Month: January 2018

BOWLS BOWLS BOWLS!

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Bowls, bowls, bowls (thats what I call them) are one of our favs to whip up on a busy work night.  It’s very simple to make and you can make a very colorful, nutritious meal in no time at all.  I mean look at all of these beautiful bowls.  You can use whatever grain, veggies, tofu or no tofu haha, edamame or nuts you have on hand.  The combinations are endless!!

First, choose the grain:

Pearled farro, quinoa, brown rice, white rice.

I have to say pearled or perlato farro is my personal fav.  Pearled cooks faster than the regular farro because the the outer layer is peeled off, so make sure you buy the pearled, otherwise, you’ll be cooking your farro for A LOT longer to get it tender. We buy ours at the local grocery store, Harmons, in the bulk section.  My hubby is the master at cooking farro.  This is the way he likes to cook it—

Pearled Farro Recipe

Makes 4 small servings

Wash the farro throughly.  Farro 3 to 1 ratio vegetable broth to farro, so 1 c. farro to 3 c. broth.  Bring to boil, turn heat down to minimum, put lid on and cook 15 min, drain off access liquid

It’s that easy and so tasty.

If you choose to make quinoa.  The Vegan Corner has the best recipe:

http://www.thevegancorner.com/how-to-cook-quinoa/

Or here is his recipe for Quinoa:

How to cook quinoa

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup quinoa (6oz)

1½ cup water (12.5oz) (I like using vegetable broth)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Thoroughly wash the quinoa to remove the bitter-tasting saponins from the outer layer. Drain the Quinoa properly before moving on.
  2. Place a small pot over high heat, pour in the water and bring it to the boil.
  3. As soon as the water starts to boil add the Quinoa to the water, give it a good stir with a fork and cover the pot with the lid.
  4. Lower the heat to the minimum and cook the grains for 15 minutes.
  5. Once that time is up, turn off the heat and let the Quinoa rest for another three minutes before removing the lid.
  6. Fluff the quinoa with a fork, transfer it onto a dish and spread it. This will stop the Quinoa from coking any further.

If you choose to make brown or white rice, you can cook according to directions or in your rice cooker.

Next–choose your veggies:

Broccoli, butternut squash, cauliflower, asparagus, onion, mushrooms, carrots, tomatoes, corn, peas, beans–just any veggies.  You can prepare them by steaming them, roasting them in the oven at 425 for 20-30 min and sprinkle them with a bit of vegetable broth.  Make sure your veggies are cut the same size to equalize cooking times because some veggies cook faster than others.  You can put your veggies in columns on the cooking sheet and pull out the ones that cook faster.  Cover with foil to keep warm.

The last step:

Choose a crunch and a sauce (if you want sauce :).

For the crunch and a little protein:

Edamame, cashews, peanuts, or you can add some tofu and/or beans here too.

This is my favorite BBQ sauce because it has no oil and I can read all of the ingredients ha.  Always a good sign of a good product.  I found this brand at Harmons, but I’m sure other grocery stores have it too.

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I am also in love with this Miso Tahini Sauce in my Isa Does It Cookbook.  This is the recipe:

Miso Tahini Sauce

For the dressing:
1/4 cup mellow white miso
1/4 cup tahini
1 cloves garlic
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup water

Place all ingredients in Vita Mix or other blender and mix well.  Start with 1/2 c water and add more.

I hope you enjoy these bowls as much as we do!  Please tag me on Instagram @itsapegslife when you make this recipe.  I want to see what you come up with :).

Chinese Braised Mushrooms and Tofu

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When I talk to most people about tofu their reaction is–EWWWWW GROSS, but you’ve got to try this recipe and that EWWWWW will turn into a YUMMMM!!  The marsala, the mushrooms, the garlic chili sauce all combine to make a delicious combination of flavors that disguises the tofu and is oh, so good!  Seriously, you’re going to LOVE this recipe. My DH gave it a 9.5 and I did too!  Yes, it was THAT good!  A 10 is reserved for those special over-the-top recipes–this one is close :). The original recipe is from eatingwell.com.  I have adapted it a bit though.  And just a side note, my dining room light went out last week, so while the new one was in the works, we ate by candlelight. LOL romantic, right? (see pics below 🙂  Enjoy this recipe.  It’s a definite keeper!

Chinese Braised Mushrooms & Tofu

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Source: eatingwell.com

Course: Main Course

Prep Time: 30 min

Total Time: 30 min

Serves: 4 

Ingredients:

  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger (optional)
  • 3-4 c. mushrooms of choice or a combination, coarsely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons dry marsala
  • 1 tablespoon chile-garlic sauce (see above bottle, buy at any grocery store)
  • 1 1⁄4 cups mushroom broth or vegetable broth
  • 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons brown sugar
  • 1 14-ounce package firm tofu cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 c. raw cashews coarsely chopped if you like, but I just left mine whole

Directions

  1. Heat some of the broth in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms, sauté for about 5 min or until water has cooked out of mushrooms, add cornstarch and stir for about 1 min until its mixed well with the mushrooms.  Stir in marsala and cook until alcohol burns off (about 2 min) and add chile-garlic sauce, stir and cook for one min and then add remaining ingredients.
  2. Cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain a simmer, for 10 minutes to blend flavors.  Serve with brown rice and enjoy!

The candlelight dinner 🙂 and the new light fixture that I LOVE!!  A special thanks to my DH for installing it :).

Creamy White Wine Lemon Alfredo Sauce with Roasted Tomatoes and Linguine

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During the holidays, I made this recipe and it was fabulous.  Rich, quick, creamy and dreamy and a definite comfort food.  This is definitely in my book of favs (seems like I’m saying that a lot lately LOL).  You could serve this with any pasta of your choice, but I served it with linguine and it was divine.  In fact, while my daughter and I were eating this, we both commented, “Can you believe this is vegan?”  Loved it!

Creamy White Wine Lemon Alfredo Sauce with Roasted Tomatoes and Linguine

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Source: pastabased.com

Course: Main Course

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 35 min

Total Time: 45 min

Yield: 4 servings

Serves: 4 Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 lb grape tomatoes
  • 1⁄2 cup raw cashews
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1⁄4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1⁄4 cup dry white wine
  • 1 medium yellow onion diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1⁄2 tsp salt
  • 1⁄2 tsp pepper

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425F
  2. Wash grape tomatoes and cut in half. Place on baking pan and drizzle with vegetable broth, salt and pepper. Roast in pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes.img_9933
  3. If you don’t have pre-soaked cashews, use the quick method by placing the cashews in a small pot, covering with water and bringing that to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and cover for 15 minutes, until cashews are soft. Drain when done.
  4. Meanwhile, heat a skillet on medium heat. Add your diced onions and sauté until slightly soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 1/4 cup white wine and sauté until all the wine has evaporated, about 5 minutes.
  5. Then, in your food processor or blender, add vegetable broth, cashews, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, and your garlic and onion sauté. Blend on high for 2 minutes or until creamy.
  6. Serve over pasta.

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