Crunchy Veggie Medley with Fresh Lime

This fresh pop of flavor is great as a snack, on tacos, 

as part of a salad, or anything you can think of! 

Crunchy Veggie Medley with Fresh Lime:

1 organic cucumber

1 organic red yellow pepper

1 organic green pepper

2-3 organic celery stalks

1 organic lime

Optional: fresh spearmint and a variety of other crunchy veggies like red peppers!

Dice the veggies to the size of your liking (I think the smaller, the better), combine them in a bowl, and top with the juice from the lime to taste. That's it!

Healthy Life Tip: prep this at the beginning of your week and separate into several different grab-and-go servings for an easy snack! 

Pairs excellently with these BBQ Seitan Skewers 

and may also want to check out this Pepper & Lime Salsa:

         

Sesame Veggie Noodle Stir-fry with Tofu & Seitan

Sesame Veggie Noodle Stir-fry with Tofu & Seitan:

6 servings Pad Thai brown rice noodles
2 packages seitan strips
1 package extra firm tofu, drained and cubed 4x5x3
1 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
1 cup organic green beans broken in half
2/3 cup organic shredded carrots
1 package organic white mushrooms
1/2 package organic portobello mushrooms
2 organic zucchini,
1 organic red pepper, chopped
1 organic yellow onion

For the Noodle Sauce:

1/2 cup organic soy sauce
3 tbsp organic rice vinegar
1 tsp organic sriracha
2 2/3 tbsp (or 2 tbsp and 2 tsp) organic sesame oil
1/4 tsp organic cane sugar

Toppings:

sliced organic green onions
organic sesame seeds

Drain and lightly rinse the seitan, then pat it dry between two paper towels. Cover fully with Annie's Sesame Shiitake Dressing and set aside to marinate for at least 15 minutes. I usually do this in a tupperware container or plastic baggie. Once the tofu has been fully drained and cubed, in a separate container from the seitan, also cover with the dressing and set aside. You can save time by setting the tofu and seitan to marinate the night before.

Prep all the veggies by rinsing and chopping accordingly. Then begin sautéing the pepper and zucchini in the olive oil in a large fry pan.

While they are cooking begin sautéing the seitan on low in a separate fry pan. Add the seitan, and all of the dressing it has been marinating in to the pan together. The seitan will cook here for the rest of the meal prep, so just make sure to stir occasionally and keep the heat on low.

Add the green beans, carrots, mushrooms, and onion to the zucchini and pepper, stirring everything together and cooking for another 2-3 minutes. Then add the tofu and about half of the dressing it has been marinating, stir together gently, bring heat to medium-low and allow to simmer.

Next, cook the pad thai noodles according to direction.

In a separate bowl combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sriracha, sesame oil, and cane sugar and whisk together.

Once the noodles are done, drain them and rinse them very well in hot water, and add them to a large mixing bowl. Whisk the noodle sauce again and then poor directly over the noodles and mix until all noddles are evenly coated. Return the noodles back to the pan they were cooked in, cover, and place back onto stove to keep warm without turning the stove back on.

Once the veggies are cooked and softened, spoon some noodles onto a dish, the top with veggies and tofu, and add some seitan and enjoy!

Sweet Corn Salsa

I love this recipe for so many reasons! This salsa has a great pop of flavor and it's perfect any time of year and at any occasion! I especially love it outdoors in the summer! It's so easy to make and all of the veggies can easily be prepped the night before! Enjoy this super healthy salsa knowing it's made entirely of real, whole foods!

Sweet Corn Salsa:

16oz organic sweet corn
1 organic jalapeño, diced
1 organic poblano pepper, diced
3/4 organic red onion, diced
1/2 freshly chopped organic cilantro
juice from 2 organic limes
juice from 2 organic lemons


Dice the jalapeño, pepper, and onion and combine with the sweet corn. Chop the cilantro and mix in with the veggies. Finally squeeze the juice from the lemons and limes onto the veggies and mix together and enjoy!

Serve this alongside some Southwest Taco Wontons & Avocado Lime Dip to really step it up a notch!

                   

Peach Mango Tofu Wraps with Pepper Lime Salsa!

Peach Mango Tofu Wraps:

Makes 8-10 wraps

1 package organic firm tofu

2 organic avocados

1 jar 365 Organic Peach & Mango Salsa 

Peper & Line Salsa to taste

To prepare the tofu drain and then slice into strips. Place the tofu in a baking dish (with a cover) and mix 1 cup of the salsa in with the tofu. Let the tofu marinate, preheat the oven to 350, and begin preparing the Easy Pepper & Lime Salsa.

