Spicy Vegan Almond-Ginger Slaw

This is the perfect entree salad or a yummy side to share with friends, bring to a picnic, or to work for lunch. It has a great mix of crunch, savory, sweet, and spice. I broil the tofu so it's semi-crispy without the calories and mess of frying, but you can add any kind of tofu.

Ingredients:
1 package (16 oz) extra firm tofu. I use the high-protein kind from Trader Joe's that is not packed in water so it's ready to go.
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/2 chop diced red bell pepper
2 cups cabbage or any slaw mix
1/4 scant cup green onions
1/2 cup diced cucumber (seeds removed)
1/2 cup broccoli florets
Optional:
1/2 cup chopped bok choy
1/8 cup diced celery
Bean sprouts, crushed peanuts or almonds as garnish

Dressing
2 T almond butter
2 tsp minced or crushed fresh ginger. You can also use ground ginger, about 1/2 tsp.
Sri racha to taste (I used 1 tsp) - you can also use cayenne (red) pepper
1/4 tsp crushed garlic
4 T apple cider or rice vinegar
1 T agave syrup or sugar
1 tsp gluten free soy sauce or tamari
1 tsp oil (coconut, vegetable, or canola - NOT olive oil)

Instructions
1. Cut the tofu into bite-sized cubes and coat in cooking spray. Salt and pepper to taste. Place on a baking sheet (line with foil for convenient clean up). Broil or bake at 425F until slightly browned and crisp on the outside (about 10 minutes). Turn each piece over and broil another 5 minutes or so to crisp up all sides. Let it cool.
2. Mix all the veggies together in a large bowl.
3. Prepare the dressing.
4. Add the tofu to the veggies and toss with the dressing. Chill at least an hour, ideally no more than this if serving immediately after so the tofu doesn't soften up too much.

(Sorry, I don't have the nutrition breakdown added yet)

Lemon-Garlic Fava Bean, Chicken & Chard Salad

I had a few random things leftover from my CSA box, so created this delicious entree salad with a few staples I had on hand. It's free of most allergens (gluten, soy, dairy) and packed with power greens and protein.

This salad is easy tweaked to suit your tastes. Suggestions: double up on beans &/or add almonds. Skip the chicken for a vegetarian salad. The garlic, lemon, fava beans and chard are the staples, although this would be interesting with any hearty green, like kale!

Ingredients
    2 cups chard, steamed a few minutes and chopped
    10 skinless chicken breast tenderloins, broiled or grilled
    1/2 cup raw celery, diced
    3/4 cup fava beans, prepared (see instructions below)
    Juice of one Meyer lemon
    1 tsp minced fresh garlic
    A few pinches of salt
    Black pepper to taste
    1/4 tsp. herbs de provence (optional)
    2 Tbsp chives, chopped
    2 Tbsp olive oil

Directions
Mix all together and let chill at least one hour, preferably overnight.

Nutritional Info    (for a large, entree-sized salad, about 1.5 cups)
    Calories: 391.0
    Total Fat: 14.8 g
    Cholesterol: 37.5 mg
    Total Carbs: 19.6 g
    Dietary Fiber: 4.5 g
    Protein: 49.6 g

Number of Servings: 2-4
Minutes to Prepare: 30
Minutes to Cook: 20

To prepare the fava beans, I pop them out the the pod, place in a few inches water, and boil about 5 minutes. Let them cool, then pierce the outer edge of the casing with a nail or knife, and simply press on the opposite end to pop out the beans. They should be tender and bright green.

Garlic Lover's Pasta Salad

I went to the Marin Farmer's market this morning, and made this fresh, easy, and delicious pasta salad with my purchases, plus a few staples I had at home. Serve chilled or warm.


