Vegan Eggplant Lasagna

It's not beautiful, but it's delicious and healthy! I posted a recipe a while back for vegetarian lasagna, which was great, but here is the vegan-ified version. I loved it, and my son was all over it, so it's a winner!

Ingredients:

1 medium eggplant, sliced length-wise

salt

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

black pepper

1 teaspoon parsley

28 oz. can tomatoes

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

3 medium garlic cloves, minced

1 bay leaf

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more as needed

salt

1 tablespoon capers

12 ounces GF lasagna noodles, cooked

1 pound soft tofu, drained

2 teaspoons salt, plus more as needed

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend tomatoes, onion and garlic in a food processor until smooth, then simmer in a small pot on medium heat. After about 15 minutes, add in bay leaf, red pepper, capers, and parsley, and simmer until you are ready to use the sauce. 
With eggplant spread out on a baking sheet or plate, sprinkle with salt on both sides (not generously). In a pan with olive oil heated over medium heat, layer in the eggplant and cook on each side for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Blend the tofu, salt and black pepper until it resembles ricotta cheese. Set aside.

In a 9x13 casserole dish, layer the sauce, then noodles, then tofu, then eggplant then repeat. Finish with the sauce on top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 50 minutes. Enjoy!

Vegan Garlic "butter" Pasta

This dish is incredibly simple. So simple, I made it the night we got back from flying all day instead of ordering take-out. I always have quinoa pasta in the pantry, and the spinach was still fresh, surprisingly. I always say that if you load anything with garlic and hot pepper, it'll be delicious!

Ingredients:
1 pkg quinoa pasta
heaping bunch of spinach, washed and drained
1 T Earth Balance vegan butter spread (soy free)
1/4 cup olive oil (you could get away with less, but I like good fats)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
salt
pepper
crushed red pepper

Boil pasta according to package directions. Melt buttery spread with olive oil in large pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir for about 1 minute, then add spinach and stir until wilted. Once pasta is done, scoop noodles into pan with the spinach and add the spices to taste. So fast and so yummy!

Edamame and vegetable pasta

Has anyone read The China Study? I have had many reasons to stop eating dairy in the past, but after reading this book, I'm sold. No more dairy, very little (if any) meat, and I'm sticking with my veggies!

It's not that I'm so easily sold by reading a book by a former farmer who did a huge study to prove and directly link dairy and meat to cancer, Alzheimer's and chronic disease. It's more that I was wanting a good reason to stop eating meat. I'm not a fan of it in the first place, and I hate the way dairy makes me feel. I used to go to bed at night feeling guilty if I didn't eat a piece of animal protein at every meal. Yes, I'm free now! If you haven't read the book, go get it!

Anyway, this is my first night of yummy plant-based eating. I made a delicious pasta with my favorite vegetables, and here's the recipe.

1 package brown rice pasta
2 T sesame oil, divided
1 cup steamed and shelled edamame
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
5 cloves of garlic, minced (I love garlic, but if you don't, just put 2 cloves)
heaping handful of spinach
1/4 cup soy sauce, or liquid aminos, reduced sodium preferred
pinch black pepper
pinch of crushed Korean red pepper (or just red pepper if that's what you have)

Boil pasta according to package directions then drain. In a large pan or wok, heat 1 T sesame oil. Once hot, add the garlic and onion until onion is wilted. Toss in the spinach and edamame and stir. Turn the heat down to medium-low, then add the pasta and remaining ingredients. So easy and so yummy! You can add whatever vegetables you want. Mushrooms would be a great addition to this!

quick lo mein

What happens when people in my building order take out? Well, seeing how my sense of smell is annoyingly phenomenal, I can't help but to whip up a super quick batch of vegetable lo mein. Not only is my lo mein less greasy, but it has more vegetables, less who-knows-what in it, and the flavor is awesome!

