One of my all-time favorites! Recipe found here with some typical Mira alterations. I usually add extra vegetables to everything, and this recipe is a great one to doctor up with whatever extra veg you want! I do bell peppers, broccoli (scientifically proven to be delicious to add to any recipe) and peas. I also will usually add cubed extra-firm tofu! You can substitute kale or chard or whatever other dark leafy green you'd like instead of the collard greens. I also think all recipes ever created lack the correct amount of fresh ginger, I used at least 5cm of ginger instead of the 1 tbsp it calls for. 

Starting 2020 off right!

Got the recipe here, but I made some alterations. I added probably 2 or 3 more tbsp curry paste than the recipe called for, added a LOT more fresh ginger (I think I probably ended up using close to 6cm of it??), and added seasonings including ginger powder, curry powder, and some garam masala. It also felt like the soup base really needed to be brightened up, so I added 3/4 of a lime and about 1/4 cup lemon juice! I also added mushrooms and broccoli into the broth while it was simmering and chopped kale at the end. 

I couldn't find wonton wrappers at the store so I made my own using this recipe, which calls for one egg, but you can find a vegan recipe here. Rolled out the dough with a pasta machine (went to level 7) and it worked great! Be sure to sprinkle flour over the cut wrappers before you use them, and cover them with a towel while they're sitting - they can dry out quickly and it makes folding a lot more difficult.  

This is a recipe my mom made up that I use all the time! Most caesar salad dressing has anchovies in it, so I can rarely ever get them when I go out to eat. This takes care of that! And since my mom made it up it actually has measurements unlike my recipes! Also - this could easily be made vegan by substituting vegan mayonnaise and parmesan cheese

Ingredients: 

1/2 c mayonnaise
1/4 c finely grated parmesan 
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp vegetarian Worcestershire sauce (if you don't have use a bit more garlic, vinegar, salt, pepper, and mustard)
1 tbsp Djon mustard 
1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 c EVO
1 garlic clove minced 

Instructions: 

1. Mix all dressing ingredients in a blender except for EVO
2. Add EVO with the motor running once everything else is all mixed together
3. That's it!

Another recipe from my mom! Makes about 20-30. You can substitute real meat (ground turkey or Turkey sausage), or you can leave out the fake sausage and just use crumbled tofu and bump up the garlic and ginger and green onion

Ingredients: 

Filling:
1 roll of Gimme Lean vegetarian sausage
2 tsp fresh minced ginger
½ c chopped green onion
2 tsp fresh minced ginger
1 clove chopped garlic
1-2 TBSP vegetarian oyster sauce (or mushroom sauce OR hoisin sauce plus a splash of Chinese cooking wine)- if need to skip, try using a dash of soy sauce, a dash of teriyaki sauce (or 1 tsp sugar) and an added clove of garlic
​2 tbsp cornstarch
Napa Mixture:
1 large head Napa finely chopped (about 5 c)
1 tbsp peanut oil
2 cloves garlic
1-2 lbs finely chopped mushrooms
2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
Wrappers:
1 package potsticker wrappers (usually 20-30 in a package)
3 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 5 tbsp cold water- this is the slurry you will use to glue the wrappers shut.

Instructions: 

1. Saute napa mixture ingredients together until very reduced and soft/caramelized (could take a while, maybe an hour??
2. Mix all filling ingredients together and cook for a few minutes, then add the cooked napa mixture
3. To assemble: prepare a baking sheet with dusting of cornstarch
4. Make cornstarch slurry and using a brush or your fingers, brush slurry onto one wrapper at a time
5. Put 1 tbsp filling on wrapper in the middle, fold over in half and pinch the edges. Pleat the pinched edges and stand potsticker on its bottom and gently push into the counter to make flat 
6. Line up prepared potstickers on tray
7. To cook: heat 2 tbsp oil (peanut is great) in a wide shallow frying pan over medium heat
8. Once the oil is hot, set potstickers in the pan, making sure not to crowd them!
9. Sear the bottoms (2-5 minutes) until they're a deep golden, then prepare to be splattered...
10. Very carefully (with lid to the pan ready), add 1/4 cup water and cover immediately
11. Steam for 2-4 minutes on low heat with the lid on, then remove lid and let the remaining water evaporate

First and foremost - I understand this is not really pad thai, but it's delicious and I used pad thai noodles. Also, I do not measure anything, so I have no clue how much of anything I've used... One of my favorite parts of cooking is tasting as I go and improvising! I think it's made me a better cook and it makes things fun! 

