Thai Lettuce Wraps

These come from one of our favorite cookbooks: Everyday Happy Herbivore

Thai Lettuce Wraps:

• Thai Peanut sauce (see below)
• 1/2 c. cooked brown rice
• 1 c. cubed tofu
• 1 cucumber, shredded
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 6 lettuce leaves
• bean sprouts (optional). we use micro-greens instead since we can't ever find bean sprouts.
• 3 green onions (optional)
• fresh cilantro (optional)
• juice of lime wedges (optional)

Spoon all the ingredients, except lime wedges, into lettuce wraps. Squeeze fresh lime juice over the top if desired. Drizzle with Thai Peanut Sauce and serve.

Thai Peanut Sauce:

• 1 T. PB 
• 1 T. warm water
• 1 T. sweet chili sauce
• juice of 1 lime wedge
• 2 tsp. soy sauce
• 1 1/4 tsp. rice vinegar
• few light dashes of garlic powder (granulated)
• few light dashes of ginger
• 1 to 2 drops Sriracha (Asian hot sauce)  (we've never used this)
• 1 T. nondairy milk

In small bowl, combine PB, water, chili sauce, lime juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic pwdr, ground ginger and Sriracha.  Microwave for 20 seconds, whisk, then whisk in nondairy milk. Taste, adding more hot sauce as desired. 

**note: we always at least double the sauce recipe, and we never measure exactly the veggies. Just put whatever.  It's so easy to pack up and have for lunch the next day, and my kids really love it!

Pasta with Zucchini, Tomatoes and Lemon-Yogurt Sauce

Here's another awesome pasta recipe that uses Greek yogurt.  My kids loved this stuff. It's also a nice change to have a pasta with no tomato sauce.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. ww linguine
• 1/2 c. non-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
• 1 T. grated lemon zest
• 1/4 tsp. S+P each
• 1 T. olive oil
• 3 medium zucchini, cut into thin strips
• 2 cloves garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/2 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise

Boil pasta according to directions. Save 1/4 c. water and drain. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in large bowl, stir together yogurt, parmesan cheese, lemon zest, S+P. Set aside.

In large skillet, heat olive oil over med-hi heat. Add zucchini and cook until wilted, flipping occasionally (zucchini will be soft and somewhat see-through). Push zucchini aside and cook garlic 15-30 seconds until golden (not brown). Mix the garlic into the zucchini. Stir in the tomatoes and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Transfer the zucchini mixture to the yogurt mixture and stir to combine. 

Add drained linguine and toss gently. Add the reserved pasta water 1 T. at a time, if necessary, to thin it. Divide among 4 bowls and serve.

Penne pasta with "creamy" tomato sauce

We just discovered a couple really awesome pasta recipes that are really easy. There's not a lot of marinara in this one but it's still really creamy--just not from any cream! It uses Greek yogurt instead (which is high in protein, in case you didn't know).

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. ww penne pasta
• 1 T. oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• S+P to taste
• 4 c. fresh spinach
• 1/2 c. marinara sauce
• 1/3 c. fat free plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to directions.

In large skillet with lid, heat oil on med-low heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cooked about two minutes or until garlic begins to soften. Add in mushrooms, tomatoes and S+P. Cook 5 minutes or until mushrooms release their water. Remove from heat and add in spinach. Let wilt for 2 minutes with lid on. (The spinach won't look very wilted, but by the end of the next step it will). 

Remove lid and place skillet back over low heat. Add the penne, Greek yogurt and pasta sauce. Stir until sauce is mixed and everything is coated. Heat until warmed through. Serve warm topped with parmesan cheese. 

p.s. this is also on my pinterest page if any of you are on there and want to see a picture. ours was devoured before we snapped a pic.

Lemon herb tempeh

This was pretty much the most delicious way I've ever eaten tempeh. We're definitely adding this to our repertoire.  Sorry the picture's not awesome--we barely got one in time as it was! This would be good over rice or just as an appetizer or side dish. You do need a few other things to make it a full meal. 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. veg. broth
• 1/3 c. lemon juice
• 1/4 c. olive oil (we used barely any and it was totally fine)
• 2 T. soy sauce
• 1 T. honey
• 1 T. chopped fresh thyme
• 1 T. chopped fresh oregano
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 8-oz. pkgs tempeh, each sliced into 8 pieces

1. In med. bowl, add the veg. broth, lemon juice, olive oil, soy sauce, honey, thyme, oregano and garlic. Whisk to combine. 

