Vegan Kale Pesto

Vegan Kale Pesto Recipe:

• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 1/2 cup pistachios
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup kale leaves 
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast 
• salt & pepper to taste

Instant Pot One-Pot-Pasta

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 zucchini, sliced into thick chunks 1 small onion, sliced
• 1 small shallot, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 12 white mushrooms, sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon sherry wine
• 3 cups vegetable broth (or combination of broth and water) 2 tablespoons tamari
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce (optional) 1 pound whole grain penne pasta (or gluten free pasta of your choice)
• 1 (5.5 ounce) can tomato paste salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:

1. Switch Instant Pot to Sauté Mode. When hot, put in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add zucchini, a sprinkle salt and brown for a few minutes. Remove from pot and set aside.
2. Add I more tablespoon of olive oil, throw in onion, shallot and garlic and sauté for a few minutes.
3. Add mushrooms. Mix in oregano and basil. Stir and cook for a few minutes.
4. Deglaze the pot with sherry wine, add broth, tamari, fish sauce (if used).
5. Pour in (dry, uncooked) pasta, stir in tomato paste. Make sure pasta is submerged in the sauce completely. If not, add more water.
6. Close the lid. Switch Instant Pot to Manual Mode and cook for 4 minutes at high pressure. When 4 minutes is up, wait 5 minutes and use the quick release method to de-pressurize.
7. Open the lid. If the pasta is too al dente, close the lid and leave it in the pot for a few extra minutes.
8. Stir in zucchini. Season with salt and pepper.

BUY AN INSTANT POT HERE

A Summer Dinner

What are you eating in this heat?

Here is my simple summer dinner - boiled corn, sauted broccoli rabe, cold soba noodles (100% gluten free buckwheat noodles) and no-cook tofu avocado salad.

The beauty of this dinner is I used the same dressing for the soba noodles and tofu salad. I sprinkled sesame seeds and furikake after I tossed in the dressing. Super coolicious!

Here is the recipe for the dressing:

• 3 Tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 Tablespoons tamari
• 1 Tablespoon mirin
• 1 Tablespoon brown rice vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon maple syrup

Forbidden Rice Salad

I always have 1 or 2 protein dishes and whole grains in the fridge so weeknight cooking means only making veggies, which takes from 5-15 minutes!

Here is a really easy way to use up your cooked rice. I would add in defrosted shelled edamame, grated carrots, leftover grilled veggies or any boxed baby arugula or spinach I have on hand.  I put together a simple vinaigrette - 2 parts sesame oil, 2 parts vinegar (red wine or rice vinegar), 1 part maple syrup with a sprinkle of salt. Mix it all up, throw in some pistachios or chopped cashews and serve!

Clean-out-the-fridge lentil soup

I cooked a big pot of green lentils, made a delicious salad out of it but was kind of bored eating it as a salad again the next day. So I thought soup and found a perfect clean-out-your-fridge type recipe from Kitchn!  I simplified the recipe and improvised based on the veggie scraps I had in the fridge at the time. You really can't go wrong with it!

Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2-inch to 1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups cooked green lentils*
• Chopped vegetables (cauliflower, carrots, broccoli, leafy greens, etc.)
• 4 to 6 cups chicken stock, vegetable stock or water
• 1 (28oz.) can crushed tomatoes

Method:

1. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil and saute onion for a few minutes. Add garlic, cumin, turmeric, salt and pepper. Stir to coat.
2. Add ginger, pepper flakes, bay leaves, lentils.
3. Add hard or medium vegetables like carrots, celery, cauliflower, broccoli florets or squash. Pour in crushed tomatoes and stock. Depending on the amount of cooked lentils and veggies you have on hand, adjust the amount of liquid so it's enough to cover the lentils and veggies. Raise the heat to bring to a boil, then lower to medium-low heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
4. Add leafy greens if desired. If soup needs more liquid, stir in more stock. (It should look like thick soup, but not like a chili.) Add a splash of vinegar, salt, pepper and any additional seasoing to taste. Discard bay leaves. Garnish with parsley or cilantro and serve.

