Thai Broccoli Bowl

Many of us are still reeling from the amount of holiday eating and drinking we did this past week. Hop on the Meatless Monday band wagon and make a bowl of veggie and tempeh awesomeness to get you and your family back on tract. Today's recipe is a remake of a restaurant favorite of mine, Thai Peanut Tofu, from Sunrise Cafe   . This is one of my "go to's" that I make at least once a week. I change the veggies to incorporate whatever I have on hand. To ensure that quick meals have tons of flavor using fresh garlic and ginger are key. To keep ginger root fresh store it in the freezer and pull it out whenever you need it! 

1 cup short grain brown rice

2 tbs olive oil

3 garlic cloves chopped

2 tsp fresh chopped ginger root

Place rice and other ingredients into a medium sized sauce pan. Toast rice for 2-3 minutes on medium to high heat. Add 2 cups water to rice. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes until rice is tender. 

2 cups fresh broccoli florets

Add broccoli to the pot of cooking rice when there is around 5 minutes left of cooking. 

1 package tempeh sliced into small chunks

Saute tempeh in a bit of olive oil to brown

Combine the rice with broccoli and tempeh in a bowl. Top with liquid aminos    , has a similar flavor to soy sauce, and 1 Tbs of Mrs. Chuns Thai Peanut Sauce  . It's easy to go overboard with sauces, with this specific one I like to add 1 Tbs of the peanut sauce to 1 Tbs rice wine vinegar. This makes it seem like I'm getting more with the same calorie amount!

Halloween-ish Oven Fries

This is a side dish thats perfect for Halloween! Potatoes are a staple in my house, and using fun colors makes it even more enjoyable. Be sure to wash the skins well and keep them on whenever cooking potatoes. A lot of nutrients and fiber are found in the skin, and they get soo crispy theres no reason not to keep them on! Making potato wedges, or potato chips in the oven can take a while for the potatoes to soften and cook. To cut this time in half I cut the potatoes into the shape I want then cook in the microwave for 6-7 minutes, or until soft. From this point you add on your flavors, and then bake in the oven. This reduced the baking time from 45 minutes ish to less than 20! Purple potatoes are an interesting ingredients and if you want to learn more about their potential cancer fighting benefits check out this link! I got these purple potatoes, and sweet potatoes from Patchwork Gardens.  

2 medium sized purple potatoes sliced and cooked in microwave for 6-7 minutes

2 sweet potatoes sliced and cooked in microwave for 6-7 minutes

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large sprig of rosemary chopped

salt and pepper

Place par cooked potatoes on a rimmed, lined cookie sheet. Cover with olive oil, then rosemary, and lastly salt and pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until browned to your liking!

Roasted Asparagus Pizza

Pizza is a perfect blank canvas for tons of different ingredients, with my favorite being roasted vegetables. It's easy for pizza to become a "not so healthy" dinner option, but with the right toppings it can be delicious and healthful. When throwing a pizza together these are the things I like to stick to: A thin whole grain crust, either a tomato sauce or light brush of olive oil, at least 1 cup of vegetables as toppings, and for cheese I use sharp choices like Parmesan Reggiano and Feta because it allows me to use less for just as much flavor. The pizza crusts that I like to use are from Dorothy Lane Market, they are par-cooked and perfect for pizza night at home. Today's recipe is a combination of roasted asparagus, olives, fresh herbs and shaved Parmesan. Add some pepperoni for a meaty kick or leave it vegetarian. This is perfect for dinner of course, but with the holidays coming up this is an excellent appetizer idea. Cut into smaller squares and serve at room temperature. Top with a balsamic reduction to make it extra fancy! 

-Roast 1 bunch of asparagus on a sheet tray with olive oil, salt and pepper for 20 minutes at 350

-Brush pizza crust with the extra olive oil on the asparagus sheet tray, sprinkle crust with garlic powder

-Arrange asparagus on crust, add black olives or any olive you like, shave fresh parmesan to lightly cover the toppings or nutritional yeast to keep it vegetarian and vegan

-Bake at 375 until cheese is melted and crust is browned to your liking

-Top with chopped fresh basil and red pepper flakes