Chia-Crusted Tofu, Shaved Asparagus and Edamame Salad with Truffle Oil Vinaigrette & Cauliflower Mash

25 Jul 2010 5 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , ,

I served this deeelish Tofu with the Shaved Asparagus and Edamame Salad and Cauliflower Mash. What an absolute perfect meal!!!! Chia seeds are soo yummy and so good for you! If you want you can substitute other seeds here like poppy or sesame. The tofu had a great crunch and taste. For the salad, peeling asparagus is not as easy as peeling carrots but the salad was worth it, so deelish!  This salad is protein rich and gorgeous!

Chia-Crusted Tofu

1 12-ounce package extra-firm tofu (not silken), drained
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, or ½ teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
3 tablespoons chia seeds
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Zest of 1 lime
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons vegetable oil

  1. Wrap tofu in a double layer of paper towels and drain excess water.
  2. On a plate, mix chia seeds, cayenne, lime zest, and remaining salt and pepper.
  3. Slice tofu into 4 pieces crosswise. Brush each side with sesame oil. Press each side of tofu into chia mixture to coat thoroughly.
  4. Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sear tofu blocks until crisp and golden brown, about 5 minutes on each side.

Shaved Asparagus and Edamame Salad with Truffle Oil Vinaigrette
recipe adapted from Debi Shaw Cross (picture as well)
Makes 4 side salads

Vinaigrette
2 Tbs. white or black truffle oil
1 1/2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbs. champagne or white wine vinegar
1 Tbs. lemon juice
2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Salad
1 lb. asparagus
1 c. shelled, cooked edamame
1 tsp. lemon zest – no zest

Whisk all vinaigrette ingredients together in a small bowl.
Using a vegetable peeler, peel asparagus into shavings. Combine shaved asparagus, edamame, lemon zest and vinaigrette in a large bowl. Toss with dressing and serve.

Quick, Easy & Healthy Vegan Mac & Cheeze

27 Jun 2010 1 Comment

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

This was so super fast and I whipped it up with ingredients I had in the house. Love that! I bet this would be great for kids and those peeps who are not into their veggies. The squash is just folded right into the cheeze sauce, perfecto!

Quick, Easy & Healthy Vegan Mac & Cheeze

1 lb. whole wheat/quinoa or rice rotini
1 cup soymilk
12 oz package frozen or canned butternut squash
2 cups Cheddar Daiya
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
pepper to taste

  1. Prepare pasta according to package and Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees
  2. In a medium saucepan, simmer soymilk with butternut squash until combined
  3. Remove from heat and mix with Cheddar Daiya, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp dry mustard and pepper to taste
  4. Pour drained pasta into a baking dish and stir in cheeze mixture
  5. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 min
  6. ENJOY

Polenta with Black Beans, Pan-Fried Tofu & Roasted Coconut Tomato Sauce

20 Jun 2010 7 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This was surprisingly easy to make and deelish! Michael and I both loved it so much!! I would say double this recipe as it will go FAST 🙂 This dish is hearty with great flavor. This is definitely a great dish for people transitioning to a vegan diet, meat-eaters you want to impress with how deelish vegan food can be, and of course Vegans will love this too!! So yum!!!

I added my go-to pan-fried tofu to this dish. As far as I know, it is the best way to make tofu that is super tasty! The crust is perfect!! You can always change up the spices to suit any meal 🙂

Before the Sauce

Polenta with Black Beans, Pan-Fried Tofu & Roasted Coconut Tomato Sauce
Adapted from a recipe on http://www.thekitchn.com/

Polenta with Black Beans and Roasted Coconut Tomato Sauce
1 can black beans (15 ounces)
1 can diced tomatoes in juice (28 ounces)
6 large stalks swiss chard or kale
3 large or 6 small garlic cloves, diced
1 package pre-cooked polenta (18 ounces)
1/2 cup light coconut milk
2 tbs. jamaican jerk seasoning
3 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup water
1 tbs. chopped fresh thyme
1 lb extra firm tofu
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
dash of salt
dash of cayenne
sprinkling of Daiya/Italian – Mozzarella Blend

