Spinach-Tofu Nooooodlez!

by Francine

photo via flickrhivemind.net

Can you imagine? Noodles made from tofu? Well why not? Tofu Yu makes a version. Now you can too. Keep mind that spinach is not just tasty and richly GREEN, it is also loaded in nutritional goodness for you. From The World's Healthiest Foods:
"Among the World's Healthiest vegetables, spinach comes out at the top of our ranking list for nutrient richness. Rich in vitamins and minerals, it is also concentrated in health-promoting phytonutrients such as carotenoids (beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin) and flavonoids to provide you with powerful antioxidant protection."

Health Diaries tells us that spinach is beneficial to us in a number of important ways: maintaining healthy blood pressure; slowing down cell division in human stomach and skin cancer cells; anti-inflammatory properties, antioxidants that combat the onset of osteoporosis, atherosclerosis and high blood pressure; protecting the eye from cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. It's even good for the bones! Check the link for more information.

So now for the recipe. Pretty darn easy. . .

Blend (in a blender or Cuisinart) until smooth and creamy:
1/2 lb. tofu
2 TB oil
1/2 tsp. salt

Pour this into:
1 3/4 cups unbleached white flour

Mix and knead until smooth and soft (10 minutes maybe? depends on your kneading power). Put this through a noodle machine or roll out by hand and cut. Let dry for about 15 minutes. Then you're ready to go. Boil in salted water about 5 minutes. Don't overcook. Fresh pasta is a very different matter from the dry version.

Enjoy!

Resources:

Health Diaries
World's Healthiest Foods
Tofu Cookery by Louise Hagler

For Breakfast, Let's Get Hot & Spicy

 by Francine

photo via theodamus.wordpress.com

When it comes to breakfast, many people like to go sweet (pancakes, waffles, French toast, or maybe oatmeal with gobs of raisins and maple). I can't say I'd turn any of those down. . . But there's a different direction you can go when the spirit moves you, and that's SPICY and HOT. Why not, right? 

This recipe is hot, all right, and you can turn up the hotness dial to as hot as you dare by increasing the amount of cayenne, adding some different peppers (jalapeno or habanero peppers), etc. And of course there is such an amazing assortment of delicious salsas and hot sauces available, that you can have a festival with each bite. 

Interesting thing about our tolerance/desire for hot and spicy foods. Genetics play big. But of course so does your culture and how you were raised.

What you need:

• 1 pkg. extra firm tofu, drained and cut into 1 inch cubes (Tofu Yu plain or pepper or jalapeno)
  
• red, yellow, or green pepper --1/2 to whole
  
• 3/4 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• a bunch of spinach (or equivalent), chopped
• 1 avocado, peeled and diced
• cheese (dairy or soy) shredded (amount is to taste--suggesting a little more than a handful, shredded)
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 cayenne pepper
• hot sauce or chili sauce, to taste
• pepper to taste (because of the bit of the cayenne and garlic, not to mention the hot sauce, you really don't need any salt)
• parsley, minced fine
• 3 - 5 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
• onion to taste (red, white, or yellow onion--or even scallions or chives)
• 3 or more cloves garlic, minced (I'm a garlic freak--so there is never too much garlic for me)
• 1 tsp soy sauce (optional)

How to prepare:

In a skillet, sautee the onion and garlic in the olive or coconut oil until onions are slightly soft and start to appear a bit transparent. Add remaining ingredients, except cheese, pepper and parsley.
Stirring frequently, sautee for another 6-8 minutes, until veggies are done and tofu is lightly fried. At this point you can fold in the cheese, followed by the pepper and then sprinkle the minced parsley on top.
Enjoy. (You can pour  the mixture into a tortilla--just make sure it's been warmed).

Serves 2-4

Winning Won Ton!

by Francine

photo via bigoven.com

Found this yummy-sounding recipe on savvyvegetarian.com and it seemed like just the right thing to share. So many delicious and healthy ingredients in this. Notice the chives (that we talked about in one of our posts), and the spinach. From whfoods.com: "One new category of health-supportive nutrients found in spinach is called "glycoglycerolipids." Glycoclycerolipids are the main fat-related molecules in the membranes of light-sensitive organs in most plants. They're indispensable for the process of photosynthesis carried out by plants. However, recent lab research in laboratory animals has shown that glycoglycerolipids from spinach can help protect the lining of the digestive tract from damage — especially damage related to unwanted inflammation."

Thank you for this amazing recipe, "Shelley."

• 1 pkg won ton wrappers (or vegan pasta dough rolled out thin)
• 1 lb extra firm tofu (tofu from Tofu Yu is just the ticket! It's firm as can be. -fs)
• 1/2 lb fresh spinach finely chopped
• 5 oz mushrooms chopped (we suggest shitake, because of their amazing health benefits -fs)
• 1/2 a red bell pepper finely chopped
• 1 large bunch chives or scallions chopped fine
• 1/3 c. gr sunflower seeds (use spice grinder)
• 4-6 sundried tomatoes soaked in boiling water
• 3-4 baby carrots finely grated
• 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast flakes (optional)
• 1 tsp crushed rosemary
• 2-3 cloves garlic crushed
• splash of lemon juice
• soymilk to thin
• fresh cracked pepper to taste
• sea salt to taste

Directions:

