Pulled King Oyster Tsao Bun with Greens N' Shrooms

Thoughts & Inspiration

Random Wednesday night dinner... oh what to make!  I love being creative and challenging myself in the kitchen.  So why not take king oyster mushrooms and julienne them to create an interesting textured sandwich?!  With a side of sauteed veggies of course!  This meal is delicious!

The Greens N Shrooms can be served as an entree itself.  Throw the vegetables over a bed of brown rice or farro and you have a hearty delicious meal!

Ingredients for Greens N' Shrooms

1 tsp olive oil (or coconut oil)
4 garlic cloves diced/sliced
3-4 dried red chili peppers (optional)
1 tsp sesame seeds

1 bundle of Mustard Greens, washed and chopped into large pieces (Asian markets generally have this)

1 package Oyster Mushrooms
2 Tbsp vegetable broth

1 Tbsp chili garlic sauce

1 Tbsp soy sauce

Pinch of salt

Ingredients for Pulled King Oyster

1 tsp olive oil
1/3 sliced white or yellow onion
3 King Oyster Mushrooms julienned (I used a mandoline with the julienne blade attachment to get nice long thin strips)

1/3 cup Trader Joe's General Tso's Sauce (or any other brand)

1/3 lime, juiced
Any bun (I used mini potato slider buns) lightly toasted

Ingredients for Salad

1/3 cup shredded red cabbage
2 scallion stalks thinly sliced
3-4 baby carrots julienned
1 radish thinly sliced
4-5 Thai basil leaves (optional)

Pinch of salt
1/4 lime, juiced

Optional Ingredient

Bean sprouts

Greens N Shrooms Preparation (25 mins)

Heat oven to 350F.  Place oyster mushrooms into an oven proof pan and toss in 1 Tbsp of olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper.  Roast mushrooms for 15 minutes and then turn.  Roast for an additional 10 minutes.  Remove from oven.

In a non-stick pan or wok add 1 tsp oil.  Add dried chilis, garlic and sesame seeds and saute on medium flame for 2-3 minutes.  Toss in mustard greens along with vegetable broth, soy sauce and chili sauce.  Saute for 4-5 minutes.  Add in roasted mushrooms and finish with a sprinkle of salt.  Serve warm.

Pulled King Oysters (25 mins)

Heat oil in a non-stick pan and add onions.  Saute for 2-3 minutes.  Add julienne mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes.  Add sauce, mix well and place lid on pan.  Cook for an additional 5 minutes.  Remove lid and allow to cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Finish with lime juice.

Salad

Place all ingredients into a bowl together and mix.  Allow to sit for 5 minutes.

Assembly
Place 1-2 Tbsp of the pulled mushrooms onto toasted bun and top with 1 Tbsp of the salad.  Garnish with bean sprouts if desired.

Asian Flare African Inspired Stuffed Tofu

Thoughts & Inspiration

So this one is definitely more complicated, but one of my absolute favorites.  It screams flavor, creates an amazing texture, and will make you see tofu in a whole different way!  

I had a small dinner party with friends one night and made a yellow vegetable thai curry with kimchi fried rice.  I thought I needed one other small dish.  I saw tofu in my fridge and decided to be adventurous and create something totally different... I combined some of my favorite ingredients in a flavor profile that just rocked altogether! 

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Tofu Preparation Ingredients

1 package extra firm tofu

1 tsp olive oil 

Sauce Preparation Ingredients

2 limes, juiced

2 Tbls light soy sauce

2 tsp sriracha

2 Tbls Trader Joe's General Tsao's sauce (or any other brand)

1 Tbls black sesame seeds

2 Tbls chopped cilantro

2 stocks green onions (scallions), thinly sliced

Vegetable Stuffing Preparation Ingredients

1 tsp olive oil 

1/4 white onion, thinly sliced

1/3 cup baby spinach leaves 

1/4 cup red cabbage, thinly shredded

1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

Additional Ingredients

Optional:  2 Tbls Harissa spread (can be bought at any grocery store)

I love the flavors in Harissa!  Harissa is a Tunisian hot chili sauce that generally contains red roasted pepper, chili peppers, cumin, garlic, coriander, lemon juice...  Note: If you cannot find Harissa, the dish tastes delicious even without it!  It can be a great addition to many dishes to add in some flavor!