Ingredients:

• 2 - 3 cups cooked al dente brown rice pasta
• 1 Tablespoon veg. oil and 1 t balsamic vinegar, sauteed with two large bulbs and greens green garlic
• Salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste
• Juice of one small lemon
• Fresh roasted garlic (large, whole clove drizzled with oil, wrapped up tightly in foil and baked at 375 degrees F for about 25 min.) - squeeze out all the "meat" of the garlic out of the skins when cooled - they should be mushy.
• About 1 pound fava beans in shell - prepared (shell the beans, put them in boiling, salted water for 1 minute, drain, then immediately put in ice water to stop cooking. Pierce each bean with your fingernail and pop out the beans, then add to the salad)
• 6 large leaves chopped fresh basil
• about 3 oz. fresh goat cheese, crumbled

Combine all the above and chill for a few hours. Then serve cold, or warm if desired. Pairs well with grilled, marinated chicken breasts.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

Want a filling, healthy, protein- and fiber-loaded meal? This recipe is not only gluten-free, it's vegetarian (even vegan, actually, without the suggested toppings), low-fat, and cheap to make. It's definitely my pride and joy, and I crave this often. I posted it on SparkRecipes.com, and so far people have rated it very positively.

I use my slow cooker, so that's what I recommend, but you could throw it all together in a soup pot and simply simmer for an hour or until the sweet potatoes are tender.

I use low-sodium versions of the canned stuff when available, and you could even use dried beans.

Recipe:

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed well
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed well
1 large sweet potato, cut into bite-sized cubes (about 1.5 cups. You can also use butternut squash)
1 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter, or a little more if you like a richer, nuttier taste
2 medium to large sweet bell peppers, chopped - yellow and red are best
3/4 cup raw onions, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes (same size as the cans of beans - soup-can size) - do NOT drain
1 small can tomato paste
1 tbsp molasses OR 1 T brown sugar (optional)
1 tsp salt
1 can corn, drained (I like the white and yellow crispy kernels)
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp cumin
Red/cayenne pepper to taste (I use about 1/2 tsp. (or hot sauce to taste)
6 cloves fresh garlic, minced (or a couple tablespoons)
1 - 2 cups water (enough to almost come to the top of the stuff in the crockpot
** you can add more other veggies, too, like portabella mushrooms, butternut squash instead of sweet potato, fresh tomatoes, etc.- most veggies taste really good in this, so make it your own style.

Throw everything into a slow cooker and cook on high 5 - 6 hours.

Add hot sauce to taste and top with your favorite chili companions - mine are fresh cilantro and avocado with a little shredded cheese.

Serves 8 - 12, depending on the portion size.

Crispy Oven "Fried" Fish

Tasty, easy to make, and uses things you probably already have on hand! Serve with potatoes in your favorite style, coleslaw, salad... whatever you like with fish!

Ingredients

2 fish filets (I like to use tilapia, but cod, halibut, or any flaky, boneless white fish will do)
1/2 c. GF bread crumbs or crumbed chips/crackers/dried bread
1/2 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
dill (dried or fresh)
cracked black pepper
1/4 c. buttermilk

Preheat oven (I used my toaster oven) to 450 degrees F.

Sprinkle fish filets in black pepper (unless you're not a fan of pepper... you can also sprinkle with salt if you like.

Add the dill and lemon pepper to the crumbs. Put 1/3 of the crumbs in a shallow dish wide enough to lay a filets down without it being too big to lay flat. TIP: instead of GF breadcrumbs, use whatever chips or crackers you have on hand - put them through a blender to crumb them. This also reduces the need to add any salt.

Drench fish filets in the buttermilk (in a bowl). Then transfer the filets one at a time to a shallow dish containing 1/3 of the crumbs. Scatter some crumbs on top, shaking dish back and forth gently to coat the filets in the crumbs so they're "breaded."

Line a baking sheet with foil and spray the foil with nonstick spray. Place the filets next to each other on the baking sheet. Bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. You can also cook these the same way in a toaster oven, and can "toast" it at the end to crisp it up even more.

I serve these with tartar sauce - Trader Joe's makes a good one with jalapeno and dill mixed in and it's gluten-free, of course!

This recipe makes 2 filets - serves one if very hungry or two for a lighter meal.