2. Add tempeh pieces to the bowl, tossing gently to coat all sides in the marinade liquid. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, or as long as overnight.  (that's the only part I dislike--you have to plan ahead a little for this one.)

3. Remove the tempeh from the marinade and place on baking sheet. Transfer the marinade to a small saucepan over med-hi heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until the liquid has thickened slightly. Remove from the heat and strain liquid. 

4. Preheat the broiler, and broil the tempeh for 7-8 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges. Pour the sauce over the tempeh and serve hot. 

Pesto Pasta

We've tried this Engine 2 recipe a couple times. I'd give it a 4 out of 5 stars. It's also good the next day cold, though, so maybe I'll give it an extra point since you can get two meals out of it.

ingredients:

• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 c. home-toasted walnuts (just heat on skillet with a bit of Braggs Liquid Aminos)
• 3 bunches or 2 c. fresh basil, packed
• 1/2 c. soy milk or water

• 16 oz. bow tie (or any other kind) pasta

Blend the garlic and nuts briefly in a food processor. Add the basil and liquid, and process to a thick consistency. Toss well with the pasta.

As a general cooking policy, I add salt (to everything). This is also good as a dip/spread for triscuits or other salty crackers. 

Yumm Sauce

Please don't disregard this recipe because it has a cheesy-sounding name. This is a popular dish in Oregon that has changed our lives (besides, who doesn't want to be popular?).  We eat this sauce on just about everything.

Blend in food processor:

• 1/2 c. olive oil
• 1 T. toasted sesame oil (I don't know what toasted sesame oil even is . . . I just use regular)
• 1/2 c. almond butter
• 1/2 c. garbanzo beans, drained
• 1/4 c. soybeans/edamame or 6 oz. tofu (my friend uses edamame and cooks it first. We always use tofu. Can't tell the difference, so just use whichever one you have on hand)

Then blend in:

• 1/3 c. nutritional yeast
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. curry powder

• 1/2 c. water
• 1/2 c. lemon juice

Add liquids one at a time. Puree until smooth. Add more water if you prefer it thinner; it thickens as it chills.  I recommend making it the night before and refrigerating until dinner. 

Here's how to make the Yumm Bowls:

• Brown rice (cooked, obviously)
• black beans, drained and heated
• red beans, drained and heated (we often leave these out)
• sliced olives (really? who likes olives?)
• cilantro, finely chopped
• cheddar cheese, shredded
• tomatoes, diced
• diced avocado
• salsa
• yumm sauce

You just sort of pile it all on sort of like a Hawaiian haystack. It really is so good. We use the yumm sauce as sandwich spread, carrot dip, cracker spread, salad dressing . . . basically anything that tastes good will taste even better with this on it. 

Macaroni & Not-Cheese

This isn't a knock-your-socks-off meal, but it was surprisingly good, the kids both liked it and it's way better than "real" mac & cheese--even the Trader Joe's brand. We'll for sure be making it again.

ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 c. cashews
• 1/3 c. lemon juice
• 1 1/3 c. water
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 4-oz. jar roasted red peppers, drained
• 3 T. nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 16 oz. whole grain elbow pasta, cooked

Saute onion on medium heat until translucent. In food processor, combine first five ingredients. Gradually blend in the other ingredients (obviously not the pasta).  Thoroughly toss sauce with cooked pasta. Bake @ 425 about 20 minutes until golden brown on top.

*I did it in a 9x13, uncovered. Seemed to work well. I also used rotini noodles b/c that's all we had. 

Tempeh Spaghetti

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

You can't beat this!  It's delicious; easy/fast prep; quick clean-up; lots of vegetables that kids can't detect; did I mention it's delicious?  Even meat-lovers will eat this:

-Boil water (for pasta of choice)
-In separate pan, saute 1 package of tempeh, onion & garlic in olive oil.  Pour soy sauce on to flavor.
-Blend the following together: 1 red bell pepper, 1 green bell pepper, sun dried tomatoes, cilantro.
-Pour blended concoction into pan with tempeh and add spaghetti sauce of choice.
-Add salt, pepper, chili powder and/or any other spice of choice.

Serve over any noodle, pasta or gnocci (or even rice).

Char-Baked Tomato, Zucchini and Eggplant

not the most creative name I've ever heard, but the taste totally makes up for it.

This can be either a side dish or a main dish (I'd serve rice or something with it, though).

Here's the teaser from the website:

"A vegetable dish that even those who think they hate zucchini and eggplant will love. The trick to this dish is to bake it much longer than you might expect and keep pushing down the mixture with a spatula to release the moisture. When it's done, the vegetables will be deeply caramelized, soft and luscious."

Ingredients:

• 1/3 c. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and sliced (do you ever not peel an onion?)
• 5 small tomatoes, thinly sliced
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 small eggplant, about 6" long, thinly sliced crosswise
• 2 zucchini, about 5" long, thinly sliced lengthwise
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme (you used 1/3 the amount if you use dry, so says google)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Pour some of the olive oil to cover the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch rectangular or 12-inch oval baking dish. Layer in half of the onion slices and one third of the tomatoes. Generously sprinkle with S+P. Add a layer of eggplant and sprinkle on more salt. Add another third of the tomatoes, the zucchini, garlic, thyme, and the remaining onions. Top with the remaining tomatoes. Press down on the mixture with your hands. Pour over the remaining olive oil. Season generously with S+P. (Don't worry. The vegetables will be piled high but collapse as they cook.)

Bake uncovered for 1 1/2 hours. After 45 minutes, press the mixture down firmly with a spatula. The vegetables should be reduced in height, and should be brownish-black and caramelized, almost charred in places. Return to the oven to finish roasting. Let cool for at least 10 minutes, so the mixture can solidify a bit. Cut into squares and serve.

Serves 6-8.

Vegetable Fajitas

In large bowl combine the following ingredients:

• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 1 T. red wine vinegar
• juice of 2 limes
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. minced garlic

Place the following veggies in ziplock bag and pour marinade over top. Make sure it's spread evenly. Marinate 30 min. to 24 hours. 

• 1 zucchini, julienned
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 green, yellow and red bell pepper, each cut into strips

Saute veg. in skillet over med-hi heat with a little olive oil until tender. In a bowl combine 1 can corn and 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained. Heat in microwave or on stove top. Assemble fajitas in tortillas with beans, corn and avocado.

(nate and i often do this without the corn and beans and they're still really yummy)

Quinoa and Black Beans

Mom made this for us and we all enjoyed it very much about 10 minutes ago. Now the only thing not to enjoy is the fact that it's gone.

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 c. uncooked quinoa
• 1 1/2 c. vegetable broth
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• S+P to taste

Heat the oil in a saucepan. Stir in onion and garlic and saute until lightly browned. Mix quinoa into the pan and cover with veggie broth. Season with cumin, cayenne, S+P. Bring to boil and reduce heat. Simmer for 20 minutes. 

• 1 c. frozen sweet white corn, thawed (can used canned)
• 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced (mom adds towards end so they're not too hot)
• 1 T. fresh squeezed lime juice
• 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 diced jalapeno (optional)

Stir in corn and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes until heated through. Stir in black beans and cilantro.  Just before serving add cotija cheese crumbled on top. 

Easy, Amazing, Italian Chicken

This is another one from "I Dare You to Eat It." I've served it for a lot of get-togethers and people always rave about how good it is. I smile because it's one of the easiest things I've made, and fairly nutritious too. (I've had people say, "You've got to stop me--I shouldn't eat this much gravy--but it's so good, I just want more!" You'll smile too when you see the lowfat recipe.)

4 chicken breasts OR 2-3 cans cooked chicken chunks
1 can cream of chicken soup (10.5 oz)
1 can evaporated milk (12 oz)
1 pkg Italian dressing seasoning (look near salad dressing in the store; Kroger brand costs 50 cents)

Oil slow cooker and add thawed, boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Combine soup and dry salad dressing seasoning and pour over chicken. Cook on low for 4-5 hours. When ready to serve, stir canned milk into the sauce.

You can make it much faster if you use cooked chicken--just 10 minutes on the stovetop. I've also done it with frozen chicken in my crockpot (although, is that really safe?)

Serve over instant mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, hot noodles, or plain rice. You can also add any combination of vegetables. Use leftovers for Hawaiian Haystacks with a twist and you've got another easy meal.

Curry in a Hurry?