Preheat oven to 350F.  Take 3-4 paper towels and stack them together on a flat plate.  Place tofu on paper towels for about 5 minutes (per side) to remove excess water from within the tofu.  Once the excess water is soaked up by the paper towel, cut tofu width wise so you have two identical rectangular pieces which are approximately 1 inch thick.  Brush 1 tsp olive oil onto a baking sheet.  Place tofu slices on sheet and bake tofu for 15 minutes per side.

For sauce:  In a bowl whisk the following together: lime, soy sauce, sriracha, general tsao sauce, sesame seeds, cilantro and scallions.

In a saute pan, heat olive oil on medium heat.  Add onions and saute for 2 minutes.  Next, add spinach, red cabbage, cherry tomatoes and 3 Tbls of sauce.  Mix and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Assembling tofu:  Turn oven to high broil.  Spread 1 Tbls of the harissa spread on each piece of tofu.  In a small baking dish, spread 2 Tbls of sauce on bottom of dish.  Place one piece of tofu with harissa side facing up in baking dish.  Top tofu with the spinach saute and then place the other tofu piece, harissa side down onto the spinach.  Pour remainder of sauce over tofu.  Broil tofu for about 5-7 minutes.

Cut into either 2 or 4 piece squares and enjoy immediately.

The Green Soup

All the healthiness before...

...The deliciousness after

 

Thoughts & Inspiration

This soup is green deliciousness and can be enjoyed any time of the year.  It may not be a beautiful vibrant green after being pureed, but it sure is light, healthy, satisfying and full of flavor!

Cook Time: 30 minutes   
Serves 4 

Ingredients 

1½ large zucchinis, chopped into large cubes

10 baby carrots

2 large celery stems, chopped into 5-6 pieces

3 stems of green onions, chopped into a few pieces (or 1/4 white onion, chopped)

½ bag of baby spinach

2 cloves of garlic, smashed

3 cups of water

Sea salt

Pepper

1 Tbls fresh chopped parsley

Optional: 2 Tbls light cream or 3 triangle wedges of Laughing Cow Swiss Cheese

In a deep soup pot toss in all ingredients except the parsley, sea salt and optional ingredients.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.  Place a lid halfway on pot and simmer vegetables for 15-20 minutes.  After about 20 minutes test a baby carrot to see if your soup is ready – you should be able to slice right through the carrot without any effort.  If so, remove soup from heat and if the carrot isn’t quite ready, simmer for an additional 5 minutes.  Allow soup to cool for 10-15 minutes.  Transfer to a blender (Optional: if using Laughing Cow cheese add wedges into blender at this point) and puree all the vegetables with the fresh parsley.  Pour soup back into pot and add sea salt and pepper to taste (Optional: You may add cream at this step if desired).

Optional Garnish:  Finely slice a couple scallions and sprinkle on top of soup.  You can also serve a few garlic croutons on the side.  The picture above is garnished with fresh cracked pink, green and black peppercorns.  Enjoy!

Chole ~ Indian Flare Spinach N' Chickpeas

Thoughts & Inspiration

A delicious version of Indian style Chole!  The flavors will warm your heart and leave you craving more!  It's a quick, simple and decadent dish!

