"Chicken" Salad

Goodness gracious!!!
Can you tell it's been a busy summer??? I just looked and saw that I only posted FIVE TIMES last month. I promise, it's with good reason. After visiting with my mom:



...going to Wisconsin to see some of our darling friends get married (and meeting some of the nicest people in the world!!! I love Wisconsin!!!):



...and having a visit from my best friend (she's Canadian, it's been 7 years, and it was the best trip EVER!):



(We got matching tattoos! We're avid tea drinkers. Tea has been there for us when jobs and boys and catty girls and the party scene haven't.)



...I'm a little tired and looking forward to some down time. Not before I share this amazing recipe with you, though!

I was at the grocery store the day that my MerMer left. My other favorite friend in the world (yeah, I have a few of those!), Missy, had sent me a text about the "chicken" salad she had just made. I asked for the ingredients, bought them, and within 20 minutes, was eating it. She laughed a bit at me because I had made it so fast, but it sounded so good!

(Quick background on Missy: we've known each other for years. For some reason, when we lived on the island of Okinawa together, we weren't vegan or even vegetarian. Now that we're no longer almost-neighbors, she decided to jump on the vegan bandwagon with me and we're both so aware of what we eat and how are bodies handle it.)

Missy & I 4 years ago:



Missy & I last month:



Going vegan has done a body good!

Anyway, I digress. This is a food blog, after all. :)





"Chicken" Salad
Prep time: 5 minutes

1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup Vegenaise
1-2 celery stalks, diced
1/4 cup green onion, thinly sliced
Black pepper, to taste (I used TONS)

1. Mash the chickpeas with a potato masher until there's just a few big pieces left. Add the other ingredients, mix, and enjoy thoroughly. Which you will. :)

Here's your nutritional value for REAL chicken salad (as seen here):



...and here's the value for THIS "chicken" salad:



Look at that protein and fiber! AND IT'S DELICIOUS, PEOPLE!!!
Cody gobbled this stuff up.

I don't know why you're still reading this. You should be at the store or going through your fridge, figuring out if you can make this. :)

Lentil Loaf with Basil Mashed Potatoes

June has been a faboosh month! I like to think that it's because of my Rob Pattinson calendar. My thoughtful & loving husband gave me a Rob calendar for Christmas and every month on the first, when I turn the page over to see a new picture of Robby, I pretty much know what kind of month it's going to be. This picture brought an insanely awesome June:



I've been able to spend time with family, reconnect with old friends, attend the final PDub, saw Iron Maiden and Dream Theatre, went camping. I'm going to see a whooooooole slew of old friends in three days when we go to watch two of our friends get married (I get to sing at their wedding and spend it with my husband in a tuxedo. :)), then the rest of the month is spent planning and shopping and cleaning and FREAKING OUT for my Marissa's arrival on July 1. It's been seven years since I've seen her beautiful face and I couldn't be more excited to spend a few days with her!!! And heck...with July starting off like that, it has to be a good month, right? We'll see, Edward. We'll see.

Other good things that have happened this month? The food.
I can't lie, it's been amazing! I've got some pretty awesome recipes to put up...from foreign desserts to camping food. Another reason July should be great. :)

This next recipe is pretty awesome! It kinda made me feel like the wife I was 4 years ago: making full-course, full-fat, meaty, cheesy, standard American meals. I might sound like I hated this, but I didn't. I didn't know any better then, and cooking was how I really started showing my husband how much I loved him. I wanted to make all the delicious foods my mom made us, too. As I got better with cooking, I did it more. I think that has a lot to do with why I stayed so heavy for so long. Anyway, I digress. This meal is such a healthy alternative to the traditional meatloaf dinner. We had to use some basil from the garden (yesssss......), so I decided to try a basil butter to put in the mashed potatoes. Huge success. :)

Lentil Loaf
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes



Tomato Topping

1 6-oz can tomato paste
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp onion flakes (or 1/2 tsp onion powder)
1 tsp garlic salt

Lentil Loaf

Lentil Loaf

1 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 block extra firm tofu
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup red pepper, chopped
1 tbsp Tomato Topping (recipe above)
3 tbsp yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup lentils, cooked and drained (I used black lentils!)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp ground mustard

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Mix the tomato topping together first because you're going to need a tablespoon to mix into the lentil loaf. The rest will be set aside to coat the loaf when its assembled.

2. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to a skillet on medium heat. Add chopped onions and the peppers. Let cook until onions are transparent, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Cool.

3. In a food processor, chop oats for 5 quick pulses. Set aside.

4. Drain tofu well and press with hands until all excess water comes out. In a mixing bowl, mash tofu with a fork or use grater to coarsely grate. In the same mixing bowl combine cooked onions and peppers, 1 tablespoon of tomato mixture, oats, corn meal, lentils, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, 1 tablespoon olive oil, thyme, cumin, chili powder, parsley, salt, sugar, garlic salt, onion powder, ground mustard and mix until well combined.

5. Spray a large sheet of foil with cooking spray to form loaf on, place on cookie sheet. On top and in the middle of tin foil form loaf mixture into loaf that is 2 1/2 inches high and 4 1/2 inches square. Coat top and sides with tomato mixture. Cook loaf for 20 minutes, then cover with tin foil and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.



I have to admit, I didn't LOVE meatloaf growing up. In fact, I think it was in the bottom 10 meals. Not that it wasn't good, I was just convinced that I didn't like onions or peppers. You can only lie to yourself for so long!

As far as the mashed potatoes go...I just put 1/4 cup of Earth Balance with a pinch of garlic salt and about 1/3 cup of fresh, packed basil leaves in my little food processor. I blended it until smooth and used that instead of regular butter along with soy milk to mash my potatoes.

Now a few questions for you!

It's officially summer. How do you plan on spending it?

Picnics?


Camping?


Running off to Mexico?


Some other fabulous way you can't wait to tell me about?

Spaghetti & Neatballs

On top of old smooooooookey, all covered with...nutritional yeast.....
Come to think of it, that song is pretty gross altogether, so let's move on.

I had a 5K race yesterday: the Shamrock Shuffle. I've been sick for the last week, haven't been running, the weather was freezing and windy, and the course was hilly and not-so-fun. I made the best of it, though, despite my obvious whining, and came in 6th in the 20-30 age group (which is a rather large age group, no?). Since this blog is less about running (and whining) and more about food, let me tell you how I loaded up on carbs the night before.

I've never been a huge pasta lover. Maybe it was the whole "tomato sauce" thing, or maybe pasta always filled me up to fast...whatever the reason, I just never really cared for it. My love for Eggplant Parmesan has changed all of that, though. I was going to make this meaty dish for my pre-race meal, but I wanted something different. I opted for meatballs.

This recipe is not only vegan, it's gluten free! Bellies rejoice! It is extremely tasty and full of flavor, and surprisingly soy free. It's even better as leftovers!



"Neat"balls
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes

1/2 cup cooked lentils (I used French Green Lentils, because I am franÇais. Oui oui.)
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp almond flour
2 tbsp Braggs Liquid Amino Acids (Soy sauce will work fine)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder (I think it's really important to have this, so if you don't, get some!)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp molasses
2 tsp dry mustard

1. It is extremely important that both lentils and rice are cooked well. No al dente here; slightly mushy is what we're going for. Check out how to cook lentils here and how to cook brown rice here. Once both are prepared and perfectly cooked, head on to step number two!

2. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Preheat oven to 300° F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Using about 2 tbsp of mixture, roll into balls and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. Place in the oven using top rack positions. Cook for 15 minutes, then flip and cook for 15 minutes more. Voila! Neatballs!



This recipe doubles easily, so it's great for having people over. I paired it with angel hair pasta, roasted garlic tomato sauce, and some homemade focaccia bread (<----recipe to come!). My brown rice wasn't cooked as much as it could have been, which is why step 1 contains the disclaimer. Some of the pieces were a little chewy. Still tasty, but chewy. As leftovers heated in the microwave, though, it softened them out. Go to your local market now and get some lentils and brown rice out of the bulk section and get started! You won't be disappointed...I promise!

