Gluttony: Baked Sweet Potato

I often come across recipes on Pinterest (thank God for Pinterest!!) and pin them to my “gluttony” board with the intention of making a vegan version and posting it on my blog. This rarely ACTUALLY happens because I either get too busy, too tired, or I forget about them, but this delicious “loaded” baked sweet potato really caught my eye (plus the ingredients were easy-always a plus!), so the other day when I wanted a really simple, healthy, delicious dinner, I decided to go for it. So, here it is:

“Loaded” Baked Sweet Potato

or

Slightly Altered Recipe I Ripped Off From The Domestic Man

(side note: check out his blog-great recipes for paleos!)

You will need:

• 1 large sweet potato
• I cup quinoa, rinsed (I like the tricolor quinoa from Trader Joe’s)
• 2 stalks of kale, coarsely chopped (I like lacinato kale the best)
• 2 oz. mushrooms, sliced (I used crimini)
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1-2tbsp Earth Balance
• 1/4 cup dry white wine (I may have used a little more than 1/4 cup because, well, I like wine.)
• salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Wash your potato and poke it with a knife. Bake for about 50 minutes.

3. In a medium pot, bring 2 cups of water to boil over medium high heat.  Add quinoa and bring back to boil. Cover and simmer for about 20-30 minutes, or until all the water has been absorbed.

4. After the potato has baked for about 25 minutes, add the Earth Balance to the pan and warm on medium heat. Add the shallot and sauté for a few minutes, until it smells great, but before it starts to get too brown (mine got a little too brown ). Turn the heat down to low medium, and add the mushrooms and the wine. Continue to sauté for a few more minutes, until a good majority of the wine has evaporated and the mushrooms are nice and soft. Add the kale, and continue to cook almost all the wine has evaporated. Remove from heat.

5. When your potato is done, remove from oven. Cut it down the middle and stuff with quinoa. Top it, heaping, with the kale and mushroom mixture. Add a little salt and pepper to taste, and boom. You’re done. Delicious healthy dinner. You’re welcome.

Gluttony: Tofu & Kale Lasagna

This is one of my absolute FAVORITE dinners to make because people can NEVER tell the difference between the tofu in this recipe and ricotta cheese. It’s so weird, but SOOOOOO good! Last night, I decided to cook dinner for my friends, none of whom are vegan or vegetarian, and I opted for this recipe. I’m proud to say, it was a hit! Plus, it’s loaded with protein and essential nutrients. The original recipe is from one of my favorite books, Clean Food, by Terry Walters. Her book is genius because it’s about cooking seasonally to get the freshest ingredients possible. I highly recommend it! Even if you are a meat eater, it is easy to add into her many wonderful recipes. Here’s the recipe!

Tofu Kale Lasagna or How to Trick Your Friends & Family Into Eating Tofu

You will need:

• 5-7 sun dried tomatoes
• 12 lasagna noodles (if gluten free, try using brown rice noodles)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 6 tablespoons EVOO
• 8-10 ounces crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 2 pounds fresh firm tofu (or use silken for a cheesier texture)
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 2 bunches kale, finely chopped (I used spinach because I had a LOT of it at home. If you choose to use spinach, I would double the amount as spinach shrinks drastically. Chard would probably work well too.)
• sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 5 cups tomato sauce
• 1.5 cups grated soy or rice mozzarella (Daiya brand is my favorite)

Preheat oven to 375 F. In a small bowl, soak sun-dried tomatoes in enough hot water to cover. When soft, drain, chop and set aside. Cook lasagna noodles until just soft. Drain and set aside.

In a large pot over medium heat, saute garlic and onions until soft. Add mushrooms and saute 3 minutes. Drain tofu, wrap in towels, press to remove excess water, and crumble into pot. Add mirin, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, and parsley, and saute 5 minutes. Fold in kale (or whatever green you chose), cover and cook 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt & pepper and remove from heat.

Spread 1/2 cup tomato sauce over bottom of 9×12 inch lasagna pan. Place a single layer of noodles over sauce and cover with half the kale mixture. Cover with 1.5 cups tomato suace. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup soy cheese. Cover with another layer of noodles and remaining kale and tofu. Add 1.5 cups sauce, 1/2 cup soy mozzarella, and final layer of noodles, 1/2 cup sauce and remaining mozzarella. Cover tightly with foil and bake 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and set aside for 10 minutes before serving.