Ginger-Cashew Tempeh Stirfry {Vegan}

Happy Friday!  I made a pretty cool discovery at Trader Joe's this afternoon - they now carry organic 3-grain tempeh!

 

Tempeh is a great source of vegan protein. It's heartier than tofu, which would lend itself well to marinating & grilling.  I had to pick some up, and glad I did.

Flyin' solo this Friday night, I whipped up this nutrient dense vegan meal for one and served with a glass TJ's Green Fin Organic White wine.

Ginger-Cashew Tempeh Stirfry

Serves 2
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 minutes

Stirfry Ingredients:
1 T safflower oil
1 package tempeh
1 oz raw cashews, roughly chopped
6-8 shitake mushrooms
1 c pea sprouts, a little more to top
1 c baby spinach
1 small white onion, finally sliced
2 carrots, finely sliced
1 small zucchini, sliced
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1.5-2  in chunk ginger, roughly chopped

Sauce Ingredients:
2T Bragg's Amino Acid
1 T safflower oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 lemon, small orange or lime,  juiced (I used lemon)
2 tsp. Sriracha sauce (or use chili paste)

Mix together the sauce ingredients and set aside. Heat a large sautee pan to medium.  Add 1 T of the oil, and warm it.   Add garlic, onions and ginger and sautee for about a minute.  Then add zucchini, carrots, mushrooms, cashews and tempeh.  Sautee for another 3 minutes or so, until veggies are almost done.  Lastly, add the pea sprouts, spinach and the sauce.  Sautee for 30 more seconds.  Top with more cashews and pea sprouts.   Serve over rice if you want...but this plant-based meal was hearty enough to eat on its own.  YUM.

Nutrition per serving:

568 calories

44 g carbs

32 g fat 

28 g protein

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

::Quick post since it's almost my bedtime::    After a long day today at the office, I whipped up this quick and healthy side dish.  We had it with homemade chicken soup.  Too good not to share...enjoy!



Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup white or red quinoa, rinsed well*
1/4 c sun dried tomatoes
2 oz (approx 1/4 c) crumbled feta
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 T olive oil
1 small lemon, zested and juiced
1-2 tsp fresh herbs (think: basil...oregano...parsley...rosemary...thyme)
Optional:  serve over bed of baby spinach (a handful)

Directions:

Cook quinoa and let cool until room temperature.   Mix in the sun dried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, lemon and herbs until combined well.   Fold in feta cheese and serve (hot or cold).

This would be great to take to lunch the next day.  Oooh, or with a grilled piece of chicken on top or some grilled eggplant, mushroom and peppers for a completely delicious summer meal.  I can't wait to get OUTSIDE and cook. :)

*as with any grain or bean, rinse WELL to clean off dust, debris, and potential pesticides/heavy metals!

{Spicy} Tofu + Veggie Stir Fry over Brown Rice

Stir-frying is a Chinese cooking method typically involving a wok, oil, protein, veggies and a sauce. I must make this about once a week or so; once you've made it, it's kind of a no-brainer!  Pick your veggies, protein, and duplicate the sauce.   Dinner in 30 minutes.  HEALTHY, vitamin rich, easy dinner in 30 minutes. ;)

So this recipe calls for tofu, which is a vegetarian source of protein. It's basically made by curdling soy milk and straining out the liquid.  Tofu might sound scary if you've never tried it.  Alone, it's really rather bland.  Bland = versatile though, and it can be flavored or marinated or sauced up or prepared any way you like.

I eat tofu maybe 1-2 times a month.  It's limited because of it's strange property: phytoestrogen, which stirs a lot of debate in the nutrition community.   I don't think it's the worst thing you can eat; probably much better than ingesting a 1/2 lb of bacon on a wheat bun. When eating tofu/soy,  its imperative to choose organic as most all of the soy crop in the U.S. is genetically modified.   If tofu and you are just NOT going to ever get along, the option is always there to substitute another protein like black beans, shrimp, chicken, scallops, or beef instead of the tofu.    

Isn't it pretty?

Spicy Tofu and Veggie Stir Fry
{Makes 2 large servings}

Ingredients:

1 14 oz block extra firm organic tofu, cut into 1/2 or 1-inch cubes

6-8 cups raw chopped veggies - pick what you like:

• kale
• carrots
• celery
• broccoli
• onion
• asparagus
• mushrooms
• colored bell peppers
• zucchini

....you get the idea

2 T minced garlic

2 T minced ginger

Sauce - combine all in a bowl or glass measuring cup:

1 T coconut oil

1 T raw honey

1 T acid (rice wine, coconut or apple cider vinegar OR lemon or lime juice)

1/3 c Organic soy sauce OR Liquid Aminos

1 tsp chili paste (Sambel Olek)

1 tsp tapioca flour (mixed in a tiny bit of warm water)

1 tsp sesame oil

Directions:

Start your brown rice (1 c rice to 2 c water, tiny bit of salt, bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover...20 minutes). 

Heat your wok to medium. Add the coconut oil and when hot, add your tofu cubes, and toss/stir frequently, until they are light golden brown on all sides.  Add your veggies, garlic and ginger and stir fry for another 5-10 minutes or so on medium heat until veggies are almost fork tender. We want to keep the color and a bit of texture. Then add the sauce and cook for another 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. 

Serve over brown rice and sprinkle with Gomasio or Sea Kelp (or both, plus Sriracha like me) for extra nutrition & flavor.  Enjoy!