Tofu & Sausage Scramble

I just realized that I haven't put up a recipe for tofu scramble yet. What is wrong with me??? Tofu scramble is an absolute staple in our house and I'm a little embarrassed that I haven't shared mine. I must be crazy.

Cody actually asks for tofu scramble by name. Not scrambled eggs, tofu. I've made it for so many people and it's amazing. (I think I made it for my sister once and I only had firm tofu, so it wasn't quite as good.) Sometimes I'll add some diced potatoes, black beans, veggies, green chile, or I'll wrap it in a tortilla. It holds well as leftovers and is actually quite good for you.

This recipe is a combination of about 100 I've tried over the last year. It comes out a smidge different every time because I'm just like my mother: "a little bit o' this and a little bit o' that..." I can't help it. It's genetic.



Tofu & Sausage Scramble
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

Tofu "Eggs"

14 oz extra-firm tofu, crumbled*
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp Braggs (soy sauce will work!)
1/2 tsp turmeric
salt & pepper to taste (I use BLACK SALT for every "egg" recipe I make. I found it at a world market. I don't think it's necessary to make this, but it has such a sulfur-y smell, you'll understand why it's such a good find.)
1 tbsp olive oil

1. In a large bowl, combine the crumbled tofu, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, Braggs (or soy sauce), turmeric, salt, and pepper; set aside.

2. In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, get your olive oil nice and hot. Add the tofu mixture and cook 3 to 4 minutes. The liquid should be gone and it should start to brown, just like eggs. You can either stop here and eat as is or start adding more yumminess to it! (In the picture above, I threw some spinach in because I had tons left in my fridge!)

If you want to add the sausage crumbles to this, here's the recipe! To add: when the tofu has cooked for 2 minutes or so, add the sausage and cook a few minutes longer.

Sausage crumbles

2 tbsp Braggs (or soy sauce)
1 tsp sage
1/8 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
black pepper, to taste
1 cup boiling water
1 cup textured vegetable protein (TVP: Try finding this in Bob's Red Mill packages or in the bulk section of your grocery store. If worse comes to worse, just ask someone who works there!)

1. In a bowl, mix together all of your spices and seasonings. Bring water to a boil and pour over mixture.

2. Pour in the TVP, mix with a fork, and let stand for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Taste to see if more seasonings need to be added.

*Tofu Tip o'the Day: I freeze my tofu and let it thaw out before I use it. Mind you, I only do this with firm or extra-firm tofu. It gives it a meatier texture. Try it! You'll be amazed!



Look at all the protein!!! And Calcium!!! And Iron!!! This is a low calorie, low carb, super tasty breakfast dish that you could even eat for lunch and dinner. My nutritional value analyzer doesn't have Braggs listed, so this is with soy sauce. With Braggs, the sodium count is a lot lower. I was so impressed when I plugged in all the ingredients and saw the nutritional value, I decided to see what a non-veggie scramble would be. Check this out:

I replaced the tofu with 8 eggs (4 servings in the tofu scramble, so 2 eggs each for the non-veggie) and took out my sausage and replaced it with 8 oz of regular ground sausage. Look at this...



Calories = +119
Fat = +16.1g (yes, an extra 16.1g of fat.)
Saturated Fat = +6.8g
Cholesterol = 413mg (<---gross)
Dietary Fiber = -2.8g
PROTEIN = -1.3 g (YES! There is less protein in the egg & meat scramble. I know. And carnivores ask where WE get our protein. Mwahahaha!!!)

If you're a seasoned vegetarian/vegan, or you're just curious, I DARE you to try this scramble. You will be shocked at how amazing it is. You might just fall in love with me. Just sayin'.

Sausage Patties

What is it about breakfast that is so amazing? It's a treat when you can get in a good breakfast, whether it's in the morning, afternoon, or even at dinner time! From pancakes to french toast to tofu scramble, breakfast might just be my favorite meal....and not just because it's the meal of champions.


