Whole wheat ginger scones

Once again, I based this on a recent Recipe for Health post. I followed the recipe almost exactly, except that I used greek yogurt instead of buttermilk (since I don't know what else I would use buttermilk for, besides other baked goods or pancakes!). They turned out great, only next time I might sub half of the whole wheat pastry flour for white. I also added a dash of spices like cinnamon and cardamom. Can't resist :)

Something I appreciated about this recipe is that the dough was very easy to work with, as opposed to other scones I've made that are too sticky to shape. And the original author was right- coconut oil was a great substitute for butter!

Rice noodle salad

I got the idea for this recipe from the New York Times' Recipes for Health. It is so fresh and wonderful, although I swapped a few ingredients.

I started by boiling some rice noodles and then after rinsing them, let them cool to room temperature (since you wouldn't want to put anything hot with the lettuce). Meanwhile, I sliced up a head of Romaine lettuce into thin strips. I also fried up some drained tofu. Then sliced up a red pepper. Yes, there were a lot of steps in this recipe.

In a separate bowl, I mixed together the juice of 1 lime, 1 crushed garlic clove, 2 Tbsp rice vinegar, and 2 tsp sesame oil. I believe I also added a dash of Sriracha.

Once all of the ingredients were ready, I mixed them all together and added more salt (soy sauce also works), oil, and vinegar to taste. I added 1/4 cup peanuts and a handful of cilantro and mint as well.

This salad lasted barely 2 days (on the second day, the lettuce began to wilt a bit), and was filling yet healthy. It made about 4 servings.

Spaghetti with kale and tofu

Ok, kind of boring. I mean, everyone knows how to make spaghetti. But I was particularly proud of this, because as I made other meals during the week, I saved a bit of sauteed tofu and kale that I later cooked with some pasta sauce. The combination of flavors (including garlic and red pepper from the sauteed kale) and textures

I think the timing was key... I first started the noodles, then heated up the leftover tofu and kale in a pan. I added the pasta sauce and some water and let that simmer to the right consistency. Then once the pasta was done, I put everything together and added some shredded cheese.

Soba noodle soup with spinach

I didn't base this recipe off on anything in particular, but it turned out surprisingly good! I would definitely like to make it again, with different variations of vegetables or adding some tofu.

I started by sautéing a sliced small yellow onion, half a thinly sliced carrot,

3 garlic cloves, and 1 dried star anise. I then added 1-2 Tbsp hoisin sauce, 1 veggie bouillon cube, ~8 cups water, and brought to a boil. Once boiling, I added 3 servings whole wheat soba noodles until they were cooked. When the noodles were done I sprinkled in red pepper flakes, a few handfuls of baby spinach, and some green onions. You can add salt or soy sauce to taste.

I made a side salad of grated carrots, sliced cucumber, green onion, and some leftover baked tofu cubes. The dressing was varying amounts of rice vinegar, sesame ginger dressing, peanut butter, brown sugar, and sriracha. I served the vegetables and dressing on a bed of baby spinach.

Pita sandwich and salad

On busy weeks, I sometimes neglect fresh vegetables in favor of whatever's canned or frozen in my pantry. But having fresh vegetables by having them on hand, and a clear idea of how they'll get used, always leaves me feeling healthy and refreshed. I recently bought some whole wheat pita bread, hummus, avocados, cherry tomatoes, and feta cheese that I jumbled all together into a lovely sandwich.

As a side, I combined some baby mixed greens with a sliced pear, cashews, ginger dressing, and sesame seeds for a slightly (?) Asian salad.

Simple, refreshing, and delicious.

Beet and tofu salad/sandwich (?)

This meal was the product of going to the grocery store without a solid list. I thumbed through my Martha Stewart Living cookbook hoping for some good ideas for a hearty salad, and had a basic idea in my head that was filled in after browsing the produce section. I couldn't pass up the golden baby beets, and thought they might be interesting roasted with some yellow cherry tomatoes and baked tofu. Indeed, I was pleasantly surprised by this dish! It's tangy, sweet, just substantial due to the beets and tofu.

I started by halving and roasting the beets and a shallot for about 45 minutes. 15 minutes in, I put in a pan of cubed tofu to bake, and near the end, another pan of halved tomatoes. Everything was drizzled in olive oil, and I stirred the beets and tofu halfway through their cooking. For future reference, I should have drained the tofu first, and I should have peeled the beets first with a vegetable peeler, as their cooked skins were not as easy to get off.

Once everything was done baking, I put it together in a bowl and added some salt and balsamic vinegar. The tomatoes pretty much disintegrated, creating a sauce. I then assembled the final fixin's: toasted ciabatta bread spread with goat cheese, and then tossed some baby arugula with the vegetable mix. This was kind of interesting to eat; it's like a salad on a sandwich. Also, no idea what prompted me to get so gourmet on a Tuesday afternoon lunch, when I clearly should have been studying...

This recipe (using two bunches of baby beets, and about 3/4 of the standard containers of cherry tomatoes and tofu) yielded 3 servings. For subsequent servings, I reheated the vegetables but not the arugula- that should go in last.

Rice and beans in a tomato-base

This recipe always starts out as an attempt to make chili, but then I add rice. There's nothing quite like a hot pot of chili cooking in the winter months, from making the vegetable broth from scratch to soaking and cooking the beans. Due to the heat in Arizona, this version takes a much shorter amount of time.

I started by sautéing 2 medium yellow onions and 8 cloves of garlic in a large stock pot. Once those were cooked, I added some combination of cumin, chili, and crushed Mexican oregano and stirred for about a minute. Then I added a 28oz. can of petite diced tomatoes. While the liquid adds flavor, it also added a lot of salt, and next time I might drain the tomatoes or find a low-sodium version. For a more chili-like soup, I would add a small can of tomato paste (not sauce!). I also added about 3-4 cups of water. Now would be the logical time to let everything simmer with 1 cup of rice, but I think I added 2 cans of black beans and 1 cup of frozen corn first. Either way, this makes a week's worth of food, plus it's freezer-worthy. Garnish with cilantro, maybe a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar.