Gluten Free Vegan Stroganoff

Ingredients:

3 packages of tofu shirataki fettuccini noodles

2 cups of mixed pre-sliced mushrooms 

1/2 onion 

1/2 cup or more of broccoli florets 

2 small bok choy

3 cloves garlic 

2 cups mushroom stock 

2 tbsp black bean flour

1tbsp Braggs liquid soy (or to taste)

1/2 tbsp whorcheshire sauce

Salt to taste

Oil for sautéing  

Cashew sour cream *optional but highly recommended* ( recipe to follow )

**use organic when possible 

Method:

Dice onions

Sauté onion & mushrooms on med/high heat. Approx 5 minutes

Finely chop garlic & slice bok choy and add the garlic and whites of bok choy to the pan and sauté for another 5 minutes ( save bok choy greens for later )

Add mushroom stock, whorcheshire sauce, braggs, black bean flour and salt to taste

Cook till the mix thickens a bit. If you desire a thicker sauce add more flour at this point

**tip** Make sure to mix flour in well so it doesn't clump. You can also mix the flour into a little cool water or mushroom stock before adding to the pan

Chop broccoli and add it as well as the bok choy greens and the noodles to the pan. Cook for about 5-7 mins and serve

If adding the cashew sour cream, I suggest adding about a tablespoon to your own dish upon serving

Cashew sour cream recipe: 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups soaked raw cashews

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

2 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt & pepper each

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 cup cashew milk ( for raw make your own or use water instead )

**use organic when possible**

Method

Blend all the ingredients in your blender or processor ( I used my Vitamix ) and purèe 

You can adjust the taste at this time if you wish for more of for example salt or lemon juice

Store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to approx 1 week

Hope you enjoy ! 

Ginger Hoisin Veggie Stir Fry

Ingredients

2 tbsp sesame oil ( for sautéing ) 

1 inch piece ginger

3 garlic cloves

1 bunch of broccoli

4 cups cremini mushrooms ( approx 13-15 ) 

1/2 cup hoisin sauce

2 tbsp coconut palm sugar

2 tbsp rice vinegar

3/4 cup Tamari roasted almonds 

1/2 block of extra firm tofu

**For spicy you can add chilli peppers, sriracha or sambal for example

** use organic when possible 

Method

Press and squeezed as much water out of the tofu. You can squeeze some out by hand ( careful not to break it ) then place the tofu in a dish with a tea towel wrapped around it and press down on it with another dish. Flip it over and press again. Set aside

Cook the millet according to the package or a grain of your choice. The amount I used was approx 1 1/2 cups cooked but it's your choice how much you would like.

Chop almonds and set aside.

Chop or slice mushrooms and set aside. I quartered them.

Cut and steam your broccoli only until it's very bright green and still crunchy but not raw.

Drain and set aside.

Heat a cast iron pan or one of your choice on medium to high heat.

Once the pan is hot add your oil.

Cut the tofu into square chunks and place into the pan. Flip over each side till all sides have a nice brown sear on them or most sides anyways. Add more oil if necessary. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Using the same pan add your mushrooms and cook to your preference. While that is cooking,

peel and grate the ginger and finely chop or mince the garlic. Once your mushrooms are almost done add the ginger & garlic and cook for another minute or two.

Add the the hoisin, vinegar & sugar and stir till it is all mixed together.

Add broccoli, tofu & almonds and mix till everything is well coated and heated through.

Serve over the cooked millet or mix it in.

Enjoy!

Coconut Curry Tofu

A great and easy make ahead meal

Ingredient's

1 can lite canned coconut milk

3 tbsp Bragg's liquid soy

2 tbsp curry powder

2 tbsp toasted sesame oil

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp coconut sugar

2 cloves garlic

Pinch of salt & pepper

1 bunch of cilantro

1 brick of extra firm tofu

2 packages of Shirataki noodles

**use organic when possible**

Yields 4 servings 

Method

Remove tofu from its packaging. Squeeze the liquid out of the tofu. You can lie it down on a dish towel with a heavy pan on top of it or you can do what I do and just gently squeeze and squeeze being careful not to break it apart till majority of the water is out. It's not completely necessary for this recipe for it to be 100% dry.

Add all ingredients except tofu and mix well 

Chop tofu into cubes and add it to the rest of the mixture

***Marinate the tofu in a bowl with a lid in the fridge for 24-48 hrs***

Other cooking options: 

1. You can eat this right away or let it marinade for at least a few hours for the tofu to absorb the flavours. The longer the better the flavour. 

2. After the 24-48 hours you can remove the marinaded tofu. Gently squish excess marinade out of it then sauté or fry it and add it to your meal of choice then saving the marinade for example for a lentil curry soup for the next day or thicken it up and use it a sauce to be drizzled over veggies.

3. Make marinade but do not add tofu. You can fry or sauté the tofu up on its own ( you will need to squeeze more of its own liquid out as much as possible if using this method) and use the marinade as a sauce for your whole grain/pasta option and top it with the crispy tofu.

 Marinating 

Once marinaded 

chop 1 large tomato

slice 1/3 cup of red onion

1/2 sweet pepper of your choice 

( can be less or more of any of these ingredients )

                 

Rinse noodles

Add veggies and tofu with marinade to a pot and simmer on medium heat for about 5 minutes

Add the Shirataki noodles. Simmer for another 10 minutes ( approx ) and serve.

