Savory Lentils and Veggies Over Rice

I made this dish last week as one of those cleaning-out-the-fridge kind of dishes. But it was so good I had to make it again (and actually write down the proportions I used so I could blog about it). I made enough for a few days of leftovers and it kept really well. The time:quantity ratio is pretty good and the taste factor is off the charts. Use whatever veggies you've got on hand.

Savory Lentils and Veggies Over Rice (serves 4-6)

1 cup dry lentils (any kind)
Vegetable broth (for cooking lentils)
1 cup dry brown rice
1/2 cup chopped onion (any kind)
4 cloves garlic
1/2 head cauliflower
1 large crown broccoli
Canola oil
Shredded coconut (for garnish)
Chopped cashews (for garnish)
Chopped cilantro or parsley (for garnish)

For the sauce:
1 Tbls. green curry paste
1 Tbls. molasses
1 Tbls. brown miso
2 Tbls. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbls. Bragg's Liquid Aminos/tamari/soy sauce
Dash of liquid smoke

Start cooking the rice and lentils (in vegetable broth) according to the package directions.  Chop the onion and crush the garlic. In a large pan heat a generous drizzle of canola oil over low-medium heat and saute the onion and garlic until translucent, about 10 minutes.

While the onion and garlic are cooking wash and chop the broccoli and cauliflower into small florets. Add to the onion and garlic and saute until the broccoli is bright green, about 8 minutes.

While the dish is cooking, make the sauce. Combine all of the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

The lentils should be done by now. If not, lower the heat on the veggies until they're done. Add the lentils to the dish and cook for a few more minutes.

Add the sauce and cook for a few more minutes. Remove from heat.

Spoon some rice into a bowl and top with the lentil/veggie mix. Garnish with coconut, cashews, and cilantro and enjoy!

Quinoa Latkes

Buzzfeed recently had a post with quinoa breakfast recipes (check it out here). As a big fan of quinoa for breakfast I was excited to check out some new ways to enjoy the grain for the most important meal of the day. I modified this recipe to make it vegan-friendly because I loved how it reminded me of Hanukkah latkes. And also because we got the world's largest bag of potatoes from Costco and need to keep finding ways to use them. I've been enjoying these with cilantro-garlic tofu from this recipe but these latkes are definitely hearty enough to be a meal on their own.

Quinoa Latkes (makes 12 latkes, serves 4)

1/2 cup dry quinoa
4 medium red potatoes or 1 large russet potato
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/3 cup applesauce, plus more for serving
Canola oil

Cook the quinoa according to package directions. When the quinoa is about halfway cooked, start preparing the rest of the ingredients. Wash and peel the potato(es) and grate finely. I used the food processor for this but be prepared to put in some arm work if you don't own one. Once the potatoes are grated, grab a handful at a time and squeeze out the excess water.

Pour enough canola oil in a large pan to coat the bottom and turn the heat on medium. In a large bowl combine the cooked quinoa, grated potatoes, and the rest of the ingredients with your hands.

Take a small handful of the mixture and press it into a patty. Cook for 5-7 minutes on each side until golden brown, and repeat until you have made all the latkes.

These are on their way to being golden brown. That picture was a failure :/

Drain the latkes on paper towels and serve with applesauce, sour cream, hot sauce, or however you like your latkes.

Burrito Bowl Grain Salad

I came across this recipe for enchilada sauce and wanted to find a way to use it in my lunch this week. It's my last week of fieldwork so I feel a need to make my lunch extra special. I made this dish a loose interpretation of the Chipotle burrito bowl and tried to make it a bit healthier. I would hesitate to call the tofu a cheese, but it does lend a savory, cheesy element to the meal.

Burrito Bowl Grain Salad (serves 4)

1 cup dry brown rice
1/2 package extra firm tofu
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
4 leaves kale
2 green onions
1 can black beans
2 Tbls. white vinegar
1 Tbls. brown miso
2 Tbls. nutritional yeast
1 tsp. yellow mustard
1 tsp. agave nectar
1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce (I used this recipe with 1 cup water and an addition of a dash of agave nectar but use whatever you want)

Start cooking the rice according to package directions. While it is cooking, press the tofu.

If you are making your own enchilada sauce, go ahead and start making it now. If you already have it made, wait until the rice is almost done to start making the rest of the meal as you'll need some time for the rice to cool.

When the rice is almost done, combine the vinegar, miso, nutritional yeast, mustard, and agave nectar in a tupperware.

