Teriyaki Purple Cabbage Green Beans

First you marinate the tofu, about half a pkg., in soy sauce. Add fresh herbs and 3 cloves of garlic. Cook this up with a yellow summer squash and lottttts of pepper.

Then you throw a ton of green beans and purple cabbage in some olive oil and cook on high for about 10 minutes.

Pour the tofu mix on top of the bean/cabbage mixture. Add lotttttts of pepper and some Teriyaki sauce. (watch serving size suggestion)

Cook on low for 10 more minutes.

Why this combo? I got it from the organic coop. We'll see how it turns out!

Now What?

After I ate my salad & whole wheat bagel for lunch, I said..."Now What?"

I was hankering for something sweet and we were plum out of fruit & dates, my usual.

I Pammed up a pan and threw in some walnuts, a couple of tablespoons of 100 percent maple syrup, and cinnamon. Then I cooked it up for a bit. I popped popcorn in olive oil on the stove. Then I combined the two concoctions and stirred with my hands. I also put in extra cinnamon. Wow, what a good combo! My son loved it. He always tests my inventions. Yum.

Lemon Infused Salted Watermelon

Here is a fun treat! Cube a watermelon. In a small bowl, cover it with a couple tablespoons of lemon juice. Then sprinkle salt over that. Yum! So refreshing and delicious!

Veggie Lasagna

Spray Pam on the bottom of a large lasagna pan.
Sprinkle Extra Virgin Olive Oil on bottom of pan. (EVOO)
Slice sweet potatoes and make that the bottom layer.
Lay Greens over them, like lasagna noodles!
Make a layer of sliced yellow squash. Salt and pepper them.
Another layer of greens.
Layer of sliced onions. Salt, pepper, EVOO.
Greens.
Potatoes, Salt, pepper, EVOO.
Can of Kidney beans, juice and all over the top. It will be sparse.
Press 2 cloves of garlic on top.
Cover with aluminum foil.
Cook at 350 for 2 hours.
Cool for 30 minutes.

I am posting this recipe before I even try this dish. I just made it up as I went along. We'll see!

Next time, less EVOO. I need to add something like whole wheat flour between layers to make it stick. Any suggestions? The taste was marvelous! Just too oily & slippery. :)

2nd night better...added curry.

Presto Pesto!

When you are not in the mood for wilted greens the way I was making them before, here is another great way to get them in the raw way! Put 3-4 cloves of garlic, 1/2 cup of walnuts, and olive oil in a food processor and make a paste. Add a whole head of kale a handful at a time and make it all chopped up to a paste. Add more olive oil if it is too dry. I added a can of white beans to add fiber to the dish. Serve with whole wheat pasta. Include sliced home grown tomatoes with this meal. It really makes it.

You may use any kind of greens and any kind of nuts. Play around with this recipe! It is yummy and satisfying. We ate it at room temp tonight... a great summer dish.

Presto!!!

For dessert, I am making a plain yogurt with chopped up apples, walnuts, and a drizzle of agave nectar. Yum!

Did an abs class tonight at Elements. The owner, Kim, said come on in and mention the blog! She will give you some free days or free classes to try it out!

Back in Action!

Sorry I have been away for a while. My dad got married in Mississippi, so we went there for a fun week with family. We ate healthy by bringing our grains and tofu and making the greens and beans dish a couple of times. We also made tuna one day and had chicken a few times during the week. We did have the food at the wedding...delicious gumbo and the cake that made my dad fall in love with his bride, lemon cake. It was the second sugar treat in a whole year. Otherwise, we cut it out totally.

My sister and I had a ball teaching our Mississippi friends and cousins a little bit of Zumba! They loved it!

Now that we are back, we are busy picking from our garden. We have beans, tomatoes, greens, kale, lettuce, cucumbers, and giant zucchini! I love to bring it home and prepare it all at once. Then it is so easy to cook with.

I took a break from the same ole from before vacation and made a fun couscous dish that is cold and full of veggies! I added tomatoes, onions, parsley, black beans, tofu marinated in a hot rooster sauce to taste, the kind that is on the table at Noodles and Co., juice from one lemon, half cup of raisins, and two cucumbers seeded and chopped into small pieces. Mix all of this with couscous, and you have a great dinner with leftovers for lunch the next day!

Enjoy your summer day! I'll post more recipes soon!

In a rut? No, just eating in season!

I know I have been doing the same meal basically since I started this blog. I will continue with variations using whole grains and veggies. It will change slightly from day to day, but stay the same with beans, greens, tofu, whole grain, and veggies. The spices change and make a huge difference. I love to chop veggies into little pieces and get my greens ready to cook so it is super easy. One big prep day, then just throw it in olive oil for a great meal! I am a part of Simply Wisconsin, a coop that gives me fresh, organic vegetables once a week. I only get 4 veggies from them per week. I also have my own garden with a variety of veggies. I feel a huge need to use them all and not waste a bite, so I use tons in my meals. Until next time, I'll keep cooking in season, and I won't bore you with the same old recipes. I will wait until I have something new and interesting to share! :)

Leftovers With a Twist!!

My good friend, who eats just like me, suggested eating my couscous meal with sesame oil and soy sauce to give an Asian flare instead of my usual hot sauce. I am so excited to try this tomorrow. As for tonight, it was leftovers with hot sauce. Yes, I am addicted to Frank's Hot Sauce. But I am totally open to changing! Yumm!

Celebrations!

Well, we were pretty hungry when we got home from the burger, hot dog, brat fest today, so we were sooo glad to eat fresh greens, couscous, onions, chives, garlic. Yum! Satisfying!

4th of July Picnic

Today we have a picnic. I will eat Costoco's Black Bean burgers on whole grain. They are delicious. I am sure there will also be salads and fruit. Good choices are all around.

In Praise of Chocolate Flavored Rice Cakes!

Had leftovers tonight. I have a couple of rich, chocolatey treats to make for 4th get togethers, and I ate a few rice cakes in place of putting my face in the ice cream that I was spreading out over Oreos. LOL

Going Solo

Tonight, I dine alone in my peaceful back yard with caldlelight. It is so nice to have quiet. I made couscous with greens, onions, garlic, tomatoes, black beans, tofu, and hot sauce. I also used a little salt/garlic salt to season. I am going to use half, and have half for lunch tomorrow. I'm off to read my book, The Help. I will top it all off with a glass of red wine. I'll probably fall asleep after the first page. zzzzzz.

Coffee Break!

After a day of sun and water, I was pooped! Drank some coffee, off to dance with my girlfriends (aka Zumba!). I'm making some quinoa mix with greens from the garden, beans from a can, onions, garlic, and tofu for a late dinner on the patio with Craig. This dish with greens will need ___ _____. You fill in the blanks! :)

P.S. I added fresh herbs instead of beans. I added shitake mushrooms and yellow/red peppers. I also added tomatoes. This was sooooooo delicious. Yum.