Recipe: Teriyaki Tofu Salad

I recently discovered a packet of simply asia teriyaki marinade in the back of my pantry. Naturally, I felt an urge to put it to good use! I've been feeling the urge to make more tofu-based dishes lately, so I marinated some extra-firm tofu in the marinade, then lightly pan-fried. I then combined the tofu with some baby spinach, chopped carrots, red bell pepper, and cucumber to create an asian-esque salad. I topped the salad with balsamic vinaigrette.

recipe: pesto pita pocket

(try saying the title three times fast)


I don't know how I came up with this concoction, but it's definitely one that I'll make again. It's simple, easy to make, and uses veggies that I keep around my kitchen on a regular basis.

ingredients:
1/2 pita bread
1 tbsp roasted red pepper pesto (see earlier post for recipe)
1/2 cup baby spinach
1 slice provolone cheese
1 slice tomato

directions:
pop pita pocket open and spread pesto along each side. split the provolone slice in half and place one half on each side of pocket. stuff with spinach and tomato.

Spicy Tofu Veggie Wrap

In my continued effort to use the food I already have in my kitchen, I came up with this wrap for lunch. If you choose to make this on your own and follow my exact recipe, be sure to keep a glass of water nearby as you eat this, because calling it spicy is an understatement.

ingredients:
1 8-inch wrap
1 tbsp black bean hummus (recipe featured in an earlier post)
1/2 cup baby spinach
2 baby carrots, sliced thinly
1/2 serving baked tofu
1/2 tsp hot sauce

directions:
spread the hummus evenly on the wrap. top with baby spinach and sliced carrots.
cut baked tofu into strips, then place in wrap. top with hot sauce, then fold and enjoy!

my brands of choice for this recipe:
wrap-tumaro's low in carb reduced fat multi grain tortilla
baked tofu-Soy Deli's baked tofu. This comes in several flavors, and I chose the savory flavor for this. The 5-spiced flavor would work, too.
hot sauce- I bought a bottle of Original Juan's Pain is Good Louisiana Style Hot Sauce at Jungle Jim's, which is what I used. Really, any hot sauce with some flavor would work, though.

today's lunch: whole wheat sweet potato gnocchi

i was not as ambitious as i hoped to be when i returned last night from my hoosier weekend, so i didn't make it to the grocery store. i didn't think this would be an issue until I opened my fridge to make my lunch this morning. I stared at the empty fridge for about 30 seconds, then quickly put a plan in action, aka put a pot of water on the stovetop to boil. I boiled 3/4 cup of the gnocchi from Jungle Jim's, then tossed it with 1 Tbsp of my homemade basil pesto, 1 tbsp of grated parmigiano reggiano cheese, and a couple of sundried tomatoes.

This turned out to be a great combination! The pesto is a little on the garlicky side, so the added cheese helps to sweeten it, while the tartness of the sundried tomatoes adds a little punch to it.

Recipe: Pesto Wrap

One of my favorite things about Fridays is that I get to eat lunch at home, which gives me some room for creativity. Because VISTAs aren't paid hourly wages, we get to flex our work hours so that it evens out to at least 40 hours a week (though for the life of me I cannot remember the last time I worked less than 45 hours in a full work week). I usually leave Parents Plus around lunch time on Fridays so I can eat something before hitting the gym.

My original plan for today's lunch was to make some pasta and top it with TJ's pesto and some parmigiano reggiano (I bought a decent-size chunk of it when I made red pepper pesto and still have a lot left over). But when I opened my fridge, I noticed I still had some fresh produce left over from the goat cheese wraps I made for lunch that week. I got out my cutting board and knife and before I knew it, this wrap was born!

ingredients:
1 tortilla wrap
1 tbsp basil pesto
3/4 cup salad mix
4 grape tomatoes
1 tbsp roasted red pepper strips
1 tbsp grated parmigiano reggiano

directions:
1. spread a layer of pesto evenly on wrap tortilla.
2. sprinkle salad mix on top of pesto.
3. slice grape tomatoes and sprinkle on top of lettuce, along with red pepper strips.
4. top with parmigiano, fold, and serve.

serves 1

as you can see in the picture, I ate these with guiltless gourmet salt-free tortilla chips, which I dipped in salsa.

Recipe: Hummus Sandwich

I feel like hummus is one of those foods that you can always appreciate, no matter how much of a carnivore you may claim to be. I once made a red pepper hummus from scratch for a heart healthy luncheon at my school, and it disappeared faster than anyone could imagine! I made up this sandwich based on a recipe I found on the internet for a cucumber sandwich, then modified it so I could cure my cravings for hummus.

Hummus Sandwich

ingredients:

• 2 slices whole wheat bread (my brand of choice is healthy life)
• 2 tbsp hummus, divided (I prefer red pepper hummus with athenos as my brand of choice, but any kind will do...it's up to your personal taste)
• 4 cucumber slices
• 2 tbsp alfalfa sprouts
• 2 tomato slices
• 1 lettuce leaf (either green or red lettuce)

directions:

• spread 1 tbsp of hummus on each slice of bread
• place cucumber slices on bottom slice of bread, then layer alfalfa sprouts on top
• place tomato slices on top of alfalfa sprouts, followed by lettuce leaf.
• place remaining slice of bread with the hummus facing the lettuce.

that's all there is to it! it tastes great and is easy to make.

also, good news: I found the receipt from sunday's food shopping trip! I'll post the total later this afternoon.