Mega Salad - Broccoli, Quinoa, & "Bacon" with Tahini Dressing

I started with this recipe for this Creamy Broccoli Salad and put it over greens. Which was good. But then I kicked it up a notch by adding crispy tempeh bacon and almonds.


I found there was plenty of dressing when I made the broccoli salad, so I only used half and saved the other half to top the salad right before eating.

Mega Salad - Broccoli, Quinoa, & "Bacon" with Tahini Dressing
Makes 2 gigantic servings (or 3-4 normal servings)

Ingredients:
Creamy Broccoli Salad, plus leftover dressing
A few handfuls of greens (I used pre-packaged mixed greens, but kale or arugula would be great, too)
4 slices tempeh bacon
1-2 Tbsp Olive oil
2 Tbsp sliced almonds

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a small pan, then fry tempeh bacon until crispy on both sides. Crumble or chop into small bites.

In a giant salad bowl (or several smaller bowls), lay down a bed of lettuce dress lightly and toss. Then add broccoli salad, almonds and tempeh bacon.

Enjoy!

Note: If you're not eating right away, keep components separate so your greens and tempeh bacon don't get too soggy.

Roasted Cauliflower, Broccoli & Sun-Dried Tomato Salad with Chickpeas

Another "inspired by pinterest" recipe.

I found a recipe for Roasted Cauliflower, Broccoli & Sun-Dried Tomato Salad with Chickpeas and knew immediately that it would be my lunch the entire following week. I love how easily it comes together and how little work is involved. Especially if you're roasting veggies for dinner, you can just make extra for tomorrow's lunch!

I left out the olives and served it over mixed greens. I added in some baked tofu and topped it with a dijon vinaigrette. So yummy! If I were going to eat it immediately, I'd roast the chickpeas in the oven and get them super crunchy. If you're preparing it ahead of time, I don't think that cooking them at all is really needed, but that's a personal preference.

Miso Tempeh and Kale wrap/salad

Oh yum. That's all I have to say. And it's great for a quick dinner or healthy lunch. Double the recipe and have plenty leftover to take to work the next day. I found it at http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2012/07/kale-avocado-wraps-w-spicy-miso-dipped.html

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp white miso paste
3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp agave or maple syrup
black pepper
2-4 Tbsp oil (I used olive)
1 package tempeh, sliced into 8 logs
1 bunch kale
1/2 cup red onion, sliced thinly
1-2 tomatoes, sliced, diced or cut into weges
1 small avocado, sliced or diced

Directions:
1. Mix miso, vinegar, agave (or syrup), a sprinkle of black pepper and 1-2 Tbsp of oil together to make dressing.

2. Heat another Tbsp or so of oil in a saute pan on medium heat.

3. Dip tempeh logs into dressing, then lay them into the hot pan. Allow them to cook for a minute on each side until all sides are carmelized, being careful not to overly blacken. Remove from pan and cool.

4. Remove kale leaves from stem and chop into small pieces.

5. Wash kale well. Run it under (or dunk in) hot water, then dunk it into very cold water. Then dry the kale in a salad spinner and/or with a towel.

6. Transfer kale into a dry bowl, toss with dressing and onions.

7. To serve, either make a salad of kale, tomatoes, avocado and 2 tempeh logs or put all of the components on a wrap (I used whole wheat tortillas) and enjoy.

Lentil tostada

A really quick meal, if you use pre-cooked lentils. And tasty! A recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Be sure to use fresh cilantro - it really adds all the flavor.

Black bean panini

I love me my sammiches. So when I was looking for something for dinner one night, I raided the fridge and cupboard to see what I could see. And came up with this tasty panini!

Ingredients 

Whole grain bread 

1 cup canned black beans, mashed 

Pepper spread (I used Red Pepper and Eggplant Spread from Trader Joe's) 

Cheddar cheese

Quinoa Salad... with Avocado?

The day before I came across this recipe, my husband and I were talking about how we needed a new quinoa salad recipe for the summer. And then this one fell into my lap. My intention was to use one or two avocados chopped up and mixed into the salad instead of served up in the cute, but very avocado-heavy way suggested in the recipe. Then I forgot. And it was still delicious. It also makes a crazy amount of food, so unless you're having company or bringing it to a potluck, I suggest halving the recipe. I used regular uni-colored quinoa with delicious results. Great as a side-dish or light meal.

Quinoa Stuffed Avocado
Ingredients:

2 cups tri-color quinoa, cooked

1/4 cup red onion, small dice

1/2 cup cucumber, small dice

1/2 cup tomatoes, small dice

2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 avocados, halved and pitted (less if you're chopping and adding to the salad)

Directions:

Prepare quinoa according to package directions.  Fluff with a fork and transfer to a large bowl.  Mix in the red onion, cucumber, tomatoes, cilantro, olive oil, vinegar and salt.  Cut each avocado in half and gently scoop out of the shell, keeping it intact.  Scoop the quinoa salad into the center of each avocado or chop the avocado and add to the salad.  Serve immediately.