If you do not have cooked lentils, simply use more stock and cook the dried green lentils for an extra 15-20 minutes, until they are cooked through but not falling apart. Learn how to make a big pot of green lentils here.

Instant Pot Chickpea Coconut Curry

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 cups dried chickpeas, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained
• 1 - 2 sweet potatoes (1 1/2 - 1 3/4 lb.), cut into chunks
• 1 1/2 cups tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 Tbs curry powder
• 2 (13.5 oz) cans coconut milk
• fresh cilantro / basil
• salt or tamari to taste

1. Turn Instant Pot to saute mode, add oil and brown garlic for a minute.
2. Turn Instant Pot off. Add drained chickpeas, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, coconut milk, curry powder. Close lid and cook in high pressure for 18 minutes.
3. When done, allow pressure to come down naturally. Open lid, add cilantro or basil. Season with salt or tamari.

Read this article from Jen Reviews about Pressure Cooker vs Slow Cooker

Buy an Instant Pot here

Best Instant Pot Black Bean recipe

I have been cooking dried black beans from scratch in my Instant Pot for about a year and might have perfected this recipe!

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 green or red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 Tbs ground cumin
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp chipotle powder
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 Tbs maple syrup
• 2 cups (unsoaked) dried black beans
• 3 cups vegetable both
• 2 fresh tomatoes
• tomato paste
• salt and pepper

1. Switch Instant Pot to saute mode. When hot, add oil, onion, garlic. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add green pepper, saute for a few more minutes.
2. Stir in oregano, cumin, red pepper flakes, chipotle powder, bay leaves, balsamic vinegar and maple syrup.
3. Add (non-soaked) dried black beans and broth.
4. Close the lid and cook for 35 minutes on high pressure. When done, let the pressure come down naturally.
5. Remove the lid. Add fresh tomatoes, tomato paste, cilantro, salt and pepper to taste. Cover the lid and let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Read this article from Jen Reviews about Pressure Cooker vs Slow Cooker

Buy an Instant Pot here

Easiest way to eat a rainbow- master the basic stir fry

My default meal is stir fries. Not only can I finish all the wilting leftover veggies in the fridge, it is also the easiest way to eat the biggest variety of veggies in one sitting, what elementary school children are taught to do - eat a rainbow a day!

Because almost everything goes when it comes to stir fries, I will not give you an exact recipe, but a formula of success:

Protein (meat or plant-based) + crunchy veggies + mushrooms + greens + basic seasonings

In this stir fry, tofu is my protein of choice. When you empty a tofu cube from the box, make sure you dry it off. I like to brown my tofu in a non-stick or cast iron pan on all sides for a few minutes.

Then I throw in a few drops of tamari, toss to coat the tofu cubes and set them aside.

My crunchy veggies are red bell peppers, sugar snap peas and carrots. The mushrooms I am using are shitake and buna-shimeji, which is also called the beech mushroom and the brown clam shell mushroom.

The greens I am using are a few leftover broccoli rabe stems and baby spinach straight out of the bag.

My go to seasonings are tamari, garlic, ginger, salt, garlic flakes, mushroom powder. Sometimes I use all of them, sometimes just a few.

To make the stir fry, warm olive oil in a pan, add ginger and garlic mix.

Toss in crunchy veggies mix.

Add mushroom mix. Add salt, mushroom powder.

Throw in greens. Sprinkle a little more garlic flakes or seasoning of choice.

Toss in browned tofu.

Season with tamari to taste. Sometimes I drizzle a few drops of maple syrup to give it a touch of sweetness.

All ready to go! The simplest dish you can throw together with any random ingredients on a whim!

What is your stir fry formula? What works for you?

Celebrate Spring with 2 green soups

Spring has finally arrived! Seeing the tiny green buds once again bursting out of the many trees in my neighborhood, I am reminded that the greens-eating season has officially begun.

What comes to your mind when I mention eating greens? Green salads? Green juices? Or maybe green smoothies?