I love the book "I Dare You to Eat It" because it has been helping me plan meals using my food storage and, novel to me... plan my meals! So last night I got home around 7 and had to make a quick meal plus put Aaron to bed. This recipe was not only a life-saver, but Adam said it was "the best meal [he's] had in a long time!" It is easily converted to vegan or vegetarian, and uses canned, frozen, or fresh items.

Coconut Beef Curry

1 can beef chunks
1 can coconut milk
1 can diced potatoes
1 can sliced carrots
1 can peas
2 T. flour
4 t. curry powder
1/4 t. ground red pepper
1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup mix

cilantro, chopped

Combine everything but the cilantro in a medium pot (drain vegetables). Simmer for 10 minutes and serve over hot rice, garnished with fresh, chopped cilantro. *I also added coconut and peanuts to ours. Adam said, "Wow! This just went from a meal that I like a lot to a meal that I really want to eat a lot of!" So there you have it. Easy easy easy and amazing.


Oh, and I used frozen ingredients this time but the author of the book says it is a great way to disguise canned vegetables. Good, since I hate them and wouldn't know what to do with them in my food storage without recipes like this.

breaded tofu

this recipe is out of the cooking bible. check it out for a better picture. we loved this one, although it wasn't totally filling on its own. next time we make it we'll serve it with rice or something. we all really loved the tofu, though; a great change-up from stir fry.

ingredients:

• 2 c. fresh snow pea pods (8 oz)
• 1 12- to 16-oz. pkg tofu (make sure you use firm or extra firm!)
• 3 T. teriyaki or soy sauce
• 1/4 c. yellow cornmeal
• 1/8 tsp. ground red pepper
• 2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
• 1 med. red sweet pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1 med. yellow sweet pepper, cut into thin strips
• 8 green onions, cut into 2" pieces
• 2 tsp. cooking oil
• 1 T. white or black sesame seeds, toasted (optional)

1. Remove strings and tips from pea pods. Set pea pods aside.

2. Cut tofu crosswise into 8 1/2" slices. Arrange slices in a single layer in a 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Pour 2 T. teriyaki sauce over tofu; turn slices to coat. Let marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes.

3. In a shallow dish combine cornmeal and red pepper. Drain tofu, discarding marinade. Carefully dip tofu slices in cornmeal mixture; press gently to coat both sides. Set tofu slices aside.

4. Pour 1 tsp. of the sesame oil into a large nonstick skillet. Preheat over med-hi heat. Stir-fry sweet pepper strips for 2 minutes. Add pea pods and green onions; stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until crisp-tender.

5. Remove skillet from heat; stir in remaining 1 T. teriyaki sauce. Transfer vegetable mixture to a serving platter; cover and keep warm. Wipe skillet clean.

6. In same skillet heat remaining 1 tsp. sesame oil and the cooking oil over medium heat. Cook the coated tofu slices for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes on each side or until crisp and golden brown, using a spatula to turn carefully. Serve tofu slices over vegetable mixture. If desired, sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Tofu Casserole

Here's another good one that April taught us. And it's obviously vegetarian-friendly. It's basically a tofu-lasagna and it's really, really good. Even if you don't like tofu you might like this because it hides the texture of it.

Ingredients:

• 1 T. + 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1/2 c. chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 c. cottage cheese
• 14 oz. firm tofu, divided
• 2 15-oz. cans crushed tomatoes
• 2 T. chopped cilantro
• 1 T. chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 6 6-inch corn tortillas (we're not fans of corn tortillas, so we use pita bread or regular tortillas)
• 2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 c. sliced green onions
• 10 black olives, sliced (except who likes olives?)

Preheat oven to 350.

Crumble tofu into pea sized pieces and set aside. In medium saucepan, heat oil. Stir in onion and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, cilantro, chili powder, cumin and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, until sauce is consistency of pudding. Add cottage cheese and tofu and cook for 1 more minute.

Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Spread 1 c. sauce in bottom of pan. Layer with half the tortillas, then sauce, cheddar cheese and green onions. Repeat layers, top with olives. Bake until lightly browned and cheese is bubbly, about 30 minutes.

wheat sloppy joes

if you ever want to try something cool with your wheat from your food storage, here's a really great recipe. it's really easy, and in an emergency you could cut out the ground beef and just do it with twice the amount of wheat berries.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 2 c. cooked wheat
• 1 10-oz. can tomato soup
• 1 12-oz. jar homade chili sauce

Brown the meat and stir in all the other ingredients. Heat together and serve on toasted buns. This is seriously really good; even Nate -- Mr. Skeptic (with good reason) -- liked it enough to eat 3.

