer but still with a crunch. Put steamed veggies in a big bowl to stir.  Then steam kale for a minute, add to the other vegetables.  Steam the cabbage for a very short time, 1-2 minutes, it shouldn't lose it's dark purple color. Let the cabbage cool a bit before blending it with the other vegetables so it doesn't bleed its color onto them.

Whip the rest of the ingredients together, if it's looking anything but creamy, keep whipping :)

If it's still too bitter, you can always add more agave, salt, and apple cider vinegar.
If it doesn't have enough flavor, you can always add more smoked paprika, salt, mixed herbs and
cayenne.

mix the sauce with the veggies, and serve hot!

Unfortunately a couple hours had past before it was served at the potluck and it didn't hold up as well. I may have been overly judgmental of it, because I was very disappointed, but someone did still come up to me and complimented me on the dish... so it's possible that it was fine but I was too critical of it.
I will find out today, if chilling before serving would have improved it.  Some dishes are really incredible once chilled, so I am crossing my fingers on this one! I will let you know as soon as I eat this for lunch if chilling it prior is the best method for this guy.

Also, the hosts were so gracious and made the two main dishes vegan--- I'm pretty sure for me, because I'm the only vegan I know in that circle.  Amazing, it's these small -- to me big-- acts that really touch the heart!

Best!!

Esther