Beefless Stir-Fry

Here's a delicious meat free stir-fry using Gardein. I love their products. The beefless tips will absorb more flavor if you marinate them for 2-3 hours. So plan ahead for this dish. The cooking goes very fast so have all of your ingredients ready before you start the cooking process. I based this recipe on the one over at Homemade Levity.

• 1 package Gardein beefless tips (defrosted 15 minutes), cut each tip in half
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 4 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup celery, thinly sliced diagonally
• 1 cup carrot, thinly sliced diagonally
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into bite sized chunks
• 1/2 large sweet onion, sliced into vertical strips
• 3 scallions, sliced
• rice or rice noodles as accompaniment
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted, for garnish, optional

In a small bowl, combine garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, lime juice, hoisin sauce and sriracha.

Be sure to cut each beefless tip in half.

Transfer mixture to a heavy duty plastic Ziploc bag and add Gardein beefless tips (already halved). Seal bag and transfer to the refrigerator. Marinate 2-3 hours, turning occasionally to ensure all pieces are covered.

Cut your carrots and celery on the diagonal to make them pretty and give them more surface area. I sliced my onion in half vertically and then made slices of it and chunk-ed the bell pepper.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil. Add marinade and Gardein beefless tips mixture. Cook about 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Stir in veggies and cook an additional 3-5 minutes until vegetables are softened but still crispy.

Remove from heat. Serve over rice or rice noodles and top with scallions. Garnish with sesame seeds, if you like.

Enjoy!

Southern Greens

I love greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, collard greens, you name it. I grew up eating greens, but not everyone knows how to cook them. I did skip a step and buy ready to cook greens. If you have fresh ones from the market just be sure to wash them well (than can be sandy), strip out the middle tough stem and then roll them up like a cigar and slice them.

We love a big pot of greens served with hot pepper sauce and onions. Usually when we eat greens we also have some kind of peas (with hot chow-chow) and a protein. We love Gardein products and they have so many varieties to choose from. This dinner was a mustard greens and turnip greens mix, zipper peas and Gardein  wings. UMMMMM....

• 1 package mustard & turnip greens mix
• 3 cups vegetable broth

Bring broth to a boil.

Add greens (I had to add half, wilt them down and then add the other half.)

Cook about 45 minutes until very tender.

Enjoy!!

Blueberry Banana Bread

Over the weekend I did a lot of cooking and somehow not much picture taking so that I could add to this blog. I did manage to make this Blueberry Banana Bread to have something a little on the sweet side around the house. You can make this with whatever flour you wish, but I wanted to also make it a little more healthy and opted for whole wheat flour.  This bread can be eaten for breakfast, as a snack or I guess you could sprinkle with powdered sugar and/or syrup and use as a dessert.

• 3 large bananas***
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 1/3 cup of almond milk
• 1/2 cup of agave nectar
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup of blueberries or a few more to taste

***The reason my bananas are black is that they were frozen. I take over ripe bananas and toss them in the freezer. When you want bread just put them on a plate for 30 minutes or so til they thaw enough to use.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, grease a loaf pan. Mash your bananas well with a fork. It's okay if there are some small lumps.

Mix the milk and half the lemon juice and let it stand to make vegan buttermilk. To the mashed bananas add the remaining lemon juice, milk/buttermilk and agave nectar. Stir well.

In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients, stir well.

Toss the blueberries with 1 tablespoon flour. This will keep them from sinking to the bottom of the pan while baking.

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Fold in the blueberries.

Spread into the loaf pan.

  Bake for 50-60 minutes until brown and well-risen.

Cool on a wire rack. This is delicious served warm.

Enjoy!!

Cheesy Enchilada Casserole

Another one-pot wonder, the casserole has a spot in my heart, for quick, easy and filling. I also love the way leftovers reheat so easily. I found this recipe here and made it vegan using my favorite go to vegan substitutes.

• 1 package Gardein beefless ground
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 1/2 cups salsa
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium taco seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 6 corn tortillas (8 inches)
• 1 1/4 cups of frozen corn
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 2 cups Daiya PepperJack cheese
• Garnish: shredded lettuce, sour cream, pickled jalapenos, scallions, cilantro

In a large skillet, cook Gardein and onion over medium heat until onion is translucent.

Stir in the salsa, beans, corn, sour cream, taco seasoning and cumin.

Spoon a generous layer of meat mixture on bottom of 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with grated cheese.

Place a layer of tortillas on top of meat mixture. You may have to cut them to fit your dish.

Layer with half of the meat mixture, and cheese and another layer of tortillas. Then top with more grated cheese.

Cover with foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray and bake at 400° for 25 minutes, or until hot & bubbly.

Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Garnish with your choice garnishes.

Enjoy!!

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