Mandarin chicken

This is a really good one even if you're not a mushroom lover. In fact, mushrooms are one of the few foods in the world Nate won't normally eat, but we both really love this one.

Ingredients:

• chicken tenders (store-bought or just cut chicken into strips)
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 3 tsp. flour
• 1/3 c. orange juice concentrate
• 2 c. chicken broth
• 1 - 2 cans mandarin oranges, drained

Brown chicken on both sides in olive oil. Remove chicken Add onions and mushrooms; cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until tender and liquid has evaporated. Sprinkle with flour and stir. Add chicken broth and OJ, stirring until it boils. Reduce heat, add chicken and simmer 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in oranges. Serve over rice.

Chicken-Filled Crepes

How April took a whole semester of cooking and none of it ever made it to this blog is something we're still trying to figure out. The other thing I'm trying to figure out is how I can keep her here longer -- as a great sister and a great cook.

Basic Crepes (makes about 16 crepes)

• 1 c. flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c. milk
• 1/2 c. water
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 T. melted butter or margarine

note: measure the flour and liquid carefully, because the consistency is important. The batter should be about the consistency of thick heavy cream.

Place ingredients in your blender in the order given. Beat 30 seconds. Stop and stir down the sides. Blend 30 to 60 seconds more, until smooth. OR using a whisk or mixer, combine flour and eggs in a bowl. Add liquid gradually. Beat until smooth. Add other ingredients and mix.

Cook, using a crepe maker or oiled omelet pan. Stir batter between making each crepe.

Chicken Filling:

• 1 c. sour cream
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1/4 lb. mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 c. sliced black olives (small can)
• 2 whole thinly sliced green onion
• 1/4 c. finely chopped celery
• 2 c. diced, cooked chicken (1 lb. raw)

To prepare chicken: trim fat from chicken and cut into bite-sized pieces. Heat oil in frying pan on medium high heat. Saute chicken pieces in oil (1 T.) until no longer pink.

Combine ingr. and fill crepes. Put filled crepes in greased glass 9x13 glass pan. Cover with plastic wrap, vent corner and place in microwave and cook on high for 10 minutes. (or cover with foil and bake 45 minutes.) Remove plastic and bake in oven at 325 for 10-15 min. until heated through.

Topping:

• 1 c. grated cheese

Remove from oven and sprinkle on 1 c. grated cheese. Bake 5 more minutes, until cheese is melted.

Chicken and Black Bean Casserole

This dish seemed to have a lot of cheese; next time we do it I'll count it either as a chip dip or else add a lot more beans and chicken (or leave out lots of the cheese). But it's another really easy one, although it does take a bit more time since it has to bake for 40 min. total.

ingredients:

• 2 c. chicken
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. coriander
• 2 T. fresh chopped cilantro
• 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 4-oz. can diced green chilies
• 1 10-oz. can red enchilada sauce
• 8 6-inch corn tortillas
• 2 c. shredded mexican blend cheese
• 1 8-oz. container sour cream

In large skillet, saute chicken, cumin and coriander with olive oil. Cook through. Transfer to bowl and add diced cilantro, black beans and green chilies.

Spread half the enchilada sauce over the bottom of a 9x13" greased pan. Place 4 corn tortillas over the sauce, overlapping if necessary. Spoon half the chicken mixture over the tortillas and sprinkle with half the cheese and half the sour cream.

Spoon the remaining enchilada sauce over the cheese and make another layer of tortillas and chicken mixture. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven at 375 for 30 min.

Remove foil and cover with remaining cheese and sour cream. Cook about 10 more minutes or until cheese is melted.

Crock pot chicken

this is probably the easiest crock pot recipe i've ever done. if all cooking were like this maybe i could actually get good at it.

ingredients:

• 3 large carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, frozen
• S&P to taste

Place carrots and potatoes on the bottom of crock pot. Stir in 1 can of soup. Sprinkle onion on top of mixture. Add salt and pepper. Stir once more. Place chicken on top and pour last can of soup over top.

Cook for 6-8 hours. Shred chicken just before serving. Serve over rice.