Gluten-Free Peanut Stir-fry

My family decided to have an "nontraditional"  Christmas lunch. When I was little we would get up, open presents, and eat cinnamon rolls. Now that my brother is married and I am the only one that stays at my house, this tradition has subsided. I couldn't stay for Christmas dinner with my mom, dad, brother, and sister-in-law because I had to go to John's family Christmas. John came over for lunch on Christmas. We already had a lot of veggies leftover from a veggie tray at my Aunt's house. We decided to whip together a gluten-free peanut sauce stir-fry!

Tofu

Drain and pat dry extra firm tofu

Cube the tofu 

Add wok oil to a wok and turn to medium high heat

When the wok is hot, add the tofu

Don't stir or flip tofu until one side begins to brown

Once the first side of tofu is beginning to brown, you can start heating the vegetables

Vegetables

 ut up about 10 baby carrots

Slice broccoli into thin pieces

Slice cauliflower into thin pieces

Dice celery

Dice one green pepper

*I don't have exact measurements because you can add how many or how few of these you like depending on your preference 

Add vegetables to a wok that is on medium heat with wok oil

Stir occasionally

Do not overcook or burn the vegetables, just heat them to the point of becoming soft

Noodles

I used Thai rice noodles

Bring water to a boil

Add a box of rice noodles

Cook for the time listed on the box

Strain extra water when finished

Assembly

Add noodles to the vegetables

Add tofu

Pour in one bottle of gluten free peanut sauce

You can crumble over peanuts or cashews

I use tongs to mix the dish together

I am excited to try out new recipes when I get back to Chicago. John got me Veganomicon which is a fantastic vegan cookbook full of wonderful recipes and ways to cook food with great tips. I have made it halfway through tagging recipes I really want to try. My brother and sister-in-law gave me a book called Vegan for Life which discusses the nutrients vegans need, where to find these nutrients, and how a vegan diet does hold its own against other ways of eating. I have only made it through the first several chapters. 

 

Happy Cooking!

Christmas Lasagna

Happy Holidays! I hope everyone had a restful and merry holiday season full of good memories and yummy food. I taught until 2:45 on the 23rd....blah! I raced home, realized I lost my phone, called it, and it was on my speakers in my classroom. I had to race back to my school in rush hour to get my phone. John and I feverishly packed, grabbed some Pita Pit and headed to Indianapolis with our suitcases, mountains of presents, and Handel and Max in their carriers. We waited to leave Chicago until 7:15 in hopes of missing all traffic. My genius idea worked! We made it out of Chicago in 25 minutes, crossed over to Indiana in 35 and made it back to Indianapolis in just over 3 hours with one stop in West Lafayette.

On Christmas Eve, my family (mom, brother, sister-in-law, and John) headed to Greenwood, IN to celebrate with my aunt, uncle, cousins, and grandparents. My dad couldn't make it due to being sick. I didn't make any special food for this event due to time restraints. I made little hummus wraps with green pepper and tomato. We left around 4 and headed back to Fishers. I made my pesto pasta dinner. This recipe was a huge hit! My dad even at it, and he was pretty sick with a sinus infection!

The lasagna recipe looks long and complicated, but it is really quite simple. Listed below is the exact order I prepped the meal and assembled it.

Tofu Ricotta 

2 containers of extra firm tofu drained and patted dry

6 cloves of minced garlic

1 tablespoon salt

Pepper to taste

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Basil to taste

Enough olive oil to hold the mixture together ( I just eyeball this measurement)

*You can add nutritional yeast for a nutty flavor (my parents unfortunately didn't have any nutritional yeast)

Process:

Put dry tofu in a bowl and crumble

Add all ingredients except olive oil and mix together

Use a fork to stir and mix tofu as you are adding the olive oil

Set aside to use in the assembly of the lasagna 

Pasta

Bring water in a large pot to a boil

Add 1 box of whole wheat lasagna

Cook for the time listed on the box (mine was 10 minutes)

*Don't overcook the pasta because it will break easier when you are assembling the lasagna

Filling

*Prepare the filling while the pasta is boiling

In a large bowl combine 4 cups fresh spinach with 2 cups arugula (you could use basil as well or all spinach)

Thinly slice 6 Roma Tomatoes

Open 2 cans of tomato sauce (I used herb and garlic sauce)

Assembly

Strain the lasagna noodles and rinse with cold water

Pour a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a glass baking pan

Add a layer of noodles

Add a layer of spinach

Add tomatoes on top

Crumble ricotta over

Pour sauce over the entire layer

Add a layer of noodles

Add a layer of spinach

Add tomatoes on top

Crumble ricotta over

Pour sauce over

*You get the pattern*

On the top layer I pour the sauce over the noodles, add the remaining tomatoes and the rest of the ricotta

Baking

Bake at 350 for about a 1 1/2

I took this recipe to John's family get-together. No one besides John and I ate it. I had so many leftovers! My parents REALLY liked it! Often times lasagna can be too filling or loaded with cheese. This is a very light and flavorful lasagna that is healthy! I love this recipe and it is surprisingly fast and easy to put together! Make sure you add plenty of sauce so the lasagna does not become too dry.

Happy Cooking!