Asian Pasta with Sesame Tofu and Exciting News!

Hello all! 

Been a bit since I've visited the old blog, but things got crazy in my life yet again.  Moved back up to the Cleveland area and in the process of selling my old house and trying to find a new one and also, I am now a mama-to-be and my husband and I are expecting our first child at the end of August!  So lots of exciting changes and a lot of work to be done. 

That being said, I am going to try to devote more time to cooking.  I've gotten tired or eating pre-made meals from the local Mustard Seed or lazy dinners.  We are currently staying with my parents while our house sells and that has created many cooking challenges, as I have little room for storage of groceries and cooking supplies, but I am determined to work through the challenges and make some tasty meals once again.  I've ordered The Vegan Pregnancy Cookbook and Raw Food in Pregnancy for some meal inspiration and planning a super shopping trip tomorrow for supplies.  It has begun!

Today was a "what can I make with that I have lying around..." kind of day.  It started out as a lazy stir-fry meal, but turned into something magical.  This recipe is gluten free, vegan, and has tons of protein.  Behold!


Asian Pasta with Sesame Tofu
 Serves 2-4.  Cook time: 40 minutes (if you're a good multi-tasker)

Asian Pasta with Sesame Tofu  
(Pardon the crappy phone photography.  Have to drag out the ol' camera rig here soon.)

Ingredients: (I will link some of the gluten free brands I used, but feel free to choose your own.)
2 Blocks Extra Firm Tofu (drained and pressed)
1 pkg Explore Asia | Edamame and Mung Bean Spaghetti(organic)
2 T sesame seeds
3 T Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 T Coconut Secret Coconut Aminos
3 T Rice Vinegar
6 T Bragg Liquid Aminos
2 t Sky Valley Sweet Chili Sauce
1 t Sesame Oil
1/4 c Organic Cane Sugar
1 bag frozen veggies of your choice, steamed or thawed (I used 365 Organic California Blend)


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and put a pot of water (approx. 8 cups or more) on the stove for the noodles and bring to a boil.  While the water is getting hot, drain and press your 2 blocks of tofu and cut into cubes. 

In a large baking dish, place the tofu and drizzle with the olive oil and coconut aminos (if you are not gluten free, soy sauce will work in place of the coconut and Bragg aminos) and mix until lightly coated.  Place in the oven for 30 minutes, stirring halfway.  Once the 30 minutes are up, add 1 T sesame seeds and place in the oven for another 10 minutes.  Flip the tofu and add the remaining 1 T sesame seeds and cook for an additional 10 minutes or longer depending on how you like your tofu. 

While the tofu is cooking, cook the edamame and mung bean spaghetti according to package (7 minutes worked beautifully for me). 

In a large bowl, combine rice vinegar, liquid aminos, sweet chili sauce, sesame oil, and cane sugar. 

Once noodles and tofu are done, combine with the sauce.  You can chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or overnight if you prefer a cold dish, or serve warm. 




 

Times, they are a changin'

Times, they are a changin'

It is true... I am alive and after almost 3 years, I have returned.  Some things have changed in my life and some haven't.  Let's break them down for you. 

Things that haven't changed:

• Still vegan (as if that were ever any question)
• Still have a wonderfully vegan hubby

Things that have changed:

