Lemon Basil Couscous

Lemon Basil Couscous

Prep instructions for 4 servings

Original Recipe:

1 1/3 cup dry couscous (or sub 1 dry cup quinoa)

1 large organic cucumber, chopped

5 fresh organic basil leaves, chopped (or more to taste)

10 organic cherry tomatoes, quartered          

1 can (15 oz) organic Cannellini beans

1 organic lemon, juiced

1 package extra firm organic tofu, drained & cubed

Tofu Marinade:

3 organic lemons, juiced

5-10 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

3/4 teaspoon pure raw honey

First, drain and set the tofu to press while you prepare the couscous and veggies. 

Pressing the tofu: This step helps to remove the excess water from the tofu and allows more flavor to be absorbed. Pressing tofu can be done by using a tofu press (found on Amazon), or by wrapping it in a kitchen or paper towel and by placing weight upon it. You could place it in-between two baking sheets or plates, and add a heavy book on top and let sit for 5-10 min. Ideally, you want to press it enough to drain the water, but not so much that it looses its square shape or that it turns to crumbles. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the marinade and set aside.

Once the tofu is drained, cut it into cubes and let it marinate for at least 20 min, or even overnight.

While the tofu is draining/marinating, cook the couscous according to directions on package, but omit the salt and olive oil if the packages calls for them. While couscous is cooking, prep all of your veggies. 

Once the couscous is cooked, allow it to cool, and then add all your veggies, lemon juice, and basil and mix together. Then, simply divide everything evenly into 4 separate containers. 

Cooking the Tofu: For a soft, flavorful tofu, add the tofu and all of the marinade to a pan and let simmer on low until most of the moisture is gone. For a crispier tofu, using a non-stick pan, cook just the cubes over very low heat, rotating occasionally until all sides are light brown. You can also just add the tofu uncooked to your dish as well. 

Divide the tofu evenly into the same 4 containers, and refrigerate until ready to eat. 

Rosemary & Orzo Protein Packed Soup

Rosemary & Orzo Protein Packed Soup:

96 oz organic low sodium vegetable broth
1 package extra firm organic tofu, pressed well
15 oz organic garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
4-5 servings organic orzo
5 sprigs fresh organic rosemary (put in cheesecloth bag before adding to soup)
3 tsp organic dried thyme
3 organic dried bay leaves
1 medium organic yellow onions, diced
3 large organic celery stalks, chopped
4 organic carrots, diced
4 organic garlic cloves, diced
juice from 1/2 organic lemon
1 mini cheesecloth bag


First, set the tofu to be pressed and then put aside to drain while you prep the veggies.

In a large soup pot over medium heat add the broth, veggies, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves and bring to a low boil. Cover and let simmer until veggies are soft and cooked. About 20-30 min.

After the soup has been cooking about 15 min, begin cooking the orzo according to directions on package, then add the cubed tofu to the soup.

Finally, once the veggies are cooked, turn the heat to low, add the garbanzo beans and lemon juice, and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add a serving or 1/2 serving of orzo to your bowl, top with the soup, and enjoy!


Healthy Life Tip: For extra protein and whole grains and protein, sub out the orzo for some quinoa!

Creamy Lemon Asparagus Pasta with Crispy Lemon Tofu

I fell in love with this recipe when I tried the Minimalist Baker's Vegan Lemon Asparagus Pasta. I've switched a few things around since then but have no idea how I ever lived without this dish that bursts with flavor. The lemon and asparagus are perfect together and the dish is so light, yet perfectly creamy and so easy to make on a weeknight. Enjoy!

Creamy Lemon Asparagus Pasta:
Serves 4

3 servings of organic whole wheat farfalle (bow tie) pasta. Or a healthy pasta of your choosing
4 servings of organic asparagus
4 organic garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons organic extra virgin olive oil
2 organic lemons
2.5 cups organic unsweetened almond milk
3-5 tablespoons organic garbanzo flour
Organic group pepper to taste


Begin cooking pasta according to instructions. Next, peel your asparagus and set it to steam over water. Make sure not to over-steam the asparagus as it will become tough. Once the pasta is complete, drain and return to pot. Steaming the asparagus and cooking the sauce should be completed while the pasta is cooking.

