Lentil & Quinoa Tacos

Ingredients

• 1 batch Spanish Quinoa*
• 1 1/2 cups cooked lentils (use brown, green or black)
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Salt & pepper to taste (about 1/2 tsp each)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400ºF. If you baking pans are prone to sticking, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Stir together until everything is evenly incorporated.
• Transfer the contents of the bowl onto a baking sheet and spread it out into a thin layer.
• Bake on the center rack for 35 - 40 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so to ensure even baking.
• Serve immediately with your favorite toppings

Ingredients

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 c chopped onion
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1/2 c chunky salsa
• 2 c veggie broth

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a small saucepan. Add the onion and saute until tender and golden brown.
• Add the quinoa, salsa and broth and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover and reduce to simmer for 20 minutes.
• Remove from the heat, fluff and allow to sit for 5 min, then serve

Butter Tofu

Ingredients

For the tofu:

• 2 (16 oz) blocks extra-firm tofu
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the sauce:

• 2 tablespoons vegan butter (or olive oil)
• 1 large onion, diced small
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (or 1 tsp dried)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 ounces tomato paste
• 1 (13.5 oz) canned full fat coconut milk

For serving:

• 4 cups cooked white or brown rice
• chopped cilantro
• Easy Vegan Naan

Instructions

• Press the tofu: Wrap the block of tofu in paper towels. Place a plate or pan on top of the wrapped tofu, and put a couple of heavy books on top of that. Let the tofu press for 20 minutes. (You can skip this step if you get the super firm variety)
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Slice the tofu into about 6 slices (see photos in post above for reference). Now, rip each slice into medium-large pieces. You can also simply cut them into cubes, if you prefer, but ripping gives the tofu a great texture for this dish.
• Add the tofu pieces to a large ziplock bag, along with the olive oil, cornstarch and salt. Close the bag, and shake gently to coat. Arrange the tofu evenly on the prepared pan, and bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden and crispy.
• While the tofu bakes, prepare the sauce: Melt the 2 tablespoons of vegan butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion for 3-4 minutes in the butter, then add the ginger and garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the spices, salt, tomato paste and coconut milk. Stir until smooth and combined, then simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently.
• When the tofu is done baking, add it to the sauce and stir to coat the pieces. Serve over rice with Easy Vegan Naan. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro. Enjoy!

Video

Recipe Notes

1. This would also be really good with roasted cauliflower in place of the tofu. 
2. You could certainly substitute light coconut milk if desired, but the sauce won't be as rich and creamy.
3. For oil free, omit the olive oil and vegan butter. Use water for sauteing instead.

Best Pork Chops

• 4 Large Pork Chops about 1 Inch Thick, Bone In
• 1 Box of Oven Fry for Pork made by Kraft Foods
• 2 Eggs
• 4 Tablespoons of Butter
• 2 T of Honey
• 1 T of Yellow Mustard
• 1 T of Vinegar, I used Red Wine Vinegar
• 3 to 4 T Fresh Parsley, Minced
• 1 teaspoon Paprika

Time to get cooking. There are a few important steps you need to remember to do.

1. Let the pork chops sit out for about 30 minutes before prepping them.
2. Let the eggs sit out for about 30 minutes after whisking them.
3. Dry the pork chops really well on all sides with paper towels.
4. Set yourself up a breading area with the egg, oven fry, chops and an empty plate to make it easy on yourself.

Bread the chops:

1. Dip a chop in the egg mixture making sure to coat all sides.
2. Then press the chop down into the oven fry, turn to get all the edges and opposite sides.
3. Place chops on plate while you do the remaining chops.
4. Prepare a baking sheet with foil and non stick spray and place the chops on the sheet while heating the oven to 375 to 400 degrees depending on how hot your oven gets.
5. Then sprinkle a little bit of the oven fry on top of the chops with a pat of butter on top of each chop.
6. My oven runs pretty hot so I baked these for about 20 minutes before they were done.
While the chops bake, prepare the honey mustard glaze by whisking together the honey, vinegar, mustard, half the parsley and paprika.
Remove the chops from the oven, turn off the oven, drizzle the chops with the honey mustard glaze and place the sheet pan back in the oven (that is turned off) for about 5 to 7 minutes  so the glaze bakes on. Reserve the remaining glaze for dipping.
Remove the chops from the oven, plate and sprinkle with the remaining parsley. We had pan friend onions and potato pierogis with these chops and it was the perfect meal. There were just a few leftovers and I used the remaining chops and honest mustard for a salad for lunch the next day.
This recipe was certainly a surprise hit. I will be adding it to my regular dinner rotation. The bone in pork chops are key in this recipe because they make the finished dish so much more juicy. The honey mustard glaze adds such a delicious sticky sweet touch. I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! I think you will agree that these are the best pork chops ever.

Black Eyed Peas & Cornbread

Black Eyed Peas 

recipe

• 1 lbs. Italian Chicken Sausage 
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes 
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock 
• 1 bunch collards, rib removed and roughly chopped 
• 1 1/2 lb frozen or canned black eyed peas
• Serve with sour cream, avocado & cheddar cheese 

In a Dutch oven over medium heat warm the olive oil. Add the chicken sausage and brown. Remove the sausage then saute the onion for 3 to 5 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic, smoked paprika, chili powder, and big pinch of salt. Continue cooking for another 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and stock and reduce slightly for about 5 minutes. Add the collards, browned sausage, and black eyed peas and continue cooking for about 7 to 10 minutes or until the collards are wilted and the peas are soft. 

Serve warm with sour cream, avocado and cheese. 

Cornbread 

• 1 cup medium grind corn meal
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 Tbs. baking powder 
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup milk 
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 egg
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly. 
• Sage for garnish

Pre-heat oven to 400°F. Line a 8 x 8 pan with parchment paper. 

In a large bowl combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. 

In another bowl combine the milk, honey, and egg. Whisk well. 

Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients as well as the melted butter. Mix until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and garnish with sage if using . 

Bake cornbread for 20 - 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean