Category Archives: Lunch

Spicy Thai Noodles with Tofu

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I’m overdue for a cheat meal and boy am I glad I used it up on this recipe! This is really, really good! It makes a ton of food too… awh shucks, looks like I have to finish the leftovers!

Spicy Thai Noodles with Tofu

Yes, it contains oil (sesame oil) and a decent amount of honey (you can sub agave if you don’t do honey) but if that’s the worst cheat I have lately I think I’m still okay. I didn’t test this recipe out of our kids since it’s on the spicy side.

The original recipe is from A Small Snippet.

Spicy Thai Noodles with Tofu

Ingredients:

* 1 package pasta (I used whole wheat spaghetti but I bet it would work well with linguini too)

* 1-20oz block of extra firm tofu, pressed and cubed (I used Trader Joe’s Extra Firm High Protein Tofu)

* 1-2 Tbsp red pepper flakes (I used 1Tbsp and it was nice and spicy but if you prefer more fire, go big!)

* 1/2 cup toasted sesame oil (I KNOW…. BAD!!!)

* 6 Tbsp lite soy sauce

* 6 Tbsp honey (sub agave if you prefer… could work with stevia but I’m not sure)

* 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

* 1 Tbsp peanut butter (I used smooth)

* 1 bunch of cilantro, chopped

* 3 large carrots, peeled and shredded

* 3 large green onions, sliced thin

* 1/3 – 1/2 cup unsalted peanuts 

Instructions:

1. Heat sesame oil and red pepper flakes over medium heat for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, strain out peppers and reserve oil.

2. Whisk together oil, honey, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and peanut butter. Add cubed tofu to sauce to marinate while cooking the pasta. 

3. Cook pasta according to package, drain when done and set aside.

4. Remove tofu from the sauce with a slotted spoon, cook on high in pasta pot until lightly browned on all sides. 

5. Add pasta and sauce to cooked tofu and toss, use tongs.

6. Add cilantro, green onions and carrot to mixture and toss until combined. 

7. Serve topped with chopped peanuts. 

YUMMY!!!!!!

Heat sesame oil and red pepper flake for 2 minutes on medium and strain. Whisk sauce ingredients until combined.

Add cubed tofu to sauce to marinate until pasta is ready

Chop your veggies – I used organic whole wheat spaghetti

Remove tofu from sauce with a slotted spoon, add to hot pan and saute until brown

Brown tofu

Toss pasta with sauce and tofu then add veggies, toss well

Try not to eat the whole pot!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Curried Quinoa and Adzuki Bean Burger Wraps

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You’re probably saying adzuki what? That’s what I said when I first heard about these little red beans. Burgers are a staple in our house lately (easy finger food for our 1-year old) and I’m always up for a new bean so I added some to my last Nuts.com order. To be honest, these burgers came out a little bland so I decided to spruce them up a bit with a few toppings and WALAH… YUMMY GOODNESS!!! Okay… enough with the caps lock, you get the picture 😉

Curried Quinoa & Adzuki Bean Burger Wraps

Both of our kids love these burgers smeared with a little hummus and topped with chopped avocado. I prefer the wrap thing myself. My best friend came over for dinner with her nephew a few nights ago when I served these burgers… he wasn’t a fan but our son was happy to eat his share!

First bite… not sure yet (Friend is NOT amused with these burgers!)

He likes them!! YES!!!! (Friend still not amused)

“Hey if you don’t want your burger, I’ll eat it…”

“No really… TAKE IT!”

Yummy! (Friend still not amused)

LOL!!! Had to share those pics, they’re too funny! Okay… onto the burger recipe.

NOTE: Once you make the burgers, here are the ingredients I used to make the wraps:

* Collard Greens – pick larger ones for wraps

* Mango Chutney (from Trader Joe’s)

* Plain Hummus (I make my oil-free hummus or use Trader Joe’s Mediterranean Hummus in a pinch)

* Lentil Sprouts (See my sprouting post)

* Avocado

Original burger recipe from Choosing Raw… great site!!!

Curried Quinoa and Adzuki Bean Patties (vegan, gluten free, soy free)

Makes 6-8 Burgers

1/2 cup quinoa, dry
1 3/4 cup cooked adzuki beans (I buy mine from Nuts.com – $3.99/lb for organic)
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/4-1/2 cup chickpea flour
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
Black pepper to taste
Cooking spray (I use the spectrum brand) or a scant amount of coconut oil for sauteeing and grilling

1. Bring 1 cup water to boil and add the quinoa. Lower heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes WITHOUT OPENING THE LID! Remove from heat and let sit, fluff with a fork.

