What's Cookin' Wednesday!

Stir Fry!

Good evening! I hope everyone's week is going well! Mine is going surprisingly fast, and I'm a-ok with that. But it's mid-week and, while I'm here blogging away, boyfriend is making dinner. I don't know about all of you, but once it hits Wednesday, dinner better be easy. I am in no mood to stand in the kitchen for a good hour or so. If you share my feels, save this recipe for a day you feel like putting a little effort in, and chopping veggies for a good amount of time. If you're looking for something easy, check out this easy tomato basil soup.

However, this is delicious and healthy and packed full of veggies and protein. I'm all about trying new meat substitutes. So, when I found Trader Joe's "Chicken-Less Strips" I was really excited. Tossed these babies in with all the veggies and fooled two meat eaters. Take that!

Ingredients:

3 T olive oil

1/2 a bunch of broccoli, cut into florets

1 stalk celery, chopped

1/2 cup carrots, chopped

1/2 orange pepper, sliced

1/2 red pepper, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 green onions, sliced thinly

1 can water chestnuts

1/4 cup cashews

1 package Trader Joe's Chicken-Less Strips (or chicken)

2 cups quinoa, cooked

Sauce

2 T soy sauce or tamari

3 T teriyaki

1 t. rice vinegar

1 1/2 t. brown sugar

How To:

In a large skillet, or wok, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the garlic and whites of the green onions until fragrant. Toss in the package of Trader Joe's Chicken-Less Strips, and sauté with the onions and garlic for a couple minutes. Add in the carrots and celery, and sauté for another 5-7 minutes. Add in the peppers and broccoli, sauté for about 3 minutes, then cover the pan. Allow this to sit for about 10 minutes. Add in any extra olive oil as needed while sautéing. While you're letting that sit, combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl. I alway recommend tasting sauces as you go. Keep in mind that although the sauce is a bit salty, when it's combined with the other ingredients, it won't taste as salty. Add the water chestnuts, cashews, and sauce to your veggies. Stir to combine well, and allow the mixture to heat through. This also let's the flavors combine. I typically let mine sit for around 10-15 more minutes. Usually, I'm finishing up the quinoa. Put the quinoa in your serving bowls and top with a generous amount of stir fry! 

I'd just like to inform you all that this tasted just like Chinese take-out for me, and it was so good. You know when your Chinese is almost better the next day? Yep, just like that.

What's your favorite healthy take-out!? I'd love to know in the comments below! (:

What's Cookin' Wednesday

 Smokey Cauliflower, Chickpea, & Dumpling Soup

As stated, the boyfriend and I love soups. Love, love, love. I'm always looking for new, interesting soups. The smokiness of this one definitely drew me towards it. I've recently acquired an abnormal amount of paprika, and I've never used that before. So, I've been trying a ton of recipes with paprika. This soup was just so smokey and warm that it was perfect for a fall night. It has veggies and proteins and carbs. It's perfect and hearty.
We're actually eating this again tonight, since I froze half of it. I'm quite excited about it.

Ingredients:

Soup

1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into florets

1 can chick peas

6 Tbsp. olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

5 large cloves of garlic, minced

2 bay leaves

1 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp. sweet paprika

1/4 tsp. hot curry powder

6 cups vegetable broth

1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste

1 tsp. soy sauce or tamari

Salt & pepper to taste

Dumplings

1 1/2 c. flour (I used whole wheat)

1/2 tsp baking powder

3 scallions, green and white parts, sliced thinly

1/2 - 3/4 c. water

How To:

Preheat the oven to 400. Toss the cauliflower florets in 3 tablespoons of oil and some salt. Spread the florets out evenly across a baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes. While those are baking, heat the remaining oil in a large stock pan. Add in the onion and garlic and saute until translucent. Once translucent, add in the bay leaves, spices, broth, paste, and soy sauce/tamari. Stir to combine the ingredients well! Turn the heat up and bring it to a simmer, then reduce the heat. Let the soup simmer for about 10 minutes. After ten minutes, add the cauliflower and chickpeas.

While that is simmering, begin your dumplings. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and scallions. Slowly add in the water, until you get a thick, sticky dough. Drop tablespoon-sized globs into the soup and continue to simmer. Make sure the dumplings are completely submerged in the soup. After about 15-20 minutes, check a dumpling with a toothpick. You want the toothpick to come up clean.

Let the soup cool for about 5 minutes, then laddle into bowls and marvel in the smokey goodness.

This was probably one of the most wonderful soups I've ever made. It was smokey and hearty and just warm. It may be absolutely perfect for fall. Plus, it just looks pretty.

This recipe makes a ton, but you can freeze it! Freeze half of it and save it for a lazy, cold day!



I'd love to hear what your favorite soup is! Let me know in the comments below!

What's Cookin' Wednesday

Black Bean Tacos

Don't mind the huge camera shadow.

