{ CREAMY RICE AND MUSHROOM CASSEROLE }

Ok. This casserole is my very favorite dish right now! This is a Lucy creation, based off of the layered rice and chicken casserole of days past. (What do you want to call it, Lucy? We can change the title.) Sisters, seriously, if you want to take a bite of our childhood, make this! It's amazing!

1 1/2 c. brown rice, uncooked (about 4 c. cooked)

1 lb mushrooms, sliced (I used shitake)

1 pkg firm or extra firm tofu, pressed, cubed and marinated in 1/2 c. vegan veggie broth 4 hrs or overnight (I used 1 t. Better than Bullion No Chicken + 1/2 c. water)

1 c. water
1 1/2 c. non-dairy milk
2/3 c. cashews
3/4 c. nutritional yeast
4 T. cornstarch
2 T. lemon juice
1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. curry powder
2 t. miso
1 1/2 t. veggie base (1 t. Better than Bullion)

1 c. French fried onion rings (optional)

optional garnish: green onions

• Cook rice.
• Saute mushrooms until just starting to release mushroom juice.
• Drain marinated tofu, spread on parchment paper on a baking sheet, and bake at 375 for 35 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400.
• Blend water through veggie base until very smooth.
• Spread cooked rice in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Cover with baked tofu. Then mushrooms.
• Pour sauce mixture over the casserole.
• Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.
• Remove from oven, top with French fried onions, and bake for another 5 minutes.
• Serve, garnished with green onions.

This picture is 1/2 the recipe in an 8x8 dish. (Half of us like mushrooms; half do not.)

{MOROCCAN VEGETABLES}

I found this recipe in the February issue of Better Nutrition magazine.  I really liked it; Mike said it was ok. The original recipe is for a slow cooker, and calls for chicken.  Baked tofu would be great in it, but I left it out this time.  I made it in the pressure cooker, so that's what I'll post.

prepared brown rice or quinoa


water to saute
2 c. onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 t. fresh ginger, grated (or 1 t. ground ginger)


2 cans diced tomatoes, blended
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 c. green beans, cut into 2-inch pieces
3 large carrots, sliced
2 medium zucchini, sliced
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 t. turmeric
1/2 t. ground coriander
1/2 t. cumin
1/4 t. cinnamon


raisins
fresh parsley
toasted sliced almonds

• Saute onions, garlic, and ginger in water (in pressure cooker) while you prepare and chop vegetables.
• Add tomatoes, garbanzos, carrots, zucchini, and spices.
• Cook on low pressure for 1 minute.  Quick release.
• Serve over brown rice or quinoa.
• Top with raisins, fresh parsley, and almonds.

{CARROT AVOCADO CURRY WITH TOFU}

Thanks, Elna and Lucy!  This is my new favorite dish.  So good!

I cooked it in the pressure cooker; it worked great.  (I'll include the original/non-pressure cooker recipe in parenthesis.)

{Tofu}

2 12-oz. boxes firm or extra firm tofu, pressed* and frozen**
1/4 c. apple juice (2 T. water)
1/2 t. ginger
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. paprika
1/2 t. curry powder
1/2 t. salt
1 dash pepper (1/2 t.)

• Thaw tofu in the refrigerator overnight, or at room temperature for several hours.
• Slice into 1/4 to 1/2-inch cubes.
• Saute in apple juice and spices until completely coated.
• Transfer to a baking sheet.
• Bake at 350 for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Set aside.

*To press tofu, remove it from the package, draining off any water.  Wrap the tofu in a paper towel and then a cloth hand towel, and place it on a plate (or cookie sheet if doing several blocks at a time).  Place another plate (or cookie sheet) on top, and put something heavy on top (canned food or books work great).  Leave the tofu to press for one to several hours.

**Freezing tofu changes the texture significantly; it becomes more spongy and "meaty."  After the tofu is pressed, unwrap it, put it in a freezer bag/container, and freeze.  To thaw the tofu, I just took it out of the freezer this morning and set it on the counter.  Quite a bit more water drained out of the tofu as it thawed.

