Tofu Vegetable Stir Fry

This stir fry is super quick and easy to make. If I happen to be making BBQ tofu the night  before, I make extra to use in this stir fry. You can add whatever veggies you have on hand to make a fast, delicious and clean-eating meal.

Ingredients:

1 cup brown rice (uncooked)
2 cups water

Olive Oil
1 block fim tofu, cut into strips
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce or gluten free tamari

1/2 cup red pepper, cut into strips
1/2 cup zucchini, cut into strips
1/3 cup purple onion, cut into strips
1/3 cup snow peas, trimmed
3 cloves garlic, passed through garlic press
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 cup leafy greens, chopped (i.e. kale, bok-choy or spinach)

Sauce:

Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp quinoa flour (or just whole wheat if you don’t have quinoa on hand)
2 tsp low sodium soy sauce or gluten free-tamari
3 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp agave nectar or honey
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth

1. Put rice on to cook according to package directions.

2. Marinate tofu in soy sauce or tamari for about 10-15 minutes. Place some oil in a skillet and brown the tofu strips over medium-high heat. Be sure to flip often to keep the tofu from sticking to the pan! Once nicely browned, remove from the skillet and set aside.

3. In the same skillet, add a little more oil. Stir-fry vegetables, garlic and ginger over medium-high heat until just done, but still bright in colour. Add sauce mixture to skillet. Bring to a boil and stir constantly until sauce has thickened slightly. Add tofu and leafy greens and gently stir until greens are just done.

4. Serve stir-fry over brown rice and enjoy!

Black Bean Loaf

This flavourful loaf is easy to make and is packed with protein. Serve topped with salsa and a side of salad.

1 cup textured vegetable protein
2 cups tomato sause
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1/4 cup raisins
1 carrot, grated
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup oatbran (or oatmeal)
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Preheat oven to 375°. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Lightly coat 8″ x 8″ square baking pan with oil. Pack loaf mixture in pan. Bake uncovered for 35-45 minutes or until set. Remove from heat and let stand 5-10 minutes  before serving. Enjoy!

Power Protein Bars

These protein bars are really  handy when you are busy and need something to grab on the go. I especially like to make a batch before I go on trips. Even better, they are packed with nutritious ingredients, not chemicals and fillers like many commercially produced protein bars. This is one of many great recipies from the Eat Clean Diet Cookbook.

It’s best to make the yogurt cheese the night before (instructions are just at the bottom of the post). Just leave it in the fridge and it will be ready for you the next day. You will also need cheese cloth and parchment paper to make these protein bars.

1 cup of protein powder (whey, soy or your choice)
1/2 cup whole grain whole wheat flour (or kumut, spelt or millet if preferred)
2 cups rolled oats (not instant)
1/2 cup oat bran
1/2 cup coarsely chopped flax seed
1 tsp seat salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup Sucanat or agave nectar or honey
1 cup dark chocolate, broken into pieces
11/2 to 2 cups of yogurt cheese*
1/4 cup avocado oil, canola oil or healthy oil of your choice
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with oil or cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine protein powder, flour, oats, flax seed, wheat germ, sea salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, Sucanat or other sweetener. Stir in chocolate pieces.
3. In another bowl, mix the yogurt cheese mixture to the dry ingredients. Use your clean hands (coated with olive oil)  to combine these well.
4. Place mixture in baking pan. Press it down to even it out. Bake on the middle oven rack for 15 minutes then remove from heat.
5. Let cool and cut the dough into bars. Place these bars on a cookie sheet lined with parchement paper or Slipat and bake again for another 15 minutes. Re move from heat and transfer to a wire cooling rack.

Makes anywhere from 15-20 bars, depending on how you cut them.

*Yogurt Cheese

Yogurt cheese is basically just strained yogurt. to make it:

- Place  4 layers of damp cheese cloth in a fine mesh sieve or colander. Place the sieve over a bowl.
- Add a tub of yogurt and let it drain overnight in the fridge.
- Make sure to cover the bowl so it doesn’t try out

Zucchini Hummus

This delicious, beanless hummus is an excellent alternative to traditional hummus recipes, and particularly great for those who find beans difficult to digest.  Serve with raw veggies, whole wheat pita, or crackers. Even try it as a sandwich spread.

3 medium raw zucchinis, peeled and chopped
6 tbsp lemon juice
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 cup tahini
1 cup sesame or sunflower seeds, soaked
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzle

Place all ingredients (except olive oil) in food processor and blend until smooth. Enjoy!!

Cranberry Almond Cookies

This delicious cookie recipe has the perfect blend of dried fruit, almonds and spices; a healthy dose of protein; and less than 90 calories per cookie. The main sweetener is agave nectar, also called agave syrup—this can be found in the syrup isle of grocery stores like Whole Food or Capers. It is a low glycemic sweetener, so is much healthier than traditional sugar.

The dough needs to cool in refrigerator prior to baking, so there is no need to preheat oven.

