Mexican Protein Bowl

Well, here I am, sitting on the sofa mourning the loss of summer. I go back to school tomorrow to start my 7th year teaching. I didn't think about school at all today! This was the first year my room came together quickly and I didn't feel too stressed. Maybe I am becoming a veteran teacher? I am excited to see my kids tomorrow. I know all of them except one since we only have one kindergarten class. This makes the first day much easier because I know all their names and personalities. I'm excited to have the younger siblings of kids I have had in the past and work with some great families. I am also eager that my room was able to secure a local grocery store to donate fresh fruits and vegetables for snack twice a week for the year! So, here is to another year.

This about sums up the evening....wine and a vegan cupcake.

This protein bowl is broken into several parts listed below. I will go through the order in which I made the dinner. 

Marinated Tempeh Ingredients

1 package of tempeh 

1/4 teaspoon of the following: onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper

1 large spoon of jarred adobe peppers

1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce (vegan)

1/4 cup water

Preparation:

1. Cube the tempeh and place in pot of boiling water for 10 minutes

2. Drain and cool

3. Mix all the other ingredients together

4. Crumble in the tempeh and coat the pieces

5. Place about 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a skillet and cook the tempeh on medium high heat until brown 

These next steps are pretty easy and don't require much direction. Prepare quinoa as instructed on the package. I used red quinoa. While that is cooking, you can also warm a can of black bean and add a bit of salt and cumin. I sliced up 1/2 a tomato and 1 avocado. I then browned a small green pepper that was sliced thinly.

Assembling the entire dish:

I mixed the quinoa, beans, and tempeh together and drizzled in hot sauce and stirred together. I then placed the other veggies around the bowl. I then washed and added some cilantro. 

I also cut apart some corn tortillas and made chips.

Happy Cooking!

Creamy Italian Polenta with Veggies

Tonight I needed to use some produce since I will be out of town this weekend for a wedding. I decided to make creamy polenta with Italian veggies. The meal was delicious. Usually I finish my meal before John (chalking that up to being  a teacher and scarfing down lunch every day), but tonight he finished before me. I will take that as a clue that it was a yummy meal! So, if you want a quick meal that is full of deliciousness....make this dinner!

Polenta Ingredients

2 cups unsweetened almond milk

2 cups veggie stock

1 tablespoon vegan butter

2 cups polenta 

1/4 vegan parm or NOOCH

Preparation

1. Bring liquids and butter to a boil in a medium saucepan

2. Add the polenta

3. Bring to a simmer

4. Whisk frequently until polenta is cooked

5. Add vegan parm or NOOCH

6. Add salt/pepper to taste

Veggie Ingredients 

1 tablespoon EVOO

2 cloves garlic-diced

1/4 onion- diced

1 zucchini-diced

1 can chickpeas-drained and rinsed

 Broccoli florets

1 tomato-diced

2 tablespoons fresh basil

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 can tomato sauce

Veggie Preparation:

1. Heat EVOO in a nonstick skillet over medium heat

2. Add onions and cook for several minutes

3. Add the garlic and chickpeas and cook for several minutes

4. Add the broccoli and zucchini and cook until softened

5. Add the diced tomato and cook for several minutes

6. Add the tomato sauce 

7. Add the fresh basil and pepper

8. Cook the mixture until the veggies of softened a bit and the mixture has reduced slightly

Once the mixture and polenta are ready, place a mound of polenta on a plate and put mixture on top. I placed 3 kale leaves on the plate first and then added the polenta (totally optional). 

Happy Cooking!