Vegan Sesame Tofu

I debated about using the word “vegan” in this title because I worried readers might assume this sesame tofu recipe tasted terrible. But I did it anyway because in the end I believe it is important to be completely transparent.

So, yes, this is a vegan sesame tofu recipe. It is also delicious and easy. So delicious, in fact,  that I’m going to start doubling the recipe to account for the fact that my kids eat three servings of it each every time I make it. And, it is so easy that I can make it while dealing with a 3 year old who is losing his shit because I won’t let him eat chocolate chip cookies before dinner.

Vegan Sesame Tofu Recipe Notes

Like I said, I have made this several times and so I have a few suggestions for you before you get started.

  1. While extra firm tofu works just fine with this recipe, I prefer to use sprouted tofu because it has a much firmer texture and a bit more going for it nutritionally. We use Wildwood sprouted tofu, but there are other brands out there.
  2. When I’m not making this for the kids, I use sesame oil infused with chili oil. 
  3. I know I said to serve this over white rice; however, I prefer to eat it with rice noodles. I just don’t unless I have time to make rice and rice noodles because my family thinks rice noodles are “weird.”

Want more?

Visit our recipes section for more vegan and vegetarian recipes and resources.

This article originally published on GroundingUp.

Print Recipe
Sesame Tofu
Sesame-tofu-over-rice
Cuisine Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings
Ingredients
Tofu
Sauce
Cuisine Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings
Ingredients
Tofu
Sauce
Sesame-tofu-over-rice
Instructions
  1. Press and drain the tofu. Then break it into small pieces and allow it to drain further. Then combine the tofu pieces in a covered container with the corn starch and toss to coat.
    Tofu-and-cornstarch
  2. Saute the coated tofu on medium heat in a few tablespoons of oil until golden brown. Then remove from the pan and place on a plate with a paper towel to degrease a little.
    saute-tofu-and-cornstarch
  3. To make the sauce, combine all the sauce ingredients except for the cornstarch slurry, in a wok or pan. Bring to a gentle boil and then add the cornstarch slurry. Mix until the sauce thickens. Then, add the tofu and toss to coat.
    sesame-tofu-sauce
  4. Serve over white rice and garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.
    Sesame-tofu-over-rice

Vegetable Dip Recipe

In November of 2016, I spent a week at a Mexican yoga retreat center called Haramara with a bunch of friends from my yoga studio. The cuisine offered at Haramara is spectacular and while we awaited the arrival of each main course, my yoga pals and I would entertain ourselves by guessing what the deliscious dips, served with fresh tortilla chips before each lunch and dinner, were actually made of. Spoiler alert: they were all vegan vegetable dips. So often you find vegetable dip recipes that are meant to dip vegetable in. Rarely do you find a vegetable dip made from vegetables that you dip chips in.

Fortunately, Haramara offers cooking classes, so you can attempt to make the unique meals they serve there. One of the classes taught visitors how to make these mysterious dips and of course I was eager to learn. I was reminded of this moment in my personal history a few weeks ago while I was at another yoga retreat with my yoga gang (yes, I’m a retreat junkie) and we were recounting our Haramara experiences; the dips came up and I volunteered to post the recipe to the blog so we could all eat our tortilla chips nostalgically. Enjoy!

A few notes before you get started:

  • Steaming vegetables leaves quite of lot of liquid in them, which is great. The color stays high and your dips will be creamier; however, the water will encourage your oil to separate from your vegetable fibre and look a little gross. That is what the nut it for. If you think you will have this issue, be sure to add the roasted nut to the food processor. I’m not a food scientist so I have do idea why the roasted nut keeps it all from separating, but it does.

    Vegetable-dip-recipe-helper
    This is my little guy preparing the broccoli for the oven
  • We roasted our beets buried in salt because I heard that cooking them that way makes them taste less like dirt in the end. It sort of worked. I’m not a huge fan of beets, but my husband is so I made the beet version for him. He loved it.
  • We made carrot dip, broccoli dip, and beet dip. My kids loved the carrot dip, probably because it was sweet. I love the broccoli version but it lost a bit of its pretty color on the second day, so watch out for that. My husband loved the beet version.
  • My primary takeaway from this is that I plan to make these with mixed vegetables rather than just one vegetable. That will dial back some of the stronger veggies. For example, I’ll mix roasted cauliflower in with each batch.
  • And one final note; I used roasted garlic rather than raw garlic. They use raw garlic at Haramara, but my gut just can’t take it.

 

Want more?

Visit our recipes section for more vegan and vegetarian recipes and resources.

This article originally published on GroundingUp.

