"Cheezy" Quinoa with Broccoli

Hey Babes!

When I cook grains, I like to make up a big batch of them so I have lots and lots leftover for other dishes throughout the week.  Last night, I whipped up a huge batch of quinoa and used some of it to make a yummy and comforting supper:  "Cheezy" Quinoa with Broccoli.  Kind of like mac and cheese with broccoli, but gluten free, low fat, high protein and of course, vegan!  It was so luxurious and rich but yet so nutritious, I knew I would have to share it with you right away!  I used some of the leftover quinoa in my lunch today, a salad with spinach, avocado, sunflower seeds and a lime-macadamia dressing - so good!  The rest of the leftover grains will either get rolled into nori to make veggie sushi rolls or baked into quinoa omelet breakfast muffins!  Recipes will follow. . . <3

 

"Cheezy" Quinoa with Broccoli

Ingredients:

- 1 cup quinoa

- 2 cups broccoli, chopped into itty bitty florets

- 1/4 cup tahini

- 1 clove garlic, finely minced

- 1 tbsp white miso paste

- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

- 2 tbsp tamari soy sauce

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 2 tbsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar (or both!)

- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

- S&P to taste

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan and stir in the quinoa.  Reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover the pot with a lid.  The quinoa should be cooked in about 15 minutes.  You'll be able to tell when it's cooked as the little "tails" become present and the grains have doubled in size.   

Turn off the heat, add the broccoli and cover with the lid while you make the sauce.  This steams the broccoli ever so slightly, so the texture is more tender but the nutrients are better preserved.

Whisk together all the other ingredients except the nutritional yeast and season with salt and fresh ground pepper.  If you find that your sauce has turned into a super thick paste (tahini can be funny that way), just add a tablespoon of water at a time and stir it well until a saucier consistency is reached.  

Stir the sauce and nutritional yeast into the quinoa and broccoli and re-season with salt and freshly ground pepper.  

Nosh!

XOXO

V.V.          

Vegan-ize Delivery Pizza and Tofu Feta Recipe!

Monday Monday. . .So good to me. . .

Hey hunnie bunnies!

I am a pizza fanatic.  I could eat it for every meal of the day!  I make it all the time at home but sometimes (particularly in the wee small hours of the morning apres a crazy night out) I just have to have delivery pizza.  For Winnipeggers, late-night pies are as easy to acquire as dialing the number '2' seven times (Pizza Hotline, anyone?) but regardless of your locale, you can vegan-ize delivery pizza no problem!

Simply order a vegetarian pizza with no cheese (at which point the order taker may repeat 'no cheese?!' as if you've lost your mind) maybe double sauce if you're a saucy gal like me, and add on whatever extra vegetarian toppings you like.  Extra spinach, spicy eggplant, garlic, banana peppers, pineapple, artichoke hearts, olives, bell peppers - whatever you like/they offer! 

Once your pizza arrives, you can add a little extra flare by drizzling it with extra virgin olive oil, maybe a few drops of balsamic vinegar, fresh basil or a sprinkle of dried oregano, some vegan cheeze (if you use vegan cheeze, then just broil it a little to make it melty), some white or black beans, toasted pine nuts, a pinch of chili flakes and some chopped sun dried tomatoes - again, whatever your heart desires!  My new fave is to top the 'za with some home made crumbled tofu feta and give it a little drizzle of olive oil before broiling it for a minute or two.  Tofu feta is DELISH and so easy to make.  Add it to salads, wraps, bruschetta, pasta dishes, vegan chili, the possibilities end only with your imagination :)

Tofu Feta

Ingredients:

- 1 pkg extra firm tofu, cubed or roughly crumbled

- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

- 1 heaping tbsp nutritional yeast

- 3 cloves minced garlic

- 1 tsp shoyu

-1/2 tsp garlic powder

-1 tsp oregano



- 1/2 - 1 tsp salt (start with 1/2 tsp then season to taste, real feta is quite salty)
- fresh group peppa

Whisk together all ingredients except tofu in a glass dish.  Add the tofu and toss to coat.  Let the tofu marinate for at LEAST an hour, tossing every now and then.  Taste and season accordingly.  The tofu and marinade can be stored together in a sealed container in the fridge for 3 - 4 days and the flavour will intensify, woo hoo!

Happy noshing <3

xoxo

V.V.