Honey Mustard-Glazed Baked Tofu & Steamed Broccoli w/ Yogurt Dill Dressing - Recipe

Long story short, I had a rough weekend of starchy foods and rich sauces, so come Monday, I'm feeling like having a dinner that'll fill me up and taste divine. This creation incorporates sweetness and spice; a lovely balance of flavours!

Start out with...
extra firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes

In a separate bowl, whisk together...
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp ground ginger
Pinch of cayenne
Salt + pepper to taste
1 tsp Amano brand Genmai (brown rice) miso
1 tsp yellow mustard
a squirt of honey
3 drops of Sriracha
...once those are all whisked up, pour into a plastic bag
Throw the tofu cubes in too, and let marinade for 45min-1hr...Keep in mind, the flavours intensify the longer you let the tofu marinade!

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425

Once the tofu is all marinaded, place onto a parchment paper-lined baking dish. Pour a bit of the marinade over the tofu before placing in oven
Bake on one side for 6 min, flip pieces, bake 6-8 more min

For the broccoli, pour about 2 inches deep of water into a pot. Bring to a boil, and place a metal strainer above the pot, filled with chopped broccoli. Put a lid to cover the strainer, allow to steam for about 5-7 min

While broccoli is steaming, in a small bowl, mix...
1/4 cup fatfree plain yogurt
1 tbsp dill
1 garlic clove, minced
Pepper

Pour yogurt sauce over broccoli once finished steaming

Once the tofu is all baked, separately mix equal amounts of honey and yellow mustard to pour over prepared tofu. Serve with broccoli as a side. Enjoy! :)

Gnocchi alla Emilia with Caprese Balsamic Salad - Recipe

There are (several) evenings where I return from work, or class, or outings, and I crave a hearty, flavourful, wine-accompanied pasta dinner. Gnocchi pasta is succulent, filling, and delicious. I also could drink Balsamic glaze straight from the bottle, however instead, we will use it as a drizzle for the pasta and some Balsamic vinegar and olive oil for the salad dressing. It is with great passion, and romantic Italian spirit, that I present to you, Gnocchi alla Emilia (me! hehe) with a side of crisp salad to balance the richness of the pasta dish. I have not included a solid source of protein with this recipe, but this allows you to add your choice of chickpeas, tofu, things of that nature.

Gnocchi takes 3 mins to cook, tops. So, we'll bring a pot of water to a boil, but ya don't have to throw the gnocchis in until you're basically done making your sauce. Have your package of whole wheat or spinach gnocchi handy for later, or make your own from a separate online recipe...

To begin, in a skillet/pan on medium heat, fry up a small puddle of olive oil and throw in...
1 garlic clove, chopped
a bit of julienned red onion
some chopped bell peppers
4 chopped basil leaves (or however much you like)
a few dashes of oregano
...Once these ingredients are cooked and soft, you can add your protein if you so choose

Then, reduce heat and add...
1/4 cup basic Marinara sauce (Newman's makes great stuff)
Cracked pepper to taste
1/8 cup fatfree organic yogurt (for creaminess!)
...Stirrrrrr it up. Add gnocchi to the boiling water when your sauce is under control

For the salad...
some torn Romaine lettuce leaves
a few halved cherry tomatoes (they're the cutest!)
3-4 small bulbs of Bufala Mozzarella cheese
...in a separate bowl, pour some olive oil and balsamic vinegar together, and whisk in some pepper and oregano with a fork. Drizzle atop the salad ingredients

Drain your gnocchi, reserving about 1/8 cup of the water. Pour reserved water into sauce, separately. Stir sauce, then remove from stove. Pour over pasta, drizzle with Balsamic glaze (Blaze is a great brand)

Enjoy with a rich, oak-y red wine (a glass...or the whole bottle!)
Muah! Molto Bene!

