Lauren on Living

A Lifestyle Blog about Simplifying Healthy Living

Faezeh’s Stuffed Zucchini – Dolmeh Kadoo

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IMG_9692IMG_9694IMG_9700Raf’s Mom makes this dish for us nearly every time we visit, but this was the first time she made it with Zucchini (she normally makes it with bell peppers or tomatoes) and it was by far my favorite. This is a dish that Raf’s maternal grandmother used to make and she passed the recipe along to her daughter who in turn has passed it along to me. The original recipe called for white rice and ground Lamb, but Raf’s mom modified it into a much healthier but equally as delicious vegan dish. She normally eyeballs most of her recipes, so there is a lot of room to play around with amounts to satisfy your particular tastes. If you have any left over filling after stuffing the zucchini, and you probably will, you can just cook it for 10 mins and eat it separately, or use it to stuff a pepper or tomato if you have any.

When I made the dish, I had some left over white rice that I used in place of the brown and I only had dried parsley on hand so I used a couple tablespoons of that (if you have fresh, definitely use that, it makes a big difference, but it’s still yummy either way).

Main ingredients:
6 to 8 zucchinis
1 cup uncooked Quinoa or Brown rice (I used 1/2 cup of each)
1/2 cup split peas or use a cup of crumbled tofu
1 onion chopped
2 cloves of Garlic, minced
1 can 8 oz tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
1 tsp garlic chili sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tbsp dried or chopped fresh tarragon
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp dried Dill
2 tbsp dried chives
1 tsp Cinnamon

Sauce ingredients:
1 can 16 oz tomato sauce
3 tbsp lemon juice
3-4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Italian seasoning  (spaghetti or pizza seasoning also work)
Salt and cayenne pepper, to taste

Directions:
The easiest way to prepare the zucchini is to cut them in half and scoop out the center of each half and set aside (but if you want to get fancy and do it the way Raf’s mom does it, you can cut the stem end off and scoop out the inner flesh using a zucchini corer). Cook the rice and quinoa separately. Cook the spilt peas with a little bit of salt. Drain the water, set aside.
Sauté the onions and garlic for two mins, add garlic chili sauce and the scooped out zucchini flesh and sauté for another min. If you are using tofu you can add it to the onion mixture and fry them for few more mins. Add your herbs and the rest of the ingredients, mix them well and turn off the heat.
Spoon stuffing into the center of zucchini halves.

Mix together all the sauce ingredients and pour them into a 9×13 baking dish to cover the bottom of the dish. Place the zucchini halves in the baking dish, cover with aluminum foil and bake for an hour or until the zucchini is tender. You may need to add some water to your sauce while baking.

Enjoy!

Erika’s Big Ol’ Bowl of Oats

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IMG_8893 IMG_8894Our friend Erika is something of a health foodie. She’s awesome and for as long as we have known her she has made a big ‘ol bowl of oats for breakfast that leaves the whole kitchen smelling divine. Her base of oats, peanut butter and banana pretty much always stays the same, but then she adds all kinds of delightful ingredients that really takes oatmeal to the next level. It’s hearty, delicious, super nutritious and sure to pack an energy punch that will keep you going for hours. Not to mention, these oats are also a great galactagogue food for all the breastfeeding mamas out there! I begged one of her main go-to recipes off her and was surprised to discover that it’s actually incredibly quick and easy to make. Tasty? Check. Healthy? Check. Easy? Check. Toddler approved? Double check. What’s not to love about that?

Serving size: 1

Ingredients:

– 1 cup of unsweetened plain almond milk

– 2 tbsp water

– 1/2 – 1 whole apple, peeled and diced

– 1/8 cup raisins

– Cinnamon, to taste

– 1/2 cup oats

– 1 tbsp chia seeds

– 1 banana, chopped

– 1 tbsp peanut butter

Directions:

Put the almond milk, water, apple, raisins and cinnamon into a medium sized pot and bring to a boil. Then add the oats and turn the heat to low and let simmer for 3-5 minutes. Add the chia seeds, banana and peanut butter, mix well and let simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add a bit more almond milk to give it a really creamy texture.

Optional Toppings:

Sunflower seeds

Pumpkin seeds

Variations:

Sub out the apples and raisins for any other fruit combo you want. Peaches and shredded coconut perhaps? Pureed pumpkin, with almond butter (instead of peanut butter) and pumpkin pie spice for a delicious fall breakfast. Berries, coca powder, dried cranberries, topped with chocolate chips anyone? Just get creative people!

