Easy Grilled Teriyaki Tofu w/ Quinoa & Broccoli

This is an incredibly easy and quick meal that is simple enough for a busy weeknight after a long day at work. Super healthy, this dish emphasizes plant-based protein, whole grains, and getting some greens in! Teriyaki sauce adapted from food.com.

***PROMO CODE for Zyliss Non-Stick Cookware below!***

Hey everyone! I hope that the seep of fall is blossoming beautifully for you. The air here in Alaska is crisp and pungent with the perfume of wild, highbush cranberries.

We've been having a bit of storm this week, complete with powerful winds and angry rain; many of our leaves have already dropped from the trees. Fall in Alaska is about four days long and this intense wind has just given it a big shove, hurrying it along. It goes something like this:

• Day 1 of Fall - It starts to get real cold at night.

• Day 2 - The leaves turn banal yellow.

• Day 3 - The leaves turn pale brown.

• Day 4 - The (normal) wind and rain arrives; the leaves vacate the trees.

Yes, this is a 100% accurate representation of an Alaskan fall. We don't even count it as a season, it's so short and decidedly unremarkable. We only have three seasons up here. Breakup (spring), construction (summer), and winter. Now you know! I still love our fall though...

The end of construction season has the CSA we subscribe to in full swing with lots of fresh and yummy veggies like this broccoli. As our no-oil, whole foods diet trial continues, this made an excellent and quick weeknight dinner last week. I confess that I've had some slip ups here and there. Mainly a sneaky sneak of some vegan ice cream and bagged popcorn, etc. Todd for the most part has been doing pretty good on it. He made the vegan America's Test Kitchen pancakes (a former staple of his), which use coconut oil, for my non-hermit book club last week and had a few. He told me he did seem to feel worse after eating them, so maybe there is something to this whole oil thing with regards to it's inflammatory influence on rheumatoid arthritis.

I'm currently reading, The Other Side of Impossible: Ordinary People Who Faced Daunting Medical Challenges and Refused to Give Up by Susannah Meadows. It's collection of stories about families that have struggled with a chronic illness and sought out 'alternative' treatments when standard western medicine wasn't helping. It's pretty incredible how resilient these people are and I found Todd and myself relating to them in different ways. He's so incredibly enthusiastic and flexible, always willing to continue try this thing or that thing I read about in new study. And myself, unrelenting with research and constantly pouring through both anecdotal and scientific evidence regarding upcoming treatments for autoimmune diseases. #cantstopwontstop

A couple of the folks in the book have RA and I found it especially inspiring to read how they didn't stop trying to find a cure or at least something that helped them managed their pain and symptoms. No matter how bad it got, they were always hopeful that something had to give. It took me a long time to realize that we were the same. That's why we won't stop at just being vegan. If we need to cut out oil and adopt a low-fat, whole foods diet then we'll be there. It might seem extreme to some, but like the book states, until you're faced with the struggle of a chronic autoimmune disease and finding that nothing is working, not even harsh chemotherapy drugs and injectable biologics, you don't know what you wouldn't try if you even had the remote possibility at making a difference in your quality of life. 

The book actually centers on the caregivers of those suffering just as much as the victims, and how far they'll go to help their loved ones. It's really incredible at the hope and tenacity of these people. If you can relate in any way, I encourage you to pick up this book. 

Easy Grilled Teriyaki Tofu w/ Quinoa & Broccoli

Recipe by Kathleen @ Produce On Parade

This is an incredibly easy and quick meal that is simple enough for a busy weeknight after a long day at work. Super healthy, this dish emphasizes plant-based protein, whole grains, and getting some greens in! Teriyaki sauce adapted from food.com.

Ingredients

• 14 oz firm or extra firm tofu, pressed for 15 minutes then sliced into 4 rectangles
• 1 cup dry quinoa
• 1 ½ cup water
• 1 large broccoli head, chopped
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• ½ cup water
• ¼ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp agave nectar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp cold water
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1/4 cup chiffonade fresh basil
• dash of sesame seeds, for garnish