2 ½ cups whole wheat flour
½ cup protein powder (unflavoured)
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp sea salt

½ cup olive oil
½ cup agave nectar (also called agave syrup)

4 egg whites

½ cup unsulfured blackstrap molasses
½ cup applesauce
1 tbsp vanilla
2 tbsp plain low-fat yoghurt
1 cup raisins
½ cup dried unsweetened cranberries
1 cup unsalted, raw silvered almonds

1. In a large mixing bowl, sift together all dry ingredients and spices.
2. In small mixing bowl, cream together olive oil and agave nectar until smooth.
3. In separate bowl, beat egg whites until fluffy, then add to olive oil mixture and mix thoroughly.
4. Add molasses, applesauce, vanilla and yogurt and mix well again.
5. Add wet mixture to dry ingredients and still until the dough forms a ball.
6. Add raisins, cranberries, and almonds. Mix well. (You may need to coat hands in olive oil to mix properly).
7. Wrap dough in plastic wrap (or put in bowl) and place in refrigerator for an hour or two.
8. Once dough is cool, preheat oven to 350°.
9. Make small balls with dough. Place on cookie sheets and press down with a fork. Bake for 10 minutes

Fiesta Salad

This amazing salad is adapated from a recipe in the March 2009 issue of Oxygen magazine. It’s nutrient rich, super easy to make, and delicious! Pairs well with salmon or other proteins.

2 cups cooled, cooked brown rice*
1 small can corn (look for no sugar/salt added variety
3 green onions, finely chopped
3/4 cup dried, unsweetened cranberries
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 carrot, grated
1/4 cup roasted silvered almonds**
1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds**

2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
4 tbsp low-sodium tamari
1 clove garlic, crushed

Ground black pepper, to taste

Put rice, chopped veggies, almonds and sunflower seeds in a large bowl. In a small, seperate bowl, mix olive oil, tamari, lemon juice & garlic. Pour mixture over salad and mix until coated evenly.

*If you don’t have a chance to make the rice ahead of time, try putting in on a baking pan to cool. Once it stops steaming, pop in in the fridge for a few minutes and it will be salad ready in a matter of minutes.

**I just use raw silvered almonds and sunflower seeds a roast them myself. About 10 minutes at 350 ° F is about right.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Protein Shake

I find that many protein shakes available in stores are loaded with strange ingredients (sugar, artificial sweeteners, and things I can’t pronounce)–so I make my own. The protein used in this shake is just the plain protein isolate powder (unflavoured, unsweetened), which is easy to find at Capers/Wholefoods. Stevia is also easy to find at any natural food stores, although I get mine direct from my sister in Bolivia!

I have this as a pre or post workout snack, particularly on weight training days. I just mix it up the night before, put it in a shaker cup, and pack it in my lunch bag. Super easy and delicious!

2 cups soy milk (or low-fat milk)
1 scoop whey protein isolate
1-2 tsp organic cocoa
Stevia to taste

Mix up all ingredients in a blender and enjoy!

Black-Bean Enchiladas

My sister lives in South America and makes some killer enchiladas. Her secret ingredient is Salsa Lizano, but it’s a bit hard to find here. I’ve done my best to mimic the taste of this sauce with balsamic vinegar and a variety of spices. This recipe makes a lot of food, is *much* lower fat than the restaurant variety, and is always a hit with dinner guests!

If you like your food spicy, try adding a dash of cayenne pepper to the black bean mixture and/or use a hot salsa with the recipe.

Preheat oven to 400°F

1 cup cook brown rice
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cooked or canned black beans
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp sucanat (or brown sugar)

1 cup fresh salsa
1/2 cup low-fat mozzarella or monterey jack cheese
1 can tomato sauce (about 398ml can)

6-8 large whole grain tortilla shells

Put on brown rice to cook. Meanwhile, saute onions in large pan until golden. Add bell pepper, and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add black beans, chili powder, cumin, balsamic vinegar and sucanat. Cook over medium heat until vinegar is absorbed.

Once the rice is cooked and your black bean mixture is ready, it’s time to build the enchiladas.

Lightly grease a rectangular casserole dish (approximately 9.5″ and 13.5 ” size) and layer about 1/2 cup of tomato sauce on the bottom of  the dish.

Place desired amount of black bean mixture, rice, and salsa on a tortilla shell, roll up, and place in casserole dish. Depending on how much you fill your tortilla shells, this should make about 6-8 enchiladas. These are really filling, so don’t make them too big!

Pour the remaining tomato sauce over enchiladas and top with cheese. Bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling.  Enjoy!

Easy Vegetarian Lasagna

This crowd-pleasing lasagna is probably my most requested recipe. It’s a snap to make and tastes delicious!

Preheat oven to 375 °F

2 bricks soft tofu
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 eggs
3 cloves garlic
2 tsp each dried basil, thyme and oregano (or 2 tbsp each of fresh herbs)
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

1 jar of your favourite spagetti/pasta sauce (about 4 cups)
1/2 package express, no-boil lasagna noodles (preferably whole grain)
2 cups baby spinach
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Combine tofu, parmesan cheese, eggs, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper in medium bowl. Lightly grease casserole dish (approximately 9.5″ and 13.5 ” size). Put down ingredients in the following order:

Sauce (about 1 1/2 cups)
Noodles
1/2 tofu mixture
Spinach
Sauce
Noodles
1/2 tofu mixture
Spinach
Sauce
Mozzarella cheese

Bake for 30-35 minutes. Enjoy!

Black Bean Hummus

In my efforts to ‘eat-clean’ and avoid high-calorie cheese, I like making low-fat dips and spreads. When I’m bored of my regular hummus recipe, I make my black-bean version.

This recipe taste especially good the next day when the flavours have had time to mingle. Pair with salsa and you have a great selection of dips to offer as an appetizer for dinner guests.

2 cups canned or cooked black beans
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp lime (or lemon) juice
1/2 tsp sea salt
2-3 tbsp water (or to desired consistency)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

Blend all ingredients together in the food processor, except the cilantro. Once the hummus has reached your desired consistency and ingredients are well mixed, blend in the cilantro.