Quinoa Stir Fry with Ginger Peanut Sauce

I posted this picture a couple weeks back in one of my Crate Full of Veggies blogs and was recently reminded I had never gotten the recipe up! So here it is. This seasonal stir fry is one of my favorite ways to use both quinoa and broccoli. And how can you go wrong when ginger peanut sauce is involved? 


Quinoa Stir Fry with Ginger Peanut Sauce
gluten-free
serves 2
prep time: 35 minutes

1/2 cup quinoa
3/4 cup water

1 tbsp oil 
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium-sized head of broccoli, chopped
2 carrots, cut into thin strips
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

Ginger Peanut Sauce
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp natural peanut butter
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar 
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated

fresh cilantro or basil
peanuts

Optional: 4-6 ounces extra firm tofu cut into thin slices and prepared in my super secret, super lazy way
or my other lazy way: 1/2 package marinated, ready to eat tofu:

 or really any way you like to prepare tofu.

Rinse the quinoa several times and add it to boiling water. Cook covered for about 20-30 minutes, until water has evaporated and quinoa is light and fluffy. Leave covered, with heat off, for an additional ten minutes.

While quinoa is cooking, get to work on the vegetables. Heat oil in a cast iron skillet or heavy-bottom pan.  Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Toss in the remaining vegetables and stir fry until just tender. Do not over cook. They taste a lot better when there is still a snap to them. Remove from heat and set aside.

Mix the ingredients for peanut sauce together. Because I don't like cleaning my blender and I never can fully mix it with a fork, I place all the ingredients in a small mason jar with a lid and shake it for several minutes. I found it to be the easiest, cleanest way for peanut sauce. Once well combined, pour over vegetables and stir to combine.

Serve over cooked quinoa and top fresh cilantro, peanuts and tofu (if desired).

I hope you all had a great summer weekend!

Roasted Beet and Cashew "goat cheese" Pizza

I love beets. It took me about 28 years to figure this out and then a couple years ago I was reintroduced. Oh how quickly I realized how foolish I'd been. So earthy and sweet, you can eat them with just about anything! So when last week I picked up my farm share and saw three beautiful magenta beets, my mind immediately began spinning around all my options. This is where it landed:

Beet and Cashew "goat cheese" Pizza
makes one large pizza

Cashew Cheese
note: a three-day process, plan ahead but don't be scared!
3/4 cup cashews, soaked overnight
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp tahini
1/2 tsp salt


Pizza
1 pizza dough, homemade or store bought
olive oil
1 medium leek, sliced
1/2 batch of cashew cheese
3 beets, including stems
freshly ground pepper
 
The Cashew Cheese:
Soak cashews in water over night. Drain and rinse with cold water. In a food processor blend together all the cheese ingredients until very smooth. Scoop onto a doubled-up cheese cloth, shape into an oval, securing the ends of the cheesecloth by twisting them tight, and set inside a large strainer or colander placed over a bowl. Allow to sit at room temperature over night.

The next day reshape cheese into a long, skinny log. Re-cover with the cheese cloth and bake at 200 degrees F for 30-40 minutes, until outside has formed a slight crust. Turn oven off and allow cheese to sit in oven for an additional hour. Remove and place in refrigerator to chill.

The Pizza:
First a word on pizza dough. Pizza used to be much rarer in my house. I know, very sad, right? I don't like store bought pre-made, pre-baked crust and I don't make time to make my own crust. Then I discovered fresh pizza dough. The dough is made and refrigerated which slows down the yeast, stopping it from over-proofing the dough without killing it all together. Then you can go home, let it finish rising and take control from there. So maybe y'all know about this fantastic pizza dough solution, but if any of you are late to the game like me, try it! You should be able find fresh pizza dough in the refrigerated section of a well-stocked grocery or health food store.

Alright back to the pizza. Prepare your dough (varies depending on the route you take). Brush with olive oil and set aside. Next we are going to roast the beets. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Wash and peel the beets. Thinly slice them and toss in small bowl with about a tbsp of olive oil. Spread onto a baking sheet and roast for about 15 minutes, until fragrant and tender. Meanwhile wash and chop the leafy greens of the beets and the leek.

