Simple Lemon & Black Bean Quinoa

The reasons I love quinoa are almost endless; I actually can’t believe I made it into my late twenties knowing nothing about this little nugget!  Here is my “let me count the ways” love list, followed by my simplest of quinoa “recipes” :).

How do I love thee?! …

• Packed with plant protein
• Great for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
• Mild tasting – can be dressed up or down without much effort
• QUICK and almost entirely fool proof (if I can cook it, you can too!)
• Easy to pack (think Sunday evening “OMGosh what do I bring for lunch tomorrow?!” dilemmas)
• Great transition food for those newly aspiring vegetarians and vegans who are wondering what they can eat and where to get more protein.  It’s essentially your gate-way drug … just in a good way ;).

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rinsed quinoa
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 can low sodium black beans, rinsed
• 2 cups water
• Sea salt and fresh pepper to taste
• Juice and zest from one lemon
• NOTE: As an an extra-speedy alternative to the lemon/pepper/salt combo, you can also you a lemon pepper spice blend of your choice.  I am forever hooked on the one by Dangold Inc.: http://dangoldinc.com/Gourmet_Collections.html.

Optional additions:

• Cucumber, diced
• Tomatoes, diced
• Roasted red peppers, diced
• Feta cheese (vegetarian option)

How To Prepare:

• Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan.
• Add the olive oil and stir in the quinoa.
• Bring back to a boil, then immediately reduce heat to low and cover.
• While the quinoa cooks, I usually zest the lemon and drain and rinse the beans; this is a good time to prep any additional veggies also ;).
• The quinoa is finished when all of the liquid is absorbed – the surface should have little air holes (kind of like clams under the sand) and you should be able to see the grain unfurling, if that makes sense (it will when you see it!).  This should take about 20 minutes.
• Turn off the heat when finished and let sit to cool.  Fluff the quinoa with a fork, transfer to a larger bowl, then start adding your seasonings (to taste); lemon juice and zest, fresh black pepper, salt … beans … then any extra veggies of your choice.
• Serve warm or chilled (chilled is my favorite) – provecho!

Chunky Monkey Smoothie

As much as I love food, cooking was never my forte.  My mom and I would bake, which was always super fun and much easier for me to help with as a little person … but cooking didn’t enter my world until college, and let’s face it, some of you know that I existed exclusively on Snickers ice cream bars for breakfast during that first year anyhow :P. 

Eventually, the novelty of Snickers and grilled cheese does wear off, and I was left in the kitchen with limited cooking tools and even less knowledge.  I learned to “cook” in stages: Lean Cuisine -> Prego spaghetti -> BBQ anything -> chicken in endless forms.  I attribute my new love of true cooking to a few things.  1) The women in my life are tremendous cooks.  My mom and sister definitely have the knack for it and my mother-in-law and new sisters can turn a seemingly empty pantry into a four-course meal; it’s magic really!  2) Moving towards a plant-based diet really does open more doors than it closes in terms of variety and flavor.  Between my mom’s tried and true recipes, and my MIL’s expertise with ingredients, I’m thankful to say that my confidence in the kitchen is (slowly) inflating.  Veganism just adds an extra challenge - which I love.

Before you have confidence though … you sometimes have smoothies.  They’re easy, quick, you can take them on the go; they’re basically my tasty vegan alternative to the Snickers habit that I just had to kick (I still think of them fondly).  Here is my favorite everyday smoothie recipe to try!

Ingredients:

• 1 overripe frozen banana, sliced into rounds
• 3-4 ice cubes
• 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (the type used for baking)
• 3 tbsp hemp seeds (optional for added protein/texture/taste)
• 1 tbsp nut butter of your choice (chunky peanut butter is my fave)
• Almond milk (enough to cover all ingredients)

How To Prepare:

• I use the Magic Bullet but any blender will do just fine.
• Add ingredients to bullet/blender in the order shown above.
• Pulse the mixture to break up the bananas and ice cubes a bit.
• Continue blending on low until smooth – the finished product should look a bit like a thick chocolate milk shake.

Tips:

• Overripe bananas are best because they add plenty of natural sweetener.  If you have an exceptionally demanding sweet tooth, I’d add a little agave to taste ;).
• Frozen bananas are better than fresh, mainly for thickness and texture.  To prepare ahead for my smoothies, I buy lots of bananas and let them get nice and spotted … then I peel and slice each one into rounds, storing in Tupperware in the freezer until I need them.
• If you find that your smoothie is too thick, just add more liquid.  Add less if the smoothie is too “milky.”
• The great part about smoothies is that every recipe is just a base – you can experiment with different ingredients based on preferences and allergies, and almost every combo can be a success with a little tweaking.

Braised Tofu w/ Veggies & Coconut Rice

Let's talk dinner!  Yes, I'm that person.  The one who sits next to you at work and asks at 10am "what's for lunch?"  I enjoy food for the reasons most people do - it tastes good, it fuels you, and you get to share it with people you love ... there's really nothing better than that :).

That said, I'm sure no one will be surprised that my favorite time of day is dinnertime.  I'll paint you a quick little picture: It's 5pm and I'm off of work.  On the drive home, in addition to serenading traffic with my personal rendition of Apple Bottom Jeans (yes, I just discovered this ... where have I been?!), I am thinking up something a) quick and simple and b) DE-licious.  Now, having no formal training in the kitchen, I do use the term delicious with modesty, mainly because my husband and I are the only people tasting these humble works of foodie art.  

What I'm about to post is one of my recent favorites - it's easy breezy vegan and pretty tasty.  Happy eating!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup white or brown rice (I like long grain)
• 1 can coconut milk
• dash of cinnamon
• dash of nutmeg
• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup or agave

• 1 package extra firm tofu (organic)
• 1 head of broccoli 
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 yellow onion

• 1/2 cup soy sauce (I prefer low sodium)
• 1 tbsp brown sugar 
• 2-3 cloves garlic (sliced or crushed)
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• coconut oil (Nutiva is great) or any other vegetable oil for frying

How To Prepare:

• Take your tofu out and place it in a strainer in the sink ... let the juices drain out.  You want the tofu as dry as possible.  You can press it lightly with a spatula to encourage quicker draining ;).
• Place the first five ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.  Once it's boiling, stir well, reduce heat to low, and cover.  The key to great rice is low heat, and patience.
• While the rice is cooking, grab your tofu block and cutting board.  I like my tofu bits smallish (about the size of dice), but you can slice the tofu to any size that makes you happy.  
• Use a spoonful of vegetable oil (coconut is my favorite) to coat the bottom of a large pan - keep on medium/high heat.  Then toss your tofu in and lay the cubes out evenly.  You'll want to flip the tofu with a spatula every few minutes - the idea is to crisp the tofu bits on all sides.
• While the tofu and rice are cooking, chop up your veggies any way you like and prep the sauce:
• Combine the soy sauce, garlic, brown sugar, and sesame oil in a cup or bowl.  Stir briskly to incorporate.
• Once the tofu is lightly browned, pour the sauce over, then the veggies on top, cover with a lid, and reduce heat to medium/low, simmering until the vegetables are tender.  Stir occasionally.

• The rice is done when all visible liquid is absorbed.

• Turn off heat for both rice and tofu and let sit a few minutes prior to serving.
• I add avocado to truly everything ... so if you have one around, slice it up and toss it on!