This is a very tasty recipe! NOMS! I tweaked this recipe from something I saw on pinterest and I do have to say I absolutely love this! Hope you enjoy as much as I did!

Ingredients:

Sauce:

• 1.5 cups water
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 0.25 cups lemon juice
• 5 tablespoons white vinegar
• 2.5 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoons orange, zested
• 0.75 cups brown sugar
• 1 teaspoons ginger root, minced
• 3 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 0.25 cups green onion chopped
• 0.25 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 0.5 teaspoons sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water

Tofu:

• 1 Block of Super Firm Tofu (Drained, Pressed, Cubed or Cut to your liking)
• 0.25 cups flour*
• 0.5 cups cornstarch
• 0.25 teaspoons salt
• 0.25 teaspoons pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Prepare Tofu:

Take a non-stick pan and put it on medium heat. Then add your tofu spread out evenly into your pan. Make sure that there is enough room for it to breathe. You may have to do this a few times before the entire block is prepared. Press your tofu with a spatula to get the excess water out. Let brown and flip over. Brown each side of the tofu and boom, you’re done.

Pour water, orange juice, lemon juice, white vinegar, and soy sauce into a saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Stir in the orange zest, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, chopped onion, and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and cool 10 to 15 minutes.

Place the tofu pieces into a resealable plastic bag. When contents of saucepan have cooled, pour half of sauce into bag. Reserve the remaining sauce. Seal the bag, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

In another resealable plastic bag, mix the flour, salt, and pepper. Add the marinated tofu pieces, seal the bag, and shake to coat. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place tofu into the skillet, and brown on both sides. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels, and cover. Wipe out the skillet, and add the sauce. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Mix together the cornstarch with a bit of water; stir into the sauce. Reduce heat to medium low, add the tofu pieces, and simmer, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with brown or basmati rice. Garnish with green onions, and orange slices.

 ::Notes::

In this pic I have it over white rice BOO! I do my best to avoid white rice but tonight we didn’t have our brown rice so we made do. Also I think it would taste just as well without all the flour! Something to try next time around.

Try this recipe it’s so delicious and let me know what you think of it! Comment below

• Oh God! (Wide Eyed) I could NEEEEVER Eat Vegan.. I just LOOOOOVE My Meat (Insert Odd Facial Expression here while saying Meat).

I always get so confused about this because it’s absolutely absurd to even let this come out of your mouth! You could never eat Vegan? Really… I mean what did you have with your chunk of fatty flesh last night? Was it with a side of even more animal flesh? No?? Oh really.. What was it then? OH! You had it with a side of Garlic Roasted potatoes and a small salad and some asparagus? WOW! Guess what silly bitch, that was for the most part Veg-friendly! It is so funny because I get this a lot and I guess what people don’t realize is that when you eat a Salad and other fruits/veggies/grains that THAT is pretty much some amazing vegan/vegetarian food. Just because you don’t label it as such doesn’t negate the fact that it is what it is. EDUCATE!

• I just HATE Tofu! (Why is it that when people talk about something they cannot change or fathom on a Vegan perception they always have this crazy ass look on their face..)
  

And this means what to me? Okay so you hate Tofu. You are going to allow your negative perception about ONE food to prevent you from making an amazing lifestyle change for yourself? Hmm.. Because that is smart.  Have you even really given Tofu a fighting chance? I’ll be quite honest here. I hated Tofu too! I thought it was the most disgusting thing to walk this planet, besides the Mullet of course… But so many people always seemed to talk about how good it was, and how they really liked the flavor. When I had it it had NO flavor and it was just a horrid texture. But I took myself out of my ignorance and my comfort zone and kept trying. I had it prepared for me and it tasted amazing! I finally googled everything I could and found a way to make it and marinate it to taste awesome. So now.. I Love me some Tofu! But even at the end of the day if you still don’t care for it, you don’t have to eat it! It’s your choice to put whatever you decide into your body but not having Tofu doesn’t mean you cannot choose to lead a Vegan/Vegetarian Life. Don’t be so silly on that at least. EDUCATE!

• Vegans look sickly, are always look malnourished.