Crumble in the tofu with your hands. Cover and let it marinate while you prepare the rest of the dish.

Cover the corn kernels with water and microwave for 1 minute. Drain and rinse with cool water and set aside. Drain and rinse the black beans and set aside. Chop the green onions and the kale and set aside.

In a large bowl combine the rice, corn, kale, onions, black beans, and sauce.

Divide into 4 portions and top with the tofu mixture. I think this would be great with the addition of sliced avocado on top but it's not the most conducive to sitting in a fridge for several hours :/.

Cookies for Aaron

Last week Aaron was up late working on his thesis so I made him a cookie with all of his favorite cookie ingredients: Peanut butter, oats, chocolate chips, and coconut. Needless to say he was quite a fan and reported "I think you should make these all the time." The poor guy has had quite a weekend with work and won't be home until the wee hours of the morning. So, my dearest, these cookies will be waiting for you on the kitchen counter when you get home.

Cookies for Aaron (makes about 2 dozen)

1/3 cup peanut butter

2 Tbls. vegan butter

1/3 cup white sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 Tbls. applesauce

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup oats

1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a large bowl melt the butter and peanut butter for about 30 seconds. As long as the butter is soft enough to combine with everything else, it's fine if it isn't melted.

Stir in the sugars, applesauce, and vanilla. Give the batter a taste. Decide whether you want to carry on and actually make the cookies or change course and just eat the sugary peanut buttery goodness with a spoon.

If you've decided to move forward, stir in the oats, flour, baking powder, and salt.

Stir in the coconut and chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and press slightly to flatter. Bake for 15 minutes and cool on a wire rack.

Seitan

I heard about seitan relatively late in my meat-free years and I still don't know how to pronounce it. I say "SAY-tahn" but I've also heard "SEE-tan" and a whole bunch of other varieties (yes, including "Satan"). Seitan is a meat substitute that is typically used as you would chicken or beef, and it's made nearly entirely of wheat gluten - ie stay far, far away if you eat gluten-free. I am usually lazy and just buy it but this weekend I decided to be adventurous and make it myself. After it's made it is ready to eat but I usually marinade it and saute it. Change the seasonings to your liking if you want a different flavor.

Seitan (makes 4 servings)

1 cup vital wheat gluten

2 Tbls. nutritional yeast

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning

1/2 tsp. onion powder

4 cups vegetable broth

1/4 cup + 2 Tbls. Bragg's liquid aminos/tamari/soy sauce

1/4 tsp. liquid smoke

1 clove garlic, smashed

1 bay leaf

Heat the vegetable broth in a medium-sized pot. Meanwhile, mix together the wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, salt, poultry seasoning, and onion powder in a large bowl. Add 2 Tbls. of Bragg's and the liquid smoke and combine using a fork. Scoop out 1/2 cup of vegetable broth from the pot and SLOWLY add it to the mixture. You want all of the ingredients to just stick together - the second it gets too wet there's no going back. Mix with a fork as best as you can and then switch to kneading with your hands. Once you have added enough liquid, knead until the mixture forms a ball.

Dump any leftover vegetable broth back into the pot and add 1/4 cup of Bragg's, the smashed garlic clove, and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Meanwhile, cut the seitan into 4 pieces and flatten slightly.

Once the liquid is simmering, add the seitan and cover. Simmer covered for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. The seitan will expand as it cooks. Make sure the liquid stays at a simmer; if it boils the seitan will get gross and soggy.

At this point the seitan is ready to eat. If you aren't eating it right away, store it in the broth in the fridge - just remove the bay leaf first.

Chip Dip Grain Salad

My cousin Jessica has a chip dip she makes for nearly every family event with black beans, corn, green onions, feta (on the side for me and her brother, who doesn't like cheese) and an amazing dressing. Not only is it super tasty and addictive but it's nice to eat what everyone else is eating without feeling so "other." I modified the dip to turn it into a lunch salad...and it's kind of making me excited to go to fieldwork tomorrow.

Chip Dip Grain Salad (serves 4)

1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 cup brown rice
1 1/2 cups water
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup frozen corn kernels
3 large leaves of kale, shredded
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 recipe "feta" cheese
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tbls. sugar

Bring the grains and water to boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit for 10 minutes, then add 2 Tbls. of the olive oil and fluff with a fork. Set aside to cool.

In a small bowl combine the remaining 2 Tbls. of olive oil with the vinegar and sugar for the dressing. Set aside.

