Tahini tofu

 

This is my official go to tofu recipe. So quick, so easy an SO DELICIOUS! Takes 10 mins to prep and about 20 to bake (which you can bypass if you don’t care about the baking, tofu doesn’t have to be cooked!).

Ingredients

1 lb extra firm tofu
2 Tbsp Braggs liquid aminos (or less salt if you don’t have)
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup tahini
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
Fresh ground pepper to taste (optional)

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Drain tofu (I usually put tofu between 2 plates and place something heavy on top)
3. Oil a flat baking pan or dish
4. Cut tofu into blocks
5. Place tofu in pan
6. Mix the sauce ingredients in a bowl until it is a cream like consistency
7. Add a little water to thin if needed
8. Pour mixture over tofu and bake until lightly golden – about 20 minutes

Enjoy! 🙂

 

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Red Bean & Spinach Curry

I have made spinach curry, or saag, a number of times but decided to try a new recipe. Red beans and spinach is an awesome combo! I LOVE spicy savoury dishes and this one definitely fit that criteria! It was also pretty easy, no prep except for cutting the onions and cooking the kidney beans.

Try it for yourself and see 🙂

Serves 2-3 people

Ingredients

1 cup dried kidney beans
1 lb baby spinach, chopped
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon grated ginger
2 green chilis or to taste chopped small
1 medium onion, chopped
2 heaping teaspoons coriander powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon chili powder or to taste
lemon juice of one lemon
salt to taste

Directions

1. Wash and soak kidney beans overnight
2. Place kidney beans in pot with 4 cups of water, bring to boil and then simmer for about 40 minutes (or 20 minutes if you are using a pressure cooker) or until cooked
3. Set kidney beans aside
4. Use a skillet or pot and heat oil on medium-high heat
5. Add onions and cook until transparent, add ginger and garlic and fry for a minute or so
6. Add spinach and saute
7. When the spinach starts to wilt, add all the spices, green chilis, salt and lemon juice(add a little water if needed)
8. Next, mix in the kidney beans and simmer for about 10 minutes, adding water if needed
9. Adjust spices to taste

Adapted from ABCD of Cooking

Enjoy!

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Terrific Tandoori Tofu!

This was super tasty! I haven’t had tandoori chicken in years and I was craving the flavour in my mouth. This definitely hit the spot. Irfan couldn’t put it down and was eating the sauce with rice cakes!

Serves: 2-4

Prep time: 15 mins
Bake time: 20 mins

Ingredients

6 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1.5 teaspoon ground cumin
1.5 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
6-9 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (depends on how saucy you want it!)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 14-ounce packages extra-firm or firm water-packed tofu, drained
2/3 cup yogurt (you choose: soy, milk, goat – I used goat, it was good!)
3 green onions chopped
chopped cilantro for garnish

Directions

1. Drain tofu (I usually place the tofu on a plate with another plate overtop, and then put something heavy on the top plate, like books. I leave it there for an hour or so, then I  drain the water from the tofu)
2. Preheat oven to broil.
3. Combine paprika, 1/2 teaspoon salt, cumin, coriander and turmeric in a small bowl.
4. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, lemon juice and the spice mixture; cook, stirring, until sizzling and fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
5. Slice each tofu block crosswise into 6 slices.
6. Use about 3 tablespoons (or more if you need to) of the spiced oil to brush both sides of the tofu slices; sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. (Reserve the remaining spiced oil.)
7. Oil a baking tray, and place tofu onto tray (you can also grill the tofu instead of using the oven)
8. Broil for 20 minutes or so or until the tofu edges just start to brown (if using a grill, just grill for 2-3 minutes per side). I broiled it for about 30 minutes and it was a really chewy “meaty” texture. If you don’t like it so chewy, reduce the time.
9. Combine “yogurt” and green onions with the reserved spiced oil in a small bowl. Adjust spices to taste. Serve the broiled/grilled tofu with the yogurt sauce, garnished with cilantro if desired. Serve with your fave grain and green.

I forgot to take a picture of the sauce, but it is sooo delicious!

Enjoy!

 

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Miso Tahini Tofu

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First off, I need to apologize for not blogging in a few weeks. I went on a one-week silent meditation retreat in Boston which was amazing……sigh…..I didn’t want to leave. Meditation is so important my friends…. (lightbulb!) I need to do a meditation blog! Okay, I have just added it to my blog list 😉

Anywho, I got back from Boston last week and it took me a few days just to turn on the computer – blogging seemed out of the question for a long time. But here I am! Back in the swings of things with all of the settledness felt during the retreat floating away….time to book another retreat 🙂

What was this blog about again? Ah yes, miso tahini tofu!

I made it last week (it was actually inspired by one of the MANY delicious meals from the retreat) and it was superb! AND waaaaay easy and quick! This is a must-try fo shiz!

Ingredients

1/4 cup tahini (don’t be a chump and buy it, super easy to make – I will post the recipe!)
1 tbsp miso
1-2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4-1/2 cup warm water (depends on how runny you want it)
1/4 nutritional yeast (optional)
1-2 tsp maple syrup (optional although I found it really brought out the flavour)

Directions

Mix all ingredients in food processer until smooth. Grill or bake tofu and pour sauce over tofu. Serve with your choice of grain and greens.