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Recipe: Fig Bars

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These fig bars may look impressive, but I promise,  they’re super easy to make and delicious to boot!

Ingredients:

Shortbread base:

1/2 cup Earth Balance

1/4 brown sugar OR (1/8 cup sugar  + 1/8 cup molasses) OR 1/4 cup maple sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Fig Topping:

2 1/3 cups (13 oz) dried figs

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup sugar OR 1/2 cup maple sugar

1 1/2 cups water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Lightly grease a baking dish and line with parchment paper (make sure the parchment paper is hanging over the sides, so you can lift the bars out easily). Beat the the earth balance, brown sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon until well combined, then mix in the flour using a spoon until well mixed.  Press the mixture into your baking dish and bake for 25 minutes.

Put the dried figs, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, sugar and water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and let the figs simmer for 20 minutes until they are soft and the liquid has reduced.  Place the mixture in a food processor and pulse until smooth.  Spread the fig mixture over the shortbread base and bake for 12 minutes.  Allow to cool completely, then lift out and cut into squares.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Sun-dried Tomato, Mushroom, and Spinach Tofu Quiche – Oh She Glows

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I found this recipe on Oh She Glows and let me tell you, it is a keeper!  I LOVED quiche and I must say that it was something I was a bit sad to see go once I adopted this plant based diet, but not anymore!  This quiche tastes so delicious, I’m convinced no one would be able to tell the difference.  I only very slightly altered Angela’s original recipe depending on what I had on hand.  My version is below, but if you should definitely check out her version, because I can only imagine that it’s even better!  The crust is so rustic and nutty, it perfectly compliments the delectable quiche filling.  I’m so looking forward to experimenting with different renditions of this quiche!

Ingredients:

FOR THE CRUST:
  • 1 tablespoon ground flax + 3 tablespoons water, mixed together
  • 1/2 cup almond meal
  • 1/2 cup ground walnuts
  • 1 cup rolled oats, ground into flour
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1-2.5 tbsp water, as needed
FOR THE QUICHE:
  • 1 block (14-oz) firm tofu
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 leek or yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 3 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 cups (8-oz) sliced cremini mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup fresh green onions or chives, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
  • 1 cup baby spinach
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 3/4-1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • Red pepper flakes, to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease a round 10-inch tart pan. Alternatively, you can use a 9-inch glass pie dish if desired.
  2. Wrap rinsed tofu in a few tea towels. Place a few books on top of it to lightly press out the water while you prepare the crust.
  3. For the crust: Whisk together flax and water mixture in a small bowl and set aside so it can gel up.
  4. In a large bowl, stir together the almond meal, oat flour (or buckwheat flour), parsley, oregano, and salt.
  5. Add in the flax mixture and oil. Stir until mostly combined, adding the remaining water until the dough is sticky (about the consistency of cookie dough). The dough should stick together when you press it between your fingers.
  6. Crumble the dough evenly over the base of the tart pan (or pie dish). Starting from the center of the pan, press the mixture evenly into the pan, working your way outward and up the sides of the pan. Poke a few fork holes in the dough so air can escape.
  7. Bake the crust at 350F for 13-16 minutes, or until lightly golden and firm to touch. Set aside to cool while you finish preparing the filling. Increase oven temperature to 375F.
  8. For the filling: Break apart the tofu block into 4 pieces and add into food processor. Process the tofu until smooth and creamy. If it doesn’t get creamy, add a tiny splash of almond milk to help it along.
  9. In a skillet, add oil and saute the onion and garlic over medium heat for a few minutes. Stir in the mushrooms, season with salt, and cook on medium-high heat until most of the water cooks off the mushrooms, about 10-12 minutes. Stir in the green onions, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, nutritional yeast, oregano, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes until combined. Cook until the spinach is wilted.
  10. Finally, remove from heat and stir in the processed tofu until thoroughly combined. Adjust seasoning to taste if desired. Spoon mixture into baked crust and smooth out with a spoon until even.
  11. Bake quiche, uncovered, at 375F for 33-37 minutes, until the quiche is firm to the touch. For best results, cool the quiche for 15-20 minutes on a cooling rack before attempting to slice. The crust may crumble slightly when sliced warm, but not to worry.
  12. Wrap up leftovers and refrigerate for 3-4 days. Leftover quiche can be reheated in the oven on a baking sheet for about 15-20 minutes at 350F.

You can find the original recipe, here.

Enjoy!