GRILLED TOFU & ASPARAGUS + GINGER CAULIFLOWER RICE
Ingredients
- glug of dark sesame oil
- 1 block (14 oz) firm or extra-firm tofu, drained & cut into 1 1/2 squares
- 1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed
- 4 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- 1 package cauliflower rice or 1 large cauliflower, grated
- 1 inch piece ginger, finely grated or minced
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- mineral salt, to taste
- lemons sliced, to serve
Place the grill/griddle over the front and back burner. Heat the grill over medium – medium high heat. Using a silicon brush, coat the entire surface well with sesame oil.
In a small bowl, mix together the tamari/soy sauce and sesame seeds, set aside.
Add tofu squares to half of the grill and the asparagus to the other (I put the tofu towards the front and the asparagus to the back). Cook 5 – 7 minutes. Spoon the marinade over top the tofu, just enough to give it color. Add
a little over the asparagus as well. Carefully flip the tofu and cook another 5 – 7 minutes, until golden brown on both sides. Rotate the asparagus as needed to cook evenly. Once complete turn off the heat. Add a few slices of lemon to grill to give it a grilled
look, it warms the lemon and makes the juices taste delicious!
Heat a large pan or skillet over medium, add cauliflower, minced ginger, garlic powder and a pinch of mineral salt. Mix and stir until just tender, about 5 minutes.
Serve with a little squeezed lemon and a few extra toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Notes:
Grate your own cauliflower: Using the large holes of a cheese/box grater, grate cauliflower. Pat ‘cauliflower rice’ with paper towels to remove any excess moisture.
I never press my tofu, I only blot it dry. The heat from the grill will remove most of the moisture making pressing unnecessary.
"Deb Approved" recipes
Spicy Lentil & Quinoa Wraps with Spicy Tahini Sauce
Lentil & Quinoa Mix
- 3/4 cup red lentils, sorted and rinsed
- 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 2 1/2 cups water, + more as needed
- 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil, optional
- 2 heaping teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon pink salt, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 scallion, sliced
Spicy Tahini Sauce
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1/2 cup water, + more as needed
- juice of 1/2 lemon or 1 tablespoon
- pinch of pink salt
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
to serve
- shredded cabbage or micro greens
- lavash bread or corn tortillas (flour tortillas work too)
- chili paste or sriracha (may fav chili paste)
- sliced avocado, for tacos (optional)
In a medium sauce pan, bring water, lentils, quinoa and oil to a boil, reduce heat to low, add in cumin, garlic & onion powder, salt and optional red pepper flakes, stir to combine, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from
heat, add in chopped parsley and scallions, let rest for 10 minutes. If you feel it’s too dry, add a couple tablespoons of water. Mixture should be creamy, not dry. Add extra spices to taste.
While lentil & quinoa mix is cooking, combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.
For the wrap, lay your lavash bread on a flat surface. Spread a tablespoon or so of chili paste about 1 1/2 inches from the edge on the first 1/3 portion from top to bottom, leaving an inch on both ends. Layer with about 1/4 cup
lentil & quinoa mix and cabbage, fold over and roll. Slice in half and serve with a drizzle of tahini sauce on each bite.
For tacos, warm your tortillas, layer with lentil & quinoa mix, micro greens or cabbage, add chili paste and tahini dressing to taste and sliced avocado.
Notes:
Feel free to use all cabbage, or any greens that you like. I have used micro greens here because I had them on hand and for variation.
Lentil & quinoa mix makes about 3 cups. Refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for longer.
Tahini sauce makes about 3/4 cup. Store in refrigerator for up to a week. Great on salads, steamed or roasted vegetables too! If you prefer it to be thicker, use less water.
If you don’t have quinoa available you can still pull this together using all lentils. 1 cup lentils to 2 1/4 cups water. If using brown/green lentils, cook at least 40-45 minutes.
