Meatless Meatballs=Rad

I was grocery shopping at Sunflower Market yesterday and came across Nate's Meatless Meatballs in the frozen food section. I am always super excited to scope out new vegan items at the grocery store. I stroll every isle just in case there's something new. My sister hates shopping with me because she thinks I take forever. Whatever.

One thing that Mr. Hibbard LOVES is meatballs. I've never liked meatballs, but I figured if I was going to cook up the vegan meatballs for Matt, I might as well partake. These Nate's meatless meatballs are rad! I mean, like super tasty awesome amazingness! I put them on top of quinoa pasta and Sunflower Market basil and garlic pasta sauce with a side of steamed vegetables. Perfecto!

Vegan sweet chile lime tofu with lime cardamon quinoa and collard greens

I saw this recipe pop up on yumsugar today and knew I wanted to make it. It is super healthy (no oils or fatty ingredients in it at all). I'd venture to say it is weight-watcher's friendly, too. The verdict is that this is a recipe we'll make over and over. It is super simple, quick and very flavorful.

I was surprised I had cardamon, as I have never used it before and this is my spice-drawer-o-rama:

 I wasn't sure where to buy collard greens, but I was able to find them at Fresh And Easy, which was awesome! I was also able to find pre-cooked quinoa, which cuts this recipe prep time by a lot.

Vegan sweet chile lime tofu with 

lime cardamon quinoa and collard greens

INGREDIENTS
Quinoa:
3/4 C quinoa, rubbed/rinsed, drained
Zest from one lime, divided in half and slice lime for garnish (use 1/2 the zest)
2 bruised cardamon pods (I used 2 pinches of dried cardamon)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tiny cinnamon stick (optional-I didn't use)
1-1/3 C water (If you use the pre-cooked quinoa, you don't need the water)
Sweet Chili Lime Sauce:
3 Tbs sugar
3 Tbs tamari
1-3/4 Tbs lime juice
1/2 zest of the lime
1/2 tsp red chili flakes (If you don't have red chili flakes, you can use1/2 tsp of Ancho chili pepper)
1 clove garlic, minced (I used 2)
1/4 tsp salt
4 mint leaves, sliced thinly
The Greens:
1 bunch collard greens, washed with middle veins removed (you can use kale as a substitute)
2-3 Tbs water
1 tsp lime juice
1 pinch salt
 The Rest:
14-oz extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed
Lime slices for a garnish (optional)
Mint leaves for a garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Combine the quinoa, 1/2 the lime zest, cardamon, cinnamon stick, salt, and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes, then remove from heat and don’t remove the lid. Let steam for 10 minutes.  (I USED PRE-COOKED QUINOA FROM FRESH AND EASY AND MIXED IN THE LIME ZEST, CARDAMON AND SALT IN THE HEATED-UP BOWL OF QUINOA).
Sweet chili lime sauce: Whisk together the sugar, tamari, lime juice, lime zest, red chili flakes, garlic,  salt, and mint until the sugar and salt and dissolved. Set aside. (I DOUBLED THE SAUCE, TO HAVE EXTRA GLAZE ON THE TOFU).

I love my new zester!

.

Tofu: Slice the tofu into 7-8 rectangles:

Then cut each rectangle in half to make two squares, and then each square into four triangles:

Saute the tofu in a dry skillet for about 10 minutes on each side on medium-high heat. Add the chili lime sauce and stir to coat the tofu for about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.  The sauce will bubble up, reduce, and form a glaze.

While this is happening, slice up the collard greens. In a wok (which I didn’t have, so I used a small skillet) add water, lime juice, and salt. Cover with a lid and steam until tender on medium high heat (should be ready in under 5 minutes).

To serve, layer plate with  a scoop of quinoa, collard greens, then tofu. Garnish with lime slices and mint (optional). Enjoy!