Well, good afternoon! Can I tell you all that my week, thus far, has been sooo busy? I started my new job at the state, and it's just.... The building is a maze straight out of J.K. Rowling's brain. It might just be that everything looks the exact same, but still. With a new job came new hours! I now start at 7:45am! Woo! So that means I can either get my ass up at 5am to go work out, or I can work out after work and not get home until like, 7pm. Yeah, no thanks. Boyfriend can't fend for himself, and there's no way I'd want to cook. Remember when I said I'd rather get up early to workout? I got my wish.

Anyway, I think in every food post, I talk about how I love Mexican food. Whatever, it's delicious. A lot of people don't like the meat crumble substitute. That's fine, I get it. The texture is a bit different than ground beef. Boyfriend and I personally don't mind it, but sometimes I wanna switch it up! As mentioned several times, boyfriend loves black beans. I love refried beans. So, I made a healthy combination of the two! I used this in place of my taco meat, and it was soooo good! It makes a pretty good amount, which I'm ok with. I like using the leftovers in my egg wraps in the morning. Protein on protein.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can rotel (diced tomatoes and green chilis)

2 cans black beans

2 1/2 tsp. cumin

1 1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Sprinkle of cayenne (optional)

Salt & pepper to taste

How to:

In a large skillet, heat up the olive oil and toss the onion and garlic in. Sauté until fragrant and slightly brown. Pour in the rotel and simmer for about 5-6 minutes. Mix in the black beans and allow them to heat up for about 3 minutes. Using a potato masher, begin to smash the mixture up. As the mixture heats through, it will become easier to mash. Mash until the bean mixture is at a consistency you like. I like to leave it a little chunky. Add in the seasonings and stir to combine. Let that simmer to reduce the amount of liquids.

Done! Now pile the bean mixture on some tortillas (I used soft, whole wheat), add some corn, lettuce, cheese, and greek yogurt! Or, ya know, whatever you like on your tacos. (:

Om nom nom nom.

How do you switch up your Mexican dishes!? I'd love to know in the comments below!

What's Cookin' Wednesday

Peanut Quinoa Bowl

I love these. I have an obsession with peanut butter, so any chance I get to eat it, I'll take it. I mean, I'll still just use a spoon and the jar, but... 

Anyway, in my quest to force boyfriend away from noodle dishes, I've been throwing quinoa into meals. It's just a wonderful little thing. If you live in the Columbus area, you've probably been to Northstar Cafe. If you haven't, make a point of going. They use all fresh, organic ingredients, and everything tastes amazing. I fell in love with the Thai Burrito, when my mom and I went there one time. It's served with the most amazing peanut sauce. I just couldn't handle it. I even dipped my chips in it.

The peanut sauce in this recipe is really similar, and it just makes me happy when I eat this. We tried these bowls the first time with half the sauce, and boyfriend was just not having it. It was too bland for him, and he likes flavor. Well, I wasn't opposed to putting more sauce on it, so here's the outcome. Pure heaven.

 (this made me think of peanut butter cream cheese frosting *drool*... until I added tamari.)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup quinoa

1 1/2 cups water

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 green onions, chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 1/2 cups broccoli florets

3/8 cup (6 Tbsp) peanut butter

3 tablespoons lime juice

3 tablespoons water

3 teaspoons tamari (or soy sauce)

1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ginger

Salt & pepper to taste

Chopped peanuts and green onion stalks for garnish

How to:

Bring the water to a boil and add the quinoa. Cover and reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. While that's going, heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the onions. Sauté until fragrant. Toss in the red pepper, and sauté for about 3 minutes, or until tender. Set the sautéed veggies aside, and add about a 1/2 cup of water to the pan, and steam the broccoli for about 2-3 minutes. Tender, but still crisp. In a bowl, whisk the peanut butter, lime juice, water, tamari, brown sugar, and ginger. Combine the cooked quinoa, veggies, and peanut butter sauce in a large bowl!
Serve warm with chopped green onion stalks, peanuts, and an extra squeeze of lime juice!

Super yummy! Don't be afraid to add extra veggies!

Let me know if you try it and how it turns out!! (:

What's Cookin' Wednesday

Quinoa Chili

Shit... Please excuse my ever present tardiness.

So although it's hot as shit out here in Ohio, I long for cooler weather and the yummy soups and chilis  (and clothes) that go with it. Since we don't eat meat (obviously), I wanted something that made the chili a little hearty. Quinoa. Quinoa is always the answer. It's hearty, it's a great source of protein, and it's easy to make.

Ingredients:

2 cups quinoa, cooked

1 Tbsp. olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, diced

1 jalapeño, seeded & diced

2 cans diced tomatoes (I used Hunt's Roasted Red Pepper)

1 can tomato sauce (I used Hunt's Dinner Starters for chili)

1 1/2 Tbsp. chili powder

2 tsp. cumin

1 1/2 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Salt & pepper to taste

2 cans beans (I used black beans and chili beans)

1 can corn

Juice of 1 lime

How to:

Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Sauté the onion, garlic, and jalapeño until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the quinoa, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, seasonings, and 1-2 cups of water. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and let it cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the beans, corn, and lime juice, and let that heat through for a couple of minutes. 

