Tag: health

Tofu Scramble with Flair

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2014-03-15 15.42.18

Okay I have a confession to make. I have NEVER made a tofu scramble in my life. It’s just a tad embarrassing even though I am a huge fan of the Nuevos Rancheros at Candle Cafe West (basically a vegan take on huevos rancheros with tempeh, tofu, jalapeno, salsa, tofu sour cream, potatoes and all that brunch goodness). So, I randomly had a craving for this delectable scramble and thankfully had a ton of sprouted tofu in my fridge that begged to be put to good use. I combined pinto beans, sprouted tofu, habañero hot sauce, fresh cilantro and more to concoct a really tasty brunch. If you don’t like tofu, trust me, this will change your mind or at least blow your mind. Without further ado, here you go!

What You Need:

  • 1 15 oz can of pinto beans, rinsed
  • 1 red onion, diced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1 block of organic sprouted tofu (extra firm), cubed (you will break it up into smaller pieces with your hands or fork before cooking)
  • 1 vine ripened tomato, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 cup of your favorite salsa
  • 1/2 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
  • 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste
  • Favorite hot sauce (I love Cholula’s Hot Sauce)

How You Make It:

  1. In a small bowl, combine salsa and cubed tofu. Crumble the tofu while mixing with salsa. Set aside.
  2. In a large skillet, add olive oil.  Sauté bell pepper, onion and garlic until fragrant and slightly translucent. Season with sea salt and pepper.
  3. Add beans to the mixture and season with cumin and chilli powder.
  4. Toss in crumbled tofu and stir. Continue to cook for about 5-7 minutes.
  5. Remove from heat. Garnish generously with cilantro and hot sauce.

Enjoy!

Peace, love and NO beef!

Guramrit

Vegan Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

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I recently got an opportunity to try out My Oatmeal, a great site that allows you to customize your very own healthy oatmeal. I was thrilled. I got to choose the flavors I adore and put it into one amazingly healthy and delicious oatmeal. I chose cocoa, dried strawberries, quinoa flakes, flax seeds and steel cut oats. I made the usual oatmeal for breakfast over the weekend and it was absolutely delicious. I opted for no sweetener when I made my custom creation but had to add Grade B maple syrup to give it a touch of sweetness. I may opt for an option without chocolate next time. I feel like the chocolate smelled and tasted artificial. Other than that I have no real complaints. I really enjoyed my oats!

I clearly made too much oatmeal and luckily found a way to make use of it in a very delicious and obviously nutritious way! I found a fab recipe for blueberry muffins but transformed it into a vegan version! Yippee. Well, here it is! I hope you enjoy!

What You Need
¼ cup vegan margarine
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
½ tsp. salt
1/2 cup Grade B Maple Syrup
2 cups all-purpose flour or sprouted grain flour or gluten free flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
½ cup almond milk
1 cup of pre-cooked steel cut oats
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

How You Make It
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 25 minutes, or until tops are firm. Cool slightly on rack.
4. Enjoy!

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Disclaimer: I received this product via Fit Approach in exchange for my original thoughts and opinions on My Oatmeal. I was in no way paid for this review and the opinions are completely my own.

Vegan Peanut-less Pad Thai

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I am going to be honest. I have NEVER ever had Pad Thai. I don’t know what it’s supposed to taste like. I just know that it involves noodles, peanuts, limes and cilantro. Since my recent peanut allergy (literally discovered this last year when I broke out in hives from eating peanut butter- super bummer), I have avoided trying Pad Thai for my own sanity. Then, I came across a WONDERFUL recipe during one of my lunch time adventures in Barnes & Noble. I salivated the moment I read the ingredients and jumped for joy upon the mention of peanuts being optional. I adapted this version of Vegan Pad Thai from a fellow Vegan food blogger and writer of the incredible cookbook, Isa Does It (seriously, check her out- amazing recipes). Not only is this recipe incredibly simple, it will have you craving Pad Thai practically every night of the week. If I could cuddle up with a bowl of this Pad Thai and have it sing me a sweet lullaby, I would be a happy woman.

What You Need: 

  • 8 oz pad thai rice noodles or buckwheat soba noodles (my family loved this version- a little heartier), cooked according to package directions and rinsed
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 package (or 2 if you’re incredibly hungry) of extra firm organic sprouted tofu, cut into 1.5 inch cubes
  • 4 cups broccoli, sliced
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cups green onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 cups cilantro, chopped
  • 4 oz mung bean sprouts
  • Lime Wedges for serving

For the sauce: 

  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 5 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
  • 6 tablespoons brown sugar (I went for dark brown for added sweetness)
  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
  • 3 tablespoons Sriracha
  • 2 tablespoons mellow white miso
  • 1/4 cup water

How You Make It: 

  1. Make the tofu. After removing the tofu from the liquid, dry it off as much as possible and cut into cubes. Heat a cast iron skillet (or any skillet will do) on high heat. Add a tablespoon of oil to the skillet and add tofu immediately. Stir frequently and cook until tofu is browned and crispy. Remove from the pan, set aside.
  2. In the same pan, add a teaspoon of oil and half the minced garlic. Toss in the broccoli and sauté for 5 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside with tofu.
  3. In a small bowl, mix all of the ingredients for the sauce. Mix until most of the miso has dissolved.
  4. Add remaining oil and garlic to a pan over medium-high heat. Cook until the garlic is fragrant and toss in half of the cilantro and all of the green onion. Stir until slightly wilted. Pour in half of the sauce and heat through.
  5. Add in the noodles and toss to coat. Add back tofu, broccoli, mung bean sprouts and the rest of the sauce.
  6. Serve immediately with lime wedges and the rest of the cilantro.

