Spring Cleaning - Fiber Filled Cereal Bars

Not only is this spring cleaning recipe one that cleans out your cupboards, but it just might be one that cleans you out, as well!  I chose to use a high-fiber cereal because I had an open box in the cupboard* but you can use any type of healthy cereal.  You’ll need 4 cups total and can mix and match any way you want.  You can also get creative with different dried fruits, add nuts or chocolate chips, or experiment with different sweeteners or nut butters.  My choices were based purely on what I already had open in the cupboard and refrigerator and the result just happened to be delicious!  I forgot to take a picture before they were gone so you’ll have to use your imagination, although they probably look like any other cereal bar you’ve seen.  Go ahead - make them and enjoy!  (But I caution you not to eat too many at once or you may regret it.)

Fiber Filled Cereal Bars
(based on this recipe)

Ingredients:

2 cups oat cereal (I used Cascadian Farms Purely O’s)

2 cups high-fiber cereal (I used Barbara’s High Fiber Original)

½ cup dried cranberries

½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ cup plus 2 tbsp. almond butter (I used Trader Joe's salted with roasted flax seeds)

½ cup brown rice syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine cereals, cranberries, coconut, and cinnamon.

2. In a medium bowl, combine almond butter and brown rice syrup.  Microwave for 1 minute on high.  Add the vanilla extract and stir well.

3. Pour liquid over the cereals and stir well to combine.  

4. Press into an 8x8-inch baking pan.  Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.  Putting them in the freezer for 45 minutes will help speed up the process.

 

* Plus I just love fiber!  In some circles I am known as "The Fiber Queen."

Spring cleaning - Tofu Curry

Of all the meals in the category, this is most-deserving of the Spring Cleaning title.  All the vegetables used were from the freezer.  The expiration date on both the tofu and the rice happened to be the very day I cooked them.  The date on the sauce was a bit old but I figured it was still safe to eat.  Plus I couldn't let something as delicious as a coconut and red pepper curry sauce go to waste!  The sauce was mild but very flavorful and very creamy.  If you can't get your hands on Seeds of Change, any curry sauce would probably work just as well.  You could also use different veggies, add diced potato, replace the tofu with chickpeas, or use a different type of rice.  The possibilities are endless!

This is a medium hot sauce.  The only other vegan flavor is Madras (hot).

Tofu Curry

Ingredients:

1 lb. extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed*
Olive oil
1 12-oz. jar Seeds of Change Jalfrezi Simmer Sauce
½ jar water
¾ bag frozen cauliflower
¼ bag frozen peas

2 cups cooked brown jasmine rice, prepared according to package directions

Directions:

1. Cut pressed tofu into cubes or rectangles.  I cut mine into 25 rectangles (5 slices lengthwise and 5 slices widthwise). 

2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add oil.  When oil is hot, add tofu cubes and cook for a few minutes per side, until all sides are firm and lightly browned. 

3. Reduce heat to simmer.  Add the whole jar of sauce.  Fill the jar about ½ full with water, replace the lid, shake, and pour into pan.  Add cauliflower and peas.  Stir until everything is covered. 

4. Cover the pan and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring a few times, until the veggies are hot.  

5. Serve over rice.
 

Makes 3-4 servings. 

*I pressed mine all day in the TofuXpress.

We ate the curry and rice with a side of green beans - from the freezer, of course.

Spring cleaning - Teriyaki Chickpeas with Gardein Beefless Tips

Last week I made one of the most simply and surprisingly delicious meals I’ve prepared in some time.  As part of my spring cleaning, I wanted to make a meal using only ingredients I already had in my kitchen.   

This recipe from the Happy Herbivore cookbook was perfect since I always have an abundance of canned chickpeas.  I also happened to have some Gardein Beefless Tips in the freezer that I’ve been looking at for the past month, trying to decide what to do with them. I usually opt for chicken-style seitan over beef but the flavor and texture of these were just right.  Adding them to the chickpeas helped round out the meal and gave it a little something extra that it might have been missing otherwise.  I’ve changed the cooking directions slightly from the original recipe and also omitted the optional sugar and hot sauce. 