(Photo credit)

I've put together some tasty vegan breakfasts over the last year, but this one tops the charts. It was like a Sausage McMuffin, only not so...evil.


(Photo credit)

Here's MY Sausage Patty. You can find the biscuit recipe HERE (Just make the biscuits larger!)



Sausage Patties
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

1/2 cup tvp
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (the second time I made these, I only had barley flour on hand. Worked just as well!)
1/4 cup almond meal
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp crushed sage
1/2 tsp fennel seeds (Cody's job is to grind these in his mortar & pestle. He loves it.)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 tbsp ground flax seeds
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
3 tbsp Bragg's Liquid Aminos (Soy sauce will work just fine)
1 tsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp black strap molasses
Oil for frying

1. Stir together tvp and boiling water and set aside to soak for 5 minutes.

2. Add flour, almond meal, and dry spices; stir to incorporate. In a glass measuring cup, measure out water; add liquid smoke, Bragg's (or soy sauce), maple syrup, and molasses directly to the cup and stir. Add water mixture to dry; mix well. With your hands, form mixture into 2″ balls and flatten slightly into patties.

3. Fry in oil in an uncovered frying pan on medium heat, about 4 minutes per side, or until brown.

Here is the nutritional value in mine:


And here is the nutritional value in McDonald's:


Sure, the calorie count isn't that different. Take a look at the fat, though. And saturated fat. And cholesterol. And how is it that the vegan patties have more protein and iron? That part makes me laugh because people always ask me where I get my protein from. Maybe I should start asking them where they get their protein from!!! Ok, I'm off my high horse. Make these! Do it!

And don't forget about my Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar giveaway!

Best. Seitan. Ever.

I just recently took my first dabble in seitan. If you don't know what seitan is, here is a fabulous definition from wikipedia.

"Wheat gluten, also called seitan (pronounced /ˈseɪtæn/), wheat meat, Mock Duck, gluten meat, or simply gluten, is a food made from the gluten of wheat. It is made by washing wheat flour dough with water until all the starch dissolves, leaving insoluble gluten as an elastic mass which is then cooked before being eaten."

My first stab at it can be found HERE. Don't get me wrong, that is still a really good recipe for seitan. It's moist, flavorful, and fairly simple. However, this recipe has more flavor, is easier, and has a much meatier texture. I came across it accidentally browsing Yeah, That "Vegan" Shit. She's super funny, so I highly recommend sneaking a peak at her page! Anyway, without further ado, here is the best seitan recipe in history:




Best Seitan Ever
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 90 minutes

1 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten (Find this at Whole Foods or your local grocery store in the bulk section!)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (Again, find this in the bulk section!
1 tsp salt
2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cumin
1-2 tsp pepper (I used the full 2 because I like it zippy!)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp allspice (I skipped this!)
3/4 cup cold water
4 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp ketchup (Yes, ketchup.)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp vegetarian Worcestershire sauce (I used Braggs, but you could easily use soy sauce, too.)
1-3 cloves garlic, crushed well (I just put in 1/4 tsp garlic powder. I didn't want garlic chunks in my wheat meat!)

1. Preheat oven to 325° F. In a large mixing bowl, mix dry ingredients. In a smaller bowl, mix wet ingredients, whisking until well combined.

2. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix well, then knead for several minutes. (I'm so lucky I can just throw all of this in my KitchenAid, turn it on, and start washing dishes!)

3. Form into a log (6-8" long), wrap tightly in foil, twisting ends (It should look like a massive piece of candy!). Bake for 90 minutes. When done baking, unwrap and leave out to cool all the way. Then wrap it foil or plastic and refrigerate. Slice to use as desired.





So, I have to admit. I enjoyed a martini whilst making this tasty mock meat (What??? Tuesday is a no-run day. I deserve a martini.). When it came out of the oven, I didn't have the patience to let it cool. I started picking at it immediately. Then I share with Cody. Then half of it was gone. :) Luckily, this is so easy and I always have the ingredients on hand, I'm not worried about it.

