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TASTY TUESDAYS // THAI CITRUS TOFU KEBABS

Photo: www.shape.com


Spring has sprung, and these healthy, citrusy veggie kebabs have the perfect kick for a celebration, or, ya know, lunch.  Because who doesn’t love a kebab?

INGREDIENTS

            1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce

            1/4 cup fresh orange juice

            1/4 cup fresh lime juice

            1 tablespoon honey

            1 tablespoon minced ginger

            2 packages (14 oz each) extra-firm tofu, drained

            1 navel orange, unpeeled

            1/4 pound snap peas

            2 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms

            Vegetable oil cooking spray

 

PREPARATION

Combine soy sauce, juices, honey and ginger in a baking dish; whisk until honey dissolves. Cut each block of tofu into twelve 1 1/2-inch pieces and place in a single layer in dish, spooning some marinade over tofu. Marinate at least 20 minutes (or overnight, if desired), turning tofu once halfway through. Cut orange into 1/4-inch-thick slices, then cut each slice into 4 wedges. Thread orange wedges, peas, mushrooms and tofu on 8 skewers. Coat grill with cooking spray and heat on medium-high. Place skewers in a single layer on grill. Cook until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Serve immediately.

 

THE SKINNY

277 calories for 2 kebabs, 10 g fat (1.3 g saturated), 23 g carbs, 4 g fiber, 23 protein

Recipe: www.shape.com

TASTY TUESDAY // QUINOA & KALE PATTIES

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Photo credit: www.yummysupper.blogspot.com

Want to know the most delicious way to combine super-nutritious quinoa and kale to make something radical for your taste buds?  Well, this is it.  Mostly because we like anything that has cancer-fighting nutrients and that you can put an avocado on top of.

Plus quinoa is, like, really good for you.  It’s not a grain or cereal, but instead classified as a “pseuodo-cereal,” which is news to us.  The findings of a scientific study in 2011 states that: “Quinoa, a plant native to South America, has become a popular food staple due to its high nutritional content. The edible seeds of the quinoa plant are rich in protein, unsaturated fats, and essential vitamins and minerals. Quinoa also contains beneficial polyphenols that help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer” (Gómez-Caravaca, 2011).  So lets load up on some of those beneficial polyphenols!

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 Ingredients

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

4 eggs, whisked

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

3 spring onions, sliced thin

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup steamed kale, chopped

1 cup breadcrumbs ( GF friends: be sure to use GF breadcrumbs. I always make my own.*)

1 teaspoon olive oil

Optional toppings: avocado, cilantro, lemon juice, salsa verde, garlic oil

 

Instructions

Rinse 1 cup of quinoa thoroughly and place the grains in a medium saucepan with 2 cups of water. Allow quinoa to soak for 15 minutes. Then, with the lid on the pan, bring the water to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook until quinoa is tender and has absorbed the liquid - about 20 minutes. Let cool to room temp. 

In a large bowl, mix together cooked quinoa, eggs, Parm, spring onions, garlic, salt, steamed kale, and breadcrumbs. Let everything sit for a few minutes to absorb the liquid. You want the batter to be moist, but not runny. Form patties and get your pan ready for cookin’.

Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Cook up to 6 patties at a time (don’t overcrowd the pan). Cover the pan and let the cuties cook for 7-10 minutes until the underbellies are a deep rich brown. Flip and cook the other side for another 7-10 minutes until both sides are nice and brown. Let patties rest on a cooling rack while you finish the next batch.  Top off with any combination of avocado, cilantro, lemon juice, salsa verde, and/or garlic oil.

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Uh, yum.

Note: If you don’t want to eat all the patties right away, go ahead and refrigerate the batter and cook patties up to order at a later moment.  Also, if you are using leftover quinoa to start, use 2 1/2 cups.

Recipe courtesy of www.yummysupper.blogspot.com

 

Sources:

Gómez-Caravaca AM, et al. Simultaneous determination of phenolic compounds and saponins in quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd) by a liquid chromatography—diode array detection—electrospray ionization—time-of-flight mass spectrometry methodology. J Agric Food Chem 2011;59:10815-10825. 

Scott, Erin. (2012). Retrieved from: http://yummysupper.blogspot.com/2012/09/quinoa-kale-patties.html

TASTY TUESDAY // Be A Part-Time Veg-Head

If you eat meat regularly, consider going vegetarian once a week or more. The benefits of a reduced meat diet are numerous, and there are so many delicious vegetarian recipes out there that you won’t feel like you’re missing out at all.

Here are five great reasons to convince you to pass on the beef a little more often:

1. Shrink your cancer risk. In a study by the British Journal of Cancer, those who ate the most red meat and processed meat had the highest risk of cancer. 

2. Prevent weight gain. A study by Imperial College London found that those who ate about a half pound of red meat, poultry or processed meat daily gained more weight over five years than those who ate less meat, even if they ate the same number of calories. 

3. Do it for the animals. You don’t have to be in PETA to have a soft spot for animals. The 9.1 billion animals that are raised for food each year typically live pretty grim lives. If every American cut out meat just once a week, it could spare the lives of 1.4 billion animals.

4. Save money. This one goes out to all of you broke college kids out there. Skipping meat and getting your protein from eggs, beans or tofu instead saves a ton of cash. These products cost less than $2 a pound, whereas most meats will cost at least double that amount. 

5. These burgers. Click here to read 10 mouth watering veggie burger recipes that will never leave you asking, “Where’s the beef?”