In a small bowl cover the corn with a bit of water and microwave for 90 seconds. Drain and rinse with cool water. Add the corn in a large bowl with the beans, kale, onions, and "cheese," grains, and dressing and toss to combine.

Caesar Salad Dressing

When I was a kid I loved Caesar salad dressing. But ignorance is bliss because shortly after becoming a vegetarian my mom informed me that my beloved salad was chock full of anchovies. It's probably for the best that I didn't know that until after I already decided not to eat animals because the idea of eating blended fish has never really sat well with me. As I was making this the other day and tasting it, trying to tweak the recipe to get it just right, I realized that I have forgotten precisely what Caesar dressing tastes like! I found this quite amusing but my mom and Aaron confirmed that this does in fact taste like Caesar dressing. Regardless, it is tasty. Don't let the long list of ingredients scare you - they just all go in the blender. I have tried to arrange the ingredients so that you dirty the least amount of measuring spoons possible...

Caesar Salad Dressing (makes 1 1/2 cups)

1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for a few hours
2 cloves garlic
Juice of 1/2 lemon
3/8 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. onion powder
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp brown sugar

1 Tbls. nutritional yeast

1/2 Tbls. white miso

1 tsp. dijon mustard

1/2 Tbls. Bragg's liquid aminos/tamari/soy sauce

1/2 Tbls. seasoned rice vinegar

1 Tbls. apple cider vinegar

2 1/2 Tbls. white vinegar
1/8 tsp. liquid smoke
1/4 cup water

Drain and rinse the cashews. Blend all of the ingredients together until smooth and toss with your salad.

This is what my kitchen looked like while trying to make this recipe...

Blueberry Muffins

My fieldwork had a potluck breakfast the other day so I decided to make muffins. Somehow I thought that making up a recipe on the fly would be easier than using any of my go-to muffin recipes but these turned out great and got stellar reviews from my co-workers. One woman even said they tasted healthy and I felt bad breaking the news to her that they were not exactly "health food." I will definitely be making these again, especially since Aaron was not happy that I was baking things he couldn't eat right away.

Blueberry Muffins (makes 9)

1/2 cup soy milk
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice (fresh is best)
Zest of 1/2 lemon (use the same one you just juiced)
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat your oven to 350 F. In a small bowl combine the soy milk and lemon juice and set aside for a few minutes. It will curdle and become like buttermilk.

In a large bowl combine the lemon zest, oil, and sugar. Add the soy milk mixture.

In a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly stir into the wet ingredients. Then stir in the blueberries.

Line 9 muffin tin and divide the batter equally. Bake for 25 minutes and cool on a wire rack.

If you're looking for a healthier version of these muffins, look no further.

Cheesy Garlic Potato Breakfast Casserole

This casserole is the ultimate breakfast comfort food. Especially since we're coming up on the middle of March and it's supposed to snow in Wednesday. Though I remember it snowing during spring break when I was a kid so I guess this weather isn't that off the mark. This dish takes a bit of prep work but is totally worth it for some morning yumminess. I actually had it as leftovers for a few days and thought it got better each time I microwaved it.

Cheesy Garlic Potato Breakfast Casserole (serves 4-6)

1 package extra-firm tofu
1/2 recipe creamy roasted garlic sauce*
2 medium russet potatoes
1 Tbls. brown miso
1 Tbls. white vinegar
2 Tbls. canola oil
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 Tbls. vegan butter, melted
Salt and pepper
Chopped avocado (for serving, optional)
"Parmesan" sprinkles (for serving, optional)

*The cashews for the sauce need to soak for at least a few hours, preferably overnight, so plan accordingly

(Assuming you have the cashews soaked and ready to go), start roasting the garlic for the garlic sauce. Start pressing the tofu. While the tofu is pressing and the garlic is roasting, microwave the potatoes for 5 minutes, or until soft (but not mushy). Chop the potatoes into bite-sized pieces and set aside. By now the garlic should be done roasting so take that out and let it cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. While the garlic is cooling, combine the miso, vinegar, oil, and nutritional yeast in a large bowl. Crumble in the tofu with your hands.

The garlic should be cool enough to handle now, so go ahead and make the sauce. Add to the bowl with the tofu the garlic sauce, butter, and salt and pepper to taste (it will need salt!). Spread in a casserole pan and bake for 45-60 minutes, until the top is golden brown.

Slice and top with avocado and/or "parmesan" sprinkles, if desired.