I often get asked how I handle mealtimes, given that I’m vegetarian and my family is not. One very simple trick to satisfy everyone’s taste is to prepare meals that are vegetarian, and then cook meat on the side. Stir-fries are perfect for this, and I make one such dish at least once a week.
Sometimes I’m in the mood for something hot and spicy (no, not THAT kind of hot and spicy!) and this Pad Thai fits the bill perfectly. It's very versatile, as you can use any vegetables you may have in the crisper—I like carrots, peppers, mushrooms, and broccoli, but bean sprouts, bok choy, and water chestnuts are also great additions. I like to drizzle my bowl of Pad Thai liberally with Sriracha sauce and sprinkle nuts and cilantro on top; the rest of the family eats theirs as-is, with the addition of Sesame Soy Chicken. It’s a delicious meal, with tons of vegetables and even more flavour. What are you waiting for? Thai one on!
Skip Precise Measurements With This Lao Coconut Chicken
Ingredients:
In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, lime juice, rice vinegar, honey, chili garlic paste, and 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. Set aside.
In a large wok or sauté pan, heat remaining 1 tablespoon sesame oil over medium. Add carrots and cook, stirring for one minute.
Add red pepper, broccoli, mushrooms; stir and cook for one minute. Pour half of the sauce over the vegetables, cover, and cook over medium heat until vegetables are crisp-tender (about ten minutes), stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, cook rice stick noodles according to package directions. Drain and add to the wok. Pour remaining sauce over all, combining well.
Drizzle with Sriracha sauce, and top with cilantro and nuts, if desired.
Sesame Soy Chicken for the meat-lovers: sauté a sliced chicken breast in 2 teaspoons sesame oil until cooked through. Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Top with toasted sesame seeds and add to the Pad Thai.
(Yield: 4 servings)
Want more great meal ideas for the whole family to enjoy? Try my Green Goddess Bowl, my Creamy Avocado Linguine, or my Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Rotini.
One of the fun things about recipe creation is making delicious dishes out of unexpected ingredients. It’s fun to make cookies with beans or pumpkin loaf with lentils, and it’s cool to make ice cream out of bananas and pudding out of avocados. Sometimes I feel like a mad scientist in my kitchen—whipping up a delectable dessert and then forcing it on my friends and family, with a rabid look in my eye as I say, "You’ll never GUESS the secret ingredient!"
This has only backfired once, and I have only to say the words cauliflower pudding to make two of my best friends cringe.
The word "tofu" does not conjure up images of luscious desserts, does it? But this chocolate mousse pie is an unbelievably simple, yet positively scrumptious dessert, and the secret ingredient is a humble block of tofu. It tastes decadent without actually being so. Most mousse recipes rely on eggs and heavy cream and are a bit complicated, but this one requires only five ingredients and ten minutes to throw together. If you were so inclined, you could skip the crust and serve the mousse as-is, but the combination of the coconut oil and cookie crumbs is quite lovely. Give it a try, and I guarantee you’ll never look at tofu the same way again!
Ingredients:
Combine cookie crumbs and coconut oil, and press into a 9 inch pie pan. Refrigerate until needed.
Melt chocolate chips in a microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, or in a double boiler, stirring often.
Pour melted chocolate into a food processor. Add tofu and vanilla extract and process until smooth and creamy.
Pour mixture into prepared crust, and chill until firm (approximately 2 hours).
NOTE: for a different flavour, omit vanilla extract and add 1 teaspoon peppermint extract, or 1-2 teaspoons almond or orange extract.
Want to see for yourself how easy it is? Watch me whip up a chocolate mousse pie here:
Want more vegan chocolate recipes? Check out my Decadent Dark Chocolate Truffles or my adorable Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie-in-a-Jar Recipe.
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