Ingredients:
1 package brown rice noodles
1/2 cup liquid aminos, coconut aminos, or soy sauce
2 T worcestershire sauce, gluten free
1/4 cup honey or agave
1 T black pepper
1 T hot chili sauce, such as Sambal
3 cloves garlic, minced
veggies of choice (mushrooms, bell pepper, onions)

Boil water and add noodles when ready. While the water is heating, mix all ingredients from the liquid aminos down to the veggies together in a medium sized bowl. Drain the pasta. Saute the bowl of ingredients in a large sauce pan for about 3 minutes. Add in the noodles and mix together. Walah! Takeout... or Homein!!

perfect pesto pasta

I loooooove pesto! Pesto is so simple to whip up, is super nutritious, and incredibly delicious. You just put all of the pesto ingredients in a food processor or blender then pour over your food and you're done with your dinner. It doesn't get any better than that. I mean really, if I had to use one herb for the rest of my life and nothing else, it would be basil. Fresh basil is where it's at, and is super easy to grow!

Ingredients:
1 cup packed basil
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts or walnuts
1 T minced garlic
salt
pepper
red pepper
yellow onion, sliced
mushrooms, sliced
brown rice pasta
1 lb chicken, cubed

In a blender or food processor, add in the first 7 ingredients and pulse until well blended. Boil a large pot of water and add in the noodles. While the noodles are cooking, saute the chicken and pesto sauce in a large pan. Once the chicken is almost cooked, add in the mushrooms and onion. Saute until cooked through. Drain the noodles and add to the chicken mixture. Toss together and serve!

Chinese egg noodle stir fry- better than takeout!

One thing I used to LOVE when I was able to eat gluten without feeling like death, was the ability to enjoy takeout on a lazy evening. However, takeout or many other convenience foods are out of the question nowadays. I tried out this recipe and it was fantastic! It's ovo-vegetarian, and full of protein.

Ingredients:
14 oz brown rice noodles
1 T olive oil
1 cup slice button mushrooms
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 small yellow onion, sliced
1/4 cup liquid aminos or soy sauce
1 T honey
1 1/2 T fresh lime juice
1 T sesame oil
1 T ketchup
1 heaping T sambal sauce
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups spinach

Cook the noodles according to directions, drain, and set aside. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add oil to pan, then add mushrooms, garlic and onions. Saute for 1 minutes. Combine the liquid aminos and next 5 ingredients, add to the mushrooms, then bring to a boil. Add the noodles to the pan and toss. Drizzle the eggs over the mixture, cook 2 minutes while tossing, stir in spinach, then serve immediately.




Recipe modified from Cooking Light September 2011 issue

spaghetti and paleo meatballs

MMMMMMMeatballs!!! If you're truly paleo, A. don't add the parmesan and B. don't put it on top of a bed of noodles. I made these for my parents because my mom was craving meatballs randomly, and my dad loves my mother-in-law's real Italian red sauce. I'm not going to lie, it's the only red sauce I'll eat. .... I'm drooling. Yeah, it's that good, so this is definitely what should be putting together as we speak and throwing it in the crock pot to have for dinner ASAP. I used the crock pot but you can easily bake them in the oven and be done with it. I like to let things marinate, however.

Ingredients:

Meatballs
3 lbs grass fed ground beef
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 eggs
1/2 cup almond meal
pinch of oregano, black pepper, cayenne pepper, salt
1 T honey

Chi Chi's awesome sauce
2 cups of peeled tomatoes, mashed
1/2 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 T olive oil
crushed red pepper, salt
handful chopped basil

For the sauce, put a medium sauce pan on medium high and saute olive oil, garlic, and onion for a couple minutes. Add the basil and tomatoes and spices. Allow the sauce to cook down for about 5 minutes.

For the meatballs, mix all of the ingredients together. Form large balls with your hands, then place close together at the bottom of your crock pot. Pour the sauce over the meat balls and cover the crock pot and cook on low all day so they are ready for dinner. Trust me, you will not be disappointed. I have always hated... actually, LOATHED meatballs until I tried this paleo version and with the help of my mother-in-law's recipe, I'm totally loving meatballs!

clam and herb linguine ...claaaamazing! :D

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light, April 2011 issue.

Growing up, oyster roasts happened all the time, and I have grown to absolutely love oysters. However, I always see clam recipes and have never made one that turned out great. I found this incredibly simple recipe that looked delicious, so I made another attempt. Success!!! This dish only takes about 30 minutes, if not less, and is so awesome!