BBQ Tofu Sandwiches

Because everything tastes good when slathered in BBQ sauce.

Ingredients:

1 block Extra Firm tofu

2 Tbsp peanut oil (canola would be fine, too)

1 Tbsp soy sauce

BBQ sauce (I like Trader Joe's Kansas City Style, but whatever tickles your fancy)

Ciabatta rolls, sliced

Mayo

Cole slaw

Pickles, sliced

Directions:

Press tofu for at least 1 hour (flip after 30 minutes, if you can), then slice thinly. Mix peanut oil and soy sauce together and dredge each slice of tofu through it. Bake tofu at 350 for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. Then pour on the BBQ sauce, making sure to coat both sides. Bake for another 15 minutes and then turn the broiler on for another 5, for good measure. Once the tofu is ready, slather the top bun with mayo, put a few tofu slices on each roll, top with pickles and cole slaw. Devour.

I served it with a quinoa salad (recipe to come) and sauteed kale.

BBQ bean panini

I had intended to make my Grilled cheese and apple sandwich, and as I started pulling out the ingredients - d'oh! I didn't have any apple left. Hmmm.... So I had to make up something with what ingredients I had. And to my surprise, it turned out really good!

On the bottom slice of bread, I layered:
• Half a slice of Swiss cheese
• 3-4 tbsp of mashed pinto beans
• 1 slice cooked bacon
• 1 large leaf of fresh basil
• 1-2 tbsp BBQ sauce
• The other half of cheese and bread.

Veggie Pesto Panini

I saw a recipe in Vegetarian Times, but I wasn't a fan of many of the ingredients - mayo, olive tapenade, and others. But I liked the basic idea. So I rummaged through the fridge to see what I could find, and I came up with a splendidly yummy sandwich!



Ingredients
Fresh asiago bread
1 can chickpeas, mashed
1 large golden beet, thinly sliced
1 large granny smith apple, thinly sliced
Swiss cheese
Basil pesto
Arugula

1. Spread the chickpeas on slices of bread. Top with slices of beet, apple, and cheese.
2. Spread a small amount of pesto on the cheese and top with arugula.
3. Make the sandwich and heat on a small grill or panini press, or in a pan with a small amount of oil.

Mmmmmm....

Easy Pasta Salad

A super quick and easy yet yummy meal!



Cooked bowtie pasta
Arugula
Halved cherry tomatoes
Gorgonzola crumbles
Dash of pepper

Mix together and you're done!

A Passover-friendly vegetable soup

My daughter eats Vegetable Barley Soup almost every day. And with Passover approaching, I wanted to make a Passover-friendly version.

Ingredients:
4 carrots, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 potatoes, chopped
2 sweet potatoes, chopped
2 zucchini, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 cup quinoa
dill, to taste
parsley, to taste
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Directions:
1.  Saute onion, garlic in olive oil.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and cover with water.
4. Cook for at least 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

I had recently made a big pot of vegetable stock, so I reserved the cooked veggies from that, pureed them  and added them to the soup to thicken it. If you don't have extra veggies on hand and want the soup thicker, throw a few cups of it in the blender and mix back into the pot.

Lentils & Rice

I love to cook up a big batch of lentils. They freeze well, so I always have a quick, easy, nutritious meal on hand for my 1-year-old when dinner's not ready on her schedule. I always just wing it, so the measurements of the spices are approximate. This time I decided to add some brown rice so it would be a more complete meal for her without more thought on my part when I'm rushing.

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 cups brown lentils
1 cup brown rice
1 bay leaf
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp thyme
sprinkle of black pepper
2 tsp Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)

Directions:
Add onion & carrots to a pot on high heat and cook for a few minutes while you gather everything else. Add lentils and rice. Both the lentils and rice cook two parts water to each cup, so for this recipe you'd add 6 cups of water. Add seasoning and mix. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 40 minutes, until most or all of the water is absorbed. Remove bay leaf before serving.

This meal is tasty even if you are grown!

Vegetable Barley Soup

I asked my husband if he'd like soup this week. He responded "I like soup." But when I showed him various recipes, the feedback I got ranged from the specific ("I don't like tomatoes in my soup") to the vague ("That's not what I had in mind"). Finally he asked for "something with barely in it." Okay, that I can work with. A quick search on food.com (formerly recipezaar) got me to this recipe. He was worried that it wouldn't have enough flavor, but I held strong. In the end, as usual, I was right. You will have leftovers (hooray!), but as the days go by the chunks will melt and the soup will become even creamier. It freezes very well.

Ingredients:
4 carrots (1 grated, 3 chopped)
1 onion, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 potatoes, chopped (I used 4, because they were small and who doesn't love little potato bits in their soup?)
2 sweet potatoes, choped
2 zucchini, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 cup barley
1/2 cup split peas (I used yellow)
1/2 cup red lentil
dill, to taste
parsley, to taste
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste



Directions:
1. Soak split peas until partially soft, or boil
2. Saute onion, garlic and grated carrot (I added some olive oil for this step even though it was not in the ingredients or directions.)
3. Add the rest of the ingredients and cover with water.
4. Cook for at least 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

I think it would work with any number of vegetable combinations would work. Next time I'm going to add some cut green beans.