Enjoy!

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Zucchini Curry

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Fatima came over for linner (lunch/dinner of course!) 🙂 I wanted to make something quick and gave her the option of a veggie stir fry or a Pakistani style zucchini curry. Fatima likes her spices and opted for the zucchini. Turned out pretty good, check it out for yourself if you please!

Ingredients

3 medium zucchini, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ginger, minced
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 medium onion, sliced
1 small chilli pepper (cut in half if you like it spicy)
1.5 tsp salt
1.5 tsp chilli powder
1.5 tsp turmeric
1.5 cumin powder
1.5 coriander powder
1.5 garam masala
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
optional: 1/2 – 1 tsp chilli flakes

Directions 

1. Saute onions over medium heat in skillet
2. Add ginger and garlic when onions START to brown and saute for 1-2 minutes
3. Add all spices, chilli pepper, chilli flakes (if using) and mix
4. Add a LITTLE bit of water if needed so that it doesn’t burn (the zucchini will release a lot of water so make sure not to put too much water or will become soupy)
5. Add zucchini, cover and let cook for about 15-20 minutes (over low-medium heat) or until desired tenderness, stirring every 5 minutes
6. Remove from heat, mix in lemon juice
7. Serve with your favourite type of grain or my rice roti. I like to include grilled tofu for some protein.

Enjoy!

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Black-eyed beans

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I like to eat relatively simple meals. Things that are made with whole foods, are quick, tasty and happygut friendly 🙂 This meal fulfills all of these criteria.

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 cup dry black-eyed beans soaked overnight (or any other bean e.g. pinto, adzuki, black beans, etc.)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tbsp minced ginger
1 small onion chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp tumuric
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 green chilli whole
2-3 tbsp Braggs
2-3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup water
optional: bay leaf

Directions 

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in pot
2. Saute onions with garlic and ginger until onions just START to brown
3. Add all spices, whole green chilli (you can cut the green chilli in half if you are a fan of spice!) and bay leaf (if using) and mix, add a little water if needed so it doesn’t burn. Let cook for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add soaked beans and 1 cup of water
5. Bring to a boil, cover and then let simmer on low-medium for about 35 minutes or until beans are soft stirring every 10 minutes, adding more water if needed (if you are using a pressure cooker it shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes)
6. Remove from eat, stir in Braggs and lemon juice
7. Adjust spices to taste
8. Serve with your favourite grain/bread, greens and, my personal favourite: avocado (I love avocado with beans!)

I served mine with some gluten free bread (I drizzled some olive oil and dill on it), half an avo and some kale. So incredibly satisfying, try it for yourself! 🙂

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Bhindi Curry (Okra)

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I love LOVE okra! I love the texture, I love the colour and I especially like the way it tastes in a Pakistani curry – so tangy and savory!

Our apartment has some water problems and so we have been staying with my Mom for a few days. That means getting Mom’s home-cooked meals 🙂

Today she made bhindi and it was awesome!

Serves 2

Ingredients

3 cups chopped bhindi
3 tbsp oil (I use grapeseed)
1 medium onion sliced
1 small green chilli whole
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp tumuric
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp chat masala
1/4 chilli flakes
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Heat oil in large frying pan over medium heat
2. Add bhindi (okra) and fry until it just STARTS to brown
3. Mix in all the spices and onions
4. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes
5. Adjust spices to taste if desired
6. Remove from heat and serve with rice roti with a side of your favourite greens (I like to throw in some tofu for my protein)

Courtesy of my Mom 🙂

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Yellow Moong Dal (Punjabi Stylezzz)

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I love my Mom’s dal. Irfan, my partner, is a vegetarian and so we eat A LOT of dal, especially a lot of moong as I find it easiest to digest.

Ingredients

1 cup of yellow moong [you can also use 1/2 cup yellow moong & 1/2 cup masoor (red lentil) mix]
4 cups water
1/2 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tbsp minced ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp tumuric
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
2 small green chillies whole
optional: 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped

Tarka Ingredients

1 small onion chopped
1/2 tbsp chopped garlic (not minced)
1/2 tbsp chopped ginger (not minced)
4 tbsp olive oil

Directions for Dal

1. Soak dal overnight or for 8 hours
2. Place water in pot and bring to boil
3. Add dal, ginger, garlic, green chillies and all the spices EXCEPT garam masala and cook over medium heat for about 25-30 minutes stirring every 5 minutes until dal is soft (NOT including tarka ingredients). If you have a pressure cooker, cook for about 10-15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes
4. Remove from heat

Directions for Tarka

1. Head olive oil over medium heat
2. Add onions and chopped ginger and garlic
3. Saute until they brown. You want them to brown but not burn

4. Pour tarka mixture over the dal and mix
5. Adjust spices to taste if desired
6. Sprinkle garam masala and chopped cilantro

Eat with either brown basmati rice or my gluten free rice roti with a side of your favourite greens.

Enjoy!

Courtesy of my Mom 🙂

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