When everything is ready assemble pizza.
Beets
Leeks
Cheese (teaspoon-sized crumbles)
Beet greens
Freshly ground pepper.

Pop it in the oven about 15 minutes, until crust is golden.
That might have seemed a bit laborious but if you have the cheese made in advance the rest of it goes very quickly. And it's worth it!

What is your favorite thing to make with beets? Were there any vegetables you disliked in childhood that you later discovered to be AWESOME?

Check back in tomorrow to discover what I did with the rest of my farm share!

Cuban Tempeh

This is a meal my husband and I brought back with us from a small restaurant cafe in western Michigan. It traveled over 3000 miles to find it's way on our dinner table. And after traveling all those miles and over all that time, the dish has inevitably changed, but the inspiration behind it remains and several times a month we sit down to this, enjoying our meal of tempeh and nostalgia.

Cuban Tempeh
gluten-free, yield: 2
preparation: 45 minutes

1 package tempeh, cut in thin strips
1 cup vegetable broth
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cumin
juice of 1 lime

1 cup brown basmati (or any other kind of) rice, cooked

1 can or 3/4 cup dried (soaked and cooked) black beans
1 tbsp cumin
pinch of salt

2 corn tortillas
your assorted toppings (lettuce, green onions, salsa, avocado, etc)
1. Marinate the tempeh in vegetable broth, chili powder, coriander, cumin, and lime juice for at least 1 hour.

2. While tempeh is marinating, cook the rice according to directions. Once rice reaches a boil, turn down to a simmer, set aside and prepare the rest of the meal.

2. Heat up a cast iron skillet or heavy bottom pan. Once hot, pour in marinated tempeh (with liquid). Bring liquid to boil then turn down heat to a simmer. The broth will evaporate as it soak into the tempeh. Cook until all the broth is gone and the tempeh has a chance to brown on both sides.

3. Meanwhile heat up the black beans. Stir in cumin and salt. With a masher, smash the beans until no whole beans exist. Remove from heat and set aside.

Okay, you did it! Now it's time to assemble....

Place a corn tortillas on the bottom of the plate. Top with rice, black beans, and tempeh in that order. Then top with your favorite toppings.

Enjoy!

Spinach Strawberry Salad

Summer is upon us! Well almost. I love hot late spring evenings accompanied by cool salads. This is a great dinner salad, sweet strawberries and roasted hazelnuts over a bed of crisp spinach and topped with red wine vinaigrette. Yum!

Spinach Strawberry Salad
Yield: 2 large dinner salads

1 bunch spinach
1/2 avocado, sliced
about 10 strawberries, sliced
2 chives, diced
1/4 cup roasted and halved hazelnuts
2 Tbsp sunflower seeds

Wash spinach and toss ingredients together.  

Red Wine Vinegarette

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tsp agave nectar
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Put vinegar, lemon juice, agave, salt and pepper in a food processor and combine. With motor running, slowly add oil. Mix until incorporated.

Drizzle on salad. Enjoy!

Lemon Pepper Quinoa Pasta with Blackened Tofu

 gluten-free & vegan

This Lemon Pepper Pasta is a great meal for a warm day. The quinoa pasta is a light alternative to wheat pasta and the crisp asparagus and lemony tang welcome in the fast arriving summer.

Lemon Pepper Quinoa Pasta with Blackened Tofu
yield: 2

1 1/2 cups quinoa pasta

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium leek

1/2 bunch asparagus

4-6 sun-dried tomatoes

about 10 kalamata olives

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp olive oil + 1 Tbsp for skillet

pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

1 Tbsp chopped basil

salt and pepper

6 ounces extra firm tofu, cut into four slabs
1-2 tsp veggie broth paste (I use Better than Bullion) or 1 cup veggie broth

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile heat up 1 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and leeks and let cook five minutes, stirring often. Add chopped asparagus (stems removed), chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and halved kalamata olives. Continue cooking for another couple minutes, stirring occasionally until asparagus is heated up, but still has a slight crunch. Remove from heat. Mix the cooked noodles into skillet. Add lemon juice, olive oil, cayenne pepper, basil, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

Blackened Tofu

Okay this is my super-easy, super-lazy, and super-secret tofu technique.
1. Heat up a second skillet over medium-high heat
2. Brush both sides of each tofu slab with a very small (1-2 tsp total) amount of veggie stock paste
3. Place on hot skillet and grill 2-3 minutes on each side.

