Crispy Tofu & Coconut Quinoa with Spicy Peanut Sauce

I pinned this recipe awhile back but forgot about it until last night when all I had in the fridge was a block of Tofu. Luckily most of the ingredients are things probably already hidden in your cupboard. The result was totally delicious and easy. Enjoy!

Ingredients :
1 block firm Tofu

(for the Coconut Quinoa)
1 1/2 cups of Quinoa
1 can of Coconut Milk
1 small Onion 

(for the Spicy Peanut Sauce)
1/2 cup smooth Peanut Butter
1/2 cup hot H20
3 tsp Tamari
1 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
1 tsp Brown Sugar
Sriracha

Steps: 
1. Chop up an onion and sauté in a pan until translucent. Add Quinoa (leave it in to toast a bit) + 1 can Coconut Milk + 1 can of water. Simmer until ready. 
2. In a saucepan on low heat mix together the peanut butter with a 1/2 cup of hot water. Add the tamari, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar and Sriracha (to taste).
3. Cube your Tofu. In a container (with a lid) add a few tsps of corn starch, a bit of salt and garlic powder. Add the Tofu (shake to evenly coat all sides). Add a few tsp of oil to a pan or wok and fry until crispy on all sides.

Serve the Tofu on the Quinoa and drizzle the peanut sauce on top. YUM.

carrot parsnip soup

I never really even knew what a parsnip was till recently. Out of no where I got a craving for carrot soup and something clicked in my head that this soup needed parsnips. Must have been from reading so many foodie magazines at work and associating these words together. Anyways here is what happened. 2 bags of carrots, peeled them and chopped them 4 large parsnips, peeled them chopped them 2 onions, peel and chop again 4 little square of pureed garlic (they come in the freezer section of Trader Joes! best thing ever) 2 little squares of ginger (also found in freezer section of Trader Joes) some veggie boullion cubes 1 cup half and half 1 baguette 1 cup parm, or any hard cheese 1 bay leaf In my old trusty cast iron gratin dish I placed the carrots, onions, and parsnips and drizzled with olive oil, parsley, salt , and pepper. baking at 350 for about 35 minn till everything is all tender and gooey. In a large stock pot, I have about a quart of water going with 3 veggie cubes, bay leaf and the garlic When everything is cooked in the skillet, allow to cool slightly. Then adding about one cup at a time to a food processor and blending till smooth, while feeding in 1/4 cup of broth and 1/4 cup of half and half. When done with each batch place in soup pot and start over. It is ok if when you add the "broth" to the food processor , you are in the end actually adding back soup. it helps the flavors marry! When you have blended everything let this yummy soup cook on low heat while you make some croutons! keep oven at 350. Slice the baguette thinly and lay on a baking sheet. lightly butter each slice and then sprinkle with some garlic powder and parsley. Bake for about 10 minn. serve soup with croutons and a sprinkle of cheese. seriously so good! still not sure what a parsnip is but I like them

Sweet and Sour Meatballs!

I made these for a friends birthday party and people went nutso for them! A few could not believe they were not meat. I was pretty pleasantly surprised. The best part about these is that they are SOY FREE!!! But by no means healthy 4 eggs 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 1/2 cup cottage cheese 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 1 cup finely chopped pecans 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/4 teaspoon dried sage 1 1/2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs Sweet and Sour Sauce: 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/4 cup white vinegar 3/4 cup apricot jam 1 cup ketchup 1/4 cup minced onion 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 dash hot pepper sauce In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, Cheddar cheese, and cottage cheese until well blended. Mix in 1/2 cup onion, pecans, basil, salt and sage. Stir in bread crumbs. Form the mixture into 2 inch balls, and place them in a baking dish. In another bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, vinegar, apricot jam, ketchup, 1/4 cup onion, oregano and hot pepper sauce. Pour over meatballs. you dont have to but I let this sit over night to let all the flavors marry. then baked right before the party Bake uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, until meatballs are firm, and sauce is thick and bubbly Yum I got this recipe HERE but changed it just a little bit yum

Chickpea Flatbread (Socca)

I had a craving the other night for some simple skillet bread. I searched the web and found this easy recipe and started mixing everything up. To my dismay, I failed to notice that you have to let the mixture rest for 2-3 hours before making them. I was disappointed but motived to get up the next morning and cook them up!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup chickpea flour
• 1 cup plus 2 T water
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. freshly ground cumin 
• A dash off cayenne pepper 
• A few twists of freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/2 T olive oil (plus more for brushing griddle)

Whisk together the chickpea flour, water, spices, salt, and olive oil. Cover container and let rest for 2-3 hours at room temperature.

When ready to cook Socca, preheat broiler. When broiler is hot, brush cast iron griddle or frying pan with olive oil, heat under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, then remove from oven and pour on a thin layer of batter.

Cook Socca under the broiler until it has firmed and well-browned, especially on the edges. For me, this took 3-5 minutes under the broiler. I flipped each one halfway through, making sure it wasn't stuck to the skillet. Continue to make Socca pancakes like this, brushing the griddle with oil and heating it between each one.

Try to not make them too thick or they stay doughy on the inside. They really are best served warm. I tried heating one up the next day and it wasn't as good. They are supper yummy fresh! 

Makes 3 flatbreads 

If you don't have chickpea flour at home, I recommend buying it. I often substitute it for white flour in savory recipes. It has a nice nutty flavor and has more nutrients! 

Adapted from Kayln's Kitchen

Watermelon Feta salad!!!!!!

I recently made this for a dinner party and it was a huge it. The perfect salad for hot hot days. The combo of watermelon and mint really cool your jets. 9 cups cubed seedless watermelon 1 cup feta 1/4 raw pepitas 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint 2 limes enough olive oil to go around ( really who measures olive oil?) coarse salt fresh ground pepper in a bowl mix pepitas with a nice shake of salt and pepper and about 1tb of olive oil. toast in oven at 300 for about 10 minn. In a large serving bowl layer the bottom with watermelon, then a sprinkle of feta, a sprinkle of mint, then pepitas, salt and pepper, a juice half a lime, and then a dash of olive oil. Keep repeating till ingredients have run out. Layering helps evenly distribute all the ingredients of the salad. Chill for a hour at least then enjoy!

summer salad

hmmm well summer is almost over, but I still wanted to share this salad before it goes.
It's sooo delicious and easy. 

• 3 small avocados, cubed
• 3 small oranges, sectioned
• 2 cups radishes, diced (radishes and avocado are pretty much a match made in heaven)
• 1 package of arugula (or romain, or whatever you have)
• 6 green onions, finely chopped (1 cup)
• 3 Tbs. lime juice
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro

If you want to be real fancy sure you can put it back in the avocado shell, but lets be real, that is not a big enough serving size...just sayin

mango caprese

This is a more summery interpretation of the classic caprese salad of: basil, olive oil, mozzarella, tomato.
So easy, delicious, and fast.

Mozarella, mango (not too ripe) mint, sea salt, olive oil.

I totally stole it from Pinterest, and Casey and I have been eating it ever since.