"Deb Approved" recipes
SMOKY LENTIL & QUINOA SOUP
Ingredients
- 1 cup lentils (french, beluga or green/brown)
- 1/2 cup quinoa
- 2 large carrots, diced 1/4″
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons grapeseed or olive oil or 1/4 cup water for water saute
- 1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes (I used fire roasted) or 2 fresh tomatoes, diced
- 6-7 cups vegetable broth or water
- 2 – 3 bay leafs
- 2 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika (if using hot use 1 teaspoon or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon fresh
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- mineral salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- chopped parsley for garnish, optional
Rinse your lentils well and pick through removing any oddly shaped or colored lentils. Rinse quinoa using a fine mesh strainer to remove any powdery residue.
In a large pot/dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, carrots and garlic, saute for 5 minutes, until onions are tender. Add smoked paprika, cumin, thyme and nutmeg, cook until fragrant, about 1 –
2 minutes. Add in tomatoes, broth, lentils, quinoa, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally and tasting for flavor as you go. Once done, remove from heat, add balsamic vinegar and stir.
Remove bay leaves before serving.
Spoon soup into serving dishes and top with optional chopped parsley. Pairs great with avocado toast!
You may like to serve this with some fresh homemade naan bread, like this one from
Vegan Richa or this gluten free one from
Golubka Kitchen
Soup serves 4 – 6
Notes:
Feel free to add 1 cup of quinoa instead of 1/2 cup. Just be sure to add the full 7 cups of liquids when cooking, adding more at the end if needed. You can also try using 1 1/2 cup lentils and 1/2 cup quinoa if you like.
For me, using a good vegetable broth in this soup was key to flavor. I used 4 cups of broth and 2 1/2 cups water.
Use 2 teaspoons of thyme if you don’t have any dried basil on hand.
If you’re a tomato lover, try using 1 can (28 oz) of diced tomatoes or 3-4 fresh tomatoes.
If you feel the soup is on the sweet side, add the juice of one lemon to cut the sweetness.
Enjoy!
"Deb Approved" recipes
Curried Chickpea Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked or 2 cans (15 oz.) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
- 2 – 3 carrots (about 1 cup), diced
- 4 – 5 scallions/green onions (about 1 cup), sliced
- 1/2 cup raisins, dried currants or chopped dates
- 1/2 cup raw or toasted cashews
- 1/2 – 2/3 cup thinned hummus or tahini, vegan mayo would work too (see notes)
- juice of one lemon
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- mineral salt & cracked pepper to taste
In a small bowl, combine hummus with lemon juice, curry & garlic powder and a generous pinch of salt. Blend until combined. Set aside. (If adding vinegar or maple syrup as per the notes below, add to the hummus at this time.)
In a medium mixing bowl, add chickpeas and roughly mash about 1/2 of the beans with the back of a sturdy fork or potato masher. Add in the carrots, scallions, raisins, cashews and hummus, mix well to combine. Taste for flavor adding
mineral salt and cracked pepper to taste.
Serve as is, with sliced red bell peppers as scoopers, on a bed of leafy greens, with crackers or made into a
Chickpea Curry Sandwich with bread of choice.
Serves 4-6.
Notes:
I love the sweetness that the dried fruit gives and could use up to 3/4 cup so each bite has a little sweetness to it. Feel free to add extra raisins, currants or dates.
If your hummus is on the thick side, thin it out with water until desired thinness. Using a small bowl add a couple rounded tablespoons of hummus with 1 tablespoon of water. Adding more of each as you go until you have a thinner
hummus. Do the same if using tahini. Feel free to use more for a super creamy salad. If your measuring by tablespoons: 8 tablespoons = 1/2 cup and about 11 tablespoons = 2/3 cups (technically 10T + 2t).
You can try tweaking this recipe by adding a tablespoon or so of apple cider or white wine vinegar to the wet mixture. It will give it a slight tang. You may also like to try adding a tablespoon of pure maple syrup or other liquid
sweetener of choice to add a little sweetness all around. Adjust curry, adding more or less, to suit your taste.
Try replacing the carrots with diced red bell peppers for color variation.
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