Cook Time: 25-30 minutes

Ingredients
1 Tbsp oil (vegetable or olive oil)

1/2 diced white or yellow onion

2 cloves of minced garlic 

1 package frozen spinach

1 can chickpeas (drained and washed)

1 can tomato sauce
1/4 cup water
1/4 stick of cinnamon

2 Tbsp garam masala

Pinch of kashmiri powder (or any Indian chili powder)

Pinch of sugar

Salt to taste 
3 Tbsp light cream
3 Tbsp fresh chopped cilantro (leaves and some of the stems) 

In a sauce pan, heat 1 Tbsp of oil on medium-low heat.  Add the diced onions and allow to sweat for about 3-4 minutes.  Add in the garlic and saute for another minute.  Next, add frozen (unthawed) spinach, chickpeas, tomato sauce, water and cinnamon stick.  Place a lid on the pan and let the spinach thaw on medium heat.  After about 5-6 minutes mix gently to help spinach finishing thawing.  Place lid back on and allow mixture to simmer for about 15 more minutes.  The spinach should now be completely thawed.  Add garam masala, kashmiri powder, sugar and salt.  Stir and cover for another 2-3 minutes.  Stir in cream and add 1/2 the chopped cilantro.  

When serving, sprinkle the remaining cilantro on top.

Note:  If you don't like spinach, you can easily eliminate this vegetable from the entire recipe.

**This dish tastes great served over a bed of rice or accompanied with Naan (Indian bread).

Zucchini Spaghetti with Corn and Roasted Tomatoes

Thoughts & Inspiration

Everyone wants to be healthier and eat more greens.  This is a fun way to eat "pasta" that has no carbs!  It's all zucchini!  So yummy and healthy, you won't even know the difference!

My girlfriends bought the Premium Slicer for me for my birthday!  It's great and easy to use!  It's also small and gets the job done!  You can get it on Amazon.

Serves 2 

25 minutes

Ingredients

3 medium thickness zucchinis, spiralized (or julienned into long strips on a mandolin)
1 cup of grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/3 cup of frozen corn

2 Tbsp sundried tomatoes (I use the ones from Trader Joes in oil, but you can use any brand) 

Salt and pepper to taste
Crushed red pepper to taste


Optional Ingredients 
A few fresh basil leaves, torn
A couple shaving of either Parmesan or Grana Padano cheese

Heat oven to 350F.  Place tomatoes mixed with 1/2 the chopped garlic, olive oil, a pinch of salt and fresh cracked pepper into an oven safe dish.  Roast tomatoes for 12-13 minutes. 

Heat a pan and add sundried tomatoes with oil.  Add garlic to this and saute for 1-2 minutes.  Next, add frozen corn and saute for an additional 4-5 minutes on medium flame (or until corn is cooked through).  Add zucchini to pan, with salt and crushed red pepper, and mix with tongs lifting zucchini strands to make sure the corn mixture gets incorporated; cook together for 2-3 minutes for a more al dente texture, or 4-5 minutes for a softer spaghetti texture.  

Plating:  Place zucchini spaghetti into a plate or bowl and place half of the roasted tomatoes on top of each zucchini portion.  Garnish with a few torn basil leaves if desired and a few shaves of Parmesan or Grana Padano cheese.

Red Wine Grilled "Chick'n" with a Twisted Tomato Salsa & Caprese Mini

Thoughts & Inspiration

Sunday night dinner... oh what to make!  After a long weekend of bbq-ing and munching on all sorts of stuff I wanted something healthy, yet still hearty.  The is a light and fresh meal!

Ingredients for Caprese Mini

4 small Trader Joe Ciabattatini rolls (or any small baguette)

4 Tbsp pesto

4 slices roma tomato

4 mozzarella balls cut into thick slices

5-6 arugula leave per sandwich

Drizzle balsamic glaze (Trader Joe's brand or any reduced balsamic)

Salt and pepper

Ingredients for "Chick'n"

4 Quorn Naked Chicken Pieces thawed (vegan product)

1/2 cup dry red wine (any cabernet)

1 tsp olive oil

Ingredients for Spinach

1 tsp olive oil

1 clove garlic sliced thin

1 .5 cups baby spinach leaves

Salt

Ingredients for Twisted Tomato Salsa

1/2 juice of large lemon

1/4 cup good extra virgin olive oil

8 grape tomatoes (quartered and then chopped in half)