While pasta is cooking, sauté the garlic in the olive oil until it begins to brown lightly then add the almond milk.

Next, slowly whisk in the garbanzo flour one tablespoon at a time and allow to simmer over low-medium heat whisking continuously until thickened. If needed, add additional flour to thicken, but also give it enough time to do so on it's own, about 5-10 minutes. Add ground pepper if desired.

Once the sauce has thickened and asparagus has steamed, add them both to the pot of cooked, drained pasta, stir together and enjoy!!

To complete this meal and add a healthy protein source, I created some Crispy Lemon Tofu which is a perfect addition to this recipe.

Crispy Lemon Tofu

Crispy Lemon Tofu
Serves 4

2 packages organic extra firm tofu
3 organic lemons
1 teaspoon organic extra virgin olive oil


Drain the water from the tofu and cut each package into 6 filets. Add them and the juice of one and 1/2 lemons to ziplock bag. Save the other half of the lemon for later. For this recipe I usually start marinating the tofu in the morning when I make breakfast so that they have the opportunity to marinate all day.

Using a large sauté pan, (I like to use one with straight sides so that the liquids are contained), add the tofu to the pan one filet at a time. The more filets they are able to touch the bottom of the pan the better. Add the juice of the the third lemon to the pan and turn on heat to low-medium.

Gently coat and preheat oven to broiler setting.

Allow the tofu to simmer in the lemon juice until the juice is almost reduced completely while not allowing the tofu to stick to the pan. The key to this is the adjusting the temperature accordingly as the juice begins to reduce (less juice = lower temp) and gently moving the tofu occasionally to make sure it is not sticking.

Once the juice is reduced, add tofu to the broiler pan, top with the remaining 1/2 of a lemon, and broil until golden or desired crispiness is reached on one side, about 5-8 minutes, then flip and brown the second side if desired.

I love pairing this tofu with my Creamy Lemon Asparagus Pasta recipe:

Spinach and Feta Quinoa Patties with Lemon-Dill Spread

Spinach and Feta Quinoa Patties with Lemon-Dill Spread:

Lemon-Dill Spread:

1/2 cup organic plain no-fat greek yogurt
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed organic lemon juice
2 teaspoons freshly chopped organic dill

Quinoa Patties:

1 1/4 cups cooked organic quinoa
1 tablespoon organic extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
5 oz chopped organic baby spinach
2 large organic eggs
2 oz crumbled organic feta cheese
1 tablespoon freshly chopped organic dill
1/4 teaspoon grated organic lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon freshly squeezed organic lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup organic panko bread crumbs

First, combine all ingredients for the spread and whisk together for about 1 minute. Add to serving bowl, cover and refrigerate while preparing patties to allow flavors to combine.

Cook quinoa according to directions on package and set aside 1 1/4 cup of cooked quinoa.

While quinoa is cooking, heat oil in a large pan over medium heat then add the onion and garlic, stirring for about 3 minutes until softened, not allowing garlic or onion to turn brown. Separate dill from stems and chop, setting aside 1 tablespoon. Break both eggs in separate bowl, beat, and set aside. Once onion and garlic are complete, add to large mixing bowl along with quinoa, feta, dill, lemon zest, lemon juice, and black pepper and mix together well. Finally, combine to mixture the bread crumbs, and let sit for 2 minutes allowing bread crumbs to absorb moisture.

Form 6 patties and place on heated grill pan, grill, or panini press. Cook until browned on each side, flipping if necessary, and cooked through to center, about 5-8 minutes. Great accompaniment to a clean protein, salad, or as an appetizer.

Nutrition Info per Quinoa Patty:

96 calories, 5.5g fat, 1.9g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 67mg cholesterol, 165mg sodium, 6.7g carbohydrates, 0.9g fiber, 1g sugar, 5.8g protein

Nutrition Info for 2 tablespoons Lemon Dill Spread:

19 calories, 0.05g fat, 0g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 15.7mg sodium, 1.9g carbohydrates, 0.08g fiber, 4.7g sugar, 3.1g protein