Once the salsa is complete and marinating, put the tofu in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, stirring after 7 minutes.

When the tofu has 5 minutes remaining, cut up the avocado, and place wrap rolls on a baking safe dish and place in the oven to warm for final minute of cooking. 

Once everything is complete place desired ingredients in warmed wrap, add a tbsp or two of extra salsa to the wrap and enjoy! 

Healthy Life Tip: When calculating nutrition information, take into account about 1 tablespoon of salsa per wrap in addition to what you add, as this represents the marinade. 

Mediterranean Pasta Salad with Grilled Balsamic Tofu!

Mediterranean Pasta Salad with Grilled Balsamic Tofu:

Makes 3 Servings:

1 1/2 servings of your favorite whole wheat organic pasta (365 organic rigatoni pictured above)
4 servings organic extra firm tofu
1/2 cup 365 Organic Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
20 grape tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 organic cucumber, diced
1/2 organic yellow pepper, chopped
1/2 organic orange pepper, chopped


Cook pasta according to directions. While water is heating, drain and cube tofu and place into a bowl with dressing to marinate, then set aside. Begin to prepare vegetables until water begins to boil.

Once you place the pasta in the water, begin to heat grill pan on medium and place the tofu cubes onto the center of the pan using a pair of tongs. Once pan is heated, tofu should begin to sizzle. Keep the tofu on the same side moving occasionally and adding more dressing to prevent sticking, but do not flip. While tofu cooks, continue to prepare vegetables and place into a separate large bowl. Add 1-2 tablespoons of dressing from tofu bowl and toss into vegetables. You won't need more than this.

Once one side of the tofu is light-medium brown (2-5min), use the tongs to flip it to the opposite side. Add some of the extra dressing to the tofu and onto pan so that it sizzles around the tofu. Let sit for another 2-3 minutes allowing this side to brown also.

Once pasta is complete, drain and add to large bowl with vegetables and toss, allowing the dressing to spread over everything. Separate onto plates and once tofu is complete, add tofu and enjoy!

This dish works great cold also, just rinse and place pasta in refrigerator for several minutes and allow tofu to cool before serving.

Healthy Life Tip: Cook extra servings and save for an easy lunch or dinner later in the week!

Rather just stick the tofu in the oven and get something else done? Check this out:

Healthy Homemade Hot Sauce!

Homemade Buffalo Sauce Recipe:

10 organic Cayenne Peppers (176g for this recipe)

1 1/2 cups organic white vinegar 

3 organic garlic cloves, skin fully removed

1/2 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon organic paprika

1/2 bay leaf

Rinse and remove the tops from the peppers and place into a medium, non-reactive sauce pan (i.e. ceramic or stainless steel). Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low/medium-low, cover and let simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the peppers are soft and tender. 

Once peppers are soft add to a food processor, blender, or Vitamix and blend until smooth. If end result does not end in a smooth puree, strain through a fine sieve and discard any sediment it catches.

Return to sauce pan and simmer on low for another 15 minutes. 

Place in an airtight glass container and refrigerate overnight. 

While mine never lasts this long, it can save for about 5-6 months when refrigerated in airtight container, but always check for mold or signs or spoil before using. 

Nutrition Info (3 tablespoons):

40 calories, 1.9g fat, 0.4g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 17.3mg sodium, 6.5g carbohydrates, 3g fiber, 1.1g sugar, 1.1g protein

      Use this sauce to make these 

       Buffalo Chicken Wontons!

    

Fire Roasted Tomato and Vegetable Quinoa Soup.

Fire Roasted Tomato and Vegetable Quinoa Soup:

32 oz organic fire roasted diced tomatoes 

64 oz organic low sodium vegetable broth

1 cup organic quinoa

4 organic carrots, diced

3 organic celery ribs, diced

1 organic yellow onion, diced

1 organic red pepper, diced

1/2 organic chili pepper, minced (use entire pepper for spicy soup)

2 tblsp organic olive oil

2 tsp paprika, cumin coriander

1/2 tsp chili powder

Dice carrots, celery, onion, and red pepper, mince chili pepper, and set aside. Heat a large soup pot over medium heat and add olive oil. Add vegetables and sauté for 7-8 minutes or until the vegetables soften. Add in all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover, lower heat to a summer, and let cook for 35-40 minutes. Makes 8 servings. Great as a side dish to a meal, or a starter.

Nutrition Info per serving:

180 calories, 4.9g fat, 0.5g sat fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 369mg sodium, 28.3g carbohydrates, 4g fiber, 8g sugar, 4.7g protein