1. Mill sunflower seeds into meal consistency then set aside
2. Drain sundried tomatoes and finely chop
3. Blend sliced tofu, lemon juice, sea salt, nutritional yeast and soy milk until ricotta like consistency in a food processor OR by hand (NOT a blender - you'll get paste!)
4. FINELY dice tomatoes, red peppers, and chives
5. Blend with tofu mixture by hand with a fork just until well mixed
6. In a small bowl combine tofu mixture with remaining ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined
7. Place a scant 1 Tbsp of mixture in center of wonton wrapper (or other vegan ravioli dough rolled out). Wet, crimp and seal edges of wrapper SECURELY (or the wrapper will open in the pan and contents will spill out)
8. Cook a few at a time in your vegetable steamer for about 10 minutes, making sure to not crowd pan or they will stick to each other and be glue-ey
9. Keep warm on a covered dish while the remainder cook
10. Toss with a bit of olive oil when they are cooked to prevent sticking
11. Top with a little fresh chopped parsley or cilantro, your favorite sauce and vegan parmesan cheese as desired

Cooking Tip from Shelley: "The tofu filling is too hearty for the delicate won-ton wrappers to hold up in boiling water but steaming worked beautifully."
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Savvy Vegetarian supports healthy eating & green living, with easy vegetarian | vegan recipes, articles, free reports and blog, for everyone from long time vegans to just thinking about going veg.

On the Eve of St. Patrick's Day

by Francine

photo via en.wikipedia.org

Well sure, you could add a bit of food coloring and make your tofu green, but you could also do an assortment of other things to add a bit o' green to your tofu.

Here's an idea:

Take a bunch of fresh spinach, snap off the stems and put them in the compost.
Wash, drain, and then either put spinach in the food processor or chop, chop, chop by hand (hey grandma did it and she was just fine).

Make a batch of brown rice (I usually make it with chicken or vegetable broth for automatic delicious flavor. . . ).
Now saute some onion and garlic, throw in the finely chopped spinach and mix in with the rice.

NOW--take a package or two of tofu (can be plain or pesto or any flavor you like. Hint: TofuYu pesto tofu is already green). Mash it up OR cube it. Saute it just long enough to get the beginning of a golden brown. Add to the very green rice mixture, and there you have it! Enjoy with some green beer (as in created using green methods and/or the stuff you can get in many bars throughout the U.S. and no doubt Ireland as well. . . )!

And a Happy St. Patty's Day to you.

Some St. Patty's Day fun/facts:

*In Irish legends, green was worn by fairies and immortals, and also by people to encourage their crops to grow. 
- wrdw.com


* St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, although he was born in Britain, around 385AD
- telegraph.co.uk

* Wearing green, eating green food and even drinking green beer, is said to commemorate St Patrick's use of the shamrock - although blue was the original colour of his vestments.
 - telegraph.co.uk 

* Research shows a pint of Guinness helps lower the chance of blood clots that cause heart attacks. Research also shows that six pints of Guinness can make you act like an idiot. It's a fine line. 
- sfgate.com

* The most popular legend associated with St. Patrick — that he drove the snakes from Ireland. This isn’t possible, of course, since Ireland had no snakes — at least not literal ones.

- vancouversun.com

Tofu Scramble--Mix it Up!

photo from honeywhatscooking.com

You can't really make a mistake when it comes to how to make a tofu scramble--unless you do the basic kitchen no-nos like overcook, undercook, or just add flavors that you don't even like! So think eggs and then think 'tofu instead.' In other words, go for what you like and throw it in! Now remember tofu doesn't really need to be cooked. It just needs to be heated (for a scramble). But that said, the longer it is contact with other foods and flavors, the more it will pick those up.

So try this one (serves 3 or 4):

What You'll Need:
1 lb. tofu
several handfuls of spinach (equivalent of a bunch)
1 onion, peeled and diced (or sliced)
2 tomatoes (diced or sliced)
garlic (to taste), minced
salt and pepper to taste
oregano or herbes de Provence
olive oil
pita bread

What You'll Do:
Put the tofu in a bowl and mash it up with a fork. Put it aside.
In a skillet, heat up the oil and then throw in the garlic and onion. Once they start to get golden brown, add the tofu, herbs, and finally the tofu. Toss in the skillet until the tofu is warm and has picked up the colors and aromas of its skillet companions.

Heat up the pita bread. Slice in the middle and fill each pocket with your tofu scramble. Add your own touches. Maybe some olives? Eggplant? The possibilities are just about limitless. . .

Enjoy!

Creamed Spinach (Tofu-style)

photo by Rachel S, allrecipes.com

This great recipe comes to us from allrecipes.com. It's creamy, delicious, and if you're serving it to anyone who is a bit skeptical about tofu, try telling them after they eat it not before. ;-)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 pounds fresh spinach, washed and chopped
• 1 (12 ounce) package firm tofu
• 1/2 cup milk or soy milk
• 1 cup Parmesan or Asiago cheese
• garlic powder to taste
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic; cook until soft and translucent, but not brown. Add spinach; cook, stirring frequently, until wilted.
2. Place tofu, milk, cheese, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a blender, and puree until smooth.
3. Stir pureed tofu into spinach. Cook until warmed through. Adjust seasonings, if desired, and serve.   

Recipe Submitted By: Libby
via allrecipes