Warm Tofu + Spicy Sauce

Ashley's in town!! So we are cooking!! For her first night we made "Warm Tofu with Spicy Garlic Sauce" that I actually found through Pinterest (obsessed with that website, but I mean who isn't right?). The recipe is from Gourmet and it is the most simplistic recipe, almost, ever. Also very new, as I have never prepared tofu the way it calls for, just simmer in warm water, go figure. The sauce, which I will definitely use again for a satay or a marinade, takes just minutes to make but packed with flavor. Oh but I should warn you they were not kidding when they named it "Spicy Garlic Sauce" because Holie Mac was it was spicy! I literally had to put my hair up. Oh but was it just delicious mMmm! It was served family style, because hey thats a pretty huge chunk of tofu, a little jasmine rice to go along side and wham- a flavorful and very fulfilling meal. 

Recipe found here at Gourmet

-kristin

Vegetable Barley Soup

This is one of those soups that makes for the best leftovers. I would have liked to use more fresh vegetables, but the Campus Market doesn't supply that much variety in fresh vegetables so I went the easy way out and got some canned goods that did cut down prep time and cooking time. This is an easy dish to make if you are looking to eat a variety of veggies at one sitting. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients
3/4 cup dry barley (rinsed and drained)
4 cups water
3/4 cups vegetable broth
4 cups water (seperate from the other water)
1 can mixed veggies (carrots, green beans, corn, lima beans)
1/2 can green beans
1/2 chopped onions
1 small zuchinni chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper

Directions
1. Pour 4 cups water and barley into a large soup pot. Bring to a boil and let simmer with lid until almost all the water evaporates (30 minutes)
2. Add four cups more water to pot, along with onions and zuchini.
3. Bring to a boil and add canned veggies (mixed and green beans), stock, olive oil, and herbs
4. Lower heat and cover for 15 minutes.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste
6. Serve

Quick Sqasush and Spinach Side Dish

Since I am sure everyone is trying to abide by the "My Plate" guidlines, putting together a vegetable dish sometimes can be tough. Eating the same old veggies everyday is usually pretty boring so I thought I'd put up a simple post of a very tasty vegetable combo that I made earlier today that I absolutely loved. I didnt measure out the ingrdients since I was just cooking for one but I'll let you know what used and how I used them!

Ingredients

Oil

1 small squash sliced

2 hand full raw spinach

2 cloves garlic (minced)

dried rosemary

dried thyme

lemon juice

salt

Directions

Start by heating your skillet. Let it warm up as you cut up your squash. Add the squash to the skillet and just a splash of oil. Saute the squash until pieces are starting to turn tranlucent. Add minced garlic. Continute saute on medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the raw spinach on top. Sprinkle salt over vegetables. Cook until spinach is welting. Add a few pinches of rosemary and a pinch of thyme. Sprinkle some lemon juice on top. Mix all the ingredients under low heat for another minute. Serve and eat!

Green Soup with Ginger

Lately I've been a tad obsessed with finding new blogs to follow. Whether they be about food, day-to-day life, weddings and events, or crafts, I really have been eager to see what's out there in this little blogosphere. My friend Aimee, who blogs about her life in San Francisco, fashion and all things fabulous here, suggested I check out the blog 101 Cookbooks. All of the recipes are made with natural foods, most are vegetarian and many are vegan so naturally I fell in love. Many of the foods are quite foreign to me, which is really fun because with alot of things I tend to fall into pattern then into a rut. This is helping me expand my vegan food dishes and even my palate! I started with a recipe that had a lot of unfamiliar ingredients, well at least to my taste buds, with leeks and green chard! Whats even better is that this recipe is one she adapted from an other, so now through that I've found even more sites and books of more recipes! I was delighted with this recipe, it tasted amazing. I ended up not using any vegetable broth and only the water, for a very hearty soup. And be sure to add the freshly ground black pepper and fresh squeezed of lemon juice at the end, oh man does that just multiply the exuberance of the flavors!! Because I like a little crunch I went ahead and quickly made fresh croutons (so fast and easy, who knew!) to put right on top for the perfect texture balance. 

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

Click here for the link to 101 Cookbooks and the full Green Soup with Ginger Recipe 

"1 large yellow onion 
2 tablespoons  olive oil 
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, plus more to taste
1 large sweet potato 
1 large leek, white and light green parts
1 bunch spinach (8 ounces)
1 large bunch green chard (12 ounces)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger, plus more to taste
2-4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper

Chop the onion and cook it slowly in the olive oil with a sprinkle of salt, stirring now and then, over low heat until it is soft and golden, about half an hour.

Meanwhile, peel and dice the sweet potato and put it in a large soup pot with 4 cups (1 liter) water and a teaspoon of sea salt. Thoroughly wash the leek, spinach, and chard, chop them coarsely, and add them to the pot, along with the chopped ginger.

Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer the soup, covered, for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are completely tender. Add the caramelized onions when they are ready. When the vegetables are soft, add the vegetable broth (you can add less if you like a thicker soup) and decide whether you want your soup chunky, like this, or smooth. If the latter, puree the soup in a blender, in batches, or with an immersion blender until it is smooth.

