Vegan Lentil Soup.

I made a big batch of Vegan Lentil Soup that I found on Clean Eating Mama and must say, it was the bomb like Ben Afflek in phantoms, yo.

Ingredients

• 2 cups lentils, rinsed and looked over
• 6-8 cups of vegetable stock or water
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 2 cups of chopped yellow potatoes (I used sweet potatoes since that is all I had)
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped or tablespoon of garlic powder (I used 4 because I hate vampires)
• 3-4 carrots, chopped
• 3-4 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1-2 bay leaves (I omitted because I had none)
• salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot pour your water/vegetable stock. Turn stove on high heat. Add rinsed lentils, carrots, garlic, onion, potatoes, herbs and some salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer (medium-low) and cover for an hour.
Check often to make sure water level is not too low, adding small amounts at a time.
The end result should be a thick and creamy soup, with the lentils being broke down and soft. Taste to make sure it is seasoned the way you like it, adding more salt and pepper if needed.
Serves 4-6

original recipe appears here

I did not take any pictures before I consumed it all, my bad.  It looked very lentil soupish if you can picture that in your head.

Party of One

So, we have made it a month without eating anything that once had a face.  It has been a pretty easy month and I must admit, I quite enjoy it.  Healthwise I am feeling better & I enjoy the experimenting with different recipes.  We have expanded our food horizions in the past month.   I think I will keep on with being meat free but won't be so strict when it comes to dairy, because well, I love cheese.  I plan on limiting the amount that I consume, but won't deny myself either.

Last night I tried a recipe that I randomly found on google and was pretty amazed by it.  I am still learning the best way to prepare tofu and the next time I make it I will slice it longwise so the actual pieces of tofu are thinner.  I am learning.

Anyways, onto the recipe.

Orange Glazed Tofu Stir Fry with Asparagus

Recipe from: Gluten Free Happy Tummy



1 bunch of asparagus — ends trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 leek — cleaned and diced (I must admit, I have never ever purchased a leek before so I just used an onion)3 garlic cloves — minced
1 block of tofu — drained, pressed and cut into triangles
green onion — sliced – for garnish (didn't use this either!)healthy splash of white wine (we were out so I used seaseme oil with a dash of sugar)1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 2 Tbsp water

Sauce:
juice of 2 oranges — preferably fresh pressed
zest of 1/2 orange (sounds fancy, didn't use)5 Tbsp low sodium Tamari (GF soy sauce)
1 garlic clove – minced
3 green onions – sliced (again, passed)2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp water

Start out by pressing your tofu. (did you guys know tofu is supposed to be pressed? I didn't until last night)

Cut your tofu into 6 slices, and then place them on a clean-kitchen-towel-lined plate, and press with a heavy pan. While they’re pressing, make your sauce. After about 15 minutes, cut the slabs into squares, and then the squares into triangles. Season with salt and pepper.

OK. Take a big, non-stick pan, and spray it with EVOO. Then, place your tofu triangles in a single layer in the pan, and let them form a crust — about 5-6 minutes.  While they’re searing, sprinkle them with 1 Tbsp  sugar! Also, combine your sauce ingredients and set aside. Then, flip them, and let the other side sear for another 2 or 3 minutes.

Then add 1 tsp EVOO, your asparagus and leeks. Season with salt and pepper. Stir those around and let them cook for about 3 or 4 minutes. Then, add your garlic; give it a stir, and deglaze with the white wine. Let that evaporate for a minute, and then add your sauce. Coat all the tofu. Then stir in your cornstarch slurry. Let it thicken for about 2 minutes. Toss with your cooked pasta, and garnish with green onion! (I used brown rice and since we are not fancy, passed on that green onion)

 

* We had some veggies that needed to be used up before they went bad so we threw in some mushrooms, green peppers, and tomatoes to our stir fry.  I won't lie,  I have been thinking about making it again for dinner all day today. 

RST.

 

I have no idea how long we have been eating plant based now.  It feels like forever, but in reality I am sure we are only on like week 2 or something along those lines.  I do feel pretty good though.  I feel...healthier.  I haven't really lost any weight or anything amazeballs like that, but its Shark Week and I haven't gained my normal 10lbs of bloat so that is something.  

This weekend we discovered the Cordova Farmer's Market.  I have always wanted to check out a Farmer's Market but, uh, they are normally held outdoors and you have to get there at the butt crack of dawn to score the best items (or so I have been told) and well, I am outdoorsy in the fact that I like to drink on patios and don't do early mornings.  The Cordova Farmer's Market is basically a grocery store.  Its housed in a building that used to be a Schnuck's Grocery Store and has normal hours that do not require waking up before 9am on a weekend.   Their produce section was mind blowing.  They had a bunch of items that I had never even heard of before and the prices were pretty amazing too.  I can definitely sense it will be somewhere we go on the regular.

Moving on.  Tonight for dinner I decided to try a recipe out of the Forks Over Knives book.  I went with the Rice Stuffed Tomatoes and they were pretty delish.  I was worried they wouldn't turn out very tasty but I had two and am looking forward to leftovers for lunch tomorrow.  

Rice Stuffed Tomatoes

6 large very ripe tomatoes, at room temperature

1½ cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped onion
Vegetable broth
One 10-ounce package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed
and drained
2 medium avocados, mashed
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon brown sugar or agave nectar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup quick-cooking rice
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons Parma! (vegan “Parmesan
cheese”), optional (I didn't use because, well, I've never seen this stuff IRL before)

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Cut a slice from the top of each tomato and scoop out the pulp,
leaving a ¼-inch-thick shell; set aside. Chop the tomato pulp
(makes about 3½ cups) and set aside.
3. Sauté the mushrooms and onion in some vegetable broth in a large
skillet over high heat. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 10 minutes.
Add spinach, avocados, reserved chopped tomatoes, garlic, basil,
sugar, salt, and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally,
until flavors blend, about 10 minutes. Stir in the rice, remove from
heat, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in ¼ cup of the Parma!
4. Place the tomato shells in a 13 × 9 × 2-inch baking pan. Spoon the
hot mixture into the shells, dividing evenly. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon
Parma! on top of each. Bake until the tomatoes are hot and the
filling is golden, about 15 minutes


PS - we are actually on our 3rd week of plant based eating, in case the curiosity was just killing you.