{Curry Sauce}

1 c. water + 1 t. vegan chicken flavored Better-Than-Bullion (1 1/2 c. chicken broth)
1/2 c. apple juice
6 medium carrots, sliced thin
3 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 t. ginger
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. paprika
1/2 t. curry powder
1/2 t. salt
1 dash pepper (1/2 t.)
1 2-inch cinnamon stick


1/3 c. non-dairy milk
1/4 c. raw cashews
1/4 t. almond extract


1 avocado, peeled and sliced
slivered almonds


Pressure Cooker Instructions:

• Combine first ingredients (broth through cinnamon stick) in the pressure cooker.
• Cook on low pressure for 1 minute.
• Quick release.
• Meanwhile, blend milk, cashews, and almond extract until smooth.  Set aside.
• When pressure is released, add cream and tofu.
• Serve over brown rice or quinoa, topped with avocado slices and slivered almonds.

Normal Instructions:

• Combine first ingredients (broth through cinnamon stick) in a skillet or saucepan.
• Bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until vegetables are soft.
• Meanwhile, blend milk, cashews, and almond extract until smooth.  Set aside.
• When vegetables are soft, add cream and tofu.
• Heat on low until heated through.
• Serve over brown rice or quinoa, topped with avocado slices and slivered almonds.

{CILANTRO LIME RICE}

This rice is so yummy! Mom adapted the recipe from a couple of different online sources. (Mom, original sources?) It's fabulous with these beans in taco salad. I also used some in beanritos; very tasty!

I only know the pressure cooker instructions. If you don't have a pressure cooker, just change the amount of water, and cook the rice as you normally would.

2 c. brown rice

2 3/4 c. water

1/4 c. lime juice

4 t. vegan boullion

2 t. garlic (3-4 cloves)

1/2 T. cumin

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro (4 T. dried)

1/2 onion (4 T. dried)

1 smidgeon stevia

• Combine all ingredients in pressure cooker.

• Low pressure, 23 minutes.

• Natural release.

{PICO DE GALLO}

This is one of our favorite meals. It's amazing how good simple natural foods can taste when they are flavored right! (The picture is of my daughter's plate- she wanted me to take a picture of hers)

10 roma tomatoes

1/2 onion

1 bunch green onions

1 bunch cilantro

1 1/2 t. garlic (or a little more if you love garlic!)

1/2 T. apple cider vinegar

juice of 2 limes

salt to taste


brown rice
black beans
avocados
corn
pecans
tortilla chips

• Chop everything up and combine it in a bowl.
• Serve with brown rice, black beans, avocados, corn, pecans, and chips

{RED BEANS AND RICE}

We don't make this a lot because it has fake meat in it, but it's a good comfort food every once in a while.

1/2 c. chopped onion

1/2 c. chopped celery

1/2 c. chopped bell pepper (I like red)

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1/2 pound fully cooked soy sausage (I use 6 Morningstar patties)

2 15 oz. cans red beans, drained and rinsed

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

1 t. worcestershire sauce

1/4 t. ground red pepper

1/4 t. hot pepper sauce

3 c. hot cooked brown rice

• Prepare rice according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat a heavy skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot.
• Add onion, celery, bell pepper, sausage pieces and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes.
  
• Add red beans, tomato sauce, worcestershire sauce, red pepper and pepper sauce (add extra water if needed).
• Cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes more, or until thoroughly heated.
• Serve beans over rice. Top with green onions and serve with hot pepper sauce.

*We usually skip the hot pepper sauce and sometimes the cayenne too, depending on how spicy we want it.

{CREAMY VEGETABLE CURRY}

This is a great recipe originally found here. I have toned it down a bit (it was pretty spicy) but we like both versions.

