Sriracha Peanut Butter Tofu

Prep Time: 15 minutes          Cook Time: 15 minutes          Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

3  1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

2  1/4 tablespoons rice vinegar

3  1/2 tablespoons peanut butter

2  1/2 tablespoons water

1  1/2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce

1 block tofu

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 cup cornstarch

1 small, hot red pepper

Preparation:

1. Press and drain your tofu. Once your tofu has been drained, slice it into cubes or strips (your preference, really). Pour cornstarch into a mixing bowl and cover the tofu pieces in the cornstarch.

2. Add olive oil to your skillet. Heat over medium.

3. While the oil is heating, mix together the sauce. To do this, combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, water, peanut butter, and Sriracha sauce. Whisk this together with a fork or mix well with a spoon until it is a smooth consistency.

4. Once the olive oil is heated, place the tofu into the skillet. Brown both sides, about 3-4 minutes for each side.

5. Once the tofu has browned, pour the sauce over the tofu. Let the sauce thicken, about 3 minutes. If the sauce needs more moisture and is already too thick, add a little water.

6. Dice up the small red pepper (be sure to remove the seeds if you don’t want the heat). Sprinkle over the tofu.

7. Serve and enjoy!

Tofu Fajitas

Prep Time: 10 minutes          Cook Time: 20 minutes          Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 block tofu, drained and cut into long pieces

1 small green bell pepper, chopped

1 small red bell pepper, chopped

1 small yellow bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

2 mushrooms, chopped

2 teaspoons cumin

1 packet fajita mix (any brand)

Corn starch (enough to coat tofu)

Olive oil

1/4 cup water

Salt and Pepper to taste

Whole grain tortillas

Preparation:

1. If you have not already, drain your tofu. While the tofu is draining, chop the green, red, and yellow bell peppers, onion, garlic, and mushrooms.

2. After the tofu has drained, dry it with a towel and cut it into long pieces.

3. Heat olive oil in a medium sized skillet. Use enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan and fry the tofu.

4. While the oil is heating, pour cornstarch into a small mixing bowl. Add 1 teaspoon cumin and 1 tablespoon of the fajita packet. Mix this together and coat the tofu pieces in the mixture.

5. Once the oil has heated, place the tofu in the oil. Let each side brown, about 4 or 5 five minutes.

6. Once the tofu has browned, remove the pieces from the skillet and place onto a plate. Set aside.

7. Add the bell peppers, onion, garlic, and mushrooms into the skillet. The tofu has probably absorbed most of the olive oil, and this is okay. Saute the vegetables for about 5 minutes, stirring to ensure that they do not stick.

8. Once the vegetables are tender, add 1/4 cup water and the rest of the fajita mix. Add 1 teaspoon cumin. Salt and pepper according to taste. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.

9. Once most of the water has been cooked away, add the tofu back into the skillet with the vegetables to reheat it. Hint: If you do not make sure that the water has been absorbed before doing this step, your tofu will get soggy. Blah!

10. Serve onto a tortilla shell and top with whatever you like. Enjoy!

Yellow Potato Salad

About:

This was one of the first recipes my mom ever taught me how to make. I loved it as a kid, because I love potatoes, mustard, and pickles! So I made this for this fourth of July this year and my family enjoyed it. I have no photo of this recipe because, well, potato salad isn’t very photogenic 😛 This recipe also calls for eggs, so depending on what type of vegetarian you are, you may or may not eat this recipe. Although I do cook a lot of vegan recipes, I keep dairy products in my diet sometimes (including eggs) so if you’re like me, this will be a good recipe for you. It’s also quick, easy, and fun to make!

Total time: 35 – 40 minutes (for boiling the potatoes, mostly)

Ingredients:

5-6 medium-small potatoes, diced and peeled

1/2 onion, chopped

2  1/2 whole dill pickles, chopped

2 boiled eggs, diced

1 (4 ounce) jar sliced pimentos

6 tablespoons Miracle Whip (I use light; mayonnaise also works)

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

1/4 teaspoon celery salt

Salt and pepper to taste

Paprika

Preparation:

1. Place the diced potatoes into a large sauce pan. Cover them with water and bring them to a boil. Once the potatoes reach a full boil, cover and reduce the heat to simmer. Let them simmer for 15-20 minutes or until tender.