4 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley

2 Tbsp fresh chopped chives

1 tsp Montreal seasoning (McCormicks)

1 tsp smoked Spanish paprika

1 tsp red chili flakes

Salt and pepper

"Chick'n" and Spinach Preparation

Heat olive oil in a sauce pan.  Place Quorn chick'n pieces into sauce pan.  After 1 minute turn chick'n over.  Add red wine and simmer with a cover on for 5-6 minutes.  Turn chicken over and cook for an additional 2 minutes.  Remove from pan, sprinkle a little salt and set aside.

In the same pan add olive oil and garlic - cook garlic for 1 minute.  Add spinach leaves, sprinkle salt and place cover onto pan.  Turn off heat and allow spinach to wilt for 2 minutes.  Remove from stove.

Salsa

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

Caprese Minis

Spread pesto on one side of bread, top with tomato slice and fresh mozzarella.  Place arugula leaves on top and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Drizzle balsamic on other side of bread.

Plating

Cut each chick'n into about 4-5 think slices.  Add the wilted spinach to a plate.  Place sliced chick'n on top of spinach.  Top with fresh salsa and some of the juices.  Small caprese mini on the side.  Enjoy!

Thai Ginger Vegetable Soup with Vermicelli

Thoughts & Inspiration

It's soup season!  This is a recipe for a heart warming Thai ginger inspired soup... Perfect for a cold autumn night.  It is full of flavor with delicious vegetables.  It is my twist of the recipe from the back of the Swanson Thai Ginger broth box.

Cook Time: 30 minutes     

Ingredients 

1 tsp coconut oil (or olive oil)
1/4 white or yellow onion thinly sliced
6 baby carrots thinly sliced (or 1 small normal carrot peeled and sliced)

4-5 sliced white button mushrooms
4-5 sliced oyster mushrooms
1/4 thinly sliced zucchini
1/2 thinly sliced orange or red bell pepper
1 box of Swanson Thai Ginger Broth
1 can lite coconut milk
1/3 cup of vermicelli (any brand - I used wheat vermicelli that I found at an Asian grocery store)
2 Tbls fresh lime juice
5-6 Thai basil leaves
1 tsp Chili Garlic Sauce (store bought any brand)

Optional Garnishes

2 scallion stems thinly sliced
1 tsp fried red onion (purchased this at an Asian grocery store)
Slice of lime
Thai basil leaves

In a deep soup pot add olive and saute onion and carrot on a low/medium flame for 4-5 minutes.  Next, add mushrooms are saute for an additional 2-3 minutes.  Next add the zucchini and bell pepper strips and cook for 2 minutes.  Add full box of broth and coconut milk and bring to a boil.  Once you reach a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and add remainder of ingredients.  Cook broth with vegetables and vermicelli for an additional 10 minutes.  

Optional Garnish:  Serve hot in a bowl and garnish with scallions and fried red onions, along with a slice of lime.

Serves 4.

Roasted Vegetable Salad

Thoughts & Inspiration

My parents came over to spend the weekend and I wanted to make something fun and light for lunch.  My dad is a diabetic so I was trying to stay away from carbs and sugar.  I wanted to make a salad of some sort, but of course I didn't want to make just something ordinary.  I took some of my favorite flavors along with a few things I knew they loved and created this amazing dish!  

It seems like a lot of ingredients and time, but it is actually quite easy if you put everything in the oven together!  Be inventive and throw in vegetables that you like.  Anything here can be substituted to make it yours!

