Aloo Gobi (Cauliflower & Potato Curry)

This recipe looks like it contains an incredibly large amount of ingredients, but when it comes down to it, its actually a very quick dinner.  Most, if not all of the work, is prepping your ingredients. If you don't have all of the spices below, you can just substitute a pre-made curry powder along with fresh garlic and ginger.  For a spicier version, you may use tomatoes stewed with chilis or more red pepper flakes, but I found it to already be pretty spicy and a good balance of flavors.

1 tbsp. Canola Oil
1 Onion, chopped

2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 tsp. Ginger, grated
1 tbsp. Coriander
1 1/2 tsp. Cumin
3/4 tsp. Turmeric
1/4 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes

1 medium head Cauliflower, broken into bite size pieces
1/2 lb. Fingerling Potatoes, halved
7 oz. Extra-Firm Tofu, pressed and cubed
1 15 oz. can Stewed Tomatos
1/4 c. Vegetable Broth

1/2 c. Frozen Peas
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper

Begin by prepping (chopping) all of your ingredients.  Combine all of the spices in a small bowl with the juice from the stewed tomatoes and stir until it forms a paste (this will prevent the spices from burning).

Heat oil in a large skillet.  Add onion and saute 5 mins. over med-high heat (you may add a little salt if pan becomes too dry, as it will release moisture from the onions).  Lower heat slightly and add in the spice paste.  Stir constantly for 1 minute.  Add in vegetables, tofu, tomatos and broth.  Stir until completely combined.  Bring to a simmer, cover and lower heat.  Simmer for 20-25 mins. until vegetables are pretty tender.  Add in the peas, lemon, salt and pepper.  Re-cover and simmer another 5 minutes until vegetable are completely tender and heated through.

Roasted Broccoli Medly

This side dish is the perfect accompaniment to any Italian dish, or just something incredibly satisfying for broccoli lovers such as myself.  I seriously crave broccoli instead of grease or sugar....is that weird???  Anyways,  the combination of soft, slightly burnt florets with the al dente stems, acidic tomatoes and flavorful roasted garlic will take you on a ride through flavor town haha.  ENJOY!

2 c. Broccoli Florets

6 oz. Broccoli Rabe, roughly chopped

1 c. Baby Heirloom Tomatoes

3 tbsp. Olive Oil

3 cloves Garlic, minced

Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 350.  Toss broccoli with remaining ingredients and place on a baking sheet in a single layer.  Roast for 20 minutes, tossing halfway through...easy as that!

Red Wine Tempeh w/ Polenta

1 tbsp. Olive Oil
2 Shallots, sliced
3 cloves Garlic, minced or pressed
1 tbsp. each dried Basil and Thyme
2 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
3 Zucchini, 1/2" slice
2 tbsp. Sun Dried Tomato, in oil
8 oz. Tempeh, cut into 16 cubes
15 oz. can diced Tomato
1/4 c. Red Wine
1/4 c. prepared Marinara Sauce

Salt & Pepper to taste
Garnish with fresh Parsley

Prepared Polenta, 1" slice

Heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the shallots and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft. Stir in garlic, dried basil and thyme and cook another minute. Reduce heat and add in balsamic vinegar to deglaze pan. Stir constantly until the vinegar has dissolved. Add in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes until zucchini and tempeh are tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve over grilled polenta and garnish with parsley.

Spaghetti and "Meatballs"

These babies are better than mama's meatballs! They have a slightly smokey, meaty taste that will make hardcore carnivores question why they need to eat real meat. The nutritional yeast also gives a creamy texture that you would normally get from parmesan cheese. They're super fast and easy to make. You can also make them ahead of time, freeze them after shaping into balls, and then just defrost when you're ready to use. Bon Appitit!

8 oz. Tempeh
1/2 Yellow Onion, minced
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 tbsp. Tomato Paste
1 tbsp. Soy Sauce
1/4 tsp. Liquid Smoke
2 tbsp. Olive Oil
1/2 tsp. Dried Oregano
1/2 tsp. Pepper
1/4 c. + 2 tbsp. Whole Wheat Flour
2 tbsp. Nutritional Yeast
2 tbsp. Parsley, chopped

Whole Wheat Spaghetti
Marinara Sauce, recipe below (you can use a prepared sauce to save time)

Cut tempeh into 4 strips and steam for 10 minutes.  After tempeh has cooled, use a cheese grater to cut tempeh into tiny pieces. In a large bowl, combine the tempeh with the remaining ingredients and use your hands to thoroughly combine.  The "meatballs" should begin to clump together and feel slightly sticky.