BAHAHAH! Sorry honey but that is just some silly talk! Vegans come in all shapes and sizes. Choosing to live a Vegan Lifestyle doesn’t mean you are going to be Skinny/Fat/Malnourished etc.. Being uninformed about food choices and what you need to be consuming will lead to other negative associations but just because you choose to shed certain things from your diet doesn’t mean you are going to get all extreme looking. There are some amazing people doing amazing things with their bodies and are fueled by plants! Here have a look for yourself:

http://www.veganstrength.org/
http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/
http://features.peta.org/sexiest-vegetarian-celebrities-2012/#Male
http://features.peta.org/sexiest-vegetarian-celebrities-2012/#Female

So pull your head out of your ass and get with the program. Being Vegan doesn’t mean you are going to be starving for food and look like you haven’t ate in a decade. EDUCATE!

• I don’t even know where to begin. How do I start? Where do I start?

EDUCATE Yourself! When I decided to become Vegan that is exactly what I did and I am still doing to this day. I think the first book introduced to me about a Veg-Friendly lifestyle was the book ‘Skinny Bitch’ bahaha! It made me laugh continuously even though it was quite serious. Now they have a book for men called The Skinny Bastard which I also recommend! I watched Food Inc, Earthlings, Hungry For Change, Vegucated.. and so many other documentaries on Food/Health and Veganism. I read as much as I could, started to purchase Vegan cookbooks and had fun with testing out new recipes.  I quit Meat and Dairy straight up… It worked for me. You may want to start slow and slowly transition into a full on plant-based lifestyle. Do what you feel is right for yourself, do what you know will be more conducive to your life right now. If anything start with 2 days a week. Eat Vegan for 2 days or even 2 meals a week. Do what you can and once you build that confidence up and that knowledge base up, start to incorporate more. Be Smart about it. Remind yourself why you are choosing this, and make note of all the amazing changes that take place because of this.

If you say you cant presently see yourself living without cheese or something of that sort then don’t give it up. Educate yourself on that product and what it truly means to be consuming it and slowly work it out. Don’t consume as much as often. Don’t look at being Vegan as a limiting lifestyle or as giving up something. You CAN eat whatever you so desire, you choose NOT to eat certain things because you choose to support something that honors life and respects mother earth among so many other things. Never look at it as a Denial of existence but a more expansive view of the world.

Anyways, that is what I wanted to share for the moment. Must be off to get my exercise in for the day! I hope you enjoyed this simple post and tell me in the comments section what works for you or worked for you when transitioning into a plant-based lifestyle. Tell me the silly things people have said or do say and how you choose or choose not to respond. I wanna hear from you!

<3 Love!!

And to end it fully with a beautiful recipe I just saw on Facebook! Taken from Veganism Worldwide!

Super simple and refreshing summer salad for a VEGAN lunch/dinner:
Fresh cucumbers, fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, dry mints (you can also use fresh mints… but not too much of it if it’s fresh), salt, pepper, high quality extra virgin olive oil, and fresh lemon juice

This salad goes with almost every vegan lunch/dinner that you make… It’s SO refreshing! It’s great for parties too.

Two Peas and their Pod: Stovetop Avocado Mac & Cheese

Stovetop Avocado Mac and Cheese
Yield: Serves 4-6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Creamy, cheesy, and easy Avocado Mac and Cheese!
Ingredients:

10 ounces dry elbow macaroni
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 avocados, peeled and pitted
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons Earth Balance butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup non-dairy milk
2 cups Daiya Vegan Pepper Jack cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
Fresh avocado chunks, for garnish, if desired
Directions:

1. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Salt the water and add in macaroni. Stir and cook until Al Dente, about 8-10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. While the pasta is cooking, make the avocado sauce by placing the garlic, avocados, lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper into a food processor or blender. Process until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

3. To make the cheese sauce, place butter in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. When butter is melted, whisk in flour to create a paste. Whisk in milk until smooth. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sauce starts to thicken. Add in Pepper Jack cheese and stir until cheese is melted and sauce is creamy.

4. Place macaroni in a large bowl. Pour the avocado sauce over the macaroni and stir until well coated. Add the cheese sauce and stir until macaroni is coated and creamy. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve warm. Garnish with fresh avocado chunks, if desired.

Note-the lime juice keeps the avocado from browning. The mac and cheese is best eaten the first day, but it is still good the second day. The pasta may turn slightly brown, but not bad.

Below is a pic of what I did.. Obviously not as beautifully laid out as above but hey.. It tasted amazing.

