Thai Beef Tacos

I decided to take my tacos for a different flavor profile last Taco Tuesday. I saw a few recipes online and decided to put my vegan spin on them. If you wish to make the WFPBNO use rehydrated soy curls that have been chopped up. I used green cabbage because that is what I had on hand; feel free to use red cabbage, nappa or whatever you have on hand. You are looking for a crunch factor. This made about 8 tacos but the servings will depend on the size of your tortillas.

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (I use the kind already minced)
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 inch knob ginger, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 package (12 ounces) vegan beef crumbles
• 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon Thai basil, or sub regular basil
• 1/2 lime juiced
• taco-size flour tortillas
• 1/4 cup cabbage, shredded
• avocados, sliced
• spicy mayo, optional

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, ginger and bell pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes until the veggies begin to  get tender. 

Add a splash of water if they try to stick.

Add the vegan crumbles, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce and black pepper. Saute for 5-10 minutes; until the crumbles begin to brown.

Add the basil and lime juice and give it all a good stir.

I heated my tortillas briefly in the microwave. But, you can also wrap them and heat in the oven. To assemble your taco: add cabbage to the tortilla, top with crumbles, avocado, cilantro and spicy mayo. Serve with lime wedges on the side if you like. I had fresh corn on the cob for our side dish.

Enjoy!!!!

Spicy Stir-Fried Noodles (WFPBNO)

I had a little of this and a little of that in the frig. I wasn't sure how to use it up. I decided to do a stir-fry with noodles, which I seem to have an abundance of these days. So, feel free to use what you have in the frig and whip up this dish. It's not that spicy to me but for those of  you that are sensitive you may want to start with less sambal oelek (chile paste with garlic). You can always add more to your plate and give it a good stir. This made about 6 servings; if you use less veg or more you may get a different amount of servings. 

• 1 recipe Ginger Garlic Tofu
• 1 pound long pasta, I used a thin fettuccini
• 1 heaping tablespoon minced cheater garlic
• 1 head baby bok choy
• 3-4 handfuls baby spinach
• 1 1/2 cups broccoli florets
• 3 tablespoons sambal oelek (chili paste with garlic)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce 

Be sure your tofu is cooking before you start this dish. Start your water to cook your pasta. Make the sauce: add the chile paste, lime juice, hoisin and soy sauce to a bowl. Taste, if you want it sweet add a drop of  honey or maple syrup. Set aside.

While the pasta cooks add your steam basket the last few minutes and steam the broccoli florets. Once pasta is done remove from water with the broccoli and set the water aside. You may need 1/2 cups or so to thin out your sauce.

To a large pan or Dutch oven add a few tablespoons of water and saute the garlic for 30 seconds, stirring frequently. 

Add the cooked pasta to the pan and stir well.

Add the spinach and broccoli to the pasta. Toss well. Turn off the heat, but leave the pan on the burner.

Add the sauce and toss to combine everything. If it's too dry add a little of your pasta water.

Plate the pasta and add some tofu to your dish. Feel free to garnish with sesame seeds, sliced scallions or some red pepper flakes. I add a squirt of Sriracha to mine.

Eggroll in a Bowl (WFPBNO)

I had an extra bag of coleslaw mix in the frig. I didn't want it to go bad so I looked for a few recipes online and got the idea for this dish. I really enjoyed it with the slight spice from the chili garlic sauce and the hint of sweet from the maple syrup. You could add some tofu to this to boost the protein and make it go a little farther. Next time I make it I will do that extra step. This was pretty quick, be sure you have all of your ingredients out and prepped before you begin cooking. I think this took about 15 minutes, maybe 20 to make. 

The first step is to get your small pot of water on to boil to cook your ramen noodles. I forgot to take a picture of that. But use  your favorite block of ramen and cook according to the package directions. I used Lotus Foods organic brown rice and millet. Cook, drain, rinse and set them aside.

Let's get going...

• 1 ramen cake
• 1 large sweet onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, divided
• 1 bag (16 ounce) coleslaw mix (just cabbage and carrots)
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
• Garnish: sliced scallions, chopped peanuts, sriracha

Be sure you have your ramen going. Add a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot add onion, garlic, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar and ground ginger. Stir with a wooden spoon and cook until onion is translucent. Add a tablespoon of water if needed to keep it from sticking.

Add the coleslaw, soy sauce, maple syrup, chili garlic sauce and the remaining tablespoon rice vinegar. Toss all the ingredients together. Cook for about 5 minutes.

Add the ramen noodles and stir well to combine.

Remove from heat and add green onions and chopped peanuts.

Plate it up, or bowl it up.

Add a squirt of sriracha and devour.

Enjoy!!!