Stir in 2 teaspoons of the lemon juice and a few grinds of black pepper. Taste, and correct the seasoning with additional salt or lemon juice.
Serves 5-6.

This recipe was adapted from Love Soup by Anna Thomas. Published by W. W. Norton & Company; September 2009. For those of you who want to get books signed, Anna is visiting quite a number of California book stores throughout October and November, more info here. 

Prep time: 10 min - Cook time: 30 min "

Homemade Croutons
Dice two slices of bread of your choice, lately I've been using a sourdough, and place in oven safe dish. Drizzle extra light olive oil until well coated, crack a bit of pepper and salt on top and lightly toss together. Place under a high boil until golden brown. Be sure to toss a few times so to cook evenly. 

Banana-Pumkin muffins

I know Kristin recently posted a yummy pumkin spice muffin recipe, but you really can never have to many muffin recipes! This recipe was inspired by the ripe banana chilling in my freezer and the extra pumkin puree waiting to be used in my refridgerator. Once thanksgiving past, the craving to make a whole pumkin pie also past. The craving for muffins though, that will never past! So this recipe will make 8 cute little muffins that will warm up your breakfast or mid-day snack. Enjoy! This recipe is an altered version of the Banana pumkin bread recipe from allrecipes.com:)

Ingredients

• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• 1 tbsp egg replacer mixed with 3 tbsp warm water
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup pumkin puree
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pumkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. In a small bowl, mix together the banana, egg replacer, vegetable oil, pumkin puree, agave, and sugar. 
3. In another larger bowl mix together the flour, bakinig powder, baking soday, salt, pumkin pie spice, and cinnamon.
4. Form a small well in the center of the flour mixture and add the banana-pumkin mixture.
5. Stir until just combined.
6. Line a muffin pan with 8 cupcake liners
7. Fill each liners about 3/4 full of the muffin batter
8. Pop in the oven for 40 minutes or until a toothpick and be poked in center and come out clean
9. Remove from oven and let sit for at least 5 minutes
10. Remove from cupcake pan and let cool
11. Eat!

More than just a decoration

The center of this dish is the gourd. Most people know gourds as no more then a fall decoration, but this dish proves that gourds are not only edible, but tasty! I was at the Fall 2011 Sustanability Coalition in Chico this past weekend and as a goodbye gift, the Co-op let us take home some of the vegetables they grew, one of which was the gourd. I didn't really know what to do with it at first, but decided to treat it as if it were any other normal squash. So what I came up with was a mediteranean gourd dish with a side of rissotto. If you ever cross paths with a gourd, don't just run away in terror, come to this recipe and relish in the goodness of the gourd!


Ingredients

• 1-2 tablespoons oil
• 1/2 red onion, cut to your preference
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 3/4 cup canned tomatoes (drained)
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp dill weed
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 gourds, peeled, seeded, and chopped (prepping the gourd is probably the hardest part of the recipe so do it before you start cooking)
• 2 cups water

Directions
1. After you have everything prepped, heat oil in a frying pan that has at least 4 inch raised sides.
2. Add oninions and garlic to warm pan and cook till tender
3. Stir in the canned tomatoes and add all the seasonings
4. Let ingredients warm for 5 minutes, stirring occasionaly
5. Add the chopped gourds and the water
6. Cover pan until water is boiling
7. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until water has evaporated



 Rissotto
Ingredients

• 1/2 cup medium grain white rice
• 1/2 cup water
• 2/3 cup vegetable stock
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• salt to taste
• extra water

Directions


1. Boil 1/2 cup of water and vegetable stock in a small saucepan
2. Add rice and stir continuously
3. When rice has absorbed majority of the liquid, add garlic and salt
4. When all the liquid is absorbed, taste check to see if the rice is firm but not hard
5. If the rice needs more cooking, add liquid and keep stirring till desired consistency is met
6. Spoon remaining gourd liquid over top

Vanilla Tapioca Pudding with Banana

I love pudding so when I found a way to make my favorite type of pudding dairy free I knew it would be blog worthy! The pudding alone is delicious but the addition of the bananas just puts the dessert over the top, so enjoy!



Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup Tapioca pearls
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups vanilla soy milk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp egg replacer (cornstarch can be used as an alternative)
• 3 tbsp water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (add another tsp if you are not using vanilla soy milk)
• 2 bananas
• 1  tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1. Soak tapioca pearls in 3/4 cup water for 15 minutes
2. Add milk and salt to pearls and heat over medium heat until pot begins to boil. Stir continuously
3. Once boiling, lower heat to let it simmer uncovered for 15 minutes
4. Warm up the 3 tbsp of water in microwave then add egg replacer, stir till dissolved.
5. Add sugar and egg replacer to tapioca and keep over heat for another 3 minutes
6. Stir in vanilla extract
7. Transfer to a oven-friendly container and store in refridgerator for two hours.
8. Remove from refridgerator and turn on the broiler
9. Slice up the bananas add a single layer of bananas on top of the tapioca pudding
10. Mix cinnamon and sugar then sprinkle over banana
11. Place in preheated oven  3 inches below the broiler and let heat for 3 minutes.
12. Serve immediately!