Soy Tempeh Skillet

This is a recipe I came up with while playing with the ingredients I had in my refrigerator and pantry. All the ingredients came from Trader Joes. The Tempeh is now accessible in the refrigerated section. You can also substitute the red onion for shallots or sweet onions. You can also choose yellow or red peppers instead of green peppers.

This is a fast, healthy and protein packed meal. This is an ideal and easy choice for a quick dinner or lunch.

Serves 2
Ingredients
- 1/2 red organic onion, finely diced
- 1/2 organic green pepper, finely diced
- 1 organic Zucchini, chopped
- 2 cups crumbled soy (Use Morningstar, Boca, or your choice)
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1/2 can italian seasoned tomatoes
- 2 cups tempeh
- Shredded organic Soy cheese for topping

Instructions:
1. Heat your wok or skillet on medium heat
2. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil
3. Add onions, peppers and zuccini and grill for 2 minutes
4. Add 2 cups of soy and tempeh and mix well for 1-2 minutes
5. Add the 1/2 can of tomatoes and mix well.
6. Pour into a bowl and top with shredded soy cheese.

**Alternative Choice: Follow steps one through five. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour into pyrex caserole dish and layer top with shredded soy cheese. Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and top is brown**

Serve and Enjoy!!!

Candied Clementine Cake

So I have to admit that I have not baked this cake yet, but it is on my goal list for this week. Our local farmers market is this Sunday and I plan on purchasing fresh, organic clementines for this summertime desert. I originally came across this recipe on a vegan site (http://veganyumyum.com). I will post comments after I cook this desert! This recipe below makes one bundt cake.

Ingredients:
Candied Clementine Cake

1 1/2 Cup Candied Clementine Puree, around 5-8 clementines
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 1/4 Cup Soymilk, or other non-dairy milk
1/4 Cup Sugar
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Fresh Clementines, for garnish

Clementine Poured Fondant
1 1/4 Cup Confectioner’s Sugar
3 Tbs Fresh Clementine Juice, or other citrus (about 3 clementines)

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350º F
2. Puree the clementines in a food processor until fairly smooth.
3. Combine the clementine puree with the oil, soymilk, and sugar. Whisk until smooth.
4. Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in another bowl.
5. Grease a bundt pan with spray oil, vegan margarine like Earth Balance, or vegetable shortening. Scoop a few spoonfuls of the dry mixture into the greased bundt pan and turn the pan to coat the sides and center spike. Rap the pan against the counter to loosen any extra flour and pour it back into the dry mixture.
6. Fold the dry mixture into the wet mixture until combined. Pour the batter into prepared bundt pan. It’s okay if it’s a little thick.
7. Bake at 350º F for 45-50 minutes.
8. Let cool upside-down on a large plate. After a few minutes the cake should drop out of the pan onto the plate in one piece. Let cake cool completely before icing.

The Icing-Clementine Poured Fondant
Ingredients: Whisk powdered sugar with 3 Tbs of clementine juice. Add to a small sauce pan and bring to a rolling boil for 10-20 seconds, or until it reaches the soft-ball stage (235-240º F).

Instructions:
Remove from heat and whisk constantly until it starts to thicken. At first, the icing will be a glossy yellow (similar to egg yolks), and it will gradually thicken and become lighter as it cools. You want to pour it over the cake when it’s very clearly thickened, but not too cool (i.e. thick) to pour. If the icing becomes too thick, simply reheat and start again.

Dust the cake with powdered sugar to finish, and garnish with fresh clementine segments.

Swiss Patty Melt with Peas

So it’s Monday afternoon and I am flipping through the Whole Foods coupon book they had out at their markets, and came across this healthy meal. It called for a few ingredients and thought this would be a great new meal for my husband. I was so excited to find a new recipe to try out for him to enjoy.

This is a gluten free, sugar conscious alternative to the patty melt you would see in a deli or sandwich shop. This recipe called for ground, lean organic turkey breast meat rather than ground beef. If you have ground chicken this would work just fine too. Gary loved it! It was filling, juicy and high in protein. I served the dish with steamed assortment of vegetables such as carrots, corn, beans and peas. Let me know your thoughts after serving this delicious, healthy meal!

Serving Size: 1
Ingredients:
½ lb ground turkey, formed into a patty
Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
½ small onion, sliced
¼ cup frozen organic green peas
2 tablespoons of grated Swiss cheese, or 2 slices of Swiss cheese

Instructions
1. Lightly season patty with salt and pepper.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add the patty and cook until golden brown on the first side (about 3-4 minutes)
3. Flip patty and move to one side of the skillet
4. Add onions, salt and pepper to cleared side of skilled and cook until softened and golden brown (about 5 minutes).
5. Add peas and cook for 1 minute more, checking to ensure the patty is cooked through.
6. Sprinkle patty with cheese and transfer to a plate. Serve!!!

