TORTELLINI BEAN SALAD

1-10 oz. pkg tortellini
2 c. broccoli florets
1/2 red onion, diced
1 c. canned garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 c. red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 c. white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1-6 oz. can black olives, drained
1-8 oz. bottle creamy italian salad dressing
1 tsp. dried oregano
24 cherry tomatoes

cook tortellini to al dente; drain.

combine all ingredients except tomatoes and toss gently.

serve warm or cover and refrigerate for a few hours.

just before serving, stir in tomatoes.

TACO SOUP

i have yet to take a nice picture of soup...haha...but this soup tastes really good! it really smells and tastes like tacos!

1 med. onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
3 c. vegetable broth
1-15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1-14 1/2 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 c. salsa
1 c. small shelled pasta
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 c. shredded sharp cheddar

in a large suacepan saute onion and garlic in oil until tender. add the broth, beans, tomatoes, salsa, pasta, bell pepper, and seasonings. bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

reduce heat; cover and simmer 10-12 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally.

serve with cheese.

EGGLESS BROWN FRIED RICE WITH GARLIC INFUSION

2 tbsp. sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 c. firm tofu, drained and crumbled
2 tbsp. green onion, chopped (you will notice that these are not pictured because being the genius i am i forgot to add them..but it tastes better with them!)
1 c. corn, fresh or frozen
1 c. snow peas
1 tsp. minced fresh ginger
2 c. cooked brown rice
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tsp. sesame seeds, for garnish (yep...forgot these too....where was my brain that day? haha)

heat oil in a frying pan over med-high heat. add the garlic and tofu and saute for 30 seconds. add the vegetables and the ginger. stir fry about 3 minutes. add the rice and green onions and cook an additional 4-5 minutes.

season with salt and pepper to taste.

garnish with sesame seeds.

EASTER CUPCAKES

i know this is a few days late...but i just thought i'd share these cupcakes i made for a party this past weekend. i was excited about them!

i've recently been getting into vegan baking....so all i did was buy a prepackaged cake mix and for every egg that it called for i substituted 1/4 c. silken tofu. i personally like the texture more with tofu and you honestly can't taste the difference.

as for the toppings....it's just a little frosting, cocoa krispies cereal around the sides, coconut (dyed green with a few drops green food coloring) and jordan almonds.

SPINACH AND CHICKPEA COCONUT CURRY

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 can diced tomatoes
2 medium potatoes, diced into 1" cubes, par boiled
3 c. torn spinach leaves
5 cloves (if you can put these in a bag to insert into the soup it will make your life a lot easier!)
1 1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can coconut milk

combine ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil.

turn down the heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.

serve with rice or pita bread.

CRISPY TOFU

these taste really good with A1 or ketchup.

1/2 c. yellow cornmeal
1 tsp. italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
extra firm tofu, patted dry and sliced into 1/2" thick strips
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

preheat oven to 400.

combine cornmeal, italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes in a shallow bowl.

coat baking dish with cooking spray.

brush each tofu strip with the olive oil and coat in cornmeal mixture. place on baking dish.

bake 30 minutes or until browned.

LENTIL SOUP

what this soup lacks in beauty it more than makes up for in flavor! this is really really easy to make and really good! it tastes even better the next day!

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 c. chopped onion
1/4 c. chopped carrots
4 c. vegetable broth
1 c. water
1 c. dried lentils, rinsed and picked over
1/2 tsp. italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. salt, or to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 small bay leaves

In a medium stockpot heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. add the broth, water, lentils, italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to between low and medium low, cover, and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove and discard the bay leaves before serving.

TACOS:PART TWO: CONSTRUCTING THE TACO

even though i like to try new recipes...we probably eat these at least once every week or so. it's easy to make, fast, and yummy! another version of this which i do is to just add all the fillings in a bowl for an awesome taco salad! this isn't really any different from regular tacos other than the fact that i use veggie beef.

1 lb veggie beef
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 c. water
taco seasoning (see previous post)
1 c. lettuce, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 c. sharp cheddar, shredded
4 tortillas
salsa, to taste

cook the veggie beef in the oil for a few minutes over med-high heat until it is almost cooked through. add the taco seasoning, water, and cook another minute or so, stirring often, until beef is heated through.

while you are doing this chop the vegetables and microwave the tortillas (with a moist paper towel on top) for 30 seconds.

put all the ingredients together either in the tortilla or in a bowl for taco salad and enjoy!

TACOS:PART ONE: TACO SEASONING

through some trial and error trey and i found our perfect version of taco seasoning. it's a lot better for you than the kind you can buy at stores and it's so easy to make! this recipe is enoough for about 1 pound/1 bag of veggie beef.

also....i am a big baby when it comes to spicy foods so this is a fairly mild taco seasoning recipe. if you like more spicy...add more chili powder and red pepper flakes.

1/2 tbsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. pepper

MIXED TOMATO-GARLIC SALAD

tomatoes, diced or halved into 1" chunks (i think the more colors you use, the better. i used 1 beefsteak tomato and some yellow cherry tomatoes)
2-3 cloves garlic, cut into thin slices
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. fresh oregano leaves

cut tomatoes and place them in a bowl. add oregano leaves.

while you are cutting tomatoes, heat garlic in the olive oil over medium heat until they start to brown. remove from heat and add vinegar.

pour garlic-oil mixture over salad and mix together.

CUTE LITTLE GUYS

aren't these cute? i work at a montessori school and the kids and i picked these from their gardens. i've never picked a carrot out of the dirt before! it was pretty fun!

you can't really tell from the picture but they are really small...about the size of my finger.