Let me share one green secret with you - green soups.  I survived the cold winter months by making variations of green soups to supplement my greens intake when eating a green salad just seemed too cold and unappealing. Green soups are like the savory versions of green smoothies - you can pack almost any green veggies in them. All you need is a blender or food processor to puree the ingredients into a smooth paste. Believe it or not, you don't even have to add dairy or potatoes to achieve the desired creamy texture.

It is such an awesome way to add greens to my diet that I will for sure keep drinking them as cold gazpacho soups way into the hot summer months!

Broccoli Fennel Soup (based on Susan Blum's recipe)

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 leek stem, chopped (top 4 or 5 inches of greens removed)
• 3 cups chopped broccoli, florets and stems
• ½ head fennel, chopped
• 1 tsp salt (more to taste)
• freshly ground pepper
• 3 cups water

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan on medium heat.
2. Add the onion and ginger and cook until the onion is translucent.
3. Add the garlic, celery, leek, broccoli, fennel, salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add water. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Place the soup in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.  Add salt and black pepper to taste.

Zucchini Pea Soup with Dill (based on Amy Chaplin's recipe)

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 leek stem, chopped (top 4 or 5 inches of greens removed)
• 5 medium zucchinis, diced (1 1/2lbs.)
• 1 1/2 cups frozen peas
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh or dried dill
• freshly ground pepper

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan on medium heat.
2. Add the onion and cook until translucent.
3. Stir in garlic, salt and cook another minute. Add leek and continue to cook for 2 more minutes.
4. Add zucchini, peas and water. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
5. Remove from heat. Stir in dill and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Place the soup in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Add salt and black pepper to taste.

Vegan Ma Po Tofu

To make this classic spicy tofu dish you can find all the ingredients in any grocery stores except 2 - Chinese fermented black beans and hoisin sauce.

First let's talk about the dried fermented black beans. They are a staple in a Chinese kitchen. I remember growing up my mom would steam fish or clams, cook green beans, make chicken rice or practically anything with them. The salty, umami flavor they lend to any dish makes them one of the most versatile ingredients in Chinese cooking. Good news is you can get them from any Chinese grocery stores or even order them from Amazon. 

To make a black bean sauce, I usually put about a tablespoon of fermented black beans in a mortor, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of hot water and use a pestle to crush the mixture into a lumpy paste.

Now let's talk about hoisin sauce. You can pick up store bought hoisin sauce but I have yet to find a clean product that doesn't contain refined sugars and artificial ingredients. Good news is you can make your own. It really is simple and delicious! Once you've made a batch, you can throw it in stir fries or use it as a marinade or dipping sauce for anything. Check out my recipe here.

Now you're ready to make this delicious dish! A lot of the sauces and spices can be adjusted to your taste, so don't freak out over the exact amount!

Ingredients:

• 1 cube of (14oz) tofu, dried and cut into cubes
• 1 Tbsp of olive oil
• 1 or 2 red chili peppers, crushed
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 tsp of ginger
• black bean paste - 1 Tbsp of fermented black beans + 1 or 2 Tbsp of hot water
• 2 Tbsp of home made hoisin sauce
• 1 1 /2 cups of mushrooms
• 1-2 Tbsp vegetable broth
• tamari to taste
• sesame oil to taste
• ground sichuan pepper to taste
• maple syrup to taste
• 1 tsp of arrowroot powder
• cilantro to garnish

Method:

1. In a large skillet, heat up oil. Add chili peppers, garlic and ginger and cook for 2 minutes.
2. Add black bean paste, hoisin sauce. Cook for another 3 minutes.
3. Add mushrooms and saute for 2 minutes.
4. Mix in tofu and stir.
5. Add vegetable broth.
6. Season with tamari, sesame oil, sichuan pepper. Add a little maple syrup for more sweetness if desired.
7. Stir arrowroot powder to 2 Tbsp of warm water to create a paste. Add to tofu mix to thicken the sauce. Coat all ingredients evenly with sauce.
8. Garnish with cilantro and serve.