Vegetarian Soondubu (Korean tofu stew)

 Vegetarian Soondubu (Korean tofu stew)*

Super spicy as-is, but feel free to add chili peppers if you like to make your eyelids sweat like I do! The Korean ingredients are easy to get and inexpensive on Amazon, or visit your favorite local Asian market.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp. cooking oil
• 1 Tbsp. gochugaru (Korean ground red pepper )
• 1/4 cup kimchi [I like Wild Brine Korean Style which I get at Lazy Acres]
• 5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock [I like Edwards & Sons]
• 2 tsp. gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste), or 3 Tbsp. sriracha sauce
• 2 tsp. dwenjang (Korean bean paste)
• 8 oz. silken tofu
• 3.5 oz. beech mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, or similar
• 1/2 zucchini, thinly sliced
• 2 leaves bok choy, chopped into bite-size pieces
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 egg (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat a cast iron dutch oven or similar heavy pot over high. Lower to medium and add oil.
2. Add gochugaru and stir until oil turns red.
3. Add kimchi and chopped garlic. Stir well to coat with oil and cook for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add stock. Stir in gochujang/sriracha and dwenjang. Bring to a boil and cook 1-2 minutes.
5. Add tofu in one big chunk. Gently break into large chunks with a wooden spoon. Boil for 8 minutes, gently stirring occasionally.
6. Add zucchini and water.  Stir.
7. Add bok choy, minced garlic, and mushrooms. Stir well. 
8. Stir in egg.
9. Turn off heat. Stir in green onion. Cover and let sit few minutes.
10. Serve over brown rice.

*Adapted from "Vegetarian Soon Tofu Jjigae" at food52.com

Lentil Mushroom Soup with a Kick!

 Lentil Mushroom Soup with a Kick!

This soup is multilayered and absolutely delicious - it is more than the sum of its parts! And it's so easy to make - perfect for a weeknight, especially paired with a salad and a piece of crusty baguette. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp. avocado oil or other neutral cooking oil
• 4 cups of water and enough vegetable bouillon cubes or paste for 4 cups of water OR 4 cups of pre-made vegetable stock
• 8 oz cremini mushrooms, roughly chopped or thickly sliced
• 1/2 package TJ's pre-cooked lentils (or more for heartier soup)
• 1/3-1/2 package TJ's frozen brown rice, nuked
• 3 cloves of garlic, roughly sliced
• Handful of collard green leaves, kale, or chard, torn into bite size pieces
• 2 green onions, roughly chopped
• 3 Tbsp. white wine
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• Black pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp. coriander
• Handful of cilantro leaves
• 1/2 can TJ's coconut milk (full or reduced fat) [if it's separated, just use half of the solidified part and half of the liquid]
• 5-6 threads of saffron, crumbled between your fingers

Directions:

1. Heat a large pot over high heat for one minute. Add oil. Add mushrooms, lower to medium-high heat, and stir frequently to prevent sticking, about 2 minutes or until just starting to brown. Add white wine and cook one more minute.
2. Add water and bring to a boil, then dissolve bouillon cubes OR add stock and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium and leave at a simmer.
3. Add turmeric, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and coriander. Stir well.
4. Add cilantro and greens and stir well. Continue cooking and stirring occasionally for 3-5 minutes.
5. Add coconut milk and sliced garlic and stir until coconut milk is dissolved, about 1-2 minutes.
6. Add lentils and rice. Stir well.
7. Turn off heat. Add green onions and saffron. Stir well and let it sit, covered, for a few more minutes before serving.

Anytime Stuffing!

 Anytime Stuffing!

Who says stuffing's just for holidays?! My picky eater looooves stuffing, so when she asked for some in mid-January on a random weeknight, I threw together a quick, vegetarian version with what I had on hand that satisfied that craving. Happy kid = happy mom! 👍

Ingredients:

6 pieces sourdough bread, well-toasted & roughly chopped

1/2 stick butter (use Earth Balance, etc. to make it vegan!)

1 carrot, peeled & chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1/2 white onion, chopped

1 tsp. dried sage

1 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. seasoned salt

1 cup broth of your choice

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

Cooking oil

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400°. 

2. Heat pot over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 the butter. Add carrot, celery, and onion. 

3. Cook until soft. Add broth, other 1/2 of butter, and seasonings. Stir well. Remove from heat. Add bread, stirring until all bread is wet.

4. Oil bottom of a pan, add stuffing, spread out to single layer, cook for 10 minutes. Stir. Lower heat to 375°, cook for 10 minutes longer or until bread starts to brown.