• Location, Location, Location!
       I started my vegan journey with a many changes in my life.  I had just moved to Florida away from family and friends and was on a journey of discovery of self.  Becoming a vegan was the first step into finding my true self.  I loved all the experiences I had in Florida and met some great new friends, but fate brought us back to our home state of Ohio closer to family, so we landed in Central Ohio for the last three years.  Guess I kept my previous posts rather impersonal. 
• Gluten-Free AND vegan?
      In trying to find answers to health issues that partially sent me to Florida in the first place, I thought I'd give a new doctor a go recently that is both a MD and specializes in alternative medicine.  We're still unsure of the cause of my pain, but they also diagnosed me with celiac disease and it seems there's no getting around it, despite it's lack of effect on my pain.  So, expect many failed attempts at gluten free and vegan cooking to come, but hopefully I'll get the hang of it.  I've come a long way from my first posts with vegan cooking and this is just another adventure. 
• Personality?  You have one of those?
      I started this blog much like I started all my endeavors, trying to keep a professional attitude and tone and hiding who it is I truly was.  Maybe I was ashamed, didn't want anyone to dislike my posts because of who I was behind the blog.  Another big step on this "find yourself" journey was taking teacher training to become a yoga instructor. I went to learn to help keep myself and others' bodies feeling great, but I left with a completely new view of myself and life. 
• Fit & Healthy Yogi & more!
      As you just read (if you're reading all these crazy bullet points), I took myself on the path to become a yogi and I am now a 200 hr RYT certified yoga instructor.  I love exercising, I truly do.  I just wish I had more time in the day!  We all have that struggle in a busy world, but we have to find ways to fit it in. I hope to start to incorporate more yoga and fitness here, maybe even some videos if I can get rid of my fear of being in front of the camera.   Your body is your temple: worship it!
• I love anime! ... and manga!  ...and comics!
      One of the things that brought me back to self is a return to comics.  I no longer knew who I was at all when I moved back to Ohio.  I had taken a path towards a lifelong dream of photography while I was in Florida, but when I moved back, it just didn't feel right anymore.  I lost all passion for it for years.  A few friends had brought me back to talking about comics.  I had loved Batman since I watched Batman: The Animated Series as a kid and my cousin Dave would buy me comics every week.  So, I gave it a shot and my inner self went soaring!  I was lacking imagination in my life, lacking fantasy, lacking... fun.  Shortly after a friend introduced me to the Bleach anime and I fell even further.  Now you could say I am anime/manga/comics addict and I can't get enough.  I have never felt so whole since I started enjoying these things, enjoying myself, my imagination, my inner child, my inner artist.
• Writing, and Art, and Photography - Oh my!
      All of the journeys above have let me back to one place - art of all forms.  Even when photography was a career, I never quite grasped it as an art form.  Coming back to the above mentioned comics, I began to write again.  I wrote a comic.  Still working on finding an artist, which my procrastination and lack of funds has inhibited for the last year, but I was proud.  In all the years I have tried to write creatively, I hid it away from the world- it was never good enough.  I still struggle with that with other projects I am currently working on, but with my comic, I am proud.  It felt right.  Along the way I also tried to draw, something I told myself I was terrible at since the eighth grade or maybe even before that.  Guess what?  It wasn't too bad.  I am no Jim Lee or Masashi Kishimoto, but I am slowly progressing and I really enjoy it.  That is what matters - loving what you do.  Photography, I am working on a slow road to recovery to regain my appreciation and love of the craft, but, again, that is the journey.

So what now?? 

With all these changes, I feel as if I should start a new blog.  A blog with a new name for my new identity, my true self; a blog that will encompass more of or all the things I have mentioned above that will no longer be run by a drone.  This is where you come in: I need help with a name and a new place to host my blog that encourages conversation.  I may keep my art blog separate (I occasionally post on a Tumblr at britnolli.tumblr.com) and leave the new blog for food & fitness.  What are your thoughts?  I'd love to hear from you in the comments or contact me on Twitter @RockinVegan.  Hope to hear from you.  I missed you all!

Product Review: Engine 2 Plant-Strong cereal

I was wandering the aisles at Whole Foods and came across this cereal and had to try it! I am familiar with the Engine 2 vegan based diet, so I figured the cereal would be a good breakfast! By the time it took to take the picture (I took 2), the cereal was soggy. Maybe it's because I am used to the processed cereals of my past, but that just seemed fast. I used sweetened vanilla almond milk, and even with that it seemed very plain. I'm not a sugary breakfast cereal kind of person, but even with the berries, walnuts, granola, and shredded wheat; it had little flavor. I went to cereal for something different, but I think I'll stick to my oatmeal, cinnamon, and a touch of almond milk from now on. It's tasty and economical.