Vegan Quinoa Cocoa Cupcakes With Vegan Chocolate Frosting

My goal is to make 1 batch of vegan baked goods every week. This week, I wanted to find a fun unique vegan chocolate cupcake. I knew I would be limited in my choices, due to the ingredients on hand. I had about 2 cups of cooked quinoa in the refrigerator and came across a cupcake recipe made with quinoa.
I had a feeling the recipe would be a disaster, but knew if it was good, it would be really good. From start to finish, this recipe intrigued me. While mixing the ingredients, the batter was so dry that I thought I did something wrong. I decided to add another tablespoon of oil and 3 more tablespoons of water. This was a good choice because I don't think the cupcakes would have turned out, if I didn't. Next time I make this recipe, I may add more liquids to see how it changes the recipe. The batter was really thick, which makes it easy to put into the cupcake liners. While watching the cupcakes baking in the over, I watched them rise up into the top of the cupcake liners and they looked moist.
I let the cupcakes cool and frosted them with a vegan chocolate frosting recipe. I like the stiffer frosting, so I can use a frosting bag. I will use more powdered sugar the next time I make the frosting, so it gets thicker. I halved the recipe, but probably could have quartered it. I have enough frosting leftover to frost another batch of 12 cupcakes.
Matt loved his cupcake, as did I. Enjoy!


Vegan Quinoa Cocoa Cupcake Recipe
 http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/1493/Quinoa-Cocoa-Cupcakes/


Ingredients

• 3/4 Cup cooked Quinoa
• 1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
• 2/3 Cup White Sugar
• 1-1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 3/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder
• 1/2 Cup Whole-Wheat Pastry Flour
• 1 Cup White Flour
• 2 Tablespoons Water

METHOD

First, rinse off just over 1/3 cup of dried quinoa. ( It has a bitter coating that must be rinsed off. ) Before baking, pre-cook the quinoa. Place quinoa in a covered pot with about 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, and simmer approximately 25 minutes. Check to ensure quinoa does not boil dry. Allow to cool. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tin with paper liners.
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients well.
Bake at 350 degrees for about twenty minutes, or when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Vegan Chocolate Frosting
(You could easily make 1/4 of this recipe and have enough frosting for 1 batch of cupcakes)
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=6441.0 


Ingredients

    1 cup vegan margarine
    4 cups powdered sugar (make your own if you want - blend sugar and cornstarch)
    2 tablespoon vanilla
    4 tablespoon soy milk
    1/2 cup cocoa powder (or more)
    dash of salt

Directions:

The vegan margarine should be at room temperature when placed in bowl. Blend until mushy, and then add vegan powdered sugar, salt, vanilla, chocolate and soy milk. You can add in more soy milk to make it a bit smoother but not too much. Spread on cake and enjoy.

Quinoa Black Bean Burgers

I first tried quinoa in a burger from Stax in Scottsdale. I was intrigued by the taste and texture. It makes a soft patty, just firm enough to be sandwiched between buns or bread.

I could eat the burger mix raw....it's THAT good! We serve these with baked sweet potato fries and a veganeise/ketchup sauce.

Quinoa Black Bean Burger Recipe 
http://www.grouprecipes.com/sr/27091/black-bean-and-quinoa-burgers/recipe/
Ingredients

• 2 garlic cloves, minced .
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded & sliced .
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin .
• 1 c quinoa .
• 1 (14 oz) can black beans, rinsed & drained .
• 1/2 tsp chili powder .
• 1/2 c red onions, grated & squeezed dry .
• 1/4 c fresh cilantro, sliced .
• 1/3 c dry breadcrumbs .
• 3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil .
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper .
• 3/4 tsp salt

Directions

• Step #1 Rinse quinoa under cool water for couple of mins in fine sieve to remove bitterness.
• Step #2 Put in rice cooker with just over 1 & 1/3 c water & set to cook.
• Step #3 Transfer to food processor/blender fitted with metal blade.
• Step #4 Add beans, garlic, salt, jalapeno, 1 tbsp of oil, onion, cilantro, chili powder, cumin & pepper.
• Step #5 Puree until smooth.
• Step #6 Form into six 1/2-inch thick patties.
• Step #7 Place bread crumbs in shallow bowl.
• Step #8 Press patties into crumbs, turning to coat both sides.
• Step #9 In non-stick skillet, heat remaining oil over medium-high heat.
• Step #10 Cook patties in batches, turning once, for 8 mins or until browned.
• Enjoy the Black Bean & Quinoa Burgers recipe

I'll post some photos of these, the next time we make them.