2. Sautee the onion till golden and tender.

3. When quinoa is done, add quinoa, onion, chickpea flour, and adzuki beans to a food processor. Pulse quickly until the mixture is forming a dough that is uniform and sticks together, but still has some texture. Add spices and pulse a few more times to incorporate. If at any point you feel as though you’re overprocessing, you can transfer the bean and quinoa mixture to a bowl and mix with your hands!

4. Shape mixture into six patties and spray a skillet or pan with coconut oil. Cook for five minutes over medium heat, flip, and continue to cook for another five minutes or so.

Add cooked quinoa, onion, chickpea flour, and aduki beans to a food processor. Pulse quickly until the mixture is forming a dough that is uniform and sticks together, but still has some texture. Add spices and pulse a few more times to incorporate.

Spoon mixture into hot pan and smash a bit to resemble burgers

When burgers are done, let cool a bit then assemble your wrap. I did this order: collard green. hummus, burgers, mango chutney, avocado then lentil sprouts. Ready to wrap!

Pretty little wrap!

Time to eat!

BEST Lentil & Tomato Soup

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Another one pot meal! I know it’s a little too hot for soup but hey, it works in our house right now. Our 1-year old loves soup so it’s an easy reheat meal when I’m super busy. Plus he really enjoys the burgers I make out of the leftovers!

This soup is REALLY GOOD! My hubby said it’s in the top 5! The caramelized onions and garlic really make this soup so if you can, take the time to do that first!! You won’t regret it!

BEST Lentil & Tomato Soup

Original recipe from Food.com.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup lentils, rinsed – I used red lentils
  • 7 cups water
  • Water for saute OR cooking spray
  • 2 medium onions, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed & chopped
  • 3 carrots, diced
  • 4 stalks of celery, diced
  • 1 potato, diced
  • 2 cups stewed tomatoes – I used one can
  • 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1/4 cup brown rice, uncooked
  • 1/3 – 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped – I used about 1/2 cup
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice

Directions

  1. Heat soup pot, add in onions and garlic and sauté on medium heat, stirring often, until everything turns a deep golden brown – took me about 30 minutes.
  2. Add in brown rice, spices, carrot, celery, potato, tomatoes, and spices and sauté for another 5 minutes. DO NOT ADD WATER, LENTILS, PARSLEY OR LEMON JUICE YET.
  3. Stir in lentils and water and bring to boil. Cover and cook over low heat for 30-40 minutes or until rice and lentils are done.
  4. Stir in lemon juice and parsley, serve hot.

Caramelize the onions and garlic

Add in carrot, celery, potato, tomato, spices and brown rice

Add in water and lentils, bring to boil, cover and cook 20-30 minutes or until done.

Add in parsley and lemon juice

Ready to serve!

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Lentil Kale Soup

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This soup is a meal in itself! Our kids both loved this soup, especially our 1-year old who ate two big bowls!

Lentil Kale Soup

I served this with a little Coconut ‘Bacon’ on top, it was delicious!

Original recipe from Food.com.

Ingredients

  • 5 cups vegetable broth + 3 cups water (OR 8 cups of water)
  • 1 1/2 cups lentils, picked over and rinsed (I used brown lentils)
  • 1 cup brown rice
  • 1 (2 lb) can chopped tomatoes, drained,reserving juice – I used a large can of tomato sauce (all I had on hand) but I bet you could use fresh tomatoes, if you prefer
  • 3 carrots, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into ¼ inch pieces
  • 1 onions, chopped
  • 1 stalk celery, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cups chopped frozen kale (Trader Joe’s sells it now) OR 1 bunch fresh chopped kale
  • 1/2 heaping tsp crumbled dried basil (pinch it between your fingers)
  • 1/2 heaping tsp crumbled oregano
  • 1/4 tsp crumbled dried thyme
  • 1 bay leaves
  • 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar

Directions

  1. Combine broth, 3 cups water (or just 8 cups of water if you’re not using broth), lentils, rice, canned tomatoes with reserved juice (or tomato sauce OR fresh tomatoes), carrots, onion, celery, and herbs and bring to boil (do not add parsley and vinegar).
  2. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, 45-55 minutes, or until lentils and rice are tender.
  3. Stir in kale and cook for another 5 minutes or until kale is wilted.
  4. Stir in parsley and vinegar and season to taste.
  5. Serve as is or blend up soup using your immersion blender. (I blended mine so that our 1-year old could eat it)

Combine everything BUT parsley, vinegar and kale in a soup pot

Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, 45-55 minutes, or until lentils and rice are tender. Add kale, cook for 5 more minutes or until wilted. Then add parsley and vinegar.