Print Recipe
Vegetable Dip
Vegetable-dip-recipe
Course Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine Vegan, Vegetarian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings
Ingredients
Course Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine Vegan, Vegetarian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings
Ingredients
Vegetable-dip-recipe
Instructions
  1. Select 2 cups of raw vegetables. You can use a single vegetable or mix it up with a few. Cooking will shrink your 2 cups of raw vegetables to 1 cup of cooked vegetables.
    Veggie-Dip-Recipe
  2. Steam or roast the vegetables and drain them well. Some veggies will hold more water than others but I'll cover that issue later.
    Vegetable-dip-recipe-roasted-beets
  3. While your veggies are cooking, roast or toast your nuts. In this case, I used raw almonds, but use whatever you like. Also, you will only need 1 roasted nut, but I always make more to eat as a snack or to store for later.
  4. Put the strained vegetables into the bowl of your food processor along with the remainder of the ingredients. Give it a whirl. This is where you decide if you need your nut. If things are watery and you think they will stay that way, add the nut. The nut oil and fibre somehow keeps the oil from separating from the watery vegetables.
  5. Process the ingredients until smooth and then process some more.
  6. When you have achieved the texture you are looking for, add it to a bowl and serve it up with tortilla or pita chips.
    Vegetable-Dip-Recipe-Broccoli

Detox Broth

A few years ago, when I participated in a 30 Day detox program through my yoga studio, someone gave me a recipe for detox broth. I had heard of juice cleanses, that crazy cayenne pepper and maple syrup cleanse, and the Betty Ford Clinic, but I had not as of yet, heard of a detox broth.

The recipe that fellow yogi gave me consisted of onions and a few root veggies and water and that was about it. I never actually prepared the recipe because it just didn’t sound that good and seeing as I don’t live atop a toxic waste dump, I don’t technically need a detoxing. But it did get me thinking about the idea of detox broth and set me on the path to a version that was not only drinkable, but actually enjoyable.

Detox Broth Recipe

In general, I aim for a broth that tastes like my midwestern grandma’s vegetable soup, which is no easy task considering the first ingredient in her vegetable soup is beef or pork shoulder. Oh, Iowa, I love you.

I’ve provided a list of ingredients and quantities for those of you who feel more comfortable cooking with an actual recipe, but honestly, I recommend just winging it. Add more of what you like the flavor of. My broth is never the same twice because I usually only make it when I have a bunch of vegetables laying around without a purpose in life.

If you are on an IBS diet, than you’ll want to steer clear of the vegetables that will cause a flare up. Here is a list. I have heard that tomatoes can bother people on anti-inflammatory diets, but I include them because a life without tomatoes seems hardly worth living.

I guess some people drink their broth cold, but that’s not my style. If you subscribe to ayurvedic philosophies, you’ll tell me the hot broth is good for my Vata dominant dosha. I love it, so you might be right.

Want more?

Visit the recipe section for vegan and vegetarian recipes

And don’t forget to comment below with what you put in your broth. I’m always looking for new variations to try.

This article originally  published on www.groundingup.com.

Print Recipe
Detox Broth
A vegetable based broth designed to aid in digestion and taste good. There really isn't much to this recipe from an instructions standpoint. I'm sure we could complicate it with lots of steps and timing, but that's really not necessary in this case.
Detox Broth
Servings
Ingredients
Servings
Ingredients
Detox Broth
Instructions
  1. Roughly chop all of the ingredients and combine in one large pot.
    chopped vegetables for detox broth
  2. Cover the chopped vegetables in 10 cups of water. Bring the ingredients to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 60 minutes.
    simmer the detox broth
  3. The vegetables will have lost much of their color and will be extremely soft when the broth is ready. At this point, a few cups of water will have cooked off, so you can add more water and continue to boil, or call it good and move on to the next step.
    Simmered detox broth
  4. It's now time to separate the vegetables from the broth. I send it all through a colander first to separate the large vegetables from the broth. I then send the broth through a sieve with cheese cloth to remove a lot of the vegetable fiber that comes through the colander holes. You only need to do this if fiber from certain vegetables bothers you. You can also reduce the amount of fiber in your broth by cutting back on the cooking time. The longer you simmer, the more the vegetables break down and the more fibers you up drinking.
    straining detox broth
  5. Pour the broth into some form of storage vessel and you are all set. I like to use 8 and 16 ounce canning jars. You can freeze the broth or just store it in the refrigerator if you plan to drink it in the next 5 days.
    Detox Broth
Recipe Notes
You'll notice that my broth is pink. That's because I use purple kale and tomatoes, which make it that color. If you have a sensitive stomach, I suggest you omit anything form the cabbage family.