Cooking Directions

1. Press the tofu to remove water, then slice. Grill each slice in a nonstick grill pan over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes on each side, until they have nice marks. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, toast the dry quinoa over medium heat for about 1 minute then slowly add the water (carefully as it will spit in the hot pan). Bring to a boil over high heat with a dash of salt then reduce to a simmer and cover; cook for 15 minutes until all the water has evaporated. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork; cover and set aside.
3. While the quinoa cooks, chop the broccoli and steam for about 5 minutes until bright green and still retains some crunch. Remove from steam basket and set aside.
4. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the soy sauce through the agave. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat in a small saucepan. Whisk together the cornstarch and cold water then slowly whisk into the soy sauce mixture; simmer for a few minutes until thickened slightly. Remove from heat.
5. To plate, place ¼ of quinoa and broccoli in a shallow bowl, top with one rectangle of tofu, drizzle with the sauce then top with green onions, basil, and sesame seeds. Repeat with 3 more bowls. Serve hot.

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Simply Ancient Grains Cookbook Review + Frittata Quinoa Casserole

I'm the kind of person who never buys cookbooks. Sure, I used the ones we had growing up in my parent's house, but it never occurred to me to actually purchase any of my own. I'd just adapt the recipes I had already learned, get new recipe ideas from my friends and family, or just throw together a dish based completely off what I had. Or, later on, find one using the internet. Honestly, I really only ever (and confess...still do) cook one meal a day, usually. I don't eat breakfast (taboo, I know), and lunch is usually leftovers or a few pieces of fruit and yogurt; perhaps with some muesli. Dinner is the only meal I really go prime-time for. Is this normal? What about you?

What I am trying to say is forget all that. I love using cookbooks and have started a shockingly sprawling collection of them...especially for someone who strives for minimalism, such as myself. I always feel a pang of guilt when a new one nestles a home on my shelf. Will I use it enough to warrant it's space? I'm not one to search through a cookbook, find a recipe, then scour said recipe for ingredients I don't have, and go seek out said ingredients to make a dish. However, I've been very grateful that the collection of recent cookbooks I've obtained all have been an absolute delight to pursue through and I hope to make many, many recipes from all of them. 

My latest cookbook addition is Simple Ancient Grains by Maria Speck. Here's the truth, I got it because I don't consume a lot grains (besides the use of flour in my homemade bread, let's be real...does that count?). This will make sense in a bit. I mean sure, I use quinoa, millet, and assorted varieties of rice on occasion, but they are hardly what I'd call a staple in my home. Yet, on various blogs I've recently been noticing various grains that I've never seen up here in Alaska (maybe I wasn't looking) or have casually seen but just never picked up, making a prominent feature.

Grains like amaranth, buckwheat, einkorn, emmer, farro, freekeh, kamut, sorghum, spelt, and teff, I'm ashamed to say...have never crossed my lips! We just don't have access to a lot of those hip, unusual grains up here in the Great North it seems. I've seriously been searching for farro for the last six months! Other grains like bulgur and barley, I've had before (I don't live under a rock!) but I admit to never actually buying them (quinoa and millet seem to be adequate substitutes). Even despite my love for all things barley. Fun fact: I was once gifted a bag of dry barley in middle school by my BFF...due to my obvious love of barley and all things food. That should of told me a lot right there. It's okay, I think I gave her a Milkbone presented in a necklace giftbox. That's certainly worse. I would love to get a bag of grains! We were odd children to say the least.

I digress. I chose this book because I wanted to learn all there was to know about cooking with a variety of unusual grains. This cookbook did not disappoint. Maria expands concisely about everything you need to know about emmer all the way to teff. The girl knows her grains. It was neat and helpful that her recipes included how to make variations, how to make them gluten-free or vegetarian, and also showcasing make-ahead options. In her chapter, Ancient Grains 101, Maria gives us a short background on grains in general including a few paragraphs detailing each grain in the book, including it's history, texture, flavor, nutrition bonus, and it's flour profile if it has one. I really enjoyed these little factoids and tidbits, like how millet is among one of the oldest staples of humankind. I also learned that einkorn, emmer, and spelt are all a type of farro (it's no wonder I can't find it...I think I've just been searching for straight-up farro!).

“With this book I would like to show how easy it is to cook up ancient grains in your busy life.”