2. While the potatoes are boiling, go ahead and chop the pickles, onion, and boiled eggs.

3. Once the potatoes are tender, remove from heat and drain them. Place the drained potatoes into a large mixing bowl.

4. Add the pickles, onion, boiled eggs, pimentos, Miracle Whip, yellow mustard, celery salt, and salt and pepper into the mixing bowl with the potatoes. With a large spoon, mix vigorously until the consistency of the potatoes is smooth.

5. Sprinkle the top of the potato salad with paprika and serve.

Tofu & Eggplant Stir Fry

Prep Time: 20 minutes         Cook Time: 20 minutes          Total Time: 45 minutes

Note: Prep Time will vary depending on whether or not the tofu is already drained and the rice is already cooked. I picked a time somewhat in the middle to accommodate, but if the tofu is already drained and rice already cooked, the prep time could only consist of dicing your tofu, eggplant, and vegetables.

Ingredients:

1 block tofu, cubed

2/3 cup Eggplant, cubed

1 cup cooked brown rice

1/2 large sweet onion, sliced

2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2/3 cup carrots, chopped

1 cup broccoli

1/2 cup hoisin sauce

2-3 tablespoons soy sauce

Vegetable Oil (enough to coat the bottom of your pan)

Cornstarch (enough to coat your tofu pieces)

1 teaspoon five-spice powder

1  1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Cook the rice as instructed on the back of the package. In the meantime, if you haven’t already, drain your tofu and dice your vegetables.

2. Heat enough vegetable oil in your skillet or frying pan on medium-high heat to fry the tofu and eggplant. (I apologize for not having a measurement for this; I just eyeball it. I’d say it’s around 1/4 to 1/3 cup).

3. While the oil is heating up, coat your tofu pieces in cornstarch. This will help the tofu crisp.

4. When the oil is heated, add the tofu. Let the pieces fry until the bottom is browned, about 4-5 minutes. Flip the tofu and brown the other side, another 4-5 minutes.

5. Once the tofu has browned, temporarily remove the pieces from the oil and onto a plate. Set aside.

6. Add the pieces of eggplant into the oil. Add more oil if necessary (tofu tends to soak it up).

7. Let the eggplant brown on one side (about 6-8 minutes), flip the eggplant, and brown the opposite side.

8. Once the eggplant has browned, reduce the heat to medium and add the diced carrot, onion, garlic, and broccoli. Let this saute, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent.

9. Return the tofu to the pan.

10. Add the cooked rice, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, five spice, sesame seeds, and salt and pepper. Stir well and allow to simmer 2-3 minutes before serving (add a bit more hoisin sauce if things get dry).

11. Serve and enjoy!

Lentil Soup

About this recipe: This lentil soup is healthy and easy to make. All you really have to do is stick all of the ingredients in a pot and let it do its own thing (keeping an eye on it, of course). This recipe would also work well in a slow-cooker on medium-low heat for about 3-4 hours.

Prep Time: 10 minutes         Cook Time: 45 minutes         Total Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup lentils

5 cups vegetable stock or broth

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 cup celery, chopped

1 cup carrots, chopped

1 medium yellow squash, chopped

1/2 large sweet onion

2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2/3 cup frozen green peas

1/3 cup frozen corn

3 bay leaves

1  1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1  1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 teaspoon cumin

A couple dashes of dry mustard

A couple pinches of dry rosemary

Preparation:

1. In a large stew or stock pot, add all of the ingredients: lentils, diced tomatoes (not drained), vegetable broth/stock, celery, carrots, squash, onion, garlic, peas, corn, bay leaves, salt, black and white pepper, paprika, oregano, cumin, dry mustard and rosemary. Bring the soup to a boil.

2. After the soup has been boiling gently for about 7 minutes, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover.

3. Let the soup simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so.

4. Once the soup has thickened, it is ready. Discard the bay leaves and serve.

Portobello Burger

Hi everyone! My local grocery store got in a large shipment of portobello mushrooms, and I’d been having a craving for something grilled, so angels sounded their trumpets when I placed the mushrooms into my cart. I had never grilled portobello mushrooms by themselves before, so it was a new experience for me, but a very tasty one! So if you like mushrooms, (I think I like them more than the Mario brothers) then fire up your grill, folks.

