SESAME UDON NOODLES with GREENS + SPICY TOFU

Greetings, sweet readers! I'm here to share a savoury recipe, in contrast to the plethora of desserts I normally make. Balance, right? This dish was put together spontaneously and turned out wonderfully... sometimes the best meals are made with random odds and ends around the kitchen. Anybody agree?

AVOCADO ZUCCHINI SUSHI with BROWN RICE

So technically this isn't sushi, it's maki. Even then it's my humble take on it, not traditional. And that's ok!

ARUGULA BASIL SALAD with SWEET CORN, RED BEANS, LEMON + SPICES

Hey, baby. How you been? I've been makin' salad.

I was in the garden with my mom today a few weeks ago and we were looking at all the edibles we have growing. She noticed the arugula should be picked so my fate was sealed: lunch was to be arugula salad. I also picked some basil, cilantro, and cherry tomatoes. I cannot really take much credit for all this wonderful food we have blooming in our yard - momma Nancy does it all, and I reap the bounty. Hehe. The night before, I was making my dinner which was a bowl of red beans and sweet corn, when my partner and I decided we were gonna go OUT for dinner (at this cool veg place called Tera V Burger). So I threw my food in the fridge - figuratively - and headed off. Thus the following day I had that to add to my greens and tomatoes! It was perfect. I sprinkled on some lemon juice, antioxidant omega oil blend, agave syrup, salt, cumin, coriander, sunflower seeds, and love. The result was pure deliciousness. I wish I had made more but I was going for vegan tacos with my friends later that night so we could all laugh hysterically together and slap each other before I went away for 3 weeks.

Note: I do not eat out every night, but it's summer and hey - I'm a wild child (sarcasm). Usually I prefer to be a frugal ferret and only go out once a month or so. Save money yay! I will have to be even more of a thrifty homo sapien once I move in with Jack since Vancouver is LITERALLY the most expensive city in the world to live in. Great.

Back to the recipe! Honestly, this salad is so simple and so tasty. It made me remember why I love salad so much. It makes you feel nourished and connected to the earth, especially when you pick most of it from your own backyard. I haven't been eating enough greens lately and this was the yummiest wake up call I could have received. Eat your greens! Eat this salad!

ARUGULA BASIL SALAD with SWEET CORN, RED BEANS, LEMON + SPICES

Salad:
2 cups arugula
1/2 cup basil 
1/2 cup cilantro
2 tablespoon sunflower seeds
1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes 
1 cup red beans
1 cup sweet corn 

Dressing:
1 teaspoon maple syrup
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon antioxidant omega oil blend
Pinch of Himalayan salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander 

Throw it all together, let it sit for a few minutes so the flavours develop and the leaves soften, then chomp! Note: you can really use whatever you have lying around to make the dressing (and salad too, for that matter). All you need is a sweet component, a creamy component, and a tangy component. 

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baked yam & tofu with purple rice, kale pesto & sprouts

This recipe is super simple and super delicious! This a prime example of how to eat a whole foods, plant based diet with an emphasis on raw food. After working out, I enjoyed my regular green smoothie. An hour or so after that I was needing something heavier, with a fair amount of protein to rebuild my muscles. The perfect meal for this is some thing that has a vegetable, a grain, and a protein - top it all off with something green and your body will be praising you! 

baked yam & tofu with purple rice, kale pesto & sprouts: serves two

Kale pesto:
5 cups kale
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 tablespoon walnut oil 
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
Salt, to taste
Water, as needed

The other stuff:
1 yam, peeled
1 package of tofu
1 1/2 cups cooked purple rice
Handful sprouts 

To make the yam and tofu: cut them into bite size chunks and toss in a tiny bit of olive oil, tamari, maple syrup, liquid smoke, and salt and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes or until the yam is soft. 

To make the pesto: pulse all in the ingredients in your food processor until it becomes pesto. SO GOOD. Serve with the yam, tofu, rice and sprouts - enjoy!

green tea soba noodles with roasted vegetables & herbs

My boyfriend and I have been eating so many veggie-noodle dishes lately. Our routine right now (and probably through the winter break) is to get up "early", work out together, make post-exercise green smoothies or juice, then do homework/something productive and go for a walk. Then we make lunch and watch whatever TV show we are currently addicted to - at the moment it is The Wire. Thug life.

Anyhoo, the past week we've been making different kinds of soba noodles with a ton of raw and roasted veggies like sweet potatoes, cucumber, mushrooms, cilantro, beets, onions, garlic, bell peppers, etc. I like to add raisins and peanuts on top. So today I prepared some green tea noodles and served them with delicious, fresh vegetables.

green tea soba noodles with roasted vegetables & herbs: serves two hungry people

Roasted veggies:
1 sweet potato
2 large beets
4 large mushrooms
4 garlic cloves
1 onion
1 tablespoon fave veg oil 
1/2 teaspoon each of salt, pepper, fennel seeds, dill, paprika, turmeric, garlic powder and rosemary if you have it
1 teaspoon maple syrup 

Noodles:
1/2 package green tea noodles
1 teaspoon veg oil (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional) 

Toppings:
1/2 cucumber
1 cup cilantro 
1/4 cup peanuts
1/4 cup raisins 

Prepare your plants: pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Peel and slice all the veggies so they are all roughly the same size. Mix in the oil, herbs/spices and maple syrup until everybody is evenly coated. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the beets and sweet potatoes are soft and delicious. 

While they are baking, make the noodles: follow the instructions on the package, ya goof! Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water to stop them from cooking anymore. Then add a teaspoon of veg oil and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt, if you like. 

Cut up the cuke and cilantro for the toppings. When the vegetables are ready: put your noodles in two bowls, place the roasted veggies on top, followed by the cucumber, cilantro, raisins, peanuts and whatever else you think to add. Eat with your significant other while watching cops chase drug gangs in 90's Baltimore. 

Namaste, yo.