Almost Vegan Black-Eyed Peas & Greens

 Almost Vegan Black-Eyed Peas & Greens

Ingredients:

• 2 cups dried black-eyed peas
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1-2 yellow or red bell peppers, seeded and diced
• 3 ribs of celery, diced
• 2 tsp. ancho chili powder (or other spicy/smoky chili powder)
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. dried parsley
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3 cups broth of your choice (I used Edward & Sons "Not-Beef" bouillon cubes)
• Splash of liquid smoke
• Splash of red wine
• Squeeze of lemon
• Splash of Worcestershire sauce (if you use Lea & Perrins, this is what makes it non-vegan)
• Whole bunch of Lacinato kale, torn off stem and into bite-size pieces

Directions:

1. Soak black-eyed peas according to preferred method - either over night in cold water, or "quick soak" method (bring to a boil, boil for two minutes, soak in cold water for an hour).
2. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large pot. Add onion and cook about 10 minutes until browned. Add peppers and celery and cook 3-6 minutes, until all veggies are soft. Add garlic and ancho chili powder and stir. Add thyme, oregano, paprika, pepper, parsley, and salt and stir briefly. Add black-eyed peas and broth, bring to a boil, lower to simmer.
3. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until peas are tender, about 45-60 minutes. During cooking, add wine, lemon, and Worcestershire sauce and stir well. If need be, add a bit more broth along the way. Add kale approximately 10 minutes before end of cooking and stir well.
4. When ready, serve immediately over brown rice. Top with Frank's Red Hot sauce. Enjoy!

Cold Be Gone Soup!

 Cold Be Gone Soup!

It may not look like anything special, but this soup packs a zesty wallop and clears your head lickety-split! Get the tissues ready! 👍

Ingredients:

• 3 cups water
• 2 packets chicken or veggie broth paste or cubes
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2-3 small dried red chili peppers
• 1 mushroom, sliced
• 1/4 yellow squash or zucchini, sliced
• Handful cilantro leaves, ripped or chopped
• Fresh ground pepper
• Black pepper
• Hot curry powder
• Sweet curry powder
• Dried or crushed ginger
• Turmeric
• Ground coriander
• Onion powder
• 1/8 onion, sliced
• 1/2 Meyer lemon
• 1/2 lime
• 2 slices Roma tomato, chopped
• Handful garbanzo beans (+ oil for frying)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a small pan. Add garbanzo beans and cook until slightly browned and soft. Set aside.
2. Bring water to a boil in a medium size pot.
3. Stir well while dissolving broth packets in water.
4. Add garlic slices. Tear chili peppers into pot.
5. Cover, return to a boil then lower to low-medium.
6. Add mushrooms, squash, and cilantro. Stir well.
7. Add generous sprinkles of all seasonings. Stir well. Make sure soup is simmering, not boiling.
8. Add onion, juice of the lime, tomato, and garbanzo beans.
9. Add juice of the lemon and all of the lemon skin (empty out the peel with a grapefruit spoon).
10. Continue cooking over low-medium heat until very fragrant. Sample and add additional lime/lemon or seasonings to taste. Enjoy!

Greek Potato Casserole

Greek Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

• Few Tbsp. avocado oil
• 1 package (approx. 1 lb.) plant-based ground beef or sausage (I like Light Life Gimme Lean sausage)
• Few shakes Worcestershire sauce
• Garlic powder, to taste
• Onion powder, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 6 mushrooms, sliced
• Few Tbsp. Kalamata olives, sliced
• Few marinated artichoke hearts, sliced
• Few leaves fresh basil
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• Handful baby spinach, torn or chopped
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• Dash smoked paprika
• 3 dashes dried mint
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 medium yellow potatoes, very thinly sliced
• Large tomato, sliced
• Handful crumbled feta cheese and/or vegan cheese of your choice
• Aleppo pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. In a few tablespoons of avocado oil in a large skillet, break up and brown plant-based meat. Add Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. When browned, move it to the side of the pan.

3.  Add more oil to the pan and add bell pepper. Cook for a couple of minutes, add onion and  mushrooms. Cook for a couple of minutes. Stir veggies into sausage and cook a couple minutes. Add  Kalamata olives and of artichoke hearts. Stir in basil, oregano, and spinach. Add lemon juice, paprika, mint, and a bit of olive oil. Stir and cook until well-mixed and evenly browned. Set aside.

4. In a medium size casserole dish, add a layer of sliced potatoes. Add a layer of veggie/sausage mix. Add a few slices of tomato. Sprinkle with feta. Repeat until casserole dish is full. Try to end with potatoes and sprinkle with cheese.

5. Bake for 1/2 hour covered with foil. Remove foil and bake at least 40 minutes longer, until cheese is bubbly and potatoes are soft.

6. For a bit of spice, sprinkle with Aleppo pepper. Enjoy!

Aleppo Fried Rice

Aleppo Fried Rice

Fast, easy, healthy, cheap + delicious lunch for one! 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 bag Trader Joe's frozen brown rice
• TJ's Tunisian olive oil
• 1/4 package TJ's pre-cooked lentils
• 1/8 white or yellow onion, sliced
• Aleppo pepper, to taste
• Fresh or dried mint, to taste
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• Black pepper, sprinkle
• Smoked paprika, sprinkle
• Ground cumin, sprinkle
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• Handful spinach leaves
• Fresh mint for serving

Directions:

1. Microwave rice according to package
2. Meanwhile heat olive oil in a wok over high heat
3. Add lentils + onion, stir for a couple of minutes
4. Sprinkle generously with Aleppo pepper, stir
5. Add mint, garlic powder, black pepper, smoked paprika, ground cumin + lemon juice, stir
6. Add more olive oil + spinach 
7. Add rice, stir well until spinach is wilted + rice is thoroughly mixed in
8. Sprinkle with fresh mint + enjoy!