12 oz linguine (brown rice or amaranth, or any other gluten free variety)
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 T chopped fresh oregano
2 tsp grated lemon rind
2 T olive oil
1 vertically sliced medium yellow onion
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup white wine (I used riesling, and the sweetness was perfect for the dish)
1 1/2 dozen clams
2 T butter
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions and drain. Mix parsley, oregano, and lemon rind in small bowl and set aside. Heat large skillet over medium-high heat and add olive oil. Add onion, red pepper and garlic and saute for 4 minutes. Add wine and clams; cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until shells open. If any shells remain unopened, discard. Combine clams mixture, pasta, butter, salt, and black pepper in large bowl, toss until butter melts. Sprinkle with parsley mixture and toss.

If you're not a carb person, you can definitely just forget the pasta all together and use all the same ingredients otherwise, and eat a bowl full of clams... you will be pleased, I almost guarantee :)

lasagne

If any of you eat lasagne at a restaurant, I hope you know you're ingesting at least 1500 calories. However, I do know that many of you care more about the authenticity of the dish as opposed to the caloric content. On the other hand, if you read this blog, you're reading because you want healthier versions of food than the ones you are currently eating, for the most part. Anyway, I really enjoyed this meal. I'm not a huge fan of lasagne, but my hubby likes it so I wanted to change things up and make it for him.

Ingredients:
GF brown rice lasagne noodles, about 14 oz box
1 pkg of grass-fed ground beef
1 28 oz can of tomato puree/sauce
4 garlic cloves, at least, minced
1 bell pepper, chopped
big handful of spinach, fresh
1 onion, chopped
mushrooms and whatever else you want in the dish
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 T chopped basil
salt
pepper
red pepper
1 small carton reduced fat ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 small bag mozzarella cheese, part skim

For the sauce:
Brown the meat and drain the fat, if any. Add garlic and all veggies and saute until onions are clear. Add the tomato sauce and herbs, salt and pepper.

For the cheese:
Whisk the ricotta cheese and the egg along with a pinch of pepper.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil the pasta according to directions. Layer sauce on bottom of 13x9 inch glassware, thinly. Layer noodles. Layer ricotta cheese, then sauce, then mozzarella. Continue in this order, finishing with mozzarella cheese. Spray aluminum foil with zero fat cooking spray and cover the dish. Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 minutes.

I seriously completely winged this recipe. I have never made lasagne before, but I've eaten it before and I definitely liked this dish. So, if you have some kind of disagreement with the preparation because it's not the way Italians do it or whatever, just remember my goal is to make a healthy meal, not to make an authentic Italian dish. :)

home made noodles AND mandu (dumpling) skins + filling

The one thing I really miss is mandu. Mandu are Korean dumplings, basically wontons or whatever you want to call them. The only reason I can't have them is because the wrappers are made of wheat flour. My grandmother used to make all of our noodles homemade, so my mom and I decided to make our own noodles AND mandu skins.

The noodle/mandu skin mix:
4.5 cups GF all purpose flour
1.5 cups cold water

Use a fork or masher to mix the water into the flour 1/2 cup by 1/2 cup so that you don't get the mix too wet. Once you knead it enough, get it into a ball and place on cutting board. Knead it more and add flour if you need to if it's too wet. It needs to be kind of dry to where it is cracking off.

If you want to make noodles you would flatten it out to about an 1/8 inch thick then fold it over in halfs and cut it width-wise, shake flour over it, and freeze them until you need them.

If you are making the skins, you would roll it out into a long bratwurst shape and cut off 1 inch pieces. Flatten each piece into a very thin, round paper. (Make sure you do this right before you put the mix into the papers).

The Mandu Mix
3 Tofu Squares, fresh from tub at market and squeezed very dry
10 cups kimchi, chopped and drained well (after drained, it will be less than 10 cups)
8 oz cooked japchae noodles, cut (noodles are important to absorb excess moisture)
2 eggs
3 T sesame oil
1/4 cup red pepper powder
1 T black pepper
^^ Mix everything together in a large bowl.

Place a tablespoon full of mix into the center of the circular, flattened-out dough. Dip one finger into water and wet the outer edge of the skin. Fold up a side of the dough and seal it to the other half and press. Set aside until all are complete. When ready to steam, place over simmering water and cook until dumpling is heated, about 10 minutes. If you add meat to this dish, make sure to cook it for about 20 minutes. If you don't cook these immediately, put them in the freezer in a sealed plastic bag and you can pull them out and steam them easily.