Saturday, August 15, 2009

Creamy Broccoli & Spicy Veggie Rice.



I've been out of town this summer and have found myself creating meals from basic foods-because I am running low on funds and not in my own properly stocked kitchen. Two days into my summer vacation I stocked up on whole grains (pasta, rice) and a lot of frozen veggies. This meal proves that as long as you have a basic whole grain, fiber and some sort of seasoning-you can make an excellent tasting meal for yourself while you're away from home.


Rice:

1/2 cup whole wheat (brown) rice. I'm a fan of Uncle Ben-because he's super easy. I NEVER add the salt or "butter" to the rice..there's totally no need for it.
1- 1 1/2 cups of water
1 cup frozen veggies
"Middle Eastern Spice" (I found this in the Beau's cupboard-it's a mixture of curry, turmeric and cordiner.)
Black Pepper
Montreal Steak Spice *it's vegan-shut up! Not just for steaks!*

Bring to a boil and let simmer covered on medium-low heat, stir every now and then. About 5 minutes into the simmer process, add 2 tbsp of low-sodium soy sauce.

Creamy Broccoli
1-2 cups frozen broccoli
2 generous tbsp of organic peanut butter
3-4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce * If you've got BRAGGS-use it in replacement of the soy sauce and add according to taste*
3-4 tbsp orange juice
garlic powder to taste

While the broccoli is being steamed, combine the remaining ingredients into a saucepan on medium heat, starting with the peanut butter. Add steamed broccoli and toss to coat!


Friday, August 7, 2009

Easy 3 a.m. Veg Muffins


I am the first to scoff at muffin mix from a box. It's true, I much prefer to do any kind of baking from scratch and encourage people to dirty their hands and create from raw ingredients. However, my friend is not of the same mentality. The man likes his muffins, and he can pop them out "fuss free" when the mix comes from a bag. 3am, a few mornings ago the baking bug nibbled away at our insides! With our pre-packaged muffin mix in tow, we set out to bake.
Most mixes (pancakes,cookies,muffins,cakes) are already vegan-it's the eggs you are instructed to add that makes the muffins non-veg. Easy solution: add 1tbsp of unsweetned applesauce for every one egg the box requires. For a personal twist, I threw in some oatmeal and crunchy cereal. The nice thing about these mixes is that they are mostly fool-proof!
So have fun and add in some nuts,dried fruit or morphine. ..Kidding about the morphine. Just make sure to READ the label on your mix to make sure the dry ingredients are AOK.
My veg muffins are in the blue silicon tray! FDA approved silicon cookware is a blessing! Easy to clean, less likely to burn the bottom of your baked goods AND you use a LOT less fat in your baking because you do not have to coat the pan with oil before you bake. I run a little grapeseed oil through just incase-but it is not a must. I use a silicon pan for my loafs and they come out perfect everytime!
NomNom!