Thai Stir-Fry (WFPBNO)

 This meal comes together pretty quick. Be sure you have all of your ingredients prepped before you begin cooking. Feel free to substitute other veggies instead of what I have listed. You want to use up the veggies in your frig! If you don't have coconut sugar you can sub brown sugar, if you don't like heat leave out the jalapeno, I deseeded mine and it wasn't hot at all. I served this stir-fry with an Asian salad mix I bought from my local grocery store. Enjoy and have fun in the kitchen!!

• 1/2 cup sliced sweet onion
• 1 heaping tablespoon pre-minced garlic
• 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
• 5 ounces thinly sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 6 ounces rice noodles, wide as you can find

-------------------------------------------------------

• 1/2 bell pepper, sliced - I used red
• 1 cup chopped broccoli
• 2 1/2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon molasses
• 1 tablespoon vegan oyster sauce
• 2 teaspoons coconut sugar
• 1 teaspoon corn starch
• 2 tablespoons Thai basil
• sliced green onion, for garnish
• I also made a batch of oven baked tofu to go with this.

Heat a couple of tablespoons of water in a large non-stick skillet. Add onion, garlic and jalapeno and cook until onion is translucent. 

Add mushrooms and cook 3 minutes.

Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce and the broth.

Bring to boil.

Add the pasta and press them under the water. Cook covered if you can; mine try to steam up and I had to uncover them and stir, repeatedly. Cook based on package directions for length of time.

Stir the rest of the soy sauce, molasses, oyster sauce, sugar and corn starch into a small bow. 

Add the veggies to the stir fry and give it a good stir. 

Add the mixture from the bowl to the stir-fry and stir until thickened. Add the Thai basil and green onions. Stir and then serve.

Serve, garnished with the tofu. I had a prefab Asian salad that I served on the side. 

Enjoy!!!

Pad See Ew (WFPBNO)

I love ethic dishes. They are so easy to make WFPBNO and are very versatile. Asian restaurants are one of my favorites: Thai, Chinese, Japanese!! I took a recipe for Pad See Ew and made it oil free, used tofu instead of meat, used regular broccoli instead of Chinese broccoli and added some extra veggies. This was so good I've already made it twice and I'm ready for more! This dish makes four servings, with extra tofu. We just go ahead eat a quarter of the tofu with each bowl. Be sure to save your broccoli stems, use your potato peeler and peel off the outer, tougher stem, then slice thin and add it to skillet with the other veggies. You paid for that stem, eat it!

• 8 ounces wide Lo Mein noodles

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons vegan oyster sauce
• 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons organic coconut sugar
• 2 teaspoons roasted garlic rice vinegar

Begin water for cooking noodles and begin baking the tofu. Stir all the sauce ingredients into a small container and set aside.

Stir-Fry

• 1 14-ounce package extra firm tofu, pressed and cubed, baked
• 1 small stem broccoli
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 1 cup snow peas
• 1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic

Cut the broccoli into bite-sized florets and peel, and sliced stems, slice the onions. Have all of your veggies ready before you begin cooking.

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and add to a pot of cold water so they don't stick together, while you cook the veggies.

Add a tablespoon or two of water to skillet over medium heat. Add all the veggies to the skillet. Cook and toss until they are semi tender. I covered my skillet to help them steam. Add garlic when almost done.

Drain the noodles and add them to the skillet. Stir well.

Add the sauce you made earlier and toss everything well. Cook for 1-2 minutes until noodles are hot.

Serve, garnished with black sesame seeds and a little Sriracha sauce.

Enjoy!!

Chickpea Salad with Curry Peanut Dressing (WFPBNO)

I got the idea to try this from a couple of different recipes I saw online. I really like how this turned out and it's so easy to make. I've already made it twice and the leftovers are delicious. I added my baked ginger garlic tofu to this to bump up the protein content and to keep us full longer. You probably have most of these ingredients in your fridge and pantry. Go ahead and make this delicious salad during these scorching days of June. It's really nice to be able to open up the frig and have something quick and delicious ready to eat. 

For the Salad:

• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 2-3 cups shredded green cabbage (red would also be pretty)
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (keep that aquafaba for something else)
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

For the Dressing:

• 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter (I buy one that only has peanuts as an ingredient)
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 clover garlic, minced (I buy pre-minced garlic)
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon yellow curry powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 3 tablespoons warm water, to thin the dressing
• a few grinds of black pepper

In a large bowl, add bell pepper, carrot, cabbage, chickpeas, cilantro, green onion and jalapeno.

In a small blender or small bowl, mix the dressing ingredients. Be sure to add the water and if needed add a little more so it's the consistency you like. The leftovers will be a little looser as the water in the cabbage will release.

Pour the dressing over the salad.

Mix well. 

I chose to add mine to a small, pretty bowl for serving. I kept the tofu separate and added some to each bowl as we served the salad. Garnish with cashews or peanuts, more cilantro and the tofu if using.

Enjoy!!!!