Tahini Granola Bars

 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup roasted and salted sunflower seeds

1 tbsp sesame seeds

1 tbsp flax seeds

1 tbsp chia seeds

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup oil

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup tahini paste

Combine ingredients.  If mixture seems too wet, add oats.  If mixture seems too dry, add tahini.  Place into a prepared pan, lined with parchment paper.  Using a rubber spatula, press down to flatten.  Freeze for 2 hours.  Remove from freezer and cut into bars.  Keep refrigerated.

You can substitute any nut or seed you like or prefer, and, of course, any nut or seed butter in place of tahini.  

"Meat" Sauce and Veggies

I have been trying to up my protein, after tracking my macros for several months.  I have returned to using TVP in this extremely simple, high protein recipe.

1/2 cup red lentils, washed, picked through

1/2 cup TVS (textured vegetable protein)

1 fistful of walnuts, broken into pieces

1 tbsp garlic powder

1/2 cup pasta sauce, any brand

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 cups frozen vegetables - I would gravitate to peas, broccoli

1 cup of diced carrots and onions

1 tbsp oil

Place lentils and TVP in a pot of water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes.  Both TVP and lentils will cook quickly.  Add your dash of soy sauce and garlic and walnuts. In a separate pot, cook the vegetables - saute onions in oil, add diced carrots.  Once cooked, add the frozen vegetables.  Saute until tender.

Drain the "meat" mixture and add pasta sauce. Stir to combine well and heat thoroughly.  Combine vegetables and "meat" into one pot and serve hot.  

Lentil Pasta with mushrooms

 1/3 cup lentil pasta (from Trader Joe’s)

1 Tsp vegan butter

1/3 cup onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced 

4 cremini mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup frozen corn

1 large handful of spinach

1 tbsp Italian herbs

Pinch of salt and pepper

1/4 lemon zest

Vegan Parmesan to taste 

Optional nutritional yeast

Cook pasta as directed.  Meanwhile, heat butter in pan.  Once hot, add onions and garlic until fragrant.  Add mushrooms, then peas and corn, stirring frequently.cheese at the last minute.  Plate and add lemon zest.    Season with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning.  Add cooked and drained pasta and stir.  Toss in spinach and Parmesan  at the last minute,  remove from heat and plate, and then sprinkle lemon zest on top.  Serve hot. 

Chow Mein!

 I have been obsessed with Chow Mein since trying my local vegan restaurant’s version.  I was craving it, but they are not open today, so I tried my hand at it.  This recipe is quick and delicious!

You need:

Fistful of noodles - I used spaghetti, but you can also use ramen

1/2 bag of shredded cabbage and carrot from Trader Joe’s, or make your own

1/4 cup diced onion

Cubed tofu, I used about 1/2 cup

Scallions

For the Sauce:

4 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp peanut butter 

1 tbsp blackstrap molasses 

2 tsp seasoned rice vinegar 

1 garlic clove, finely minced

2 tsp sesame oil

First, boil the water for the pasta.  Begin to mix the sauce in a jar - whisk until fully immersed.  As soon as the water is ready, toss it in to cook and begin to heat up a pan. Throw a couple of dashes of water in the pan to cook onions first.  Once the onions are translucent, toss in the vegetable mix and tofu to the pan.  Mix until slightly wilted, cooking on medium heat.  

Once the noodles are cooked, drain and add them to the pan, turning up the heat to high.  Stir around for 30 seconds or so, and slowly add the sauce to the pan to reach desired consistency (I only used about half for 2 servings).  Let it begin to boil, so you can scrape the glazed bits off the pan as you fervently stir the mix.  Remove from heat and garnish with scallions.  Serve immediately.

If you make this, let me know!

 

Tomato Lentil Soup

 It finally got colder, so I’m sharing my latest lentil soup recipe!

Serves 2

1 pat of vegan butter

1/2 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cups water, with 1 tsp vegetable bouillion

1/2 can tomatoes 

1/2 cup red lentils, rinsed and sorted

1/2 cup farro

1/2 Tsbp cumin

1/2 Tbsp turmeric

1 dash pepper

Squeeze of lemon

Heat water and immerse bouillon.  While heating, melt butter in a saucepan and add onions and garlic.  Cook until translucent, then transfer to pot.  Once bouillon is fully immersed, add tomatoes, lentils, farro, onions, garlic, spices.  Cook for about 15-18 minutes, until farro is completely cooked.  Take 2 ladles of soup and blend in a blender, and add back to the pot.  Bring to a simmer.  Serve with a dash of lemon.