Tea Soaked Soy Curls with Ginger Plum Sauce

Butler Foods Soy Curls
Black tea
Onion
Garlic
Ginger
Plum Sauce
Soy sauce (or tamari or liquid aminos)
Rice vinegar
Sesame oil
Cabbage
Carrots
Brown rice

Steep one teabag in a bowl of boiling water. After a few minutes, add about 3/4 cup of soy curls and let them soak, along with the teabag, for at least 10 minutes. While the soy curls are soaking, slice the onion in strips and saute in sesame oil over medium heat. After a few minutes, add about a Tbsp of grated ginger, 2 cloves of minced garlic, and the soy curls (after strained through a sieve). Add in about 1 Tbsp of plum sauce, a few dashes of soy sauce and vinegar and about 2 cups of chopped cabbage and carrots (I used pre-bagged coleslaw mix). Cook a few more minutes until heated through. Serve over rice.

White Bean Chili

white beans
yellow bell pepper
onion
oregano
white wine or vegetable broth
garlic
smoked sea salt
cayenne pepper
salt and pepper

Saute a minced onion in olive oil. Add a chopped bell pepper and let it all get soft. Add two cloves of garlic and some black pepper and cook for about a minute, while stirring.  Add a can of white beans, well rinsed. Add about half a cup of liquid - either broth or wine. Add in the remaining ingredients, to taste, and simmer until the beans have created a thick liquid around themselves. Serve with sliced avocado. I also served this with a side of steamed green beans, topped with peach salsa from Trader Joe's.

Sweet Potato Fries with Sriracha Mayo

sweet potatoes
corn starch
olive oil
vegan mayonnaise
sriracha

Cut up a few sweet potatoes into the size you want. Put them in a bowl and sprinkle a little cornstarch on them. Make sure all of the fries are coated and then drizzle olive oil and mix to coat. Spread the fries on a cookie sheet and bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes. Flip the fries and bake for a few minutes longer until they are the right amount of crispiness. Mix vegan mayo with sriracha, to taste.

Blueberry Corn Salsa

blueberries
corn
shallot or red onion
olive oil
fresh basil
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
portobello mushrooms

Blanch 2 ears of corn (or put them on a plate in the microwave covered with a wet paper towel for 3 minutes).  Cut the corn off of the cob.  Mix in an equal amount of blueberries, one diced shallot, 6 chopped basil leaves and one tablespoon each of the oil and vinegar.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  This is best if you let it marinate in the refrigerator for a while but you can use it right away if you're in a hurry.  You can serve this over a variety of things but my favorite is to grill portobello mushrooms with the stems removed and then spoon the salsa into the mushroom caps.

Lentil Coconut Curry

red lentils
tomatoes
coconut milk
onion
olive oil
garam masala
ginger
garlic
brown basmati rice
salt and pepper

Dice and saute the onion in olive oil until soft over medium heat.  Add one cup of rinsed lentils and cook for about a minute. Add a can of stewed tomatoes (or tomato sauce) and a can of coconut milk.  Add garam masala, garlic and ginger to taste. Turn heat to low and let it simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until lentils are soft. Meanwhile, cook one cup of rice. When the lentils are cooked and the sauce thickens, add salt and pepper and serve over rice. This is how I make it for my little daughter but if you prefer it spicy, add cayenne at the end of cooking.

Raspberry Smoothie

frozen raspberries
ripe banana
chia seeds
water

Add the banana, about a cup and a half of raspberries and a Tbsp of chia seeds to the blender.  Add cold water as needed for desired consistency and blend.

Chipotle Lime Pineapple Tofu

pineapple, sliced
mushrooms
red and orange bell peppers
yellow onion
extra firm tofu
brown rice
pineapple juice
smoked Tabasco
honey
lime
ginger
garlic
vegan mayonnaise

Combine 1/3 cup of the pineapple juice, juice of half the lime, 1 tsp grated ginger, 2 tsp honey and several dashes of smoked Tabasco in a shallow dish. Cut the tofu into cubes and soak in the pineapple juice mixture while you do the rest of the prep. Start cooking the rice. Slice the mushrooms and cut the onion and peppers into large pieces. Combine 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise with juice from the other half of the lime, 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 Tbsp honey,  1 clove minced garlic  and several dashes of smoked Tabasco, to taste. Assemble all items on a foil-lined broiler pan and brush with the chipotle lime mayonnaise. Broil for five minutes and then turn the pieces over with tongs, brush with more sauce and broil for another few minutes until all items are nicely browned. Serve over brown rice and top with juice from tofu marinade.