I found I needed to add more salt after I added the noodles being that they have no flavour at all. 

**Note** A little on Shirataki noodles, Miracle noodles etc. These types of noodles come in many varieties of shapes that mimic the pasta we are used to. What they don't offer is the carb load or calories that regular pasta offers. Is this good or bad? The break down is its a great low carb & low calorie option for those who don't want to over eat on carbs or are on a low carb diet or feel they have consumed enough calories for the day or wanting a heavier snack without the worry of all the extra calories. With the good or shall I say "the ok" comes with the bad or the " not so good " unlike our regular pasta these have No nutrients.

Here's a look at the nutrition label.

 Shirataki label 

 White & Whole Wheat labels 

In comparison, regular white pasta offers more nutrients then these types. Whole grain pasta offers even more. These have an abundance of essential nutrients. 

So my take on these types of noodles is use them wisely. They should never be a staple in ones diet rather just an occasional option. Another note too is if we do not feed our bodies with our daily essential nutrients our bodies will become deficient which in return can create disease. Try to eat mostly whole foods which are rich in nutrients and less foods with none or empty calories.

Hope you find one of the above cooking options that will work for you, if not tweak it to suit your taste buds after all a recipe is just a foundation to ones own creation?

Mostly may you be Nutritionally Well.

Miso Marinated Tofu

Ingredients

1 brick of extra firm tofu ( I use one from the 3 pack from Costco )

1/3 cup miso paste ( I used Shiro Miso )

2 tbsp rice vinegar

3 tbsp coconut sugar

2 tsp grated fresh ginger root

2 tbsp Braggs liquid soy

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp almond milk ( plain )

* use organic when possible*

I use mostly organic ingredients. Instead of always mentioning which ones they are like I did in earlier posts, I find it simpler just to say the above * use organic when possible * FYI :)

 This is the Costco package I buy. I like these especially because they are thin which means they absorb any flavor you wish to use so much quicker & deeper.

Method

Squeeze the tofu of all it's water. Some use towels with something heavy on top to squeeze the water out. I'm not so patient ☺️, I just squeeze the water out by hand over the sink. Be careful though as you can break the tofu brick into pieces. 💪

Add all the marinade ingredients to a bowl and mix well. Then add it with the tofu brick to a glass container and let marinade for at least 3 hours or all day or even better, overnight. Turn the container a few times during the time it's marinating to allow the tofu to be covered completely.

Set the oven on broiler when the tofu is ready to eat. Turn the tofu over once the top side has browned approx 5 minutes. Once second side turns brown, remove from broiler. You can brown it in a pan too. Whichever system you use, when down drizzle with left over marinade and sprinkle with black sesame seeds.

*** some other recipe ideas***

I was pre-making roasted beets & sweet potatoe today for tomorrow's lunch and after I made the tofu I heated up the marinade and added it to the beets then topped it onto the sweet potatoe and yum!!! 

Tasted so good. 

The roasted beets were seasoned with olive oil and a little sprinkle of coconut sugar & a sprinkle of salt.

Mixed warm with the marinade.

The roasted sweet potatoes were seasoned with olive oil, tandoori masala & cajun spice.

Drizzle with the marinade.

This marinade is very versatile. It can also be used on salads or even substituted for your favourite peanut sauce recipes. 

Soy foods ( like tofu ) are a great meat substitute. A nice switch for those wanting to try something new or wanting to cut down on their meat consumption. Part of the fun of cooking is trying something new. Go ahead, you have nothing to lose-- oh wait yes you do- loads of cholesterol :) for this recipe that is.!

Hope you enjoy and my you be Nutritionally Well.

Miso Soup

I love miso soup. I needed to start making my own, so I bought some miso paste, defrosted some tofu and chopped some green onions. This is what I came up with.

Ingredients 

4 cups water

1 nori sheet or ( wakame ) ( personally wakame is better) 

1/3 cup miso

1 cup firm tofu

2 green onions

Salt to taste - only if needed

Simple ingredients-easy peasy

*use organic when possible

Method

Boil water 

Slice nori into slices then slice those again and add to the boiling water

Turn temperature down to low heat and add miso till dissolved

Cube well squeezed/drained tofu and add to pot

Chop green onions- do not add to pot

Pour soup into a bowl and then add your chopped green onions

*tip- adding green onions to your bowl and not the pot helps keep them crisp and flavourable 

Also for a little deeper flavor you can add a smidgen of braggs, tamari or soy sauce

*miso is also great in dressing, dips and sauces.  Very versatile.  

This soup is low in calories, high protein + it contains omega 3 fatty acids which is a essential nutrient we all often fall short on. The fermentation of miso ( or all foods fermented that is ) is beneficial in helping our bodies absorb nutrients that sometimes get blocked by eating certain foods plus helps the gut with its healthy bacteria. AKA good bacteria. The more good bacteria the better!

*Vegan/vegetarian

Hope you enjoy making this plus consuming this as much as I did & may you be Nutritionally Well

**I try to always share/promote a  website if I don't get to excited and forget when posting a blog, but here is one on fermented foods I found and liked.

7 fermented foods you should be eating | Well+Good NYC

www.wellandgoodnyc.com/2013/.../7-fermented-foods-you-should-be-eati...

Aug 9, 2013 - Fermentation isn't just an ancient way of preserving food, it's a full-blownhealth movement. Here's why, and what you should be eating.