If you have contemplated going vegetarian or vegan but hate the price of mock meats, this is for you. If you like to cook and have a few daring bones in your body, this is for you. If you have a gluten allergy, I'm sorry, this is not for you. Please enjoy responsibly. And now I leave you with something a little classy:

Buffalo Wings

Two weeks ago, Cody & I drove up to Colorado Springs with our good friends, Erik & Stephanie. Erik is from Colorado and he & Stephanie lived there for 8 years. We drove up to see Manchester Orchestra (if you haven't listened to them, get on it!). We got to meet some of their good friends, their family, and ate loads of good food! My favorite place, by far, was Trinity Brewery. They had great beer AND great food. Their menu was dedicated to vegetarians and vegans. Stephanie got the tempeh sliders and I got the Buffalo Wings with mustard beer dipping sauce and a side of sweet potato fries. Mmmmmmmm.

You know me: recreator extraordinaire! I literally couldn't stop thinking about going home and making buffalo wings. It was all I could talk about. I didn't want my little wings to be gone! We made it safely back to Albuquerque on Monday and I made them for dinner that night. :)

You can find the recipe for the seitan HERE...it's the first recipe. Once it has cooled and is ready to use, head on to this post and get your buffalo on!

Buffalo Wings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

Make sure you start your SEITAN ahead of time!

1/4 cup flour
1 tsp garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste
4 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup Frank's Hot Sauce, or hot sauce of choice
4 tbsp butter, melted

1. Break the seitan into wing-size pieces. In a large pan, heat oil over medium heat.

2. In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, garlic, salt, and pepper. Dredge the seitan pieces in flour, making sure to cover all of it. Carefully drop each piece in the oil. Let the seitan cook for 5 minutes, or until browned. Flip on all sides and brown.

3. While the seitan is cooking, heat the hot sauce and better in the microwave or small saucepan over low heat. Mix until well incorporated.

4. Remove the seitan from the pan. Pour the hot sauce mixture over your seitan, making sure to coat each piece. I then put mine on a skewer and served!



(Yes, kale chips....so good...)

The next night, I had extra seitan, so I made more buffalo wings and made a calzone. I filled it with spinach and kalamata olives....mmmmm......



The seitan has a nutritional value to drool over. I'm pretty impressed with it.



Add the buffalo sauce to it, it's still not so bad.



So go ahead. Indulge!

Black Bean Burgers

I have some of the greatest friends in the world. Seriously. And they're spread out around the world. America, Canada, Japan, Puerto Rico...this blog is for my beautiful Tina in Puerto Rico.

I met Tina in Japan. We worked together and instantly became likethis. One of the things I loved about her was that she knew all these crazy places to go off base. She had the best little shopping spots and knew all the best eats! One of my favorites that she brought me to was Seaside Jet City Burgers. It was literally on the beach, in a hut, playing nothing but Jack Johnson. :) Yeah, I know. Perfect.

Anyway, my favorite burger (yes, hamburger) was one covered in grilled pineapple and avocado. I couldn't get anything else when we went because this combination was just amazing. Here are a few pictures of my adventures with Tina:


Eating tantan noodles....our favorite!

At the seawall after an amazing day of laying in the sun!


Chula-U...a pool spa she introduced me to. I don't know if we went enough!!!

After a night of Y50 beer. Boy...vegan did my body good!

We have been through so much together, Tina & I, and I love her more than she could ever know. It's been almost a year since we spent time together in Florida and I really hope I get to see her face soon.

On to the food!

I mentioned my favorite SSJCB burger and I decided to recreate it. Duh. That's what I do. :) Here is my black bean burger, which I topped with grilled pineapple and avocado.


Yes, those are kale chips. I was skeptical at first, but kale was on sale at Whole Foods and I made them. Holy crap, so good. Even Cody loved them!

Black Bean Burgers
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup black beans, drained & rinsed
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tsp seasoned salt
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 400° F degrees.