  1. Preheat oven to 500F. Empty entire can of tomatoes in a ceramic or glass baking dish, add coconut milk, and place in the oven. Bake 35 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbs. olive oil in a saucepan. Add 1-2 cloves diced garlic, 1 tbs. jerk seasoning and cook 2 minutes. Add entire can of black beans and set heat to low, stirring occasionally.
  3. Separate swiss chard stems from leaves. Dice stems very fine and add to a saute pan with 1 tbs. of oil and 2-3 cloves diced garlic. Heat through on medium 2-3 minutes, then add chopped leaves, apple cider vinegar, and 1/3 cup water. Cover with a lid and set heat to low.
  4. Check on the tomato sauce. Stir in fresh thyme and continue to roast.
  5. Drain, blot and press Tofu to release liquid. Slice into 1/2″ cubes.
  6. Heat vegetable oil on medium-high heat in a non-stick pan and add tofu, sprinkling with salt and cayenne. Let tofu sizzle for 6 minutes without stirring until a crust forms. Turn tofu over and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Remove from pan and train.
  7. In the same pan heat 1 tbs. olive oil on medium heat. Slice polenta in 1/2″ thick slices. Sprinkle one side with remaining 1 tbs. jerk seasoning. Fry polenta, about 3 minutes per side until light brown and crispy.
  8. To serve: spoon about 1/3 cup of beans on a place, 1/3 cup of tofu. Top with a heaping spoonful of greens and a slice of polenta. Top with about 1/4 cup tomato-coconut sauce and a sprinkling of daiya cheese and enjoy!

VEGAN CHIK’N CASSEROLE

11 Jun 2010 3 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , ,

The word casserole is so funny to me, it brings me right to the 1950’s in my mind with horrible thoughts of tuna casserole dishes. But I can assure you this is a deelish, compassionate one dish wonder! YUM!! I always LOVE Bryanna’s recipes! Her Bechamel sauce is divine!! Super versatile and super deeeeelish! Great to have a vegan recipe for this 🙂

VEGAN CHIK’N CASSEROLE
Adapted from Bryanna’s Vegan “Chicken” Divan Casserole
Serves 6-9

  • 2 lbs. broccoli, cut into small pieces and steamed crisp-tender
  • 2 cups grated vegan “cheddar” (preferably Daiya cheese)
  • 3-4 cups strips of any vegan “chicken” substitute (I used Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Chik’n Strips)
  • 2 Tablespoons Earth Balance
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 2 cups vegan white sauce or Bechamel sauce(Bryanna’s Recipe is below)
  • 1 cup Tofu Sour Creme
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 cups bread crumbs
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Saute the “chicken” sub in a large pan with the Earth balance and chopped garlic.
  3. Spread the steamed broccoli in the bottom of 9 x 13″ baking pan. Cover that with the “chicken” sub. Sprinkle with salt and grind pepper over that to taste. Spread 1 cup of the vegan “cheese” over the top (save the other half for the top of the finished casserole).
  4. Mix the bechamel sauce with the sour creme and lemon juice, stirring well. Drizzle this evenly over the casserole and smooth it out. Sprinkle evenly with the breadcrumbs and then spread, sprinkle or dot with the remaining “cheese”.
  5. Bake for 20 minutes and serve hot.

BRYANNA’S DAIRY-FREE BESCIAMELLA (BECHAMEL OR WHITE SAUCE)
makes 2 cups

  • 2 Tablespoons dairy-free margarine or extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 and 1/2 to 3 Tablespoons unbleached flour (depending on thickness desired)

Blended Mixture:

  • 1 cup soy, almond, or rice milk
  • 1/2 cup extra-firm SILKEN tofu or regular medium-firm tofu, crumbled
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 “chicken-style” vegetarian broth cube (or enough for 1 cup of liquid), crumbled
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • a large pinch EACH of freshly-grated nutmeg and white pepper
  1. Place all of the Blended Mixture ingredients, EXCEPT the nutmeg and pepper, in the blender and blend until VERY smooth.  Set aside.
  2. Melt the margarine in a medium, heavy saucepan and whisk in the flour.  Whisk it over medium-high heat for a few minutes, but remove from heat before it starts to change color (you want a white “roux”).  Scrape this into the Blended Mixture and blend for a few seconds, then pour the mixture back into the pot.  Stir over medium-high heat until it thickens and boils; turn down and simmer on low for a few minutes.  Whisk in the nutmeg and pepper.

Vegan Biscuits! For real!!!

