Asian Salad with Baked Tofu or Chicken

This is a super yummy salad! I was craving chicken but since the b/f is a vegetarian I decided to try and make baked tofu. It turned out amazing!! The marinade and the dressing are pretty much the same ingredients so it's a user friendly salad. I had some sesame Asian dressing in the fridge so I mixed a little in my dressing recipe for fun and it was delish! 

Baked Tofu or Chicken Marinade

• 1 tbs sesame oil
• 2 tbs rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbs soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 tbs agave nectar (optional)

Mix the above ingredients in a shallow dish.

Baked Tofu -Slice the tofu into cubes, dry on paper towels then marinate in the mixture for an hour, flipping the tofu to make sure it is coated. Preheat the oven to 375. Place the tofu in a non-stick pan and bake for 35 minutes. Turn the tofu after 15 minutes. After 35 minutes broil the   tofu one each side until it starts to brown.

Chicken -Cut the chicken into cubes, place in a bowl or zip lock bag with the mixture and marinate for an hour.  Preheat the oven to 375. Place in a non-stick pan and bake for around 20 minutes. 

Salad Fixins
* I usually chop everything up and put it in tupperware so what ever I don't eat I can have ready for the next day. 

• 1 can  mandarin oranges, halved (reserve the juice for the dressing)
• 1 can water chestnuts, halved
• 1 sliced cucumber
• 1 shredded carrots
• 1/2 cabbage, sliced
• chopped romaine lettuce
• chopped cashews or peanuts

Dressing 

• 2 tbs sesame oil
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbs soy sauce
• juice from the mandarin (taste as you add)

Soba Noodles with Kale and Portobello

• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tbs chopped ginger
• 1/4 cup chopped red onions
• 2 kale leaves, remove the stem and chop
• 2 portobello mushrooms, chopped
• 1 cup shelled edamame
• 2 tbs rice wine vinegar
• 3 tbs soy sauce
• 1 tbs sesame oil
• 1 package of soba noodles

Place the portobello mushrooms in a bowl and marinate in 2 tbs of soy sauce. While the mushrooms are marinating, heat a large pan on medium heat with the sesame oil and saute the garlic for 2-3 minutes. Next add the ginger and onions and cook for 2 minutes. Then add the mushrooms with soy sauce and kale cook for 3-5 minutes or until mushrooms start to soften then add in the rice wine vinegar, the rest of the soy sauce and edamame. Cover and cook on low heat. Cook the soba noodles then add to the shroom, kale mixture.

Makes 2-4 servings. 

Tomato Curry Soup

• 1 14 oz can of coconut milk
• 1 28 oz can of roma tomatoes, chopped
• 8 large basil leaves, chopped
• 2 1/2 to 3 tbs red curry paste
• 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 2 clove garlic, chopped
• 2 tbs coconut oil

Heat the oil in a large pot and saute the garlic for for 2-3 minutes, reduce heat to low and add the basil. Place the curry paste and 1/2 cup of coconut milk in a small bowl and whisk until all clumps are out. Pour all of the coconut milk and the curry powder in the pot and cook on low heat for 10 minutes. Add the can of tomatoes with the juice and keep the heat on med/low and cook for another 10 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy! 

Makes 3-4 servings

Farmer's Market Gazpacho

One of the best parts about summer is all of the fresh produce at the farmer's markets. I make a stop every Tuesday at the market to stock up on local fruits and veggies. The past few weeks there has been some good looking heirloom tomatoes and pretty bell peppers so I decided I should make some gazpacho. Gazpacho is one of those cold dishes for everyone since it's easy to make, vegan friendly, raw and good for you. This tasty soup is a great entree or appetizer and the best part is it makes great leftovers. The longer you let the soup sit in the fridge the better it tastes. If you want to spice it up just add red pepper flakes and it you want to make it a little fancier top it with lump crab meat. Make it your own and enjoy!!! 

Ingredients
1 large or 2 small, cucumbers, ends cut off and deseeded
3 bell peppers- 2 red and 1 green or yellow, seeds removed
4 garlic cloves
1 small red onion
1/2 cup loosely packed Italian flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro
3-4  large heirloom tomatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs), core removed

Pulse all of the above ingredients in a food processor one vegetable at a time then place into a large bowl.

Season the gazpacho with S&P and 2 tbs of good quality olive oil and mix well. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight for maximum flavor.

* It is up to you how chunky you want your soup to be but I like to pulse half the peppers & cucumbers to where they are kinda chunky then pulse the rest down as small as they can get. 

* Add red pepper flakes to spice it up.

My Flavor of the Month Salads

Beet & Orange Salad w/Avocado Creamy Dressing

(Makes 3-4 Servings)

Salad Fixins:

2 to 3 Large Beets - boiled, peeled & sliced
1 Navel Orange - peeled & cubed

Macadamia Nuts 

2-4 cups of Mixed Greens or Spinach

Place all salad fixins on a plate then top with dressing.

Dressing: 

1 Avocado, peeled and remove seed

3 tbs of Orange Juice 

1/2 Lime Squeezed

Dash of Olive Oil

Place all of the dressing ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. 

*If you dont have orange juice use  (save the peels with little pieces of orange left to juice for dressing)

Orange, Carrot & Pepper Salad

(Makes 3-4 Servings)

Salad Fixins:

2 Bell Peppers (1 Orange, 1 Yellow), cut in thick strips

5-6 Carrots Peeled

1 Navel Orange - peeled & cubed

2- 4 cups of Mixed Greens or Spinach 

Goat Cheese

Toasted Almonds

Dressing:

Red wine vinegar & touch of walnut, sunflower or olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350. Place the carrots and bell peppers in a baking dish and toss with a little sunflower, walnut or olive oil and bake for 15+ minutes or until carrots are tender. Remove and let cool.

Place the lettuce and orange on a plate, top with carrots and peppers and top with crumbled goat cheese and almonds.

*This tastes great even without the lettuce

Both recipes adapted from http://www.wholeliving.com/173430/eat-rainbow