Serve immediately with chopped green onions, greek yogurt, avocado, cheese, etc!

Warning: This makes a ton a chili. It's freezer-friendly, though!

This is when I wish I lived in San Francisco, so I could enjoy this any time!

I'd love to know if you try this and how it turns out!! (:

What's Cookin' Wednesday

Orange Chikin'

I am so excited. I don't know why, after making the Vegan Wings, that it didn't dawn on me that I could now make a ton of chicken dishes that I used to love. HOORAY! This was so. freaking. delicious.

Ingredients:

1 medium head of cauliflower, chopped

3/4 c. flour (I used whole wheat)

1 tsp. curry powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. red pepper

2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

3/4 cup milk of choice

2 green onions, chopped

1/2 green pepper, diced

1/2 red pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c. fresh orange juice

3/4 c. vegetable broth

2 tsp. soy sauce

2 Tbsp. sugar

2 Tbsp. corn starch

1/4 c. water

How To:

Preheat your oven to 450ºF. Chop your cauliflower into florets. In a large bowl, combine flour, curry powder, garlic powder, red pepper, and nutritional yeast. Dip your florets in the milk and toss in the flour mixture. Transfer the florets to a greased baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, flip and broil with the door open for 5 minutes, until golden brown. While all this is happening, you should probably go on to the next stuff.

In a skillet, heat 2 Tbsp. of olive oil. Sauté the onions until fragrant, then add the peppers. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, then remove from heat. I transferred mine to a bowl.

In the same skillet, heat 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil. Sauté the 2 cloves of garlic, until golden. At this point, add the broth, juice, soy, and sugar. Stir to combine well. In a separate bowl, whisk the corn starch with the 1/4 cup of water. Add this mixture to your sauce and let this thicken.

This is what your "chikin" will look like when it comes out of the oven. (:

Toss your veggies and "chikin" in the sauce you've made, and let this heat for about 2 minutes.

Serve with brown rice and garnish with an orange and green onions.
ENJOY!

What's Cookin' Wednesday

Jalapeño & Garlic "Cream" Pasta

It's Wednesday... right?

Don't mind me. I also just realized I didn't put up a Friday Favorites post last week. What?!

So, here's a vegan recipe that turned out way better than I had anticipated! This recipe is wayyyyy simple and quick to make on a busy night.

Boyfriend and his mom liked it! That's a real win, I tell you. Let's get to it.

Ingredients:

3/4 lb. pasta (I used whole wheat)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 carrot, peeled and chopped

1/2 red pepper, chopped

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

For the sauce:

4 Tbsp. raw cashews

2 Tbsp. flour (I used whole wheat)

1/2 jalapeño, seeded

3 cloves of garlic

1/2 c. almond milk, unsweetened

1 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

1 Tbsp. olive oil

How to:

Cook pasta according to the box. In a skillet, heat the olive oil and sauté the carrot and red pepper until tender. While that's going, literally throw all the ingredients for the sauce into a blender and blend until it's at a sauce consistency. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning on the veggies and mix all the components together. Heat the pasta for about 5 minutes, and it's done!

I served ours sprinkled with some Parmesan, because I can't resist cheese to save my life.

Let me know if you try this and how it turns out for you!

Vegan "Wings"

I wasn't going to use this as my What's Cookin' Wednesday post, because I wasn't sure how it would turn out. However, they turned out wonderful, and, when I posted the photo on Facebook, I got several questions about them. Also, they just look so good. (:

So, here's a little quickie about these vegan "wings" I made last night.

Ingredients:

1 medium head of cauliflower

1 + 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

3/4 c. flour (I used whole wheat)

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. curry powder

2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

3/4 bottle of wing sauce of choice

How to:

Spray a large baking sheet and preheat the oven to 450.

Cut the cauliflower into florets.

Combine the flour, garlic, onion, and curry powders, and nutritional yeast in a large bowl.

Pour 1 cup of almond milk in another bowl, and toss your florets in.

After you've tossed them in the almond milk, toss them in the flour mixture until coated.

Transfer your florets to the baking sheet, and pop in the oven for about 20 minutes.

While those are baking, put your sauce in a pan and heat it up. Add small amounts of the almond milk until you get the desired consistency. Place the sauce in a large bowl.

By this time, they should be browned on one side. Flip them all over and turn the broiler on.

Let them sit under the broiler for about 5 minutes with the door open.

Once they're browned, pull the florets out and toss them into your sauce, mixing to give them a good coating.

Serve these up with some ranch and celery sticks!

These were really good. The texture was great, but the sauce we chose was hot! Let me know if you try these and how they turn out for you!