Ingredients for Salad

1/2 head cauliflower cut into florets

6 white button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced through stem in half (creating two equal halves)

6 cremini mushrooms, same as above

1 ripe roma tomato, cut into 4 thick slices

1 red onion, cut into 4 quarters

1/2 apple, sliced thin

4 radishes, sliced thin

4 large romaine leaves

4 grape tomatoes, cut into quarters

1/4 cup pistachios (coarsely grind in food processor)

3-4 Tbsp olive oil for roasting

4 Tbsp hummus

Ingredients for Dressing

1/2 juice of large lemon

1/4 cup good extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp white balsamic

1 tsp stone ground dijon

Salt and pepper

Roasted Chickpeas

1 can chickpeas, washed and drained

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp olive oil

Sea salt to taste

Soup Shooter

1/2 cup broccoli florets

1/2 spinach

1 sprig green onion

1 small clove garlic

1 cup water

Salt and pepper

Additional Options

Fresh mint leaves

Any cheese - I used fresh mozzarella (goat cheese or feta cheese would probably be delicious as well)

Roasted chickpeas

Mix all ingredients and spread evenly on a baking sheet lined with foil so that the chickpeas are all in a single layer.  Roast for 40 minutes at 400F.  Remove from oven and allow to cool before eating.  To store, place roasted chickpeas in an air tight container.

Dressing

Mix all the ingredients together in a bottle and shake to combine or whisk everything together.

Roasting vegetables

Spread a little bit of olive oil on two separate baking sheets.  Place mushrooms on one sheet and brush with some oil and sprinkle salt and pepper.  Place cauliflower, roma tomato slices and onion wedges on another baking sheet and brush with some oil and sprinkle salt and pepper.  Roast vegetables for 20 minutes at 400F.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Soup

Place all ingredients into vitamix and blend on high for 5-6 minutes.  Serve immediately.  If you don't have a vitamix, you can make any soup and place into a small shooter glass on your plate, or completely leave the soup out.

Plating

Place 1 romaine leaf on a plate.  Spoon a dollop of hummus onto one side of the plate.  Arrange vegetables, fruit, cheese and chickpeas as you wish along the romaine (see picture for inspiration).  Have fun with how you decide to arrange the plate... it's your world!  Once all the ingredients are on your plate, drizzle about 2 Tbsp of the dressing over the plate.  As a final touch, sprinkle some of the ground pistachios all over!  You can add some fresh mint leaves onto the plate if you want that extra bit of yum!

Corn and Zucchini Quesadillas

Thoughts & Inspiration

My sister-in-law was coming over on a Sunday for a little while before we took our nephew to a museum... So I wanted to make a fun, quick little bite.  This is an easy and delicious recipe.  You can add in other veggies and make it yours.

Cook Time: 15 minutes     Makes 4 Quesadillas

Ingredients

1 tsp olive oil

4 cloves of garlic minced

1 cup frozen corn

1 large zucchini shredded (short, thin thread-like strips)

2 Tbsp of sauce from the canned chipotles in adobo sauce

1 tsp paprika

Salt to taste

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

4 burrito style tortillas

Butter

Corn/Zucchini Stuffing:

In a pan, sauté garlic on a low-medium flame in 1 tsp of olive oil for 30 seconds to a minute (making sure garlic doesn’t brown).  Add frozen corn and sauté for about 3-4 minutes.  Next add shredded zucchini (can use a grater to shred), chipotle adobo sauce, paprika and a little salt.  Cook for an additional 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Quesadilla Assembly:

Heat up tortillas on a medium flame for 30 seconds on each side.  Add ¼ cup of cheddar to half of the tortilla and top with 2-3 Tbsp of the corn/zucchini mixture.  Add ¼ cup of pepper jack cheese on top of the vegetable mixture and fold tortilla in half creating a half moon.  Place a few shavings of butter on top of the tortilla.  Place quesadilla butter side down and cook on medium flame for 2 minutes moving the tortilla in the pan a couple times (to make sure it doesn’t burn).  Flip quesadilla onto its other side for an additional 2 minutes.  Once cheese has melted, cut into 4 triangles!

Optional: Serve with a dollop of sour cream and salsa on the side!  And maybe a couple of slices of avocado!

Variations: Instead of cheddar and pepper jack cheese, this recipe also tastes great with crumbled goat cheese and mozzarella!