Asian Quinoa Salad (Vegan)

Perfect summer salad with an asian twist. Super easy to make, just cut up your veggies, cook your quinoa, mix together your dressing and top with cilantro and sesame seeds! Enjoy :)

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped red cabbage
1 cup shelled and cooked edamame
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 cup diced cucumber

For the dressing:
1/4 cup lite soy sauce or tamari sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1/4 teaspoon grated ginger
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and black pepper, to taste
directions:


Add water, quinoa, and salt to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.

Place the quinoa in a large bowl and add the cabbage, edamame, red pepper, carrots, and cucumber. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, green onions, cilantro, sesame seeds, ginger, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.

4. Pour the dressing over the quinoa salad and stir to combine.

Spicy Peanut Sauce In Soba Noodles and Fried Tofu (Vegan)

Hey everyone! I know I have not posted in a while but its been a hectic couple months. I just finished high school, went to europe, and moved downtown. Adjusting to my new life there and new (smaller) kitchen has made cooking hard for me. I'm finally starting to experiment with recipes again, and with the St. Lawerence Market down the street from me I can make the freshest and localist food possible. Its been a blessing and I hope to use it to my full advantage while I'm here.
This recipe I made is one of my first with tofu. I surprisingly loved the texture and how it absorbed the flavors while marinated. The spicy peanut sauce added a strong kick to a common peanut sauce. This is  a must try and an extremely tasting vegan dish!

Ingredients:
For the tofu marinade:

1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
14 ounces extra-firm tofu, chopped into bite-sized cubes

For the spicy soba noodles:

1 carrot, peeled and grated in strips
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
5 cups soba noodles (about 10 ounces uncooked buckwheat noodles), cooked according to package directions

For garnish/to taste:

Cilantro and chopped peanuts 

For the tofu marinade: In a sealable container, mix together the rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic, stirring to combine.
Add the tofu, tossing gently to thoroughly coat. Seal the container tightly and chill for at least two hours, stirring or shaking the container every so often to coat the tofu well.

For the spicy soba noodles: Combine water, peanut butter, ginger, soy sauce, honey, pepper, and garlic; stir with a whisk until smooth. Set aside.
Place a grill pan over medium-high heat and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Place the tofu, in batches, on the heated grill and cook until the tofu is lightly crisped on each side, about 10 minutes or so. 

While frying the tofu made the soba noodles according to package instructions.

\n a large bowl, mix together the carrot, prepared peanut sauce, tofu, and noodles, tossing to coat the noodles thoroughly.
 Add in your desired amount of peanuts and cilantro, according to taste. Enjoy.

Rhubarb Berry Baked Oatmeal

I've become an oatmeal lover lately. The combinations and creations are endless and the health benefits are amazing. You can start your day with it or end your night, either way you will be satisfied. Rhubarb, blueberries, blackberries and banana mixed with oats, almonds, almond milk and fresh spices of cinnamon and ginger. 

Ingredients: 

dry:
1 3/4 cup gluten-free rolled oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup oat flour
2 tablespoons ground flax meal
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt

berry mixture:
2 tablespoons oat flour

1/4 cup coconut sugar, or sucanat/brown sugar

1 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb, 1/4-inch pieces
1 2/3 cups roughly chopped berries, fresh or frozen

wet:

2 cups unsweetened almond milk

1 medium banana, well-mashed
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup*
2 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil, melted
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 350* F and lightly grease a 9x9 or 10-inch round baking dish with coconut oil or vegan butter.

Mix the oats, 1/3 cup almonds, 1/4 cup oat flour, flax meal, cinnamon, baking powder, ginger, and salt together in a large bowl.

Place the rhubarb, 1 1/3 cups of the berries, 2 tablespoons of oat flour, and the coconut sugar in the baking dish.

Lightly toss together dry mixture and berry mixture and spread evenly over the dish.

Whisk the milk, well-mashed banana, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, and vanilla extract together.

Pour the wet mixture over the oats and berries, hit the baking dish [carefully] on the counter 1-2 times, then poke the top surface all around with a fork so the wet mixture penetrates through. Do not stir.

Top with the remaining sliced almonds and berries.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, until golden brown and the surface is set [not mushy]. You will still be able to feel give under the top layer. For a gooier baked oatmeal bake closer to the 35 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let sit for 5-8 minutes before serving. Bake will firm a bit as it sits.
Serve with coconut milk, almonds, fresh berries, and maple syrup if desired.

Vegan Sugar Cookies

My first ever vegan recipe and it turned out perfectly! These vegan sugar cookies are as delicious as the real thing. They taste buttery even without any butter. I used coconut oil and almond milk instead of dairy products.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup soft but not melted coconut oil
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk, soymilk, or almond milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tbs cornstarch
1 tap baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar

2 cups powdered sugar
2 tbs coconut, soy, or almond milk (or more)
sprinkles or sanding sugar (optional)

Combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda and cream of tartar in a bowl.

In an electric mixer combine powdered sugar, salt, coconut oil, coconut milk, and vanilla. 

Slowly add flour mixture until combined. If dough is too crumbly, add a little more milk until it comes together. 

Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease with cooking spray. 

Divide dough in half. Roll each dough half to 1/4 inch thickness on a floured surface cut out with cookie cutters. Dough may need to warm up a little before it's easy to roll out. 

Place shapes on the cookie sheet 2 inches apart and bake 7-8 until edges just begin to turn golden brown. 

Let sit for 5 minutes on pan then transfer a wire rack. Let cool completely.

To make icing, place powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth. Spread on cooled cookies or use a piping bag to make designs. Use sprinkles or sanding sugar to decorate.