If you have young children, feel free to serve this soup while singing Raffi's "Oats and Beans and Barely Grow."

Pizza breadsticks

Because we haven't given our daughter cheese yet, including her in family pizza night has been a challenge. She's too small to really handle a slice and her cheeseless pizzas become bread with a side of mixed vegetables all too quickly. Guess which half of that equation gets ignored. So I made breadsticks with the veggie goodness baked inside and provided some sauce on the side for dipping.

Using my go-to dough recipe (also featured here), I added a bit of each veggie we used to top our pizza (on this day it was onion, spinach and green pepper) and mixed it right into a hunk of dough. Cooked that dough alongside our pizza and let it cool enough for little hands and little mouths.

Falafel Enchiladas

Ingredients:

Falafel mix (I used one by Al Fex Authentic Middle Eastern Cuisine)

3/4 cup rice (dry, uncooked)

1 1/2 cups water

1 pinch saffron threads

1 pinch powdered ginger

1 pinch garlic powder

1 Tbsp olive oil or butter

1 avocado

1 can vegetarian refried beans

1 can garlic & oil petite diced tomatoes

1 can enchilada sauce

1/2 cup grated Colby cheese

6-8 burritos

Instructions:

1. Use falafel mix as directed.
2. While the falafel is cooking, put the rice, water, saffron, ginger, garlic and oil/butter in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and allow rice to steam for about half an hour.
3. Mash the avocado and mix it with the refried beans.
4. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
5. When the falafel and rice are done, layer the bean/avocado mix, rice, drained petite tomatoes, and 2-3 pieces of falafel on each burrito.
6. Wrap the enchiladas and place in 9x13 pan. Pour enchilada sauce over them and cover with shredded cheese.
7. Cook the enchiladas 20 minutes or until cheese has all melted.

Marchwich - Curried Eggplant burgers

Found this at FatFreeVegan.com:



The burgers turned out pretty scrumptious, but I'm not sure if it was really worth the effort. I used a large eggplant - spent quite a bit of time baking it and letting it cool, but I didn't get the meat yield from it that the recipe called for. So in the end, I was only able to make two patties after about an hour's total work.

(Also, instead of baking, I just cooked on the stovetop in olive oil like I do for all other veggie burgers, and this worked just as well).

Next time I do make this though, I'll try the onion-pepper relish the author recommends.

Black Bean, Potato and Quinoa Soup

This was another soup I made by using the random things I could find in my cupboard. It was quite tasty!

For those of you unfamiliar with quinoa (pronounced "keen-wah"), it is a grain-like crop from South America that is very high in protein.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked black beans
• 4 cups chopped potatoes
• 1/4 cup diced sun-dried tomatoes
• 8 cups water
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 2 tsp garlic powder (or fresh garlic if you have it)
• 2 tsp onion powder (or real onion if you have it)
• 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup quinoa

Instructions:
Combine ingredients and simmer for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.
Serve hot and enjoy!

May's Butternut Squash Soup

I wanted to make some butternut squash soup, but all the recipes I found seemed so bland. I wanted to make something more complex, so I came up with this recipe. It tasted great! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped
2 large carrots or 4-5 small carrots, scrubbed and chopped
1 apple, cored and chopped (peeling optional)
1 medium white onion, chopped
8 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup cream or milk
4 Tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh-ground pepper
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp brown sugar

Directions:
1. In a large stock pot, melt butter over medium heat until melted and just starting to simmer. Add the onion, squash, sweet potato, carrots, and apple; cook until just getting soft, 15-20 minutes.

2. Add vegetable broth and cream or milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer 20 minutes.

3. Remove from heat, allow to cool. Pour soup into food processor, puree until smooth, then return it to the pot.

4. Add salt and pepper to taste, then add nutmeg, cinnamon, and brown sugar.

Meatball sandwich

Got leftover meatballs from that holiday party? Or just looking for a quick bite for lunch? What's easier than a meatball sandwich?

I lived on these when I was little. But now, as a vegetarian, since there's no more meat for me, and I stay away from the processed stuff, I've grown attached to Beanballs.

So one night for dinner, I whipped up some beanballs, heated them with sauce and cheese, and threw them on some sourdough bread. Voila! A quick and easy meal.

2 Versions of Spinach & Broccoli Salad

I had a lot of spinach and broccoli on hand this week, so I made myself some salads, each a bit different from the others for variety. I don't know about you, but I don't like eating the same thing day after day. Here's two of the ways I mixed things up:

This one was spinach, broccoli, avocado, banana peppers, farmer's cheese, sunflower seeds and creamy Italian dressing.

This is spinach, broccoli, red pepper, homemade hummus, sunflower seeds and balsamic vinaigrette. This version was my favorite! So good!