Tofu, Kale, Onion, Mushroom and Fennel Recipe!

I made a delicious dinner last night that I wanted to share:

The dish has no name, it is another one of my open up the fridge and throw something together dinners.  These are typically good, but this was was very good!  I think the fennel seed is what did it.  Anyway here is the recipe  —

Press a block of tofu

Saute in coconut oil for 15-20 minutes until the onion is barely visable

• 1 medium onion, cut up into very small pieces
• 1 shallot, cut up small
• 1 stalk of celery also cut up into very small pieces
• 2 carrots chopped

Add in and saute another 10 minutes or until the mushroom is soft

• 1/2 a portabella mushroom cut into 1″chunks
• 1/2 a red pepper, diced small

Add a small bunch of kale (cut up) on top of the veggies

Add water into the pan, cover and simmer until the kale softens, then mix it all together add spices, cover and continue to simmer

• turmeric
• ginger
• fennel seeds (I imagine if you actually have fennel, you can cut some up and saute that instead, but I didn’t so I used seeds)

Meanwhile, cut up the pressed tofu into small pieces and brown it in more coconut oil another pan.  Once it is cooked to your liking, mix it into the pan of vegetables and spices.  Add more water to blend the spices and tofu, and simmer until the water is mostly all absorbed.

Delicious!

Vegetable Chili for the Football Game

Yesterday I made a  big pot of veggie chili for the football game. 

I never make this the same way twice as I use whatever vegetables I have on hand and whatever else I get from the store.  This batch was exceptionally good.

I started by sautéing a small onion and 1 clove of garlic.  Once the onion started browning I threw in a cube of tofu which I had cut up into very small pieces.  I seasoned the tofu/onions/garlic with some chili powder, cumin, cilantro, and of course cayenne.

As that was simmering, I cut up

• 2 carrots
• about 1 cup of butternut squash
• 1 small potato
• 1 very small beet
• 1 small turnip (not the big one that is actually a rutabaga, but if I had one of those, I would have used about 1/2 of it in the chili!)

I started cooking all of these vegetables in a big pot with some water.

I then added the onion/garlic/tofu mixture and a big can of whole tomatoes.  If I had fresh tomatoes, I’m sure that would have been even better!

Next I added some kidney beans, black beans and navy beans.  I used canned beans (well rinsed) as I didn’t think about making this the night before, and so I didn’t have time soak the beans.

I kept adding more water as needed.

As this was cooking I cut up

• small zucchini
• small summer squash
• red bell pepper
• a bunch of mushrooms
• broccoli–separating the stems from the flowers
• I didn’t have any eggplant but I have used eggplant in the chili in the past and it was great!

I added these to the pot and simmered for about 45 minutes.  Last I threw in the broccoli flowers and added about 1/2 a teaspoon of cinnamon.

I served the chili in a  bread bowl — delicious!  

Summer Salad with Tofu

I made a wonderful dinner tonight using a variety of cooked and raw vegetables and tofu.  It was delicious, nutritious and very satisfying!

First I sautéed 1/2 a sweet onion in some olive oil.

I added 1/3 of a brick of tofu (cut into cubes) to the onions and olive oil and simmered on low.

Once the onions started to turn translucent I added some balsamic vinegar to the onions and tofu and continued to let it simmer.

For the salad, I started with some green leaf lettuce

I added 1/3 a bulb of fennel sliced very thin

1/2 a red pepper, sliced

5-6 asparagus spears, steamed and cut into 1″ pieces

4 artichoke hearts arranged around the side of the plate

4 roasted Brussels sprouts, cut in half (for an amazing recipe see my earlier post). also arranged around the side of the plate

Lastly I poured the sautéed tofu and onions over the salad.  The oil and vinegar drizzled on top making a delicious dressing

This is a wonderful summertime meal!