2. Pulse all the oats in food processor until coarsely chopped. Place in mixing bowl.

3. Place medium chopped onion, 1/4 cup of the black beans and 1/4 cup of the corn and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add to the oats.

4. Add remaining black beans, corn and remaining ingredients to the oats and mixed beans. Mix together well.

5. Form into 4 patties. Place on oiled cookie sheet and cover with foil. Place in oven for 5 minutes, flip and cook 5 more minutes.



So easy, so delicious, so good for you! I toasted some buns, put a little veganiase on the bottom, iceburg lettuce, avocado slices, then I grilled up some pineapple that I put on top. Honestly, the spice of the black bean burger is cooled by the avocado then sweetened by the pineapple. It might just be this summer's perfect dish. And the kale chips....stay tuned for the kale chips!!!

Tina, if you read this, I hope you know how much I love you & miss you & how grateful I am to have such a wonderful woman in my life to call my friend! I LOVE YOU!!!

Pad Thai & Lettuce Wraps

My husband has been gone for the entire weekend, so I've been doing nothing but cleaning and cooking. When he's gone, I barely know what to do with myself! So I do what I do best. Cook & clean. :) I made some delicious gluten free AND vegan mac & cheese ala Erin...tasty gluten free chocolate chip cookies (yes, they were tasty...)...and yesterday I made some Pad Thai & Lettuce Wraps. Now, the lettuce wraps weren't really wrapped, I just needed a name. I made this gyoza "meat" but couldn't find vegan wrappers, so I just placed the "meat" in a piece of lettuce. Worked perfectly!



**My pictures usually aren't great. This one is even worse because I had to take it with my phone as the husband has our camera. Oh well.

Pad Thai
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
From Skinny Bitch in the Kitch

6 oz rice stick noodles
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup mirin (Japanese rice wine)
3 tbsp ketchup (yes, ketchup!)
3 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp sriracha or other chili sauce
2 tbsp refined coconut oil
14 to 16 oz extra-firm tofu, cubed
1/2 red onion, cut into 1/4-inch slices (I love onion so I used the whole thing!)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 scallions, halved lengthwise and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 cups bean sprouts
1 carrot, shredded
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, mint, or a combination
1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts
4 to 8 lime wedges

1. Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the agave, mirin, ketchup, tamari or soy sauce, lime juice, and sriracha; set aside.

3. Heat the coconut oil in a 12-inch wok or skillet over high. Add the tofu and stir-fry for 4 minutes. Add the red onion and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the garlic and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the noodles and agave nectar mixture and stir-fry until the noodles are softened and evenly coated with sauce. Add the scallions, bean sprouts, and carrot and stir-fry until all the ingredients are well combined and heated through.

4. Transfer the pad thai to plates or platter, garnish with cilantro or mint, peanuts and lime wedges, and serve.



It was really good! I love the spice and the sweet and the citrus. I will definitely be making more of this! Now for the Lettuce Wraps. I am so fond of these because they're so easy & I was able to do my own thang!

Lettuce Wraps
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

8 large pieces of lettuce, preferably the outside pieces that are stiff and curved
1 cup dry TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein granules! You can buy these in a bag or in the bulk section.)
2 cups boiling water
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 cup mushrooms, minced
1 small onion, minced
1 carrot, finely grated
3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
3 tbsp soy sauce
1-2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1. Place the TVP in a bowl and pour the boiling water over it. Stir, and let sit for a few minutes until softened.

2. In a skillet, heat the sesame oil and add the vegetables, sautéing until the onions are translucent. Add the softened TVP, soy sauce and vinegar, and cook several minutes on high heat until all the liquid has boiled off. Stir frequently during this, to keep the mixture from burning or sticking to the pan.

3. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

4. Spoon about 1/2 cup into each piece of lettuce. Serve as is or add a touch of chili sauce for garnish and added heat.



These two items on one plate was choice! It was such a light dish, and as you can tell, pretty low in calories! I've been calorie counting since the new year (it wasn't a New Year's Resolution, it was just a change!) and I am so glad this meal is tasty and low-cal. I hope you get the chance to try it!