07 Jun 2010 4 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , ,

A couple of weeks ago we were at a fabulous wedding down South in Jackson Mississippi! Not tons of vegan food to be had, but still a lot of fun! I always loved biscuits growing up in the South…..errr or NJ 🙂 Seeing all the biscuits down in Mississippi inspired me to make some deelish vegan ones that I could enjoy at home. YUM!!! They came out Fantastic! So simple and easy to make and baked in 15 minutes. I felt like a total Vegan Paula Deen, taking these babies out of the oven, smearing them with earth balance and enjoying! So good!! I used plain white flour, so I wouldn’t recommend making these all the time, but for a special treat, they really hit the spot!! Enjoy!!

Right out of the oven! Yum!!

Vegan Biscuits

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup earth balance
1 cup soymilk – plus a splash or two on reserve

  1. Heat oven to 450degrees
  2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
  3. Add Earth Balance to the bowl and use a fork to mash together and form a crumbly mixture.
  4. Add the soymilk in and mix till you form a ball.
  5. Flour a counter top and pat down till dough is about an inch thick.
  6. Using a cookie cutter or the edge of a glass cut biscuits out of the dough and place on a greased baking sheet. Continue to combine the scraps and make biscuits till you run out of dough.
  7. Bake for 12-15 minutes.
  8. ENJOY right away with some earth balance or jam. YUM!!

Raw biscuits

Raw Biscuits

Raise-the-Roof Sweet Potato Vegetable Lasagna

01 Jun 2010 9 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

This recipe was amazing and unbelievably low in fat! So many veggies and such a great idea for the sweet potato layer! And literally the only fat in the dish was from the tofu and daiya cheese, amazing! Also no need to buy no-boil noodles as these came out great and were completely cooked through.
The author loves it so much that he served it at his own wedding!

vegan cheesy goodness!

assembled before adding the cheese layer

Raise-the-Roof Sweet Potato Vegetable Lasagna
Recipe altered from Engine 2 Diet
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 small head of garlic, all cloves chopped or pressed
  • 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 head broccoli, chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
  • 1 can corn, rinsed and drained
  • 1 package Silken Lite tofu
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon basil
  • 1 teaspoon rosemary
  • 2 jars pasta sauce
  • 2 boxes whole grain lasagna noodles
  • 16 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained
  • 2 sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
  • 1/2 cup daiya cheese – I used both cheddar and mozzarella
  1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Sauté the onion and garlic on high heat for 3 minutes in a wok or nonstick pan. Add the mushrooms and cook until the onions are limp and the mushrooms give up their liquid. Remove them to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Reserve the mushroom liquid in the pan. Sauté the broccoli and carrots for 5 minutes and add to the mushroom bowl. Sauté the peppers and corn until just beginning to soften. Add them to the vegetable bowl.
  3. Drain the silken tofu by wrapping in paper towels. Break it up directly in the towel and mix into the vegetable bowl. Add spices to the vegetable bowl and combine.
  4. Cover the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch casserole with a layer of sauce. Add a layer of noodles. Cover the noodles with sauce. This way the noodles cook in the oven, saving time and energy. Spread the vegetable mixture over the sauced noodles. Cover with a layer of noodles and another dressing of sauce. Add the spinach to the second layer of sauced noodles. Cover the spinach with the mashed sweet potatoes. Add another layer of sauce, the final layer of noodles, and a last topping of sauce. Cover the lasagna with daiya cheese.
  5. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and return to the oven for 15 minutes. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 10 – 12 servings of sweet potato lasagna.

uncooked

Vegan Sausage & Peppers

24 May 2010 Leave a comment

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , ,

I’m BAAAAACK!!!! Jivamukti Teacher Training was one of the MOST amazing experiences of my whole life. I feel so blessed to have gone through it and spent a month with so many beautiful Holy Beings!!

Up at Omega we all ate so well, it was deelish, vegan-scrumptious and abundant! If you have an opportunity to visit for an R&R weekend or any of their fabulous programs, I highly recommend it!!

This dish that I made (before I left for TT) reminds me of the Cheezesteak with Peppers and Onions at Omega. I love my version but next time I am going to make a cheeze sauce to go with as well! YUM!!!!

This is a dish my mom always made with meat growing up. I never ate it because I haven’t eaten meat since before I was 7 years old – but I knew how much everyone adored it so I set out to make the vegan version. YUM!!! I love sautéed onions, vegan sausage and peppers, so really I knew I could not go wrong! This is a great dish for vegans and for meat-eaters alike. Field Roast and Tofurkey sausage are so scrumptious that I am sure most people will love them!

