Oh thank heavens- it's the last week of school!!!! Words cannot even begin to express how much I am looking forward to the summer :) I currently have 58 boxes packed in my classroom due to the fact that our school is being remodeled over the summer. It's been quite the long week, trying to keep 20 Kindergartners busy and entertained, despite the fact that all my teaching supplies are packed up and staring at me through floor to ceiling packed boxes!
I have treated myself to a Venti Iced coffe with soy & vanilla every morning this week AND yummy dinners in the evenings. This week I found inspiration again through my Vegetarian Times magazine subscription and my Good Veggie Eatin' Pinterest board of course :)
First up: an Israeli Breakfast Salad from Vegetarian Times. I threw away the recipe b/c it's pretty easy to remember. It's very versatile and you can make it as a brunch item, a light lunch, or a dinner side dish. I chose to make it as a side dish, then I reused it the next morning for breakfast which consisted of a small whole grain tortilla, smeared with hummus, topped with this salad, & 2 strips of Smoky "Bacon" Marinated Tempeh made by Tofurkey. Sooooo good- tasted just like a BLT!
Chop & place in a medium sized bowl each of the following;
1/2 a large seedless cucumber
1/2 a yellow bell pepper
4 roma tomatoes
3 green onions
A good handful of chopped parsley
Mix with the juice of 1 lemon, a drizzle of EVOO, & season with S&P to taste.
Then I made this yummy pasta dish, also from Vegetarian Times!
Spicy Broccoli Raab & Gemelli
8 oz. gemelli pasta
1 small bunch broccoli raab, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3T. Evoo
1/2 cup dried currants
1/3 cup shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped
4 cloves of minced garlic
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2T. Marsala wine
My Substitutions: -I used corn fussili instead of gemelli
-Regular broccoli
-I drizzled the final product with evoo, a little bit of lemon juice, S&P, and some chia seeds.
Directions:
Cook pasta according to directions
Blanch broccoli in a pot of salted water for 2 minutes, then drain
Heat large skillet over med-high heat and add chickpeas and oil.
Cook 2 minutes until chickpeas start to pop
Add currants, garlic, red pepper flakes, Marsala wine, and broccoli.
Cook 3-4 minutes until broccoli is tender
Drain pasta and place in a medium sized bowl.
Add broccoli mixture, pistachios, and dress with S&P, lemon juice, and extra evoo if desired.
Together = DINNER!
Now tonight, I looked to Pinterest for a dinner idea and I came across this yummy looking Black Pepper & Thyme Crusted Tofu from a cute blog called Olives For Dinner. Now her tofu came out looking uh-mazing, like the kind you get from Pei Wei. Mine didn't quite turn out the same but it was allll good nonetheless! Here's her recipe:
INGREDIENTS
for the tofu
1/2 cup mirin
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 TB raw agave nectar
1 TB soy sauce
1 TB olive oil
1 block of tofu, pressed very well
a few dashes of liquid smoke (optional)
1-2 tsps dried thyme
1/2 tsp coarsely ground pepper
for the couscous
1 cup large-pearl couscous
1 1/2 cup vegetable broth or water
1 tsp salt
1 TB Earth Balance
1 TB olive oil
3-4 shallots, diced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
7-10 oil-cured olives, depitted and chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
METHOD
In a large glass pyrex dish, combine the mirin, balsamic, agave, soy sauce and olive oil. Place the very-well pressed tofu into the dish, flip over once and place into the refrigerator to marinate for a few hours.
When you are ready to prepare the dish, place the couscous, broth or water, salt and Earth Balance into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cover. Stir it every five minutes or so.
In a a separate skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add in the shallots and saute for about 10-12 minutes, or until nicely caramelized. Don't stir them during this time to allow a nice caramelization to develop. After 10-12 minutes, stir them around gently. Add the garlic on top of the shallots, so it will soften, but won't burn by making direct contact with the skillet. After 5-7 minutes, give everything a good stir. Add in the olives and parsley and stir to combine, and add this mixture to the cooked couscous, which should be ready by now.
You can now use this same skillet to sear your tofu. Gently place as many pieces as you can into the skillet and saute for 5-7 minutes. Flip the tofu over, and sprinkle with a generous amount of the thyme and black pepper. Continue to saute for 5-7 minutes more. Flip the tofu over again and add a bit more thyme and pepper, then add a few dashes of liquid smoke.
Serve immediately with the couscous and a side of some of the unused marinade.
Here are my pictures. I added some fresh green beans as well :)
Serve immediately with the couscous and a side of some of the unused marinade.
The israeli couscous was delicious, FYI!
9 more hours of teaching... I think I can, I think I can!
Peace, Love, & Veggies
I spent the past week in NC visiting with my high school girlfriends over the weekend and my Mom, Sister, and nephew for the remainder of the week. It was so nice to see familiar and loving faces. Distance truly does make the hear grow fonder. I enjoyed rubbing the bellies of my two pregnant friends, while feeling their babies kick, and playing my my ever-adorable nephew, Max. We are so lucky to have him in our lives. He's our little red-headed firecracker! 