Prep Time: 50 minutes      Cook Time: 15 minutes      Total Time: 65 minutes

Ingredients:

1 large portobello mushroom per person

6 teaspoons melted butter/margarine

3 teaspoons Italian salad dressing

1/3 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 3/4 tablespoon Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon chopped basil

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Pour in the melted butter/margarine, Italian salad dressing, and Worcestershire sauce into a baking dish that is large enough to house all of your mushrooms. Add the garlic, Parmesan cheese, basil, and salt and pepper into the dish. Stir well until everything is blended.

2. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and place them into the baking dish with the side the stems originated from facing up. Spoon the mixture over the mushrooms, covering most areas. Let the mushrooms sit and marinade for 45 minutes, spooning more of the mixture over them every 15 minutes or so.

3. When the mushrooms have been sitting in the marinade for about 45 minutes, place them on a hot grill. Let them grill on one side for about 7-8 minutes, flip them, and grill the other side for another 7-8 minutes.

4. Place onto a bun with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Beer Potato Soup

Hi guys! It’s almost summer and in the southern US where I live, it’s been over 90 degrees every day for the past week. What food did I get a craving for? Beer Potato Soup. It may not be most people’s choice for hot, humid days, but I can’t get enough of this stuff, so I decided to share it with you all.

Prep Time: 15 minutes          Cook Time: 65 minutes          Total Time: 80 minutes

Ingredients:

4 or 5 large potatoes, diced

1 can/bottle of your favorite beer

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

2 large radishes, chopped

2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

1  3/4 cup vegetable broth/stock

1/2 cup milk

3 tablespoons flour

5 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 1/2 teaspoon of salt

Pepper to taste (I use a lot)

Cajun seasoning to taste

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

A couple pinches of dry rosemary

Grated or shredded cheese to taste

Preparation:

1. Melt 2 tablespoons butter or margarine in a large stock or stew pot. The other 3 tablespoons of butter/margarine are used in a later step.

2. Add the chopped onion, garlic, celery, and radishes. Saute on medium high heat until the the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the diced potatoes, your favorite beer, vegetable broth/stock, salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning, white pepper, and rosemary. Bring this to a boil.

4. Once everything begins to boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and let it sit for 45 minutes. Stir every 15 minutes or so.

5. When the 45 minutes is about up, melt 3 tablespoons of butter or margarine into a small or medium saucepan. Add the flour and milk. Whisk this mixture frequently until it is smooth and looks like this:

6. Once the butter/margarine, milk, and flour reach the desire consistency, remove it from heat.

7. Use a ladle to spoon the potato soup mixture into a blender. Do this carefully as the soup is likely to be very hot. Blend the soup until it is smooth and chunks are barely visible. Once blended, return the soup to the stew or stock pot.

8. Add the butter/margarine, milk, and floor mixture to the potato soup.

9. Stir the butter/margarine, milk, and flour mixture into the soup until it is no longer distinguishable.

10. Add grated or shredded cheese and let the potato soup cook for an additional 10 minutes to let the cheese melt and for the flavors to blend. Stir frequently. Use more seasonings if necessary.

11. Serve and enjoy.

Red Beans and Rice

Prep Time: 15 minutes     Cook Time: 2  1/2 hours   Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup dry red beans

1  1/3 cup rice

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1/3 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 large celery stalk, chopped

1 large yellow onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2/3 cup vegetable stock/broth

3 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 teaspoon coriander

1/4 teaspoon sage

1/2 teaspoon oregano

2 tablespoons olive oil

Cajun seasoning to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Soak the red beans overnight to help reduce cooking time.

2. When you are ready to begin cooking, bring the red beans to a boil in a large saucepan. Add salt and pepper to the water.

3. While the beans are being brought to a boil, chop the onion, green and yellow bell pepper, celery, and garlic.

4. When the beans begin to boil, let them cook on a low boil for about 15 minutes. After this, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the beans. Let them cook for about an hour to an hour and a half (depends on the moodiness of the beans), stirring occasionally. Add more water as needed.

5. While the beans are cooking, begin cooking the rice as instructed on the back of the package.

6. When both the beans and rice are tender and almost done cooking, start on the vegetables. In a large skillet, coat the bottom with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the chopped onion, celery, green and yellow bell pepper, and garlic. Saute on medium high heat for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

7. Drain and add the beans to the skillet with the vegetables. Reserve the bean water.

8. Add 2/3 cup vegetable broth or stock, bay leaves, white pepper, coriander, sage, oregano, and salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning to taste. I personally use a lot of black pepper and Cajun seasoning, so you can be very generous with these if you want to.

9. Stir the ingredients together and bring this to a low boil.

10. Once it has started to boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and let the mixture cook for about 15 minutes or until thickened. Hint: If the mixture becomes too dry, add the reserved bean water to juice it back up. 

11. Once the beans and vegetables are at the desired thickness, add the cooked rice to the mixture. Stir well and allow the different flavors to cook together for another 5 minutes.

12. When you are ready to serve, discard the bay leaves and enjoy!

Raisin Banana Bread

Prep Time: 10 minutes        Cook Time: 65-70 minutes       Total Time: 75-80 minutes

Ingredients:

2 or 3 ripe bananas                        1 beaten egg or egg substitute

1/2 cup melted butter                  1  1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup sugar                                     1 teaspoon baking soda

1  1/2 cup all purpose flour        1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 – 1/3 cup raisins                       A dash of ground cinnamon

Non-stick cooking spray

Preparation:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 and spray a 4×8-inch loaf pan with non-cook cooking spray.

2. While the oven is preheating, mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl with a fork (you can use your hands if you’re feeling feisty and have a desire to get sticky). Mash the bananas until they have a smooth consistency.

3. Once the bananas are smooth, add the melted butter into the bowl. Stir well.

4. Add the salt, baking soda, beaten egg, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon (however much you like), flour and raisins into the banana and butter mixture. Use however many raisins suit your taste. Also, it is easier to do this step one ingredient at a time to prevent making a huge mess. Stir all of the ingredients well.

5. Pour the mixture into the greased loaf pan.

6. Once the oven is preheated, place the loaf pan into the oven and let it bake for 65-70 minutes.

Hint: After about 65 minutes, you can test to see if the raisin banana bread is done by inserting a toothpick into the loaf. If it comes out without much bread goo on it, then your loaf is ready to remove from the oven. 

 7. As soon as your raisin banana bread is done, remove it from the oven and let it cool before serving.

8. Enjoy!

Split Pea Soup

Prep Time: 10 minutes         Cook Time: 70 minutes         Total Time: 80 minutes

Ingredients:

1  1/2 cup green split peas (dry)              2 radishes

One large onion                                               1 cup chopped carrots

2 tablespoons butter                                    1 cup chopped celery

2 garlic cloves (chopped fine)                   2 tablespoons dried leaf marjoram

1/2 teaspoon white pepper                       1  1/2 – 2 cups vegetable stock

2-3 cups water                                                  Cajun seasoning to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

4  Morning Star vegetarian bacon strips (optional)

Preparation:

1. Melt the butter in a large stew or stock pot.

2. Once the butter has melted, add the chopped onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and radishes. If you want to add the vegetarian bacon strips, cut them into fine pieces and add them with the vegetables. (You can also do them in the microwave according to the instructions on the package).

3. Let the vegetables saute over low to medium heat for roughly 7 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.

4. Add the marjoram and stir it into the vegetable mix. Let this saute for another couple of minutes.

5. Add the split green peas and pour in the vegetable stock and water. You can use all vegetable stock or all water. You can even make your own special vegetable stock / water combination. Do whatever suits your taste.

6. Add the white pepper, Cajun seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste.

7. Bring everything to a boil.

8. After everything has boiled for a little bit, reduce the heat to medium-low. Partially cover the pot. Let everything cook for an hour. Hint: Set a timer for fifteen minutes four times. Each time the timer goes off, stir the soup. If it looks too soupy after a couple of times stirring, add some flour to thicken things up. If it’s too thick, add some water.

9. Once the soup has been simmering for an hour and the peas are falling apart nicely, puree 5 cups of the soup in a blender (I sometimes puree all of it if I’m in the mood). To do this, use a ladle to transfer the soup into a blender. It will be hot, so be careful. Hint: I use the dice / chop setting on my blender. 

10. Once the soup looks nice and smooth, transfer it back to the pot. Heat it back up to the desired temperature. Serve and enjoy!