The recipe is simple, but the results are unexpectedly delicious. I made a big batch of this and ate if for 3 days straight. Then I made it again a week later. Then I went back to the bulk foods store and bought $15 dollars worth (that’s alotta quinoa, folks!) and when The Sistaster heckled me I told her “Don’t worry, uh, it’s a complete protein.” Because it is.

Serves: 4
Time: 30 minutes

Quinoa

1.5 cups quinoa
2.5 cups water
Salad
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 box frozen corn, or equiv of fresh corn cooked and cut from the cob
1/2 small cabbage, cored and shredded
3 Tbl red wine vinegar
4 Tbl oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste

(more…)

This is a crunchy, healthy, zingy recipe with a lot of chopping and a little cooking. Enlist help if possible and it will be ready in no time.
This is a really fun (uh, really messy) dish to eat – each person assembles their own wrap and tries their best not to drop the contents all over the place. I’m great at assembling, less good about ruining my shirt with the dipping sauce. It’s worth it anyway.

Serves: 4
Time: 50 minutes

Wraps

canola or peanut oil
16 oz tofu, cut into ¼ inch strips
1 head lettuce (bib, red curly leaf, or a wide-leafed romaine)
½ small head of red cabbage, chopped
4 carrots, grated (I used a cheese grater)
1 bunch basil
1 bunch mint

Sauce

canola, peanut or sesame oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbl fresh ginger, minced
1 jalapeno, minced (deseed if you’d like less hot)*
1/3 cup peanuts, chopped
1/3 6 oz can tomato paste (about 3 Tbl)**
3 Tbl creamy peanut butter
3 Tbl soy sauce
1 Tbl rice vinegar
juice of 1 lime
2 Tbl honey

(more…)

A non-vegetarian friend of mine kept stuffing his face with these burgers, even after The Sistaster and I finished eating more than our share.
Face stuffing aside, this is actually an elegant spring menu, especially if you make the basil topping.
Food fact: the artichoke is closely related to the thistle (one of those purple spiky roadside plants and Eeyore’s favorite food.) The thistle is the official flower of Scotland.
I’m always surprised how many people have never eaten a whole artichoke — there’s something about the peel-and-eat-until-you-get-down-to-the-heart hard work that makes it so satisfying. See this article if you need more information on how exactly to eat one of these thistly things: http://wiki.ehow.com/Eat-an-Artichoke

Serves: 4
Time: 50 minutes

Artichokes

2 very large or 4 small artichokes
butter
lemon

‘Banzo Burgers

olive oil
small red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
½ tsp salt
1 tsp dried basil
¾ cup oats, breadcrumbs or a mix of the two
buns or pita bread
your favorite burger veggies and condiments

Burger topping

2 limes
10 fresh basil leaves
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbl olive oil
Artichokes

(more…)

This is a perfect light spring meal for when you’re feeling all vernal and stuff. All the green makes it soothing to the eyes and the smooth texture and surprisingly big taste of the soup make it easy on the palate.
I generally avoid having to lug out the blender but this soup is so easy I think it’s worth it. You also get double duty if you make the bean spread in the blender as well.
This meal has a lot of little prep parts to it and little cooking time, so you could cut the time in half if you had someone helping you. If you’re cooking on your own it will take about 50 minutes. Just make sure someone else does the dishes.

Serves: 2
Time: 50 minutes

Soup

1 small sweet onion (Vidalia or Spanish), diced
1 Tbl butter
1 10 oz package frozen baby peas or 2 cups fresh peas (I used the fancy organic frozen peas)
2 cups boxed veggie broth
1 Tbl chopped mint
½ tsp salt
sour cream, crème fraiche, or yogurt to top - optional

 White Bean Asparagus Bruschetta

1 loaf of french bread (I used wheat)
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
¼ cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped*
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp thyme
1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally into 3 inches pieces
salt and pepper to taste

(more…)

I timed myself with a stopwatch from the moment I walked into the kitchen until the moment I sat down with a bowl of this tasty soup: 13 minutes, 32 seconds.
Perfect for a rainy day or anytime you need something quick and delicious; the udon noodles, bullion cubes and frozen edamame are easy to keep on hand, and you can trade up the veggies for what you might have on hand in the fridge or freezer.

This recipe is for one, but it’s easy to double or triple to make for more hungry noodlers.

Serves: 1
Time: 13:32 minutes

2 cups water
1/2 cup frozen shelled edamame
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
small handful of udon noodles, a bunch the diameter of a nickel
½ large bullion cube (following the package directions, enough for 1 cup water)
1 Tbl soy sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
1/3 cup chopped red cabbage
4 oz tofu, cut into small cubes
splash of sesame and/or chili oil, optional

Bring the water to boil in a small soup pan. Add the edamame and cook for 4 minutes.

Mince the garlic and ginger, and add to the soup with the udon noodles, bullion, soy sauce and rice vinegar. Cook another 3-4 minutes until the noodles are soft.

Put the soup in a large bowl and top with chopped cabbage, tofu, and sesame and/or chili oil.