I blended my soup with an immersion blender but you can eat it just like this if you wish.

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Brown Rice & Lentil Burgers

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Hey there!

Sorry I’ve been absent lately, operation “Daily Toddler Energy Drain” is in full effect this summer which means I haven’t been spending a ton of time at home. We’ve also been camping quite a bit since we bought our RV. So much fun!

I haven’t done a ton of cooking lately but I decided to make these burgers tonight since I need a burger recipe for our upcoming camping trip. Our son is turning one soon and I also needed a new menu item for him to try. These burgers were a hit all around, our kids LOVED them! I ate mine in a lettuce wrap with horseradish mustard, Habanero Sauce, avocado, relish and heirloom tomato slices. YUMMO!!

Brown Rice & Lentil Burgers

Kid Tested AND Approved!!!

The original recipe is from the blog For The Love of Food. I altered it a bit and I may continue to do so the next time I make them. I want to play with the spices a bit, maybe make a spicy batch next time.

Brown Rice & Lentil Burgers

1/2 cup dried green or brown lentils, rinsed (I used brown)
1/2 cup brown rice
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 carrot, grated
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup quick oats
Combine the lentils, brown rice, onion, carrot, garlic, cumin, sage, and salt in a medium-size saucepan. Add the water and vegetable broth. Cover and bring to a boil then reduce the heat and boil gently until the rice and lentils are tender and all the liquid is absorbed, about 40 minutes.
Drain in a colander to remove any excess liquid. Add mixture to large mixing bowl and add the quick oats, stir until combined. Let cool until able to handle. Form into 8 large burger patties.
Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper – you can spray the paper with a little cooking spray if you’re worried about them sticking (I did). Bake them for 15 minutes and flip. Bake an additional 15 minutes and remove from oven. Let cool slightly, they will harden a little and become easier to handle.

Add ingredients to medium-sized saucepan, cover and bring to a boil. Lower temp and continue to cook at a low boil for about 40 minutes.

Cook until lentils and rice are done and liquid is almost all absorbed.

Transfer to mixing bowl, add quick oats and combine. Let cool until able to handle.

Form patties and place on parchment paper (spray if you wish). Makes 8 large patties, I had to make them in two batches!

Almost done! Mini patty for our one-year old 🙂

Yummy!!!

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Tabouli Quinoa Salad (Sammy’s WF Pizza Copycat)

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My mother-in-law introduced me to this salad and it’s my new favorite! You can find this salad at Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza restaurant… with a whopping 1/2 cup of oil and 2 tsp of salt. Yikes! I decided to recreate this salad WITHOUT that nonsense, turned out even better than the original!

My hubby was a bit skeptical but devoured an entire plate full! I served this with romaine leaves and a few flatbread crackers. I also added a couple cooked/chopped Gardein Chick’n Scallopini filets, per my hubby’s request. I try to stay away from fake meats as much as possible so this was a rare occasion.

Tabouli Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

  1. 1/2 cup of shredded carrot
  2. 2 cups chopped parsley
  3. 1 cup chopped mint
  4. 1 cup diced onion
  5. 1 cup diced fresh tomato
  6. 1 cup diced cucumber
  7. 2 cups shredded lettuce – romaine
  8. 1 cup cooked quinoa
  9. 1/2 cup bean liquid – from canned beans or home made 
  10. 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
  11. 1/4 – 1/2 tsp salt
  12. 2 tsp black pepper, ground
  13. 1 tsp allspice, ground
  14. *OPTIONAL: Saute up a few Gardein Chick’n Scallopini fillets, chop and add them in. 
Directions:
  1. Cook quinoa according to package and let cool completely. 
  2. Combine all ingredients, mix well and serve with flatbread and/or romaine leaves. You can wait to add the veggie/mint/onion/etc mixture to the chopped romaine until you serve it if you need it to last longer. This makes a ton of salad, I saved the mixture and added it to chopped romaine the next few days. 
  3. Serves 6

Add cooked/cooled quinoa with all other ingredients – I added all ingredients EXCEPT romaine lettuce together then combined them before we were ready to eat

Now combine with chopped romaine. If you’re only serving a few people and want leftovers, reserve some of this mixture to combine with more chopped romaine later

YUMMY!!! I added chopped Gardein Chick’n Scaloppini filets

 

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