If you don't have or can't find veggie stock paste you can marinate the tofu in veggie broth for at least 30 minutes before grilling.

Plate up, sprinkle with ground peppercorns and enjoy!

Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Pizza

gluten-free, soy-free, vegan pizza

When I removed gluten and soy from my diet I was afraid it was going to be a sad, sad month. How silly of me.This pizza is delicious, hearty, and completely satisfying.
 
Gluten-free cornmeal crust

2 1/2 cups gluten free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free pizza crust mix)
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp dry yeast
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 to 1 1/4 cup warm water
2 tsp olive oil

Mix together the dry ingredients in a food processor or standing mixer. When well combined slowly pour in warm water and oil until dough comes together.  Pull out dough and kneed together on a (gf) flour-covered surface.


Once the dough has formed a smooth ball, place into a lightly oiled bowl and cover for 1 to 2 hours, until dough has doubled in size.

While dough is rising, prepare the eggplant by cutting into thin slices and sprinkling with salt. This will remove some of the eggplant's bitterness while keeping the firm texture.

Pizza Toppings

1 tbsp olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic
1 package Diaya mozzarella cheese
2 tomatoes
1/4 cup basil
1/4 flat leaf parsley
1 small eggplant
1/2 white onion
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Spread a little of cornmeal on a 12x18 in cookie sheet or pizza stone.

When pizza dough is ready shape into pan. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with garlic and fresh herbs. Sprinkle a thin layer of Diaya cheese.. Add onions. Top with tomatoes and the rest of the fresh herbs.

Add eggplant and top with remaining Diaya cheese. Finish with black pepper.

 Bake at 450 degrees F. for 15 -18 minutes until eggplant is browned and cheese is melted.
Pull from oven and let cool.
Enjoy!

tacos sin carne

Remember the other day when I mentioned how delicious Textured Vegetable Protein is as a replacement for ground beef? I may have even said that many of my meat-eating friends prefer my tacos sin carne. Want to try it for yourself? Here's my incredible easy, surprisingly fast, and totally flexible taco recipe:

Tacos Sin Carne

the meat
1 cup dried textured vegetable protein
1/2 yellow onion
1 cup diced or crushed tomatoes, optional

the seasoning
2 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1/2 t oregano
1 t paprika
1 Tbsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste

the rest
lettuce
tomatoes
salsa
and
any other toppings you love
taco shells or tortillas

Textured Vegetable Protein "Ground Beef"

Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP), a protein-rich meat substitute made from soy flour, can be found at health stores or in larger supermarkets, usually in the bulk section. When ready to use TVP needs to be re-hydrated at a 1:1 ratio. To do this place 1 part TVP in bowl and cover with 1 part boiling water. Place lid on bowl and let sit for five minutes.

While the TVP is re-hydrating, heat up 1 TBSP oil in a pan. Once hot add onion and saute, stirring often, until lightly brown.


Once onions are ready add chili , garlic, and onion powder, cayenne, oregano, paprika, ans cumin.
Stir to coat onion.

Add tomatoes. I just use whatever is in my pantry, usually diced tomatoes, and add to taste. The tomatoes add juiciness and flavor but could be omitted all together, in which case add a little extra water when adding tvp to onion mixture.

Add tvp and stir until combined. Let sit simmer for 5 minutes for flavors to soak in.



Prepare your toppings. Below and clockwise I have lime chive sour "cream" (I prefer Follow Your Heart), spinach, avocado, tomatoes, olives, and salsa.


Assemble tacos and enjoy!