3 c. vegetable broth

1 onion, chopped

3 carrots, sliced

1 t. minced garlic

2 T. curry powder

1 t. ground coriander

3 c. chunked Yukon gold potatoes

3 c. green beans in 1 inch pieces

1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes (we use petite)

1 15-oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 c. frozen peas, thawed (optional)

3/4 c. coconut milk*

• Place 1/3 c. of the broth in a large pot.
• Add the carrots, onions, and garlic.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions have softened.
• Stir in the curry powder and coriander.
• Add the remaining broth, potatoes, beans, tomatoes, and garbanzos.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook over low heat for about 30 to 40 minutes.
• Add the peas and cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until all vegetable are tender.
• Add coconut milk (or rice milk mixed with coconut extract*).
• Serve over brown rice.

*For a lower fat version, you can use rice or soy milk and 1/8 t. of coconut extract instead of the coconut milk.

*It makes a lot, so if you aren't going to use it all it freezes great in a freezer bag.

*It's also very good with pineapple mixed in.

Pressure Cooker Instructions:

Put the broth, onion, garlic, potatoes, carrots, green beans (unless using canned), tomatoes, garbanzos, and spices in the pressure cooker and cook on low pressure for 1 minute, quick release. Add coconut milk, peas (and green beans if canned).

I actually turn the pressure cooker on (set to low pressure, 1 minute, and press start) but leave the lid off as I chop and add the ingredients in this order: broth, onions, garlic, carrots, potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, garbanzos, spices. This allows the onions to soften before everything else cooks. Then I just put the lid on and let it do it's thing. (It also speeds the process even more this way.) We got home from church yesterday afternoon at 4:30. Dinner was on 45 minutes later! (I had cooked the rice before church.)

{HAWAIIAN HAYSTACKS}

This isn't really a recipe, but it's a meal we enjoy.  It's a great way to use up leftover veggies, too.

cooked brown rice

Top with any combination of the following:

cooked peas

steamed broccoli

cooked carrots

cooked green beans

steamed zucchini

pineapple

mandarin oranges

raisins

chow mien noodles

sunflower seeds

almonds

celery

olives

water chestnuts

bell peppers (green, red, orange, yellow)

tomatoes

avocados

mushrooms (grilled or fresh)

gravy

{RICE AND PEAS ALFREDO}

(Adapted from Fettucine and Peas Alfredo, which Joanne shared with us long ago. I don't know where she got it.)

cooked brown rice

1/4 c. water

1 large sweet onion, chopped

2 T. garlic, minced (3 to 6 cloves)

1 T. dried parsley (1/4 c. fresh)

1 lb. frozen peas (about 2 1/2 c.)

{VEGAN ALFREDO SAUCE}

1 12.3-oz. pkg. lite silken tofu, firm or extra firm

2 c. soy/rice milk

1 t. onion powder

1/2 t. garlic powder

1 t. salt

1/3 to 2/3 c. nutritional yeast

pinch of cayenne pepper

pinch of ground nutmeg

pepper to taste

• In a saucepan, saute onion, garlic, and parsley in water until onions are tender.

• Add peas. Cook until peas are thawed.

• Place alfredo sauce ingredients in blender. Blend until very smooth.

• Add sauce to saucepan. Cook until warmed through.

• Serve over rice. Pepper to taste.

{ SPANISH RICE }

2 c. brown rice

1 c. spaghetti sauce or other tomato sauce

4 c. hot water (water and tomato liquid should equal 5 cups)

1 T. garlic

1 T. taco seasoning

• Bring to a boil. Do not lift lid.

• Simmer for 1 hour.

Note: Liquid amounts and cooking time may differ if you use a rice cooker or pressure cooker. Follow instructions for your cooker. (I, for example, use a pressure cooker and only use 3 cups of liquid.)

Pressure Cooker Instructions:

Rice to liquid ratio is 1 to 1 1/2.

Add all ingredients to the pressure cooker. Cook on low pressure, 23 minutes, natural release.