— Maria Speck

Maria includes everything from how to soak, toast, cook, reheat, freeze, store, and shop for grains, and pseudo grains like millet and quinoa. I found her grain cooking table to be very helpful in learning how much dry grain I'll need to produce a desired amount of cooked grain. She also denotes whether or not soaking is optional, and how long the grain will take to cook. In the back of the book is a chapter of sources; where one can find quality brand names of specific grains, flours, and pastas. It was unfortunate, however, to discover that the index wasn't (at least extensively) listed by ingredient as I've found other cookbooks sometimes are. I found myself with an abundance of cucumber I really needed to use up, but alas had to search through the entire book to find a recipe with cucumber in it.

This is not a vegan, or even vegetarian book. Maria states that many of her recipes are vegetarian or have substitutions when they do have meat. I think I got overly excited about this because it was kind of a disappointment. There were many omnivorous recipes, especially in the Simply Mains and Pasta chapters and many included no recommended substitutions. She also includes chapters such as Breakfast, Slow Mornings, Salads and Sides, Soups and Stews, and Simple and Sweet. Purchasing this book for or as a vegan, you'll have explore some heavy improvising with many substitutions including but not limited to cheese, dairy, eggs, meat, seafood, etc. However, her recipes were all right up my flavor profile alley! She does include some token tofu in a few of her recipes as well. However, I probably wouldn't recommend this book to a newly minted vegan or someone who isn't very comfortable in the kitchen yet, as they'll have to forge their own path in most recipes.

Even with the disadvantage of having to basically entirely recreate many of the recipes, I'd still buy this book. It's a great cookbook if you're new to the wide world of grains (like me) and are looking to do some conscious exploring. I can't wait to make the 50 mile journey to our natural food store in the big city and see if they carry some of the more unusual grains I've been missing in our local grocery store. 

I decided to give a go at an adapted version of Mara's Frittata Muffins for Any Grain. It seemed like a good choice since I always have quinoa on hand and I haven't been able to make it into Anchorage lately to seek out some kamut, freekeh, and/or farro. I did implement several changes:

•  I used 1 can of sweet corn in place of fresh or frozen green peas.
• I used Daiya shredded mozzarella in place of sharp cheddar and omitted any for sprinkling.
• I simply forgot to add green onions, but somehow managed to work in a handful of chives.
• I used a mixture of parsley and mint for the herbs, but doubled it (mostly by accident).
• I omitted the serrano chile completely. 
• I replaced her 7 eggs with my 12 oz container of silken, firm tofu.
• I used Kala Namak salt in place of regular salt.
• I used Kalamata olives as a substitution for green olives.
• I also added turmeric, paprika, nutritional yeast to my adaptation, because those make everything delicious.

I wanted something easy after months and months of grueling recipe testing and developing for my own cookbook (I'm finally done!!!) and this was perfect. The recipe couldn't be easier. For real (unless you already have cooked quinoa on hand).

I combined the entire mixture, instead of pouring the eggs (tofu) on top of everything else in the muffin pan. However, my muffins wouldn't stick together, so I've included directions for using a pan and making a sort of casserole out of it. This was exceptionally delicious and I could definitely see it being a rotating dish in our house. It's full of complete protein thanks to the quinoa and tofu, with a nice dose of veggies and healthy spices, like turmeric. 

Frittata Quinoa Casserole

Recipe by Kathleen Henry @ Produce On Parade

This is exceptionally delicious little dish and will definitely be a rotating meal in our house. It's full of complete proteins thanks to the quinoa and tofu, with a dose of veggies and healthy spices. This recipe also couldn’t be any easier. A great side or breakfast that’s quick, simple, and nutritious.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup quinoa, dry
• scant 1 cup water
• 1 15 oz can of sweet corn, drained
• 1 12.3 oz box of silken firm tofu
• 14 Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
• ¾ cup shredded vegan cheddar or mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup fresh herb mixture, chopped (I use parsley, mint, and chives)
• ¼ cup large-flake nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp Kala Namak salt or kosher salt
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• a bit of ketchup or salsa, for serving (optional)

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a small saucepan, bring the quinoa and water to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cover; cook for about 10-15 minutes then remove from heat and keep covered for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
2. While the quinoa cooks, combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir well to combine. Be sure to mash the tofu completely when stirring so there are no tofu clumps and it’s completely incorporated. When the quinoa is done cooking, stir it into the the tofu mixture.
3. Pour the batter into a 9x13 inch casserole dish coated with a nonstick cooking spray. Bake for about 30-40 minutes until the top has browned slightly.
4. Slice into 12 pieces and serve warm with additional fresh herbs and a bit or ketchup or salsa if you like.

