spicy peanut sauce

not actually spicy. serves 4 with white rice or noodles.

• 1 block firm tofu, drained/pressed/sliced into 1/2” cubes OR 2 chicken breasts, diced

• 2 tbs vegetable oil

• 2 shallots or 1 small onion, finely chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tbsp soy sauce

• 2 tbsp ketchup

• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

• pinch of sugar

• pinch of powdered ginger

• 1 cup vegetable or chicken broth

• 1 head broccoli, chopped small

• sriracha or red pepper flakes to taste

In a large saucepan, heat the vegetable oil. Saute the shallot/onion until just softened. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.

Whisk in soy sauce, ketchup, sugar, ginger, and sriracha/red pepper. Once smooth, add the peanut butter and broth. Add the tofu/chicken and broccoli, and bring to a boil. Cook on medium until the sauce has reduced and thickened (and the chicken is cooked all the way through if using.)

Serve over white rice or noodles.

BBQ tofu

sweet and savory and filling. serves 4.

• 14 ounces extra firm tofu, pressed and drained

• 1 tbsp corn starch

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp salt

• olive oil

• 1 onion, sliced into strips

• 1 can sweet corn kernels, drained and rinsed

• 1/4 cup BBQ sauce

Slice tofu into cubes and toss with corn starch, garlic powder, and salt. Sauté in olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet until they just start to brown.

Sauté onion in remaining olive oil until golden brown. Add the corn and BBQ sauce until heated through. Stir in tofu cubes.

salsa verde

worth the effort. I had no idea what a tomatillo was until I made this.

• 1 1/2 lb tomatillos (better to overestimate than underestimate this one)

• 1/2 onion, diced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• cilantro to taste

• juice of 1/2 lime

• 2 jalapeño peppers, diced and seeded (I don’t like spice and the 2 seeded jalapeños was perfect; skip the seeding if you are not as big of a wimp)

• salt to taste

Peel and rinse the tomatillos. Cut each in half and place cut side down on a tinfoiled baking sheet. Place under the broiler until they just start to brown or if you are scared of the broiler like me, roast at 425º for about 10 minutes.

Combine with all other ingredients in a blender or food processor. Serve chilled.

vegan chocolate chip cookies

these honestly might be even better than my non-vegan version, and not just because you can eat the dough.

• 1/2 cup canola oil or melted coconut oil

• 1 cup brown sugar (can sub out up to 1/2 cup for white sugar)

• 1/4 cup almond milk (I used unsweetened vanilla)

• 2 cups AP flour

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 2 tsp vanilla

• 1/2 tsp salt

• chocolate chips to taste (Trader Joe’s and Enjoy Life are both vegan)

Preheat oven to 350º. Combine the oil and the sugar, then add the almond milk and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients except for chocolate chips. Mix well before adding chocolate chips.

Roll into very generous-teaspoon sized balls and flatten slightly. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until they just start to dry out in the centers. Allow to cool slightly on baking sheet before removing.

sweet potato + chickpea burgers

perfect topped with vegan mayo and sautéed onions. makes 6 patties.

• 3 small sweet potatoes, boiled/steamed/however you want to soften them enough to scoop out the insides

• 1/3 cup dry quinoa, cooked

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• 1/2 onion, diced

• cilantro to taste

• 2 tsp cumin

• 1 tsp chili powder

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1 tbsp sriracha or hot sauce

• salt to taste

• 1 cup rolled oats

Preheat oven to 400º. Combine mashed sweet potatoes, quinoa, chickpeas, onion, and spices. Use a potato masher to combine so that roughly half of the chickpeas are mashed.

Pulse the oats in a food processor until they are grainy, but not yet flour. Combine with burger mix - using your hands is the easiest. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.

Use a 1/4 cup measure to scoop out patties with your hands and press them together. Place on a tinfoiled baking sheet for about 20 minutes, until you just start to see some color.