Shakshouka with Feta and Fire Roasted Bell Peppers

A few months back, I was on a business trip in Los Angeles where I ate Shakshouka at the La Brea Bakery Cafe. It was delicious, comforting, and seemed easy enough to make at home and for the Meatless Mondays vegetarian blog posts.

Shakshouka is originally a North African egg and tomato sauce dish but has become extremely popular throughout the middle east. It is typically served in a cast iron skillet with bread to soak up the sauce.

I took some liberties with this Shakshouka recipe, mainly because I only had roasted red bell peppers rather than plain and I didn’t want to go to the grocery.

Additionally, I added feta, because I have read that is sometimes done and I’m always looking for an excuse to sprinkle cheese on things.

I should also mention that I did not even pretend I was going to feed this to the kids. My daughter doesn’t eat eggs “EVER” and my son had fallen asleep on the couch at 4:30 because he refused to nap at 2. He was still sleeping at dinner time and there was no way he was going to feel adventurous about food when he finally woke up to eat something. My husband, however, loved it.

This article originally published on http://www.groundingup.com

Visit the Recipes section for more vegan and vegetarian recipes.

If you’re here because you are into yoga, you might like the Tip & Hacks section or  Yoga Practice section.

Print Recipe
Shakshouka with Feta and Fire Roasted Bell Peppers
Eggs cooked in a savory tomato, onion, and roasted bell pepper sauce and baked with feta cheese. Served over mixed grains our couscous.
Shakshouka with Feta and Fire Roasted Red Bell Peppers
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Vegetarian
Prep Time 45 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Vegetarian
Prep Time 45 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Shakshouka with Feta and Fire Roasted Red Bell Peppers
Instructions
  1. preheat your oven to 375. Prepare this entire dish in a large cast iron skillet if you have one.
  2. Chop or roughly process the whole tomatoes combined with your roasted red bell peppers. Mine came from a jar but freshly roasted bell peppers work as well.
    Shakshouka is originally and North African egg and tomato sauce dish but has become extremely popular throughout the middle east. It is typically served in a cast iron skillet with bread to soak up the sauce.
  3. Thinly slice the onion and garlic and saute in the skillet with 3 tablespoons of olive oil until their are very soft and beginning to brown. You may also thinly slice your bell pepper and add it at this stage if you prefer that over the food processor.
    Shakshouka is originally and North African egg and tomato sauce dish but has become extremely popular throughout the middle east. It is typically served in a cast iron skillet with bread to soak up the sauce.
  4. Add your tomatoes and peppers from the food processor. Add the spices including the salt and pepper and mix well. Simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce thickens a bit.
    Shakshouka is originally and North African egg and tomato sauce dish but has become extremely popular throughout the middle east. It is typically served in a cast iron skillet with bread to soak up the sauce.
  5. Add the feta and stir to combine
    Shakshouka is originally and North African egg and tomato sauce dish but has become extremely popular throughout the middle east. It is typically served in a cast iron skillet with bread to soak up the sauce.
  6. Create small wells in the sauce using a spoon and crack an egg into each one being careful not to get any shells in there. Then place the skillet in the oven and cook for 7-10 minutes more.
    Shakshouka is originally and North African egg and tomato sauce dish but has become extremely popular throughout the middle east. It is typically served in a cast iron skillet with bread to soak up the sauce.
  7. Garnish and serve.
    Shakshouka with Feta and Fire Roasted Red Bell Peppers
Recipe Notes

We served this over mixed grains, but I think technically, shakshouka is meant to be served with bread. Either way, it is an easy, delicious, and healthy meatless Monday option.

Barley Stuffed Peppers

These barley stuffed peppers from ThugKitchen are a staple at our house. I posted them on the blog about a year ago, but wanted to repost with a few additional notes.

A couple of thoughts regarding these barley stuffed peppers

In our humble opinion, it needs cheese. So, we add 1/4 cup of shredded parmesan to the actual stuffing mix and then we sprinkle shredded parmesan as a garnish. Obviously, doing this makes the recipe “non-vegan” but we are cool with that.

Technically, the ThugKitchen version of these barley stuffed peppers calls for white OR kidney beans. We always use white beans because they are smaller than kidney beans, which just seem to bulky to be stuffed into small places.

Also, the barley stuffing can be used to stuff much more than just peppers. We have used it to stuff zucchini, acorn squash, and tomatoes.

The kids, age 3 and 11, have a great time selecting their bell peppers. Audrey usually goes for green and you can’t really count on John to be consistent with the color of pepper he chooses. I usually buy a few extra peppers because the kids manage to eat them raw before I even have time to get the stuffed peppers in the oven.