Gee Whiz Spread

Ingredients:

• 2 cups drained cooked or canned white beans ( One 15 or 16 ounce can)
• 1/2 cup roasted red peppers (skin and seeds removed), or pimiento pieces
• 6 to 8 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 to 3 tablespoons sesame tahini or cashew butter
• 1/2 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon each: garlic and onion powder

Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until completely smooth and evenly colored (this may take several minutes). Stop processor and scrape down sides of bowl as necessary during processing. Chill thoroughly before serving. Keeps 5 to 7 days in the refrigerator.

Variations:

• In place of the red peppers, use 1/2 cup cooked chopped carrots, or 3/4 teaspoon paprika, or 2 tablespoons unsalted tomato paste.
• For an ‘aged cheddar’ flavor, add 1 to 2 teaspoons light or chickpea miso.

Per 2 Tablespoons:

Calories: 58
Protein: 4g
Fat: 1g
Carbohydrate: 8g
Calcium: 28mg
Sodium 72mg

If you would like to purchase the cookbook then please do so below:

or for you lovely kindle users:

Roasted Cauliflower Ricotta:

1 medium-size head cauliflower (11/2 to 2 pounds), chopped into 1/2-inch pieces.
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound extra-firm tofu
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Several pinches of freshly ground black pepper

Red Sauce:

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes with basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt

To Assemble:

8 ounces lasagna noodles, broken in half, cooked in salted water
11/2 cups chopped fresh spinach
1/4 cup chopped black olives

Start with your Cauliflower! Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; so that the Cauliflower doesn’t stick. Place the cauliflower on the sheet and drizzle the oil over it. Spray it with nonstick cooking spray and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Toss it with your hands to make sure everything is salted. Spread the cauliflower in a single layer and bake for 10 minutes, then flip it with a spatula. You don’t have to flip each and every one, so don’t get all crazy OCD about it. Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned, tender, and toasty.

In the meantime, crumble the tofu into a mixing bowl. Use your hands to mash the tofu, squeezing it between your fingers, until it has the consistency of ricotta cheese. Add the nutritional yeast, lemon juice, pepper, and remaining salt. Use a fork to mix well.

When the cauliflower is done, transfer it to the mixing bowl with the tofu mixture. Use a potato masher to mash it really well, for a minute or so. If it doesn’t seem to be mashing enough with the potato masher, a few pulses in the food processor should get it nice and crumble. Set aside.

To prepare the sauce, mix all its ingredients together and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Pout a thin layer of red sauce on the bottom of an 8-inch square casserole. Line with a layer of noodles. Spread with one-third of the cauliflower ricotta. Layer with 3/4 cup of spinach leaves. Pour on about a cup of sauce.

Repeat the process one more time, creating another identical layer, starting with the noodles. For the top layer it’s just a little different: Layer with noodles, pour the sauce on first, then layer with ricotta. This layer doesn’t get any spinach. Sprinkle with a layer of olives and press it into the tofu.

Bake for 40 minutes, until the top is browned. You can serve it immediately or let it cool down for a bit first, whatever floats your boat!

Nutritional Info:

Per Serving (1/6 recipe):
Calories: 300
Calories from fat: 60
Total Fat: 6g
Saturated Fat: 1g
Trans Fat: 0g
Total Carb: 49g
Fiber: 8g
Sugars: 9g
Protein: 16g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 670mg
Vitamin A: 35%
Vitamin C: 150%
Calcium: 25%
Iron: 30%

Variations:

I’ve made this with Kale instead of spinach and I really enjoyed it! I’ve also mixed in some Daiya Vegan Cheese with it as well and it was scrumptious! This recipe is so awesome you can do so many different things with. Add Mushrooms!! NOMS! Let me know what you think about the recipe and how you made it your own. This is from Appetite for Reduction by  Isa Chandra Moskowitz!

Yields: 3 Dozen (Give or take a few)

• 2 Cups Extra Dark Chocolate Chips
• 2 Tablespoons water
• 6 Tablespoons Vegan Butter (Earth Balance Buttery Spread)
• 3/4 Cup sugar
• 1/2 Teaspoon salt
• 2 Eggs worth of Egg Replacer (Bobs Red Mill All Natural Egg Replacer)
• 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/4 Cups unsifted all-purpose flour
• 1/2 Teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 375° (If you are going to cook right away)** Line baking sheets with parchment.