Fruitastic Pizza Pie with Vanilla Matcha Frosting - Recipe

If you are still REALLY hungry after dinner, or have some guests over, this makes a great sharing-style dessert! And it's super yummy too!

For the crust, I just used an already-made mini pizza crust. I heated it, from room temp, in the microwave for about 10 sec

For the frosting...
1/4 cup cream cheese
2 tsp Matcha powder
1 tbsp icing sugar (or more to get your desired consistency)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
....mix all the frosting ingredients and then spread onto warmed crust

Top with mixed berries and a sprinkling of icing sugar! Pour some agave if you so please

Suuuper duper easy to make, and deliciously sweet :)

Vegetarian Shopping List + Menu

Sometimes, it's difficult for some people to know where to begin when switching to a vegetarian lifestyle. Initial grocery shopping can be difficult for the converted veggie as well, so I just thought I should share some of the staples that I like to keep around, in the fridge, freezer and cupboard...

Cupboard

- Garbanzo beans/chickpeas (they're the same thing... and have lotsa proteeeein!)
- Black beans (proteeein!)
- Pitted dates (fibreeee!)
- Unsalted tortilla chips (Que Pasa is my fave)
- Cumin
- Oregano
- Curry powder
- Wasabi powder
- Rosemary
- Cayenne
- Dill
- Balsamic Glaze (Blaze is the good stuff)
- Gnocchi pasta
- Cocoa powder
- Agave

- Bananas

- Avocado (healthy fats!)

- Salt + Pepper

- Olive oil

Fridge

- Soymilk

- Fat-Free Organic Yogurt (I looove Olympia!)

- Firm Tofu (proteeein!)

- Lemon

- Mushrooms

- Peppers

- Red Onion

- Cucumber

- Broccoli

- Garlic

- Ginger

- Apples

- Organic coleslaw-style greens, or mixed greens

- basic Marinara Sauce (with which you can mix herbs, garlic and spices to your taste!)

- Miso

- Udon Noodles

- Unsalted, Unsweetened, All-Natural Peanut Butter (I keep it in the fridge once I stir it because I find it becomes quite soft)

- Feta cheese

Freezer

- Frozen Fruit (mixed berries)

- Frozen Corn

- Frozen shelled Edamame (proteeein!)

- Whole grain tortilla wraps or pita bread

Veggie Salad Rolls with Peanut Ginger Lime Sauce - Recipe

Salad Rolls are WAYYY healthier than deep fried take-out spring rolls (and yummier too!) so if you're in the mood for a fresh low-fat and super tasty lunch or dinner, have at these, I'm tellin ya!

To prepare the rice paper, soak in boiled water (that's been boiled in a separate saucepan and poured into a dish, say) for 3-5 minutes

While the rice paper is soaking in the boiled water, you can prepare your filling...
2 cups of cooked couscous
1/4 chopped yellow pepper or red pepper or orange pepper (I like yellow peppers because they're sweet)
a handful of chickpeas, possibly chopped if you have a slapchop-type device. It's difficult with a knife
some shredded carrot
some finely chopped red onion
a teeny bit of chopped fresh cilantro

Mix the filling ingredients well, makes a great salad on its own as well!

Have a separate dish with cool water ready to dip the rice paper in immediately after soaking. Before placing the filling onto the rice paper, dip the rice paper once more into the boiled water dish for a few seconds. Then lay the rice paper flat onto a plate.
Fill 'er up with that fresh delicious filling you've prepared
TIP: Rolling rice paper is easier even than making a sandwich wrap, because the rice paper sticks shut.
Once you've rolled the rice paper not too tightly, but not to loosely, let the rolls sit for a bit in order to completely seal and dry. A few drops of Sriracha sauce and some cilantro is a nice finish to the top of each roll!