Print Recipe
Barley Stuffed Peppers
These barley stuffed peppers from ThugKitchen are a staple at our house. I posted them on the blog about a year ago, but wanted to repost with a few additional notes. Bell peppers with a vegan barley stuffing. Serve as a main dish for a light meal or as a side for a colorful and flavorful addition to any meal.
barley stuffed peppers
Course Dinner, Main Dish
Cuisine Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings
Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
Course Dinner, Main Dish
Cuisine Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings
Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
barley stuffed peppers
Instructions
  1. 1–In a medium pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it starts turning golden, about 3 minutes. Add the celery, carrot, garlic, thyme, and oregano and cook for another 2 minutes. Throw in the barley, tomato, and vinegar and stir. Add the broth, salt, and pepper and let it come to a low simmer. Cook, uncovered, until all the broth is absorbed and the barley is tender, about 15 minutes. 2–While the barley is simmering, heat your oven to 375° F. Cut the tops off the bell peppers and scrape out the seeds. Place them in an oiled pie place or loaf pan, something where their asses won’t be sliding around once they’re stuffed. 3–When the barley is done, fold in the beans and turn off the heat. (This filling can even be made a day or two ahead of time, no fucking problem.) Fill the bell peppers up to the top with the filling, cover them tightly with foil, and bake until the peppers are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let them rest for 5 minutes after coming out of the oven, ’cause those fuckers are hot. Top with the parsley and serve.
Recipe Notes

Thanks to ThugKitchen for the recipe. I didn't technically ask them for permission to publish their recipe, but those assholes can just fucking get over it.

For more vegan and vegetarian recipes, visit the recipes are of this site here. Check out the homepage for additional yoga information and inspiration. Namaste!

This article originally published on www.groundingup.com

Chia Seed Pudding with Pomegranates and Kiwi

To me, chia seed pudding seems so bizarre. I mean, who looked at their chia pet and said, “I bet I can make a great pudding from these seeds!”? Nothing about a chia pet appears to be edible let alone appetizing. And yet, here I am, experimenting with chia seeds for breakfast and desserts.

Because it’s Christmas time, I wanted to create something festive using seasonal fruits. That means pomegranates and kiwis were first on my list of toppings to use for maximum food styling points. I have created versions of this for Thanksgiving as well using pomegranate and persimmons and pears. You could go really crazy and use figs and dates and chopped toasted nuts. Anyway, the options are endless and I strongly encourage you to use your imagination.

You can make this pudding with milk, water, or juice rather than almond milk, but keep in mind that the absorption rates differ quite a bit depending on the liquid you choose, so you’ll need to be willing to experiment or search the web for other recipes where someone has done it successfully.

There is a wide variety of flavored almond milk on the market as well, so if that’s what you are using, cut back on the maple syrup and the vanilla. I recommend always using plain unflavored almond milk so that you have control of the flavor, but hey, you do you, okay?

In other news, but still related to chia seed pudding, my kids are in love with this recipe. I suspect it is because they live for pomegranate seeds, but I’ll take it. Anytime I can get my kids to embrace something as nutritionally action packed as chia seeds, I take the win.

Please enjoy the recipe and use it all year long with whatever is in season. Use the comments section to let me know what you are putting in your chia seed pudding these days.

Happy Holidays and Namaste!

This article originally published on www.groundingup.com. 

Print Recipe
Chia Seed Pudding with Pomegranates and Kiwi
Vegan chia seed pudding with pomegranates and kiwi fruit. Almond milk, chia seeds, maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla, salt. Top with your favorite fruits or nuts. Here we used pomegranates and kiwi because it was Christmas.
chia seed pudding
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine Vegan
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Passive Time 12 hours
Servings
people
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups almond milk plain, unflavored
  • 1/3 cup chia seeds food grade
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup you can also use agave nectar or regular sugar and adjust accordingly
  • 2 sticks cinnamon or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon if you don't have sticks
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla or to taste
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine Vegan
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Passive Time 12 hours
Servings
people
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups almond milk plain, unflavored
  • 1/3 cup chia seeds food grade
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup you can also use agave nectar or regular sugar and adjust accordingly
  • 2 sticks cinnamon or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon if you don't have sticks
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla or to taste
chia seed pudding
Instructions
  1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk until well mixed and chia seeds have absorbed some liquid. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for about 12 hours. You'll know it's ready when the consistency is thick and the chia seeds have a light halo around them.
    chia seed pudding ingredients
  2. chia seed pudding combined
Recipe Notes

I have often mixed this in a large mason jar. You can dump it all into the jar, give it a good shake, put the lid on and toss it in the refrigerator. This makes more than one service and it's nice to have a container with a lid to store it in. Just a thought. Enjoy.

