Golden Bowl

This recipe is basically a recipe from a real old issue of Vegetarian Times (2008-ish, I think), but I've made it over and over again. It's kind of hard to believe that a simple veggie dish with some tofu and nooch could be so tasty, but I really love it! It's got a nice comfort-food flavor and it's perfect for when you got a lot of odds n' ends in the fridge and don't feel like giving the effort to make a stir-fry sauce! Besides, the nooch adds some B-vitamins, protein, and savory flavor to the mix! If you're new to nutritional yeast, this is a great starter recipe for trying it. Much less effort than making a mac n' cheeze! Lol.

Anywho, I've tried this recipe with various different combinations of veggies but this version here is my absolute favorite. I love bell peppers, but I just don't care for them too much in this recipe so I've left them out. You can also add 1/2 cup of grated carrots like the original recipe does, but I'm just not a fan of stir-fried carrots. I've also used purple cabbage instead of green and that makes for a pretty presentation!

Golden Bowl:
1 1/2 Tb. oil, divided
9 oz. tofu (about half a carton), drained and pressed for at least 15 minutes, then cubed
2 tsp. tamari plus more to taste
2 c. steamed broccoli
4 oz. white mushrooms (about half a carton), sliced
1 c. onion, diced
1 c. yellow squash, sliced (about 1 medium-sized one)
1 1/2 c. zucchini, sliced (about 2 smallish-ones)
1/2 c. green cabbage, shredded
2 Tb. nutritional yeast (plus more to taste, if desired)
Hot cooked brown rice or bulgar
1. Heat 1/2 Tbs. oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add pressed/drained tofu, and sauté 10 to 15 minutes, tossing with spatula, until light golden brown all over. Sprinkle with tamari and sauté 2 to 3 minutes more to further brown tofu. Transfer tofu to plate, then wipe out skillet if necessary.
2. Heat remaining 1 Tbs. oil over high heat. Add tofu and all vegetables. Sauté 5 to 7 minutes, or until tofu is browned and vegetables are tender, tossing constantly with spatula. Sprinkle with soy sauce to taste. Sprinkle nutritional yeast over tofu to coat. Sauté a few seconds more. Remove from heat. Serve over brown rice/bulgar.

The recipe calls for the broccoli to be streamed before you add to the skillet. Normally, I would be lazy and just toss it in, but it really works in this recipe! The vegetables taste EXACTLY like those in Amy's Brown Rice and Vegetable bowls, so now all I have to do is get me some Ume Plum vinegar and work on exacting that sauce, lol!

Moroccan-Stuffed Acorn Squashes with Zucchini Salad

This is another Martha Stewart recipe that I veganized. One day, while I was browsing the recipe section, I found this recipe for Moroccan-Stuffed Acorn Squashes. At the time, I had almost all the ingredients, so I picked up a squash the next time I went to the grocery store so I would have it on hand when I made it. A couple of, um, weeks passed before for I finally got around to making it (thank goodness for long-lasting winter squashes!), but when I finally did I had a lot of fun making it!

I halved the original recipe, but I still wound up having an additional two servings of stuffing leftover. I didn't mind though, I just heated it up as it was with some more of the zucchini salad. Martha's version called for golden raisins (I subbed regular) and hamburger (I used chickpeas). I also seriously upped the spices because the original had like, hardly any in there. Reviewers of the original recipe claimed it was bland, but I like my Moroccan food with flare so I think I fixed that problem! My Mom absolutely loved this dish, and she's requested that it be made again!

I also happened to have some zucchini on hand so I was able to make a Morroccan side dish. The zucchini salad recipe came from "Saveur" magazine. "Saveur" is a very NON-vegan gourmet foodie magazine (in fact, I've only seen them at Whole Foods. My Borders don't even sell them) but I read it because a) I love food, b) many of the articles are actually articles with a recipe section at the end,  c) the food is ethnic authentic, and, d) I love the challenge of veganizing dishes! This recipe happened to be accidently vegan, so I didn't change anything at all! 

Moroccan-Stuffed Acorn Squashes:

1 acorn squash, halved, pulp and seeds removed

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. parsley

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ginger

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

a few shakes cayenne

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 small onion, chopped (about 3/4 cup)

1/2 Tb. garlic, minced (2 cloves)

1/2 c. bulgur wheat

1 c. water and/or vegetable broth

1/4 c. currants

2 Tb. toasted pine nuts

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Spray nonstick spray on the cut side of the squash halves and lay them cut-side-down on a baking sheet. Bake under tender, about 45 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a skillet sprayed with some nonstick, saute the onions and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the chickpeas, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cayenne, and saute until the spices are fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.

3. In the same skillet as the onions, combine the bulgur and water/broth. Cover, then let simmer for 20 minutes on low until soft. Drain off any excess water and let stand, covered, for 5 more minutes, then fluff with a fork.

4. Once, the squashes are done, scrape them out into the the bowl with the onions, making sure to leave enough squash to the skin that you're able to stuff it. To this mixture, add the dried parsley, fluffed bulgur, salt, currants, and nuts. Combine, and then add the stuffing back into the squash halves (you'll have leftover stuffing). Return halves to the oven, and then bake another 12-15 minutes, or until heated through.

When making the salad you cook the zucchini slices in boiling water. They're still pretty crunchy when you make the salad. I decided I like my zucchini a little more soft, so when I went for the leftovers I steamed them for a couple minutes to get them how I like them. That's purely personal preference though, so if you like them crunchy, just follow the directions exactly. If you like them softer, you can skip the whole boiling water step and just steam them for 3-5 minutes.

Zucchini Salad:

3 medium zucchini (about 1 lb.)

1 minced peeled clove garlic
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. white vinegar
1/2 tbsp. olive oil

1. Slice zucchini into thin rounds. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat, add zucchini, and cook until tender but firm, about 1 minute (or do the steaming as I mentioned above). Drain zucchini and rinse under cold water. Pat zucchini dry.

2. Mix together clove garlic, cinnamon, paprika, lemon juice, white vinegar, and olive oil in a bowl. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix in zucchini. Serve at room temperature, though warm with the stuffed squashes is recommended!