Kelp Noodles!

Asian Kelp Noodle Salad

Cucumber and Hummus

Mung Beans

It's that time of the week again!  Yes, Meatless Monday.  This week, I took lunch a step further and made it totally vegan.  Here are the recipes:

Asian Kelp Noodle Salad

1- 12 oz. package of raw kelp noodles

(I got my kelp noodles from my local health food store, if you can't find this locally, visit: Kelp Noodles)

3 teaspoons raw almond butter

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame seed oil

2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro

1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Rinse the kelp noodles in cold water and let them drain (do not cook these).  In a large bowl, mix the raw almond butter, two types of vinegar, low sodium soy sauce, and sesame seed oil with a fork until it reaches a smooth consistency.  Add the kelp noodles and toss to evenly coat every strand.  Garnish with sesame seeds and cilantro, toss one more time and serve immediately.  

Cucumber with Hummus

1 large peeled and sliced cucumber

1 tablespoon of store bought hummus

Arrange and serve. You can easily make your own hummus, but I already some in the fridge, so I took a short cut.

Mung Beans

1 cup mung beans

3 cups water

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

1/2 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce

Combine water and mung beans in a pot and bring to a boil.  Once the water boils, reduce the heat to simmer.  Cover and let cook for 35 minutes.  Once the mung beans are cooked, add the nutritional yeast and the low sodium soy sauce.  

Enjoy!

NAOE

Abalone 

Naoe is a very special place.  It is where foodies go to experience a small slice of perfection.  There isn't a sign on the door and reservations are accepted only through Open Table.  Come with an open mind and be prepared for a culinary journey through all things sea food related.  It is not a place for the frugal pocket.  For two of us, the bill came out to $300.  If we were heavy drinkers, the bill could easily have been much higher.  We don't usually spend this much on dinner, but in this instance, it was well worth it.  One word describes the service, food, and experience: sublime. 

Another Option for Meatless Monday

Roasted Peas and Cauliflower with Tofu

Ingredients:

14 oz. of Extra Firm Tofu (gently squeeze all the liquid out of the tofu block)

1 teaspoon of sesame seeds

1 teaspoon of sesame oil

1 teaspoon of low sodium soy sauce

1 head of cauliflower (washed and cut into florets)

1 cup of peas (defrosted)

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

2 baking sheets

non-stick cooking spray

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees (convection if you have this feature)

Cut tofu into 2 inch cubes and marinate in the sesame oil, sesame seed, and soy sauce mixture for at least 30 minutes.  In a separate bowl, toss cauliflower, peas, salt, pepper, and olive oil.  

Spray both baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray.  On one sheet, spread the cauliflower and peas in one layer.  On the other sheet, spread out the tofu.

Place both sheets in the oven and bake for 40 minutes or until the edges of the tofu begin to brown.

Serve over brown rice or quinoa.

Enjoy!

Meatless Monday

Textured Vegetable Protein with Brown Rice

For those of you that don't think you can go vegetarian for one meal, try this recipe.  All of the texture, flavors, and colors in this dish will make you forget that anything is missing.

Ingredients:

1 cup textured vegetable protein (hydrated with 2 cups of vegetable broth)

1 small yellow onion (chopped)

1 clove of garlic (thinly sliced)

8 fresh green beans (cut into bite sized pieces)

1/2 cup chopped bell peppers (for this recipe I used yellow, red, and orange)

1/2 cup frozen peas (defrosted of course)

2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro for garnish

1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/4 cup of water

In a medium sized skillet (on medium high heat) sautée all of the vegetables in the sesame oil.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Add the textured vegetable protein (TVP from here on out), soy sauce, and water.  Stir well and place a lid on the skillet.  If you do not have a lid, use aluminum foil.  Turn the heat down to simmer and cook (covered) for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and remove skillet from the stove.  Serve TVP over brown rice or quinoa and garnish with cilantro.  Enjoy!

If this dish is not salty enough, you can add more soy sauce or get really creative by adding nutritional yeast.