Heat 1-1/2 cups of choco chips and water in small microwave safe bowl at medium for 1-2 minutes, stirring well after 30 second intervals until smooth. Set aside.

Cream butter, sugar and salt in large mixer bowl until light. Beat in egg replacer and vanilla until smooth. Add melted chocolate, stopping to scrape bowl as needed. Mix in flour and baking soda just until incorporated. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of chips.

Drop rounded Tablespoonfuls onto lined baking sheets. Bake 10-11 minutes or until tops are cracked and crusty. Centers should still be soft and appear slightly undone. Let stand 5 minutes before removing to cooling racks to cool completely. Store in airtight container.

Tips: So I didn’t preheat the oven right away. I actually put my dough in the fridge and let it chill for a while. I went and got on the Elliptical and when I got back the dough was perfect. I took a tablespoon and packed the dough inside, took it out, made round balls and placed them on the cookie sheet. Perfect!

Tomatoes
Edward & Sons Not-Chick’n Cubes
Potatoes
Onions
Green Beans
Cilantro
Garlic
Basil
Cayenne Pepper
Lemon
Frenchs Fried Onions

**Salt to taste

So I filled a big pot with water, added the Not-Chik’N Cube to the water and turned it on. I  sliced my Potatoes into small chunks. Sliced the Onions, cilantro, garlic and tomatoes. I tossed it all in, added the green beans, basil, cayenne pepper and a squeeze of lemon.  Once the potatoes were cooked everything was ready! I put it in a bowl and topped with a serving size of Frenchs Fried Onions and boom my meal was ready! It was just what I needed lol.

Ingredients:

• 2-1/2 Cups all-purpose (unbleached) flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup Vegan Butter, softened (2 Sticks Earth Balance Buttery Sticks)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs worth of Egg Replacer (I used Bob’s Red Mill Natural Egg Replacer)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a small bowl, combine your Flour, baking soda, and salt and set aside.

In a large bowl cream butter, sugar and brown sugar until light. Beat in your egg replacer and vanilla until consistency is smooth. Slowly add flour mixture until well combined. Stir in chips.

Drop by well rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

**Note: If you want cookies that are nice and thick rather then thin. Chill your dough! I just learned this the other day and I’m like so excited about this. I’ve been baking for a long time and always wondered why my cookies turned out flatter then others. Well when you chill your dough and you bake them the dough doesn’t spread out as fast so it cooks but doesn’t thin out. If your dough is warm and you put it in the oven then it spreads out faster and you have a thinner cookie. DUH! Why did I not know this?

How do you like your Chocolate Chip Cookies?

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups – Lentils
• 1 Can Black Beans
• 1 Can Diced Tomatoes
• 1 Can whole young corn
• 1 large white/yellow onion diced/sliced (however you prefer)
• 1 Container Pacific Natural Foods – Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Broth
• Bay Leaves
• 1 TBSP Cayenne Pepper (Or less if you don’t like things as spicy as I do)
• Garlic Salt
• Garlic Cloves
• French’s Fried Onions (Optional)

I tossed all of this into a Big Pot added more water to fill the pot and left it to boil. Everything is ready except for the Lentils so when the Lentils are done, you are ready to eat! NOMS!! I add a lot of Garlic because I just love Garlic Salt to taste. So easy and delicious! You can always add potatoes to it and more spices and veggies!  I topped my soup with French’s Fried Onions! Oh So Tasty!

Pumpkin Muffins! (With Walnuts)

• 1/2 cup Pure Pumpkin (puree)
• 1/4 cup oil or melted vegan margarine
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp Ginger
• 1/2 tsp Allspice
• 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
• 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional—see other options listed below)

• Add your pumpkin to a large bowl. Add oil/margarine and sugar. Mix well.
• Sift the flour, salt,  baking soda & Spices together and add to the pumpkin mixture. Mix until the flour is blended (do not beat).
Pour into muffin pans and bake at 360°F until a toothpick comes out clean. (Approx. 28 mins)

I also like to use baking cups because I’m always afraid that the muffin will stick to the pan and it wont look pretty lol.

Optional: Add some Walnuts, Pecans, or even Chocolate Chips!
Yields: One Dozen

I added this to myfitnesspal and it said that with walnuts its about 215 calories per Muffin and without walnuts its about 181.