Pre-heat oven to 350.  Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.  Using an ice cream scoop, measure out the tempeh mixture and form into balls.  Place on baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Transfer the "meatballs" to a saucepan with marinara sauce that is already heated and simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve with spaghetti.

MARINARA SAUCE
10 Tomatoes
1 tbsp Olive Oil + 1 tsp.
1 tsp. Dried Oregano
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper
1/4 c. Fresh Basil, chopped

Preheat oven to 375. Half tomatoes width-wise and seed. Coat tomatoes with 1 tbsp. of olive oil and place in a large Pyrex dish with cut sides up. Bake in a preheated oven for an hour until tomatoes are soft and broken down. Let the tomatoes cool before handling. Once they are cool, squeeze the tomatoes from their skins.

Heat 1 tsp. of olive oil over medium heat in a small saucepan. Add in garlic and oregano and cook for one minute. Add in tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, and allow the flavors to develop. Add in basil. Use an immersion blender, or transfer to blender/food processor and blend until chunky/almost smooth.

Creamy Sweet Potato and Tomato Soup w/ Rosemary Croutons

1 tbsp. Olive oil
1 medium Onion, chopped
2 tsp. Rosemary, dried
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 15oz. Can Diced Tomato
1 lb. Sweet Potato, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
3 c. Vegetable Broth
1 c. Soy Milk
Rosemary Croutons (recipe below)

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add in onion and cook about 7 minutes, until onion is soft and translucent. Add a pinch or two of salt if pan becomes too dry (I like to decrease the amount of oil in my soup recipes, so when cooking the onion, the pan often becomes dry. Adding the salt releases moisture from the onions and prevents them from burning.) Add in garlic and rosemary and cook, stirring constantly another 30 seconds. Add in tomatoes, sweet potato, and vegetable broth (You may need a little more broth. Pour enough to just barely cover the potatoes.) Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 30-40 minutes until potato is very tender.

Allow soup to cool for a few minutes and transfer to a blender, or use and immersion blender, and blend about a minute until completely smooth. Stir in soy milk. Return soup to sauce pan and cook until heated through. Season with salt.

Ladle soup into bowls and top with Rosemary Croutons.

ROSEMARY CROUTONS
1 mini loaf of French/Sourdough Bread
2 tbsp. Olive Oil
2 tsp. Dried Rosemary
1/4 tsp. Salt

Pre-heat oven to 375. Cut the crusts off of the loaf of bread and cut into large cubes, about 2" in size. Place the bread in a bowl and toss with olive oil. Add in the Rosemary and salt and toss to coat. Place the croutons on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, tossing occasionally until golden brown. Place atop the soup for added flavor and an unexpected crunch!

White Bean Ratatouille

1 tbsp. Olive Oil
1 1/2 c. Leeks, thinly sliced (white and light green parts only)
3 cloves Garlic
2 tsp. Dried Thyme
1 tsp. Dried Rosemary
1 1/2 c. Fennel, thinly sliced
1/4 c. White Wine
3/4 c. Cremini Mushrooms, chopped
15 oz. Can Diced Tomato
15 oz. Can White Beans (aka canelli)
1 Roasted Red Pepper, chopped
1 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a skillet or saute' pan. Add leeks and cook, stirring occasionally for 7 minutes until softened and beginning to brown. Add a pinch of salt if the pan becomes too dry. Add garlic, thyme and rosemary and cook another 30 seconds. Stir in fennel and cook another 30 seconds. Add wine to deglaze pan and stir until all of the wine has evaporated, another 2-3 minutes. Add mushrooms, tomatoes, white beans, roasted red pepper and balsamic and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, for another 10-15 minutes until vegetables are tender and flavor has developed. Season with salt and pepper.

*I served the ratatouille atop a bed of raw spinach. The heat from the ratatouille wilted the spinach and I was able to mix it in with the rest of the dish.
Serves 3-4