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Fast Asian Noodles!
“This is a quick meal, only about 10 min start to finish, and has fresh veggies and protein. Its a good replacement to the macaroni and cheese or Lipton noodle packets I used to eat when in a hurry!” – Marta
I pkg. Ramen Noodles
1 small onion
1 large handful of fresh spinach (1-2 cups)
1/4 cup TVP (textured Vegetable Protein), re-hydrated according to pkg. (You can find this in most grocery stores)
Soy Sauce to taste
Oil to sauté veggies.
Chop onion and sauté in small amount of oil until they begin to be tender. Meanwhile, begin to cook ramen according to directions. And re-hydrate the TVP. I like to put some of the seasoning packet in with the TVP as it does not have any flavor on its own. Soy sauce does work too. Once the onion begins to be tender, toss in all the fresh spinach (just cook until it wilts, you don’t want to cook it too much). You do not need to chop it up unless the leaves are very large. Add drained noodles and tvp and allow to get brown in the pan for a little bit. Serve immediately. Serves one.
Note: I like Top Ramen’s Oriental Flavor, it does not contain animal fat, however you can easily toss the packet and season with your favorite vegetable based seasoning too.
Roasted Vegetable Foccacia Sandwich
This is a wonderful light fresh sandwich for a hot summer day. And its so flavorful that you won’t even notice that it is vegan. 
Roasted Vegetable Foccacia Sandwich
1 loaf Foccacia Bread
8 oz. Greek Olives (pitted), chop in a food processor until in small pieces.
1 large Onion Sliced and grilled
1 lb. sliced mushrooms (or 2 portabella mushrooms, sliced) sauteed
1 Summer Squash, sliced and grilled (sprinkle with salt, onion and garlic powder first)
1 Red Pepper roasted (you can get these in a jar and its much faster)
Fresh Spinach
1 Cucumber
1 pkg. Tofu (prefrozen and thawed and marinated with soy sauce) sliced and grilled
Trader Joe’s Goddess dressing (or Kraft Cream Italian (4T.) + 1t. Tahini + 1/4t. soy sauce)
Bake whole Foccacia Bread about 10 min in a 350 oven, just to give it a nice crunch. Remove and cut down the middle (the long way to form top and bottom). Spread bottom of bread with the olive mixture. Next layer the onion and mushrooms over the whole sandwich. Next the summer squash (there really is no set way, although I’d keep the cucumber and spinach at the top). Next Tofu or Gluten chops (as seen in picture). Next red pepper. Next Cucumbers and Spinach. Drizzle with dressing, add the top to the sandwich and cut into easy to eat pieces.
Polynesian Style Meatballs
I am very proud of this recipe since I am normally not the type of person who likes to stray from a traditional European palette which is in general savory. My husband is constantly whining that I try something new, like say Thai, Indian, African… While I’m not opposed to these cuisines, I find that I either love or hate the spices, so trying something has a 50/50 chance of failure. But I’ve been making an effort. Here is the fruit of some of my labor.
Polynesian Style Meatballs
1 recipe Sweet and Sour Sauce (see recipe below)
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 onion
1 cup FRESH pineapple
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Dash of soy sauce
Dash of olive oil
20-30 meatballs (one of my favorites are Tofu Walnut Balls)
Place meatballs in a small baking dish (9×13 is too large).
Cut peppers and onions into strips and cut strips in half. Saute pepper, garlic and onion in the olive oil and soy sauce until they begin to get tender. Scatter on top of meatballs.
Cut up fresh pineapple into bite sized chunks and add to the pan you sauted the peppers in. Lightly brown the pineapple and then toss on top of the meatballs.
Pour sweet and sour sauce over the meatballs and bake for 30 min on 350. Serve immediately.
** This would also be a nice topping for gluten chops or grilled/fried tofu or some other meat substitute.**
Sweet and Sour Sauce
1/2 c. Brown Sugar
4 t. corn starch
1/2 c. Vegetable broth
1/3 c. lemon juice
2 T. soy sauce
1/2 c. coconut milk
4 T. tomato paste
1 t. olive oil
1/2 c. toasted shredded coconut (fastest way is in a frying pan – no oil – on med heat, keep flipping them so they don’t burn)
Mix ingredients together (minus coconut) and heat on medium heat until thickened slightly. Add coconut and mix in.
Healthy alternative to Burgers and Fries!
Who among us doesn’t LOVE French fries, but HATE how their made? I honestly refuse to give up this terrible fast food, but have given in to eating in moderation. A burger and fries just seems like the best summertime food, so I”ll post my favorite recipes for the meal pictured below. I have learned a tip or two here and there about how to make this meal “healthy”, and decided to give it a try. Here is the result of my labors.
Fast and easy whole wheat burger buns. I can take no credit here, but LOVE how fast and easy these are! This lady’s got some great advise for cooking dairy free. I used this recipe and used egg replacer (ener-g brand) and they turned out fine. My friend made them without any egg replacer and said they did well too. I added fresh crushed garlic and Italian seasonings. These do freeze well, but they are BEST right out of the oven, nice and crusty, so if reheating them, pop into a hot oven for a few minuets. This recipe makes 8 buns.
