Tag Archives: biscuits
Simple Stir-Fry
When I find something I like, I stick to it – to the extreme. If I like a certain song, I play it on loop all day, every day until something new comes around to replace it. On Friday nights, my parents and I go to the same restaurant, at the same time and order the same things. Maybe it’s an inherited thing.
The same is true for my eating habits – I might make a few tweaks to my favorite tried-and-true dishes, but for the most part, they revolve around the same basic components. Introducing variety with different spices and add-ins, I can eat this stir-fry, breakfast, lunch and dinner, for weeks at a time.
An added bonus to stir-fries is that it’s just as easy to cook for a crowd as it is to cook for one. There’s not a whole lot of extra effort involved – just chop a little more veggies, and you’re ready to serve up a family-sized meal – and trust me, when they smell it cooking, they’ll be bringing their own bowls.
This stir-fry is a great combination of textures and flavors – crunchy carrots and broccoli, chewy marinated tofu and sweet pineapple come together in a blanket of sweet-salty sauce. You could eat this over brown rice, but it’s substantial enough to stand alone.
The only real “rule” regarding stir-fries is to make sure that you chop everything to roughly the same size. This ensures that everything cooks at the same rate.
My mom has Celiac Disease, so I use gluten-free tamari soy sauce in this recipe. However, if gluten isn’t an issue for you, use whatever you have on hand – soy sauce, teryaki, even your favorite marinade! The world is your oyster.
Simple Stir-Fry
Serves 2
Tofu Marinade:
1/4 cup gluten-free soy sauce
3 tbsp rice wine
3 tbsp pineapple juice
Juice of 1 lime
1-inch ginger, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Stir-Fry:
2 large or 3 small heads of broccoli, chopped
1 medium onion, cut into half-moons
2-3 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup pineapple chunks, drained
4-5 cloves garlic, pressed
7 oz. drained and pressed tofu, cut into bite-size pieces*
Gluten-free soy sauce
Salt & Pepper
*If you have time, consider freezing and thawing the tofu before pressing. The result is a dense, chewy bite of tofu that soaks up more flavors from the marinade.
1. Combine marinade ingredients in a shallow dish. Add tofu, cover and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
2. Coat the bottom of a large frying pan with non-stick spray. Cook the onion and garlic over medium until just soft. .
3. Add broccoli and carrots. Stir-fry until the broccoli is bright green, then add the tofu pieces and pineapple chunks. Pour some of the marinade in and stir to warm the add-ins and sauce through.
4. Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy hot!
Nutrition per Serving: 211 calories, 4g fat, 32g carbohydrates, 13g protein.
Chocolate Zucchini Bread
I began my vegetable garden earlier this year so that I could have access to fresh, hyper-local produce to use in my recipes. In the three months that I’ve maintained the garden, I’ve learned a lot more than just how to grow plants, and I’ve been rewarded with more than just fresh fruits and veggies.
It has been so fascinating seeing the life cycles of some of my favorite foods – even now, I find it hard to imagine that my nearly six-foot corn plants began as seedlings no larger than blades of grass. Watching tiny strawberries materialize from the centers of delicate white flowers feels a bit like taking a sneak-peek into the secret life of nature.
It’s even been a lesson about the critters and bugs involved in creating produce (and the ones that just call my garden a home). When I water my garden at 6:30am, I am greeted by 20 or so baby grasshoppers lounging in my sage plant. With their tiny bodies and long, massive feelers, they are a perfect dose of cuteness to start my day off with.
Now, the potato beetles and tomato-pecking catbirds are not as nice visitors in the garden, but I suppose everyone has their place.
I had a little bit of a scare earlier in the month when two of my four zucchini plants would produce flowers, but no fruit, and led me to believe they were male plants. They were bushy and beautiful with green leaves the size of dinner plates, but let’s be honest – I’m in this for the zukes.
After some research, I resorted to hand-pollinating the big zucchini blossoms with a Q-tip (ooh, flower sex), and that seemed to do the trick. Over the past week, the dark green veggies have been popping up left and right!
Chocolate zucchini bread is one of my all-time favorite uses for this versatile veggie. This vegan version is naturally low in fat, as I’ve swapped the cup of vegetable oil for unsweetened apple sauce, and can be easily changed into a gluten-free treat by using gluten-free flour. Feel free to add chopped walnuts or pecan in yours!
Happy baking!
Chocolate-Zucchini Bread
Serves 16*
3 cups all-purpose or gluten-free flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup smooth, unsweetened applesauce
5 tablespoons ground flax seed + 10 tablespoons water, microwaved for 30 seconds (this creates your flax “egg”)
2/3 cup non-dairy milk (I used So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup vegan chocolate chips
1. Preheat the oven to 350º. Grease two loaf pans well with non-stick spray.
2. Combine the dry ingredients (not including the flax egg) in a large bowl and mix well. Add applesauce and mix with a fork. It’s going to be dry, and that’s okay – just mix as thoroughly as you can.
3. Stir the flax egg and add to the bowl. Mix well.
4. Add milk, shredded zucchini and vanilla. Mix well. Add chocolate chips and stir until a smooth batter forms.
5. Spoon batter into loaf pans and bake for 50-60 minutes.
6. Cut into thick slices and enjoy!
Nutrition per Serving: 278 calories, 6g fat, 54g carbohydrates, 6g protein.
*I made one large loaf and two small loaves from this recipe, so this is mostly an estimate. Each batch is 4,440 calories, 92g fat, 870g carbohydrates and 74g protein, so you may be better off dividing that by your amount of servings.
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Lentil Daal
The lentil. Cheap, versatile and filling, what’s not to love about this little legume? When I found a bag of these in the cupboard, I knew exactly what to do with them – a thick, delicious daal with classic Indian flavors.
Indian cuisine is something I discovered later in life. In fact, I ate my first remotely Indian dish on a Norwegian Cruise Line ship only two years ago and fell in love. But even once I got home, I left the cooking to “the professionals” since, let’s face it, German Jews aren’t exactly known for their world-class curries.
But Indian cuisine doesn’t have to be intimidating or difficult – I’ve found that the most important part is a well-stocked spice rack. The addition of turmeric, curry powder and cumin transform a humble pot of carrots into a warm, comforting stew.
High in protein, folate and fiber, lentils are a great addition to any diet – vegan or otherwise. Plus, since dried lentils don’t have to be soaked overnight like dried beans, you can whip them up whenever the craving hits.
Lentil Daal
Serves 4
2 cups dried green lentils
2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cumin
3 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1. In a large pot, cook onion and garlic with non-stick spray until lightly brown.
2. Add dried lentils, carrot, tomato paste and spices. Cover with 5 cups of hot water.
3. Stirring occasionally, simmer gently until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. The daal should be slightly thick. Serve hot with rice or naan.
Nutrition per Serving: 149 calories, 0g fat, 26g carbohydrates, 11g protein.
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