Vegan Sausage & Peppers

  • 1 package of either Field Roast or Tofurkey Italian sausage (or your fave vegan brand)
  • cooking spray
  • 2 yellow onion, sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 orange bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • salt to taste
  1. Brown sausage in a large skillet over medium heat. Remove from skillet, and slice.
  2. Spray the skillet with cooking spray and stir in the onion and garlic, cooking for 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in red bell pepper and green bell pepper, season with basil, and oregano and add white wine. Continue to cook and stir until peppers and onions are tender.
  3. Return sliced sausage to skillet with the vegetables. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes, or until sausage is heated through.

Teriyaki Chicken

20 Apr 2010 1 Comment

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking Tags: , ,

Just because you do not have a lot of time to prepare a great dinner doesn’t mean you can’t have one. All you have to do is plan a little. I love marinating because it is super simple to put together and toss in the fridge. When I come back to it, whether it is a few hours later or the next day it is ready to cook and off to the table in 15 minutes. How can you go wrong? Love that! I use foodsaver bags, but you can easily use a gallon ziplock or a bowl/plastic wrap combo. It is so simple, just pour the ingredients into the bag or bowl,shake or whisk around, add chicken and chill 🙂

I love these flavors and have made this before with tofu, so I was sure it would work great for chicken. It did 🙂 Michael really enjoyed it!

Teriyaki Chicken
4 servings

5 tablespoons tamari
1 teaspoon ginger, minced
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoon white wine
2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

In a gallon ziplock, foodsaver bag or bowl mix together all the ingredients except the chicken. Add the chicken and marinate, turning or shaking the bag for 20 minutes – overnight.

Heat a skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken (reserving marinade) and cook turning once for 15 or so minutes until cooked through. While chicken is cooking reduce marinade in a small pan. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, brush reduced marinade on chicken. Serve and Enjoy!

Double Broccoli Quinoa

19 Apr 2010 5 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

OMG! We loved this! Broccoli Pesto – Genius!! I always love quinoa but this was a really exciting and super deelish way to have it. Such a creamy and well seasoned dish! I know we will have this again soon.

Let me know if you get to try this and what you think! ENJOY!!

Double Broccoli Quinoa
Recipe adapted from 101cookbooks

3 cups cooked quinoa
5 cups raw broccoli, cut into small florets and stems
3 medium garlic cloves
2/3 cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted
1/3 cup cheddar vegan cheese (preferably daiya)
2 big pinches salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil

  1. Heat the quinoa and set aside.
  2. Now barely cook the broccoli by pouring 3/4 cup water into a large pot and bringing it to a simmer. Add a big pinch of salt and stir in the broccoli. Cover and cook for a minute, just long enough to take the raw edge off. Transfer the broccoli to a strainer and run under cold water until it stops cooking. Set aside.
  3. To make the broccoli pesto puree two cups of the cooked broccoli, the garlic, 1/2 cup of the almonds, vegan cheese, salt, and lemon juice in a food processor. Drizzle in the olive oil and pulse until smooth.
  4. Just before serving, toss the quinoa and remaining broccoli florets with the broccoli pesto. Taste and adjust if needed, you might want a bit more salt or an added squeeze of lemon juice. Turn out onto a serving platter and top with the remaining almonds.

Serves 4 – 6.

Pesto in the Vita-Mix

Vegan Passover :)

07 Apr 2010 Leave a comment

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , ,

If you were celebrating Passover, I hope you had a good holiday.

This year I ate lots of quinoa and salads to tide me  over. Yum!

I know it’s a little late for this year, but I would love to share what I ate this year so you have some ideas for next year 🙂

  • Red Quinoa and Pumpkin Seed Stuffing – Amazing!! I doubled the recipe of the quinoa and did not make it with the squash, although of course you could 🙂
  • Chopped “Liver” Spread – I brought this to a party and served it with cute Matzah crackers. This went over very well!!
  • My mom made me vegan matzah balls and her deeelish homemade soup! She said they disintegrated when she left them too long in the broth. But the ones she was able to salvage were awesome! I would suggest leaving them in the broth for 15 minutes and taking them out immediately after.
  • My mother-in-law made me deelish over-fried eggplant and sauce! She dipped the eggplant slices with oil and coated them with a matzah meal/spice mixture and baked them. They were so good, everyone loved them!
  • My favorite food during passover is Charoset (chopped walnuts, apples and wine – seriously what could be bad there??) I spread this with horseradish on matzah and eat it all of Passover, not just at the sedars like most people 🙂

Next year I plan on making Vegan Matzah Brei and other recipes. Of course I will post them then.

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