Vegetarian Pasta e Fagioli

This recipe for vegetarian pasta e fagioli is developed from a classic recipe that almost always starts with bacon in the bottom of the pot. And while bacon is indeed delicious, I am sorry to say that it is not an ingredient included in vegetarian and vegan cuisine. So with that said, I offer you this vegetarian (if you leave out the parmesan cheese, even vegans can eat this) version of a delicious and easy Italian favorite.

Print Recipe
Vegetarian Pasta e Fagioli
A vegetarian version of a classic Italian recipe for pasta and beans in tomato sauce.
Course Dinner
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 15 min
Cook Time 45 min
Servings
people
Ingredients
Course Dinner
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 15 min
Cook Time 45 min
Servings
people
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. In a large pot, preferably with a heavy bottom, sauté on medium heat the olive oil the mushrooms, onion, and garlic for about 5-7 minutes or until the onions become soft and translucent.
  2. Add the other vegetables and the herbs to the pot and sauté for another 5 minutes on medium heat.
  3. Add the tomato puree and the vegetable stock and bring it to a simmer.
  4. Add the beans and the pasta and simmer until the pasta is cooked through. I usually add a cup or two of water at this point to help the pasta cook.
  5. When the pasta is al dente the soup is finished. Serve in bowls with crusty bread and shaved parmesan unless you are vegan, then skip the cheese, obviously:-)

African Pineapple Peanut Stew

Happy Meatless Monday all. I dug out an oldie but a goodie for this Monday. This recipe comes from the Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home cookbook my friend gave me a few years ago when she learned I had gone vegetarian.

The Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca, New York is well known for its vegetarian cuisine. I’ve never been there, but their cookbooks are a great staple for any vegetarian and vegan kitchen.

Enjoy this delicious stew. Let me know what you think.

Ingredients
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 bunch of kale or Swiss chard (4 cups sliced)
2 cups undrained canned crushed pineapple (20-ounce can)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
salt to taste
Garnish with crushed peanuts and scallions
African Pineapple Peanut Stew
Sauté the onions until slightly browned; about 5 minutes.

 

DSC_3319
Add the pineapple and its juice to the onions and bring to a simmer.
DSC_3321.jpg
Stir in the kale or chard, cover and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring a couple of times, until just tender.
DSC_3335
Mix in the peanut butter, Tabasco, and cilantro (if using) and simmer for 5 minutes.
DSC_3338.jpg
Add salt to taste, and serve. We served this over mixed grains, but the original recipe recommends serving it with rice, millet, or couscous. We have served it over polenta as well with great results.

The article originally published on www.groundingup.com

Roasted Cauliflower, Beer & Lime Tacos with Cilantro Coleslaw

This recipe for vegan cauliflower tacos is the first dinner recipe I’ve come across in a long time I actually felt I could recommend on the BLOG. That’s probably because it is a modification of a recipe from Thug Kitchen: eat like you give a fuck

Note: our vegan cauliflower tacos weren’t technically vegan in the end because I had to add sour cream. Just giving you a little truth in journalism since there doesn’t seem to be much of that these days. Enjoy your tacos.

Another Note: ThugKitchen recipes are a staple in my kitchen and should be for anyone looking to start or expand their vegetarian and vegan cuisine options.

Make the Cauliflower Filling

Taco Ingredients
1 Head cauliflower ( I used yellow cauliflower)
3/4 c beer
1/4 c vegetable broth
1 tbsp lime juice
1 1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp hot sauce
1 to 2 cloves garlic minced
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder
pinch of salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 yellow onion chopped
6 corn tortillas
1 avocado sliced

1–Chop cauliflower into small florets no bigger than a quarter. In a saucepan, warm the beer, broth, lime juice, soy sauce, hot sauce, and garlic over medium heat.

2–In a large bowl, toss the spices, salt, and olive oil together. Add the cauliflower and onion and still until coated. Spread the mixture on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees until it is browned. This should take about 20 minutes.

Make the Lime and Cilantro Slaw

Slaw Ingredients
1/2 head of cabbage (I used red for drama)
1 small carrot
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
dash of salt
1/3 c chopped cilantro

3–To make the lime and cilantro slaw, cut the cabbage into thin strips or dice into small cubes. Dice the carrot or cut it into strips as well. Mix together, the lime juice, vinegar, oil, and salt. In a bowl, combine the veggies and the sauce and mix well.

Put Those Vegan Cauliflower Tacos Together

4–Warm the tortillas in the oven and pile them high with the cauliflower filling, slices of avocado, lime cilantro slaw, and salsa.