Served with a side of oven-roasted baby carrots, this was a filling and satisfying meal.

Teriyaki Chickpeas with Gardein Beefless Tips

Ingredients:

¼ cup plus 2 tbsp. teriyaki sauce

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 package Gardein Beefless Tips

Olive oil

Peach-mango salsa (or other fruit salsa, such as mango or pineapple)

1 cup cooked rice (I used brown basmati)

Directions:

1.    Heat a dry skillet over low heat.  Add chickpeas and ¼ teriyaki sauce.  Cook until the sauce has been absorbed, stirring constantly (about 10 minutes).

2.    Heat a separate skillet over medium heat.  Add a small amount of olive oil and the frozen Beefless Tips.  Cook for about 4 minutes, turning tips often to ensure even browning on all sides.

3.    When the chickpeas are ready, add the tips and 2 tbsp. teriyaki sauce, and stir to combine.  Cover skillet; turn off the burner, and let sit for about 1 minute. 

4.    Serve over rice and top with a few spoonfuls of salsa.

Makes 2 servings.

Spring cleaning - Red Lentil Dal and Roasted Broccoli

This week I decided it was time for a little Spring cleaning.  I’m not talking about washing windows and scrubbing floors (although I should be!).  I’m talking about cleaning out my cupboards, pantry, and freezer. 

The freezer - With spring finally here, we’ll soon be getting fresh seasonal produce from our garden, our CSA, and local farmers’ markets so I don’t need to keep a huge supply of frozen vegetables.  I went through all the half-used bags and chucked the ones that are more snow than vegetables. This left me with 5 bags of frozen veggies.

The cupboards – When I inventoried our cupboards, I found the following – white rice, brown rice, brown basmati rice, brown jasmine rice, red jasmine rice, wild rice, Arborio rice, bulgar, millet, red quinoa, white quinoa, amaranth, couscous, soba noodles, udon noodles, rice noodles, lasagna noodles, and 2 boxes of spaghetti.  I vow not to buy another grain or noodle until I’ve at least cut this arsenal in half.

The pantry – Honestly, I didn’t have the energy to inventory the pantry yet.  I can say, though, that there are a multitude of cereals, sauces, sweeteners, and dessert mixes that may or may not have expired long ago.  It’s often a place where obscure ingredients for desserts I plan to but never make go to die.  

So my mission for last week’s meals was to cook using only ingredients I already had. Monday we had leftover lasagna from Easter dinner (thanks, Mom!) so Tuesday was the first day I cooked.  I made Red Lentil Dal from Lindsay Nixon's Happy Herbivore cookbook.  (You can view the recipe here.)  It's such an easy and delicious recipe.  The only change I had to make was to use a can of crushed tomatoes in place of the fresh tomato.  I had all the other ingredients.  The leftover Dal warmed up beautifully the next day.

Red Lentil Dal over brown basmati rice

On the side we had the most scrumptious broccoli I think I’ve ever eaten.  This just may replace asparagus as my new favorite roasted vegetable.  The broccoli was so flavorful and sort of caramelized on the bottom where the stems were a little thinner.  Because of the high oven temperature, the smoke alarm was going off like crazy (despite having the exhaust fan on and every window in the house open) but it was worth it!  Try it - I can guarantee you'll love it, too.

Roasted Broccoli

(original recipe found here)

Ingredients:

2 pounds broccoli crowns

2 tbsp. olive oil

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. sugar

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.  Cover the bottom of a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Place sheet on lowest rack of the oven while it heats up.

2. Cut off just the bottom parts of the broccoli.  Use a vegetable peeler to peel off the tougher skin on the stems.  Cut the crowns lengthwise into large pieces.  Place in a bowl and add remaining ingredients.  Toss to combine.

3. When oven is heated, place broccoli on baking sheet and roast for 11 minutes (until slightly browned).

Makes 4 servings.*

*We only ended up with 2 servings.  I don’t know if we had less than 2 pounds of broccoli or if we both just ate a lot!