Meaty Oat burger. I love a frozen soy burger, but these are cheaper and better for you, without tasting like cardboard. 
This recipe is for about 16 burgers.
Oven Baked French Fries.
Preheat oven to 400
4 potatoes, scrubbed or peeled
Olive oil
Salt
Herbs of choice (I like basil, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, parsley)
Cut potatoes into thick fries and toss in a few tablespoons of olive oil and your favorite spices. Place on a cookie sheet so they are not overlapping. Bake for 30 min. Serve with your favorite condiments. (If you noticed that my fries are a little well done its because I got distracted after the timer went off. ) This makes enough for 2 hungry adults and 1 hungry 3 year old.
**Variety** Try using a sweet potato and serve with a horseradish sauce.
Eggplant and Tomatoes over Garlic Angel-hair Pasta
1 med/large Eggplant
6 med Tomatoes
3 Onions
8 cloves Garlic
1/2 recipe white Cashew Cheese or 1/2 lb. of mozzarella cheese cubed or shredded
1 lb. angel hair pasta
1/2 lb. fresh spinach
Olive Oil
Lemon Juice
Peel Eggplant. Slice in rings and then quarter them. Lay on a paper towel and salt generously. Let them sit for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350. Dice onions and sauté in a few TBSP of olive oil. Crush 4 cloves of garlic and add to the onions in the pan. Dice tomatoes and add to onions. Allow to simmer for a few minuets and remove from heat.
Once the Eggplant is finished, rinse thoroughly and toss in some lemon juice (a few tsp. is plenty). Place eggplant in the bottom of a medium sized baking dish (8×8 or larger) Pour the Tomato, Onion and Garlic over it. Dice up the cashew cheese and sprinkle on top of the vegetables. Bake for 1 hour.
When you have about 20 min left before the Eggplant dish is finished, chop the rest of the garlic and saute in Olive Oil until golden brown. Set aside.
Boil water and cook pasta according to directions. Remove all the stems from the spinach and cut into thin strips. Add to the nearly finished cooking pasta and allow to wilt. Once the pasta is finished, drain well, and toss with the browned garlic and remaining olive oil from the pan.
Serve pasta with a generous amount of cooked Eggplant and sauce on top.
Apple Strudel
6 sheets of Phillo dough
3 Macintosh Apples
4 Granny Smith Apples
2/3 c. Sugar
3 T. cinnamon
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
3 T. Canola or Olive Oil
1 T. Vanilla
Peel and slice up apples (thin). Lay 2 sheets of phillo dough onto a cloth on the counter top. Spread olive oil on with a pastry brush. Be sure to saturate the dough. Lay down the next 2 sheets and do the same, and again with the last 2. Pour apples onto the dough, they should cover all of it but the top 3 inches. Sprinkle sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and nuts onto the apples. Using the cloth to help you, roll apple strudel into a log (starting at the bottom and rolling towards the uncovered top area). Place on a baking sheet and spread the remaining oil onto the top of the roll.
Bake in the oven at 350 for 15 minuets, and spread whatever oil has run onto the pan back onto the strudel. Bake until golden brown on top. Best served immediately, or if making ahead of time, put back into the oven for about 5 minuets so it gets crisp again before serving.
Black Bean and Spinach Enchiladas
Ingredients:
1 pkg. frozen spinach
1 recipe of Slice-able Cashew Cheese (see recipe at end)
3 cans of black beans or 1/2 lb. dried beans cooked in crock pot for 8+ hours
20 small wheat tortillas
1 recipe of Yellow Cheese Sauce (see recipe at end)
Partially thaw spinach in microwave oven (about 1 min) cut into large chunks and place in a food processor with the cashew cheese. Process until it becomes like a spinach dip. Layer beans (a generous amount) and then some of the spinach dip on the tortilla. Roll and place seam side down into a 9 x 13 pan. (you might need a second smaller pan depending on how tight you can fit them in).
Once they’re in the pan, pour the cheese sauce over the enchiladas.
Bake at 400 for about 20 minuets. Serve with salad and yellow rice.
Slice-able Cashew Cheese
2 cups water
3 TBSP agar flakes or 3 tsp of agar powder
1 cup raw cashew nuts
2 TBSP pimentos or 1/2 red bell pepper (only for YELLOW cheese)
1 TBSP lemon juice
1 TBSP nutritional yeast flakes
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1. boil together the agar and water for 1-2 minutes (it thickens, but has not set yet, that happens when it cools). Place in blender with all the remaining ingredients and blend for 1-2 minuets until very smooth.
2. Pour into containers and chill. Slice when firm. (this takes about 1 hour in fridge)
(This cheese does not melt like a milk or soy based cheese might, it does slice and shred, but has a texture similar to ricotta cheese)
Yellow Cheese Sauce:
1/2 cup pimiento
2 TBSP unbleached white flour
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1 cup water
3 TBSP sesame tahini
2 TBSP lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp salt
Blend all ingredients together. Heat until thickened in a small sauce pan on medium heat. Works well as a dip, over pasta for a macaroni and cheese, or in casseroles that call for a cheese topping.