Peanut Ginger Lime Sauce

Place all the following ingredients in a food processor until desired consistency...
2 tbsp all-natural peanut butter (I used smooth)
2 tbsp plain fat free yogurt (as per usual, Olympia makes a great one!)
juice from half a lime
5 cashews
Garnish with some chopped cilantro, if that's your thing, and there you have it :)

Dip the salad rolls in the sauce to consume. Great to make the night before to bring to lunch!

Summertime Fresh Broccoli Salad - Recipe

Summertime. Many words come to  mind when I think of summertime..... 

sunshine, margaritas, good friends, BBQ... etc etc

When you're in charge of the salad for BBQ, here's a super healthy, protein-packed, fresh and delicious recipe you can make to impress your friends and family. Or just to enjoy on your own in a park on a sunny day, wearing your shades, with the company of a great summer read. Whatever goes, this salad is super fresh and I hope you like it as much as I do!

For salad...

- chopped broccoli, LOTS!

- half a handful or so of thinly sliced red onion

- 3 chopped dates

- 1/4 chopped yellow pepper

- a handful of chickpeas (for protein)

- some already-cooked mixed grain rice (good opportunity to use leftovers!)

For dressing...use a fork and mix up...

- 2 tablespoons of Organic Vegannaise

- 2 tablespoon of Organic plain yogurt (Olympia makes some awesome fat-free yogurt!)

- lotsa dill

- juice of half a lemon

- dash of cumin

- 1 tablespoon of Amano Genmai Miso for seasoning

Pour dressing over salad, mix well :)

Cranberry Cashew Dip - Recipe

 

Behold, a dip unlike any other! A dip that will satisfy your tastebuds with delicate sweet flavours and your nose with its fruity aroma. Best part about it, is that it is as simple as it is inexpensive!

Throw all these ingredients into a food processor...

- generous handful of chickpeas (or garbanzo beans, same dealio)

- a regular handful of frozen (now thawed) cranberries

- 1/2 a handful of cashews

- a dash of cinnamon

- about 2 tablespoons of honey

- about a teaspoon of fresh squeezed lemon juice

It rocks if you have it with unsalted Que Pasa chips, but it also makes for a great replacement for jam in a peanut butter & jam sandwich! I guess for you meat-lovers, it work in a turkey sandwich or as a sweet marinade for chicken.

Watermelon Banana (Boozie) Smoothie - Recipe

 

This is a yummy breakfast smoothie (or anytime smoothie!) where that filling protein we all need is rampant in the yogurt, hemp seeds, and soymilk. I also have another recipe for a Good Morning Smoothie, with lots of berries and topped with granola http://emilietarianism.blogspot.com/2011/03/good-morning-smoothie-recipe.html !

Sip it with style and put a slice of watermelon on the edge of the glass if you wanna enjoy it on the patio. On a hot summer day, throw in some booze (rum) and lots of ice and subtract the hemp seeds, yogurt and replace soymilk with some fruit juice, and you have a watermelon daiquiri drink!

Blend...
- 2 handfuls of chopped watermelon
- 1/2 a banana
- 1/4 cup soymilk (light vanilla by Soygood is super tasty!)
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt (I use fat-free Plain Olympia organic yogurt)
- sprinkling of shelled hemp seeds

Voila! :)

Sweet Edmame Miso with Rice - Recipe

This is a simple, sweet and tasty easy-fix meal; great with mixed rice or Asian noodles!

Fry up with a bit of olive oil, the following ingredients...
- handful of chopped Red Onion
- the same amount of Yellow Pepper
- sprinkle some tumeric and cumin as well

as these continue a-cookin', then add...
- a handful of Edamame beans (you can buy them already preshelled and frozen)
- 3 chopped Dates
- some chopped tofu 
- a spoonful of Organic Vegannaise
- 1/4 cup or so of frozen corn kernels

- reduce the heat on the stove, and pour about 2 tablespoons of honey for sweetness!
 - add a whopping tablespoon of Amano Genmai Miso (for taste and to season)

Serve this creamy deliciousness on a bed of mixed grain rice (the best stuff!