Is it sad to say that my mouth started to water after writing this?

Grab a fork or some chopsticks and slurp up this sweet and spicy goodness. Your stomach will thank you.

Peace, love and NO beef!

Guramrit

Chick’n Noodle Soup

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Howdy my amazing friends! I apologize for the hiatus. I was recovering from the stomach flu and have had quite the interesting few weeks. NYC really does NOT know how to function with even the tiniest bit of snow. We are all grumpy, cold and pale (yikes). Thankfully I am heading to California for a short 5 day trip to visit my grandma in 2 weeks. I could really use some warm sunshine.

When I wasn’t lifelessly lying on my bed begging for the agony in my stomach to end, I actually got up to make some soup. I have heard about the healing properties and comfort of a good bowl of Chicken Noodle Soup. Though I have never tried chicken or chicken noodle soup, making my own version was just what the doctor ordered. My vegan and gluten free “chicken” noodle soup along with a ginger kombucha really aided in my healing process. Talk about a home remedy! Well, I hope that you make this yummy soup even when you’re not sick. From what I have heard (from my meat eating brother), it almost tastes like the real thing.

What You Need:

  • 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves, smashed and minced finely
  • 4 medium carrots (skin peeled), sliced
  • 4 celery ribs (or more, if you like celery like I do), sliced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 8 fresh thyme sprigs
  • 1 package of vegan chicken-less, chicken strips (try LightLife Chik’n Style Smart Strips), chopped
  • 1 32 fl oz box of No-Chicken Chicken Broth (try Imagine-if you cannot find, opt for vegetable broth)
  • 1 cup of water
  • 1 tbs Italian herb seasoning
  • 2 tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 box of gluten free (and egg free) noodles (try Lundberg’s Rotini Brown Rice)
  • Sea salt, black pepper to taste
  • Fresh flat leaf parsley, optional

How You Make It: 

  1. Heat oil in a large soup pot (any big pot with enough room to hold liquid works). Toss in onions, garlic, celery and carrots. Season generously with sea salt and pepper.
  2. Toss in vegan chicken strips and sauté. Add in thyme and bay leaves. Continue to stir until fragrant.
  3. Add in stock and water. Scrape whatever has stuck to the bottom of the pan to get all of the flavor.
  4. Bring to a boil.
  5. While waiting for the soup to boil, cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Cook until slightly al dente (so that the pasta continues to cook when you add to the soup). NOTE: Please be sure to rinse the pasta before adding to the soup.
  6. Once soup comes to a boil, add in pasta and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, add in Italian seasoning or more thyme if you like.
  7. Serve soup immediately and garnish with fresh parsley.

What are some of your favorite soups when you are feeling under the weather? I’d love to know!

Peace, love and NO beef!

Guramrit

Vegan Kale & Potato Gratin

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2014-01-22 09.15.55

Cold weather equals comfort food. I’m all about the comfort when it’s easy to make and tastes delicious. Though it’s great to put in a great deal of effort, I’d rather save the effort for the eating and serving up yummy dishes.  This meal is great as a side or even as a main event, trust me you will want seconds. I even was able to get my carnivorous boyfriend and brother on board. I was inspired by a recipe on TheKitchn.com but you know me, I love to make it vegan! Well, here you go my foodies!

What You Need: 

  • 1 1/2 pounds of red potatoes
  • 1 bag of Tuscan kale (Trader Joe’s has a great bag of Tuscan kale, super cheap, super tasty-great in smoothies too!)
  • 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons of sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon of black pepper
  • 1 cup of coconut or soy milk creamer (unsweetened)
  • 1/4 cup of cashew cheese
  • 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast
  • 2 tbs of vegan butter (soy free)
  • 2 tbs of gluten free flour (or wheat flour, your choice)
  • Breadcrumbs (optional)

How You Make It: 

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
  2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Slice potatoes into disks , 1/4-inch thick (skin on) and toss into salted boiling water. Cook for 3 minutes or until tender. Drain potatoes and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking process.
  3. In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add flour, stirring constantly. After a minute or so, add in the coconut/soy milk creamer. Continue to stir until it thickens. Once thick, add in nutritional yeast and cashew cheese (think cheese sauce for mac ‘n cheese, yum). Remove from the heat and set aside.
  4. In a large bowl, combine olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Toss  the potatoes and kale in the olive oil mixture. Add to a casserole baking dish, layering the kale and potatoes and adding the “cheese” sauce to each layer and sprinkling with bread crumbs, if you like.
  5. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes or until the top is crispy. Feel free to add more breadcrumbs to the top layer for added crunch (suggestion: mix breadcrumbs with vegan butter to make the top extra golden).

Serving Suggestion: Serve with a mixed greens salad or with your favorite sautéed veggies. I love making roasted brussels sprouts with Grade B Maple Syrup, dried cranberries and slivered almonds. Perfection. Sweet and savory all in one dish, talk about a food-gasm (yes, that is a word).

I hope you get inspired to make something delicious for dinner tonight or any of these cold nights during the Polar Vortex.

Peace, love and NO beef!

Guramrit