Red Curry & Coconut rice

Red curry:

2 tbs olive oil
1-3 tbs red curry paste
1 1/2 cups of green beans or other beans cut into bite size peices
1 1/2 cups of baby bok choy cut into bite size peices
1 cup of tofu cut into bit size peices
2 tbs of soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon or raw unrefined sugar

Heat the oil in the pan over medium heat before adding the curry paste. Stir about 3 minutes until the paste is fregrent and starts getting up your nose.

Add tofu first and cook about half way before adding the beans and bok choy. Saute for about 3 minutes until the beans are almost tender and the bok choy is wilting.

Stir together the sugar and soy sauce along with half a cup of water. Pour in and simmer covered for another three minutes or until beans are tender.

Yellow Coconut Rice:
(I make this before the curry because it takes longer.)

2 4-6 inch stalks of lemon grass
2 teaspoons of tumeric
3/4 cups of water
1 1/2 cups of long grain white rice
1 1/2 cups of cocnut milk
1 teaspoon of salt

Cut the lemon grass into 2 inch peices and smash them enough to release taste. Place the tumeric in the water and desolve. Now put the rice, water, coconut milk, lemon grass and salt into the sauce pan. Bring to boil over high heat for about a minute. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until all liquid is disolved and the rice is tender.

Before serving pull out the stalks of lemon grass.

Now when you have both, take a small mug and press the rice into it, making sure there are no air bubbles. Quickly flip the mug into the center of the plate and shake. Now take the curry and place it around the rice.

Buddah Belly Bowl

This is a GREAT recipe! Just a few simple steps and you have a savory, belly filling dish! Its also really colourful and fun to eat so kids will like it more than just a plate of mircowaved veggies.

Ingredients:
1 cup of Quinoa
2 cups of water
Pinch of salt
Handful of fav veggies
Sesame oil
3 oz of boiled or pan seared tofu
...or 3 oz of black beans

To cook the quinoa boil the 2 cups of water, add salt that add Quinoa. Bing to boil again before reducing heat and simmering, covered for 20 minutes.

While quinoa is cooking cut up veggies and steam them. Biol or sear your tofu until it has the desired firmness.

When all of it is cooked add your grain first to a bowl. Place veggies on one side and the tofu or black beans next to it. Serve with warmed seseam oil for dipping.

Health note: By eating the grains with the veggies you are able to absorb all of the vitimines in both the veggies and the grain!

Rainy Day Udon Soup

It's been raining for the past....week down here in good old texas. While we dont have snow in the winter we have a heck of alot of rain. And rain means two things in my mind: A warm fire and a bowl of yummy soup.



Ingrediants:
1 table spoon of Miso paste
1 1/2 cups of water
1 pack of instant japanese udon noodles
3 oz of meduim hard tofu cut into little squares
chopped scallions

Bring water to a boil. Place in tofu and miso paste into bioling water and disolve paste. Place in the udon noodles and the scallions into the water next and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the time tender.

Enjoy and Yummy!

Alyssa's OCD Spicy Black Bean Burger

So this is just a quick dinner that we throw together on a rainy Thursday night. It is just as good as a meat burger but oh so much better.

Ingredients:
2 Morning Star Spicy Black Bean Burgers
1 roma tomato. (Sliced)
Mustard or Veganaze
avacodo (Sliced)
salt/ pepper to taste.
Flaxseed bread (toasted)

Set the oven at 400 degrees and place the bean burgers into it when done. They should be done in about 10 minutes but check them.
Take first pattie and place it on toasted bun. Place mustard on top of first pattie. Put sliced tomamto on next than the other pattie. Avacodo comes next followed but just a little more mustart. Put bread on last.

Quinoa With Roasted Pine Nuts and Basil

Hope the start of everyones new year is going well and for those of us in school, the best of new semesters. So here is the recipy for today:

Quinoa with Roasted Pinenuts and Basil.


1 cup of Quinoa
1/2 cup of Pinenuts and/or sliced almonds and cashews
handful of fresh basil chopped
Pinch of sea salt
1 tbs of olive oil

Place the quinoa in a strainer and rinse well. Combine with 2 cups of water and the salt in saucepan. Bring to a boil before reducing heat. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

While the quinoa is cooking heat the nuts in a small dry skillet over meaduim heat. Toast them until they start to turn golden (6-7 minutes). TO prevent burning shake the pan frequently. Move to a bowl and let cool.

Add the quinoa to a serving bowl with the nuts and fluff with fork. Add trhe olive oil and basil. Stir to combined.



Health note: Quinoa is great. Its actually a seed that is cooked and has the vitimines and fiber of a whole grain. Its really high in protien. If you want to give this crazy little seed more of a flavor thats rich and nutty, pan roast the rinsed quinoa until it is golden brown.

Fava Bean Dip!

This is one of the dishes that I learned when I was working at the Arabic Cafe. We didn't actually serve it but my bosses ate it allot and I love it!

1 can Fava Beans
1 tomato chopped
2 table spoons of onion diced
3 cloves of garlic diced
3 tablespoons of Lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 tablespoons of salt
1/4 table spoon pepper

Cook fava beans on the stove until they start to split open.

While they cook combine all of the other ingredients in bowl and mix well.

Once the beans are cooked drain off most of the extra liquid. Keep some of it though. Mix the beans in with the rest of the ingredients. Serve with warm pita bread as a dip.

Along side in this picture are hummus and stuffed grape leaves.

Roasted sunflower seeds

Here is an easy snack or salad topper! I always keep a thing of them in the fridge to toss on meals for a little extra zing! I also like to eat them by them selves as a little snack or pick me up.

All you need in raw sunflow seeds and soy sauce. Toss both into a pan over meduim heat watch and listen for seeds beginning to sizzle but not pop. They should turn a golden brown.