I have the cutest little sous chef!

Purchase Simply Ancient Grains on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, or wherever books are sold. Find out more about Maria, here. 

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

*DISCLAIMER*  PRODUCE ON PARADE IS A PERSONAL BLOG WRITTEN AND EDITED BY MYSELF ONLY, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. MY REVIEWS ARE COMPLETELY BASED ON MY OWN OPINION OF THE PRODUCT REVIEWED. THESE PRODUCTS WERE SUPPLIED TO ME AS GIFTS TO TEST AND REVIEW. OTHERWISE, IF I MENTION A COMPANY BY NAME AND THERE IS NO DISCLAIMER AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST, I AM MERELY WRITING ABOUT SOMETHING I LIKE, PURCHASE AND/OR USE. THE FACT THAT I DO RECEIVE A PRODUCT AS A GIFT TO TEST AND REVIEW, WILL NEVER POSITIVELY INFLUENCE THE CONTENT MADE IN THIS POST.

Wintery Quinoa Porridge

Occasionally, throughout the year and to my considerable delight, freezer items will get shuffled or used; revealing bags of wild, Alaskan mountain blueberries that Todd and I picked in autumn.

Like a reticent squirrel, I stash the berries in the back of the freezer, praying they will tide us over until next fall when we'll continue the tradition of picking them all over again. Usually, come August, I realize I have barely touched them and find myself working the blueberries into a many number of dishes. It's similar to my obsession with  hoarding bath luxuries (I don't even take baths!) like the flowery bubbles, salts, and fragrant fizzies. I keep them stowed away "saving" them for a worthy occasion. Alas, they never get used and I end up throwing them away 10 years later when I eventually find the dust-covered derelicts. 

This will not happen with my blueberries. They will not become freezer-burnt. I shall be better about using them throughout the entirety of the year. I shall deem them worthy of everyday smoothies and oatmeal. Okay, maybe not the smoothies yet...I shall make more pies. I shall celebrate the little buggers, instead of suffocating them with love. 

So, while excavating a bag of the blueberries from the back of the freezer, I also discovered some rhubarb I picked and froze a few months ago. Huzzah! And just like that, this winter-inspired quinoa porridge just fell right into place! 

A most divine wintery breakfast to keep you toasty warm and satisfied on a snowy morning. Wild blueberries and rhubarb from autumn mingle with fresh, winter pomegranates in this timely and humble quinoa porridge, speckled with toasted nuts and seeds. 

You're going to want to save this one for Saturday morning! Oh Saturday...you can't come soon enough.

Did I tell you we finally got snow?! We actually when on a night ski yesterday. Do you night ski too?

Wintery Quinoa Porridge

A most divine wintery breakfast to keep you toasty warm and satisfied on a snowy morning. Wild blueberries and rhubarb from autumn mingle with fresh, winter pomegranates in this timely and humble quinoa porridge, speckled with toasted nuts and seeds. NOTES: Feel free to use any combination of nuts and seeds you like. Toasting them is an extra step, but well worth it!

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa, dry (I like red)
• 1/2 cup nut/seed mixture, chopped (I used pecans, walnuts, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds)
• 3/4 cup non-dairy milk
• 2 Tbsp. peanut butter
• 1-2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. alma powder (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• dash of freshly ground nutmeg
• small pinch of kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups frozen, wild blueberries
• 1 cup frozen, chopped rhubarb
• 1/2 pomegranate, seeded (about ½ cup of seeds)

Cooking Directions

1. Bring a medium pot of water to boil with the quinoa. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes, uncovered. Drain all the water from the pot, leaving the quinoa.
2. Meanwhile, over medium heat, toast the nuts and seeds in a sturdy frying pan until fragrant, about 3-5 minutes.
3. Add all the remaining ingredients to the quinoa, including the nuts and seeds, but excluding the berries. Stir well until the peanut butter is completely incorporated.
4. Now, add the berries and over low, heat the porridge until the berries are warm.
5. Serve with an additional splash of non-dairy milk and/or maple syrup.

Dutch Word of The Day

Porridge --> brij (bray)

Good Deed of The Day

Did you guys see that the very first vegan butcher shop is opening up in Minneapolis?! So cool! If I'm ever in the Twin-Cities...check it out more here.