Tofu Bacon

Recipe adapted from:

http://www.v-lish.com/recipe/smoky-tofu-bacon/

1 package extra firm tofu, pressed and drained

4 tbsp maple syrup

4 tbsp nutritional yeast

4 tbsp Tamari gluten-free soy sauce

3-4 dashes liquid smoke (a little goes a long way!)

2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

4-6 tbsp water

Drain tofu and press for at least 30 minutes. Cut into thin rectangular strips.

Mix all other ingredients in a flat-bottomed container, and place the tofu strips in the marinade. Make sure all strips are coated and marinade for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place tofu on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Use a basting brush to brush a thin layer of marinade over the top of the tofu.

Bake for 10 minutes, then flip, and use the basting brush to brush marinade over the top of the tofu again.

Continue to bake, flipping every 10 minutes or so (but don't add more marinade after the first two flips). They will likely need at least 30 minutes to become firm and chewy, but it will depend on how much moisture is in the tofu and how thinly it was cut. Thinner pieces of tofu may start to char on the edges.

White Truffle Mac and Cheese

Recipe adapted from:

http://www.thecurvycarrot.com/2012/01/26/white-truffle-macaroni-and-cheese/

Ingredients:

1 cup panko
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
3 tablespoons white truffle oil (or to taste)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons flour
4 cups half and half
12 ounces white cheddar cheese, shredded*
10 ounces Fontina cheese, shredded*
Salt and pepper, to taste
16 ounces cavatappi (or your personal favorite type of pasta)

*This is what I used, but use up to 16 oz of each cheese.



1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Generously spray a 3-quart casserole dish with cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the panko, Parmesan and 1 tablespoon white truffle oil, mixing until combined.

3. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. (If you are short on time, it might be helpful at this point to get your water boiling for the pasta).

4. Add the flour and whisk continuously until the mixture forms a thick paste, about a minute or so.

5. Slowly whisk in the half and half until smooth (some lumps may remain-that’s ok).

6. Bring the mixture to a simmer and let cook, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes.

7. Using a wooden spoon, slowly add the cheeses and stir until completely melted.

8. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp truffle oil and salt and pepper, to taste.

9. Meanwhile, cook the macaroni as directed on the package.  Once cooked, drain the pasta and add it to the cheese sauce.

10.  Evenly distribute the macaroni into the prepared casserole dish and top with the panko mixture.

11. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Uncover, and broil on low until bread crumbs are toasted to your liking. Watch it carefully so that it doesn't burn.

Slow Cooker Red Curry Lentils

Recipe from:

http://pinchofyum.com/crockpot-red-lentil-curry

Ingredients:

4 cups regular brown lentils
2 red onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced/crushed ginger
4 tablespoons butter (optional)
1 can Maesri red curry paste
1 tablespoon garam masala
1½ teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more if you want it spicier)
1 can tomato puree (29 ounces)
1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
1 cup coconut milk
cilantro for garnishing (optional)
rice for serving


Rinse the lentils and place them in a large crockpot. Add the diced onions, garlic, ginger, butter, curry paste, garam masala, turmeric, sugar, and cayenne. Stir to combine.

Pour just 1 can of tomato puree over the lentils. Re-fill the can with water twice and add to the crockpot. Stir to make sure that the lentils are covered with liquid. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8 hours.

Check once or twice during cooking to add more water or tomato puree if the lentils are soaking up all the liquid. The amount of water or tomato puree you add depends on how soupy your want your lentils to be.
Taste and season with salt. Lentils will be soft when they are done cooking.

Stir in the coconut milk and sprinkle with cilantro just before serving. Serve over rice or naan bread.

Potato Salad

Recipe adapted from:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/potato-salad-recipe1.html

Ingredients:

4 pounds red potatoes
4 jumbo eggs (or 5 large eggs), hard boiled
2 1/2 cups mayonnaise (I use Wegman's brand)
4 green onions, finely chopped
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 tablespoon yellow or dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper (or black pepper)
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

Add red potatoes to a large stock pot. Cover potatoes with 1.5 inches of water. Generously salt the water.
Bring to a boil. Simmer the potatoes (whole) until they can be pierced through easily with a knife - about 20 minutes.
Drain the potatoes and place them in an ice bath to stop the cooking.

While potatoes are boiling, make the hard boiled eggs. Place the eggs in a sauce pan and cover with 1.5 inches of water. Bring to a boil - as soon as the water comes to a boil, take the pan off the heat and cover it. Let cook for 12 minutes (14 if using jumbo eggs) and then drain and place the eggs in an ice bath.

Chop the potatoes into chunks (you can optionally peel them first). Peel the eggs and chop them.