Baked Black Bean & Tofu Tacos

Ingredients:
15oz can black beans
1 block extra firm tofu
taco seasoning (recipe for homemade seasoning below)
medium salsa
romaine lettuce
tortillas



Taco Seasoning:
1T Chilli Powder
½T Cumin
½t Paprika
½t Garlic Powder
½t Onion Powder
½t Oregano
½t Red Pepper Flakes
½t Natural Iodized Sea Salt
½t Fresh Ground Pepper (I just eyeballed it with a pepper grinder)

Preheat oven to 400° F. Drain, press, and crumble tofu and put in 8x8" baking dish.  Drain and rinse can black beans and pour over tofu.  Sprinkle taco seasoning of choice over beans and tofu to taste (about ¼c or all of the mixture above).  Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15.  You can warm up the tortillas in the oven for the last 5 minutes on a baking sheet.

Add black bean & tofu mixture to tortilla with salsa and lettuce and eat!

Tofu Baked Ziti

This is a different recipe than previously posted.  This recipe is one I made up on the fly using what little ingredients I had and a few borrowed in a borrowed kitchen.  

1lb uncooked brown rice pasta
1 block extra firm tofu
1T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3T Nutritional Yeast
1t Garlic Powder
1t Onion Powder
1t Italian Seasoning
½t Finely Ground Sea Salt
¼ Fresh Ground Pepper
2-3c Pasta or Marinara sauce

Cook brown rice pasta to package directions.  Preheat oven to 375° F.

Drain and press tofu and crumble into a medium bowl. Massage olive oil into tofu.  Add spices and mix well. Once pasta is cooked and cooled, add ½c pasta sauce to the bottom of a 8x8 baking dish.  Add a layer of pasta, then a layer of the tofu mix, then another layer using ½c sauce. Repeat until dish is full adding extra sauce on top to make sure everything is covered.  Bake for 30 minutes.

Sorry no photo - hubby and I gobbled it up!

Crock Pot Sweet Black Bean Chili

Crock Pot Sweet Black Bean Chili

Ingredients:
2c black beans (soaked overnight.  3/4c dry)
½ Red Onion, chopped
½ Jalapeno, seeded and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1¼ c Organic Vegetable Broth
1c water
1 bay leaf
½T Dark Chili Powder
½t Cayenne Pepper
½t Cinnamon
¼t Cumin
½T Raw Sugar

Directions:
Saute onion, jalepeno, and garlic in ½ T olive oil for 3-5min on medium-low.

Add black beans, vegetable broth, water, onion, jalapeno, garlic, and spices to the crock pot. 

Cook in your crock pot for 8 hours on low. (I cooked 6 hrs with with the last hour on high to speed it up.  Seemed to work out OK.)

Makes 2 servings.  Double or Quadruple for larger batch. 


Forgot to take a photo and just ate it right up!  I ate mine over some brown rice pasta.   I'd say it turned out pretty well for just winging it.  Next time I'm going to try to cook the beans right in the pot without presoaking per advice from The Vegan's Husband. 

The many variaions of the Tofu Scramble: Spicy Spinach Tofu Scramble

Spicy Spinach Tofu Scramble

I have made the tofu scramble before (on MANY occasions actually) but I've always eaten it the same way.  Today I decided to mix it up a bit. 

Ingredients:
1.5 Tbsp Earth Balance
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 block firm tofu, crumbled
1 Tbsp soy sauce
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
1 tsp turmeric 
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
½ c chopped fresh spinach (I just used two handfuls)
1 c Mild Organic Salsa


Put the Earth Balance and garlic into the frying pan on medium and cook for 3 minutes.  Mix in tofu, soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, turmeric, and nutritional yeast and cook until tofu is yellow, firm, and turns into brown little balls.  Once Tofu is close to your desired consistency, add chopped spinach and cook for another few minutes until spinach shrivels and the salsa is warm.

You an serve this multiple ways - I ate it with home made hash browns and topped with salsa and hubby made a burrito with a tortilla, hash browns, and the scramble. Yum!