Chickenless Rice Bowl (WFPBNO)

This is a fairly simple dish. There are  not a lot of ingredients but the flavor was wonderful. If you don't have snow peas you could use broccoli. I came across this recipe that I had ripped out of a Cooking Light magazine back in 2012. I removed the oil, replaced the chicken with soy curls (you can buy them online) and used coconut sugar instead of white sugar. I think maple syrup would make a good substitute also. This makes 4 servings and the leftovers reheated well. One tip, be sure to string those beans before you slice them!

• 2 (3.5-ounce) bags boil-in-bag brown rice (I only used 1 and made a fresh bag for the leftovers)
• 1/4 cup lower-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup mirin (sweet rice wine)
• 3 tablespoons coconut sugar
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fat-free, low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1/2 a bag Butler Soy Curls, rehydrated in vegetable broth or chicken-less chicken broth
• 6 ounces snow peas, halved lengthwise diagonally
• 1 bunch green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces

Cook rice according to package directions. Rehydrate the soy curls in broth while you make the sauce. If any of the curls are really long snap them in half. Combine  soy sauce, mirin, sugar, vinegar and broth in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce h eat and simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Prepare your snow peas and green onions and add to a bowl. While the rice and sauce cook.

Drain the soy curls and squeeze them in your hand to get all the broth out of them. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the soy curls and a little black pepper. 

You want to brown them, but be careful and don't let them burn. You're just looking for some color. Once brown remove from skillet and set aside.

Add the snow peas and onions to the skillet. Saute 2 minutes, if you need to you can add 1 tablespoon water to keep them from sticking.

Add the soy curls and sauce to the skillet. 

Cook about 2 minutes until the sauce gets a little syrupy.

Add 1/2 of the bag of rice to each plate (for 2 servings) and top with about a cup (a quarter of the skillet) of the soy curl mixture.

Enjoy!!

Beefless and Broccoli Bowl

I don't use processed vegan meats very often. But, I do love them. We tend to stay away from processed food since they usually have more sodium and fat than we like to consume. But these Beyond Meat steak bites were delicious. I'm sure you could use tempeh or even an extra firm baked tofu (which I may try) as a replacement for the Beyond product. This bowl comes together super fast so be sure to get your rice cooking and all the ingredients prepped before you actually begin cooking. I served this with a couple of small vegan vegetable rolls. A cup of vegan hot and sour soup would also be a good side to the bowl. If you aren't a fan of broccoli or carrots use what you have in your frig. 

• 1 bag boil-in-bag brown rice
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
• 1 package Beyond Steak tips, no need to thaw
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 cup vertically sliced red onion
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup green onions, sliced
• white sesame seeds for garnish

Cook rice according to package directions. Meanwhile, prep all of your vegetables.

Combine soy sauce, cornstarch and hoisin in a medium bowl. Add the beefless tips and toss to coat. Allow to sit about 5 minutes.

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium and remove the tips from the marinade. SAVE the marinade. Cook tips stirring occasionally to keep from sticking for about 3 minutes. 

Remove tips from pan and set aside.

In the same skillet add the broccoli, red onion, carrot and water. 

Cook about 4 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender. Add the garlic and stir well.

Add the reserved marinade to the pan; bring to boil and add tips.

Bring to a boil and cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Don't overcook and end up with mushy broccoli!!

Plate and garnish with the green onions and sesame seeds. This should make 4 servings, especially if you add a vegetable roll, soup or a salad.

Enjoy!!!!

Sheet Pan Tofu Scramble (WFPBNO)

This delicious sheet pan tofu scramble can be served as breakfast with a piece of toast or turned into a taco or a burrito which is how I served it. I think it would also be delicious as Nachos!!! To make my burrito I warmed a whole wheat tortilla slightly, added some tofu scramble, hot sauce, salsa, lettuce and jalapenos. Roll it up tightly and put in a non-stick skillet to brown on both sides. This would also be delicious with Brand New Vegan Cheese Sauce.

• 1 tub extra firm tofu, drained
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 bell pepper, diced (I used green)
• 1 medium gold potato, diced small
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• black pepper, to taste
• tortillas
• lettuce
• salsa
• pickled jalapenos
• hot sauce

Preheat oven to 400F. In a large mixing bowl, crumble the tofu using your hands.

Add the beans, bell pepper, potato. Stir

Add the nutritional yeast and spices. 

Stir well to combine.

Spread evenly across a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake about 20 minutes until it starts to get brown

Heat a tortilla, you can put them on the scramble for the last 2 minutes of cooking. Add the scramble, hot sauce, lettuce, salsa and jalapenos. Or whatever items you like to eat.

Fold the sides in and then lift the bottom up and over the filling to roll it into a burrito. Add to non-stick skillet on medium to toast the bottom. 

Once brown, flip the burrito over so the other side can get brown. 

Serve with your favorite condiments.

Enjoy!!!!

Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Bowls (WFPBNO)

We love having bowls for dinner and I'm not sure why I don't do it more often. All the delicious components in one bowl with a yummy dressing. I had lots of fall vegetables in the frig and decided to throw these in the oven to bake, while the quinoa cooked and made a quick lemon tahini dressing. So delicious. You should take a look in your frig and see what you have lurking in there that needs to be used. You can use whatever veggies you have on hand. If you don't have quinoa use rice, millet, farro or whatever grain is in the pantry.

For the vegetables:

• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 2 cups cauliflower florets
• 1/2 red onion, chunked
• 2 tablespoons aquafaba
• 2-3 cups fresh spinach

Prepare all the vegetables while the oven preheats to 400F.

For the Lemon Tahini Dressing:

• 1/3 cup tahini
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/3 cup warm water
• salt and pepper to taste

Add all of the dressing ingredients to a small blender and blend until totally combined. Refrigerate until bowls are ready.

Cook quinoa, according to the package directions, while veggies roast. Cover baking sheets in parchment paper. Toss chopped veggies with aquafaba and sprinkle with seasoning of your choice. I used a spice blend with a little heat to it.

Cook vegetables about 35 minutes until tender. 

To assemble the bowls, add quinoa, then some of each of the roasted vegetables and fresh spinach. Drizzle with the dressing.

Enjoy!!!