Add the potatoes, eggs, mayo, green onion, celery, mustard, pepper and salt to a large bowl (I used my 4 quart large pyrex bowl and even there it was difficult to stir). Stir until well mixed. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

Homemade Oatmeal Packets

Basic ingredients:

1/3 cup Oats
Pinch of salt
Sweetener of choice
3/4 cup water, milk, almond milk, etc.
Snack-sized ziploc bag + sharpie for labeling

The type of oats will determine the cooking time in the microwave. For quick oats, 2 minutes should be plenty. Follow the instructions on the container of oats that you buy.
Make sure the container you use can hold about twice the capacity needed for the ingredients - it will bubble up in the microwave and possibly overflow so watch it carefully.

FLAVOR VARIATIONS

Apple Cinnamon
1/3 cup oats
pinch of salt
1 Tbsp dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
chopped freeze dried apples


Peanut Butter Banana
1/3 cup oats
pinch of salt
1 Tbsp light brown sugar
1 Tbsp PB2 powdered peanut butter
~5 slices freeze dried banana


Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana
1/3 cup oats
pinch of salt
1 Tbsp dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp PB2 chocolate powdered peanut butter
1 tsp cocoa powder (optional - the chocolate PB2 is not very chocolate-y)
~5 slices freeze dried banana


White Chocolate Strawberry
1/3 cup oats
pinch of salt
1 Tbsp light brown sugar
~1 Tbsp white chocolate chips
small handful freeze dried strawberries


Chocolate Strawberry
1/3 cup oats
pinch of salt
1 Tbsp light brown sugar
2 tsp cocoa powder
small handful freeze dried strawberries


Other flavor ideas (not yet tried):
Strawberry Banana
Maple Walnut (using maple sugar)
Blueberry Muffin (freeze dried blueberries, brown sugar, cinnamon, nuts?)
Pineapple Coconut
Chocolate Raspberry
White Chocolate Raspberry
Strawberries (or other fruit) and Cream (with powdered creamer, or just pour some half and half on top after cooking)

Spinach and Potato Curry

Recipe from:

http://www.coffeeandcrumpets.com/spinach-and-potato-curry-palak-aloo/

INGREDIENTS:

1lb/16oz/455g fresh spinach, washed, stemmed and roughly chopped ( I used 12 oz baby spinach because that's all I could find)
2 large potatoes, medium dice
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 green chili (I used a serrano chili)
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ginger, minced
1 teaspoon turmeric, ground
1 teaspoon cumin, ground
1 teaspoon coriander, ground
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons dried fenugreek leaves (optional- I did not use)
1 1/2 to 2 cups/470ml water, enough to cover potatoes to cook
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup/60ml oil, coconut, avocado or other neutral flavoured (I used olive oil)

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a large pot, heat the oil on medium heat and brown the onions.
Once the onions are lightly browned, add the garlic and ginger paste and cook for a minute until fragrant.
Add the potatoes and toss in the oil and onions.
Add the turmeric powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, chili powder and cayenne powder.
Mix through into the potatoes.
Allow the potatoes to sauté for about 5 minutes.
Add enough water to cover the potatoes, cover and let potatoes cook, about 10-15 minutes.
Once the potatoes are just tender, making sure there isn't too much water, add the spinach leaves and cover to allow spinach to wilt.
The spinach leaves will release some water so you don't want too much water in the pan before adding the spinach, about a cup and half of water is acceptable.
Once the spinach has cooked down and beginning to get tender, uncover and evaporate some, of the water.
Add the green chili and the fenugreek leaves, if using.
Check for salt and adjust.
If you like the curry drier, then add the spinach leaves when there is barely any water left after the potatoes are done.
Serve as a side with rice or bread.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Recipe adapted from:

http://www.emilybites.com/2013/08/spinach-artichoke-dip.html


INGREDIENTS:
16 oz (2 bricks) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup plus 1/8 cup sour cream
1/4 cup plus 1/8 cup mayonnaise
1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese, separated
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, separated
3 garlic cloves, minced
10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted, squeezed and patted dry
14 oz can artichoke hearts (packed in water or brine, not oil), drained and chopped
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper


DIRECTIONS:
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise and stir until well combined. Stir in 1 cup of the Mozzarella, 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan, the minced garlic, spinach, artichokes, pepper and red pepper flakes or cayenne and mix until well combined.
Transfer the mixture to an 8x8 (or 2 qt) casserole dish and spread evenly. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup Mozzarella and tablespoon of Parmesan over the top. Bake for about 30 minutes until the edges are golden and the dip is heated through and bubbly. Serve warm with sliced french bread and/or tortilla chips.