Orange Ginger Tofu Triangles

Make your own baked tofu! This is a salty, sweet marinade made with orange juice, soy sauce, and sesame oil, and seasoned with garlic and ginger. I made the marinade yesterday on my lunch break and marinated the tofu for 3-4 hours. I put the triangle cut tofu pieces in a pyrex dish while it marinated.

Please note: the recipe called for canola oil and red pepper flakes, but I did not use them.

I served this dish with steamed rice and vegetable eggrolls with dipping sauce. What a treat! Enjoy!

Prep Time: 25 Minutes
Ready In: 1 Hour 25 Minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients:
1 pound firm tofu (15 oz. tofu package)
1 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup canola oil
4 teaspoons dark sesame oil 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 green onions, cut into 1-inch strips
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:
1. Turn the tofu on its side, and cut it into 4 thin slices. Lay the tofu flat again, and cut the block diagonally to make 8 triangles.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the orange juice, vinegar, soy sauce, oils, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes.

3. Separate the pressed tofu pieces, and arrange in a baking dish in a single layer.

4. Cover with the marinade, and sprinkle with the green onion and cilantro. Cut the stems off the chiles, remove the seeds, and place the chiles in the baking dish.

5. Cover with plastic wrap (or pyrex lid), and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, and up to overnight.

6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

7. Pour off some of the marinade, so the tofu is covered halfway. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, without turning, until the tofu is golden and most of the marinade has been absorbed.
**You can cook as long as needed to make it your desired texture. I cooked it for an extra 10 minutes for extra golden texture**

Zucchini & Sun Dried Tomato Salad

I am proud to say that the picture you see is an organic zucchini grown in our home vegetable garden. This is an easy to prepare, healthy and fresh salad great for BBQs or as a side dish with your main dish. I found it while browsing through Shape Magazine. Always remember that when preparing vegetables to use an organic, enviornmentally friendly fruit and veggie wash, especially if you do not buy organic.

Zucchini & Sun Dried Tomato Salad

Ingredients

- 4 Zucchini

- 1/2 small jar of sundried tomato w/ olive oil and herbs

- 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil

- 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

-1.5 teapoons of fresh lemon zest

Directions

1. Peel the Zucchini and place in a bowl

2. In a food chopper or processor, pulse and chop the sun dried tomatoes

3. Add the chopped sun dried tomato, zucchini, oilive oil, lemon juice and lemon zest and mix well.

4. Serve right away or refrigerate-Enjoy!

Vegan Blueberry Muffins

Vegan Blueberry Muffins
This is the easiest recipe! Enjoy with your morning coffee, tea or as a snack.

Tips:
1. I have substituted bananas for the blueberries to make vegan banana muffins.
2. If you prefer to not use soy milk, you can try rice or almond milk. I used vanilla soy milk.

Serves 12
Ingredients
· 1/4 cup soy margarine
· 1/2 cup unsweetened organic applesauce
· 1/2 tsp. salt
· 1 cup granulated brown sugar
· 2 cups all-purpose flour
· 1 Tbs. baking powder
· 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
· 1/2 cup soy milk
· 2 cups fresh organic blueberries

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 1/3-cup muffin cups with paper liners, or spray with cooking spray.
2. Mix all ingredients together in mixing bowl. Spoon into muffin cups, filling three-quarters full.
3. Bake 35 minutes, or until tops are firm. Cool slightly on rack.

Recipe: Homemade Veggie Burgers

I have been really wanting to try making homemade veggie burgers ever since I have enjoyed local restaurants such as The Counter who pride themselves on fresh veggie burgers! I had often turned to buying the frozen brands such as Moringstar or Boca, which I love, but I decided to use fresh ingredients. This was delicious. Gary and I served on fresh rolls with tomato and avocado. You can add any of your favorite toppings. This is a sure hit and I plan on making it again :)

Substitutions: The below recipe is vegetarian. If you want to make it vegan, substitute the shredded cheese for soy or rice cheese and use an egg substitute.

Tip #1: I added half a can organic garbanzo beans for more protein.
Tip #2: To chop up all your veggies and beans, use a food chopper or food processor.

Veggie Burgers
Serving Size: 8

INGREDIENTS
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small onion, grated
2 cloves crushed garlic
2 carrots, shredded
1 small summer squash, shredded
1 small zucchini, shredded
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over low heat, and cook the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes, until tender.
2. After the onions and garlic are cooked, add in the chopped carrots, squash, and zucchini. Continue to cook and stir for 2 minutes.
3. Remove pan from heat and transfer everything to a large mixing bowl.
4. Add to the mixing bowl, the oats, cheese, and egg.
5. Add soy sauce to the bowl and mix well. Place the mixing bowl in the refrigerator and refrigerate 1 hour.
6. Preheat the grill for high heat. You can also use a grilling plate on the stove.
7. Place the flour on a large plate. Form the vegetable mixture into eight 3 inch round patties. 7. Drop each patty into the flour, lightly coating both sides.
8. Apply non-stick spray onto grill, and grill patties 5 minutes on each side, or until heated through and nicely browned.