Squash Pad Thai

Ingredients
6 oz extra firm tofu
16 oz frozen stir fry vegetables
1 spaghetti squash

Sauce
3 tablespoons warm water
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoon peanut butter
1 tablespoon sriracha
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ginger powder

Topping
20g dry roasted peanuts

Directions

Prepare the spaghetti squash by first cutting it in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds from the middle. Wrap each half in pastic wrap, and microwave for 15 minutes. Remove from microwave and allow to cool before handling. Use a fork or spoon to pull the strands from the sqaush's skin. Set aside in a bowl.

Preheat a non-stick pan. Press the tofu to remove moisture. Cut into cubes. Fry tofu cubes on pan until golden brown on the outside, turning occasionally.

Thaw veggies according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, prepare the peanut sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together water, soy sauce, peanut butter, sriracha, garlic powder, and ginger powder. Taste, and add more hot sauce, to taste.

Combine warm squash with peanut sauce until evenly coated. Combine "pasta" mixture with veggies and tofu. Top with chopped peanuts and serve.

Nutrition
makes 2 servings
490 calories  |  25g fat  |  36g  carbs  |  28g protein

Tofu Pot Pies

Ingredients
Filling
6oz extra firm tofu, pressed and cubed
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon dried basil
chopped fresh chives
sea salt and black pepper

Crust
3/4 cups unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon olive oil
sea salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Preheat a non-stick pan for the tofu. Add tofu cubes to hot pan, and fry until golden and crispy on the outside. Stir occasionally to cook all sides of cubes.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling. First add 2 tbsp the vegetable broth to a large saucepan over medium heat, then add onion, garlic, carrot, celery, and a pinch of salt – stir. Cook until soft and onions are clear (about 7 minutes).

Add the cornstarch and stir with a whisk, then slowly whisk in the rest of the broth. Add almond milk, cooked tofu cubes, spices and stir. Simmer until the mixture is thickened (about 10 minutes). If it still appears too thin/thick, you may need to add more almond milk or cornstarch. Wait a few minutes, then repeat if necessary.

While the sauce is thickening, prepare crusts. Cut olive oil into mixture of flour, salt, and baking powder, until a crumbly meal forms. Then one tablespoon at a time, stir in almond milk. Roll out flat. Cut out circles (or shapes large enough to cover the tops of your ramekins), about 1 inch larger than your ramekins, leave unbaked, and set aside.

Once the sauce is thickened, add the frozen vegetables and cook for 4-5 more minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt and pepper if needed. Divide the mixture evenly between 2 lightly greased ramekins. Top with crusts, tucking the extra edge into the ramekin and pressing the edge to seal it. Set your ramekins on a baking sheet to catch overflow and bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly (about 14-17 minutes). Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition
makes 2 medium pies + 2 small pies
1060 calories (for entire recipe)

Waffles and Jam

Ingredients
1 cup white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons ground flax + 4 tablespoons water)
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cup almond milk

serve with: grape jam

Directions
Mix flax egg, chill in fridge for a few minutes, until thickened.

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients. Combine.

Spray waffle iron with non-stick spray, heat to medium. Pour 3/4 cups batter into iron. Allow to cook for about 6 minutes, until waffle iron stops steaming.

Top waffle with jam and serve hot.

Nutrition
makes 4 waffles

The Bee's Knees

Ingredients
Simple Syrup
1/2 cup cane sugar
1/2 water
1 tablespoon lavender

Cocktail
1 oz lavender simple syrup
1.5 oz gin
1/2 lemon
4 oz ginger ale

Directions
To make lavender simple syrup: Combine sugar and water in saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce temperature to simmer mixture for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and pour syrup water into a large coffee mug. Place loose lavender into a steeping bag (like what you'd use to make loose tea), and steep lavender in hot syrup for 10 minutes. Remove lavender and chill syrup in a sealed container.

To prepare cocktail: In a shaker, combine chilled lavender simple syrup, gin, squeezed lemon, and about 1 oz ginger ale. Shake. Pour over ice. Add a bit more ginger ale, and garnish with a few lavender petals.

Grilled Seitan Skewers

Ingredients

Seitan
2/3 cups vital wheat gluten
1 tablespoons italian bread crumbs
1/2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 cup hot water
1 teaspoon vegetable base
1/4 cup black beans
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Salt to Taste
2 cups vegetable broth
1 tablespoons soy sauce

Skewers
8oz white mushrooms
1 small zuchini
1 small yellow squash
1 medium onion
brocoli stem
BBQ sauce

Directions
To make the seitan: Mix the dry seitan ingredients together in a larger bowl.

Place hot water, bouillon, beans, soy sauce, and black pepper into a blender and puree until smooth. Add salt to taste. Add the wet mixture to the dry mix and stir together until there is no loose flour. Then knead for 2-3 minutes. Cut into 16 pieces and set aside.

Place the broth and liquid aminos into a large pot and bring to a boil. Add the seitan to pot and lower to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 45-50 minutes, stirring them around ever 15 minutes or so to make sure they’re not sticking together.

The seitan is done when the pieces are fairly firm (not squishy) when you poke them.
Scoop the pieces out with a slotted spoon and place them on a plate to cool for 3 minutes before chopping into 1.5″x1.5″ (roughly) pieces.

To Grill: Heat grill to somewhere around 350-375F. For each skewer, use one piece of each vegetable with 3 pieces of seitan to assemble. The pattern doesn’t really matter. Coat skewers with BBQ sauce. Spray down your grill with non-stick spray or cooking oil, this is essential or else the seitan will stick to the grill and be a huge pain. Grill the skewers for 5-9 minutes on each side, or until there are blackened grill marks on the veggies and seitan. Add some more BBQ sauce, and you're ready to go.

Baked Oatmeal Bars

Ingredients
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup kamut puffs cereal
1 banana
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed (+1/4 cup water)
2 tablespoons agave nectar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
pinch salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. Mix flaxseed and water to make flax egg. Set aside for 5 minutes.

Mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl. Mix wet (including flax egg) into another bowl. Add wet to dry and mix well.

Grease a muffin tin and spoon batter into each cup. Bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes.

Nutrition
makes 7 oatmeal bars
204 calories  |  6g fat  |  30g carbs  |  6g protein

Easy French Toast

Ingredients
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
1 tablespoon stevia
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 slices of bread
non-stick spray

Directions
Mix all ingredients except the bread in a large, shallow bowl. Place in the fridge to activate for 10-20 minutes.

Preheat griddle to medium heat. Dip each slice of bread in the batter for about 20 seconds on each side. Use a fork to poke holes in the bread and allow bread to soak up extra batter.

Spray pan with non-stick. Place bread on griddle and cook until golden brown on the underside, about 3 minutes. Carfully flip, and allow to cook for another 3 minutes. If toast is still soft, flip and cook for an additional 2 minutes, until crispy and browned.

Adapted From
http://minimalistbaker.com/basic-vegan-french-toast/

Nutrition
makes 6 slices