Ingredients: 
pad thai noodles (or any noodles you want, soba woks well too!)
bell pepper
yellow onion
mushrooms
garlic
zucchini
tofu (I use extra firm)
lime
soy sauce
peanut butter
green curry paste
brown sugar
white wine vinager
cilantro
peanuts
sriracha 

Instructions: 

1. Squeeze water out of tofu and cut into cubes, drizzle EVO/oil of your choice over it and season however you like! I use garlic powder, curry powder, salt/pepper, ginger powder. 
2. Bake tofu at 400 until slightly firm
3. Meanwhile, stir fry vegetables with a little oil, and the same seasonings you used for the tofu and lots of fresh garlic 
4. Make the sauce: combine soy sauce, green curry paste, peanut butter, white wine vinegar, brown sugar and you may need to add a little water. This should make about a cup of sauce
5. Prepare noodles according to package directions 
6. Add some oil to a large pan, add noodles and toss to coat. Cook for about a minute and then add 3/4 of the sauce and toss to coat again.
7. Add vegetables and tofu and the remaining sauce 
8. Chop peanuts and cilantro and sprinkle on top, drizzle sriracha over and squeeze that LIME!

During the summers when I was doing fieldwork in Alaska I would stay at a research bunkhouse near Glacier Bay headquarters, which is about 10 miles from the small town of Gustavus. I didn't have a car, so getting groceries meant a 20 mile bike ride to town, so I was often getting pretttyyyy creative with the food that I had lying around the house. This is an example of that. Simple ingredients, but put together they are delicious! 

Ingredients: 

hummus
couscous
vegetables (of any kind)
lentils (I usually use green lentils)
peanut butter 
green curry paste
soy sauce
masa flour 
sweet potatoes 
spices: garam masala, turmeric, ginger, garlic, onion, bay leaves

Instructions:

1. Cut sweet potato(es) into wedges, drizzle with EVO and spices and bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, flipping them halfway through
2. Meanwhile, rinse lentils well in water and put in a pot with a 1:2 ratio of lentils to water and 1-2 bay leaves.
3. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer until they are done
4. Add in peanut butter, soy sauce, green curry paste and spices
5. Stir fry vegetables on the stove and season
6. While veggies and lentils are cooking, make tortillas out of the masa flour:
   1. I usually do 2 cups masa + sprinkle of salt + 1.5 cups warm water 
   2. Add water incrementally, stirring as you go until it forms a dough that you can kneed with your hands 
   3. Break off golf-ball sized chunks of it and roll out into a tortilla shape. You can use a tortilla press if you have one, or roll it using a rolling pin (or wine bottle)
   4. Cook in a skillet until lightly browned on each side
7. Boil water and add enough of it to a bowl of couscous so that the couscous is covered by about 1-2cm of water and cover it!
8. Assemble the plate! 

This bread is so. easy. Here is the recipe that I use! The recipe says this makes 4 loafs, but the picture above is from just making one giant loaf, and I baked it for an additional 15ish minutes. Pro tip from my mom: if you're unsure if the bread is done, take it out of the oven and tap the bottom of it with your finger.. Listen carefully.. does it sound hollow? If so it's probably done! 

Not really sure what to call this one... just a pile of ingredients? 

Ingredients: 
Sweet potatoes
Eggplant 
Chickpeas 
Pepitas 
Coconut flakes
3 ish tbsp (?) Silken tofu
Dill
1/4 c ish Parsley
Garlic
3 ish tbsp (?) Tahini
Cherry tomatoes 
1/2 ish of a lemon
Salt/Pepper
Chili powder 
Garlic powder
Za'atar (for REAL the best spice to put on eggplant!!!)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Slice sweet potatoes and eggplant and put on two different baking sheets (you can slice, dice, cut in half/whatever you want to do with these!)
3. Sprinkle EVO, salt/pepper, chili powder, garlic powder and za'atar over both and mix to coat 
4. Drain chickpeas (if using canned) and put in a separate baking dish/sheet
5. Spice the same as sweet potatoes and eggplant 
6. Put pepitas on a baking sheet with a TINY bit of EVO and salt/pepper 
7. Roast everything in the oven until they're done (I like to roast my chickpeas for quite a while until they get a LITTLE crunchy/chewy, and make sure to watch the pepitas closely - they can burn quickly!)
8. Lightly brown the coconut flakes in the oven or on the stove
9. Make the sauce: in a blender combine tofu, dill, lemon, garlic, tahini, parsley, salt and pepper and blend until smooth. This is a test in your ability to taste as you go and deal with the fact that I didn't measure how much of these things I put in the blender :) 
10. Top sweet potatoes, eggplant and chickpeas with sauce, roasted pepitas and coconut flakes, chopped cherry tomatoes, extra fresh dill/parsley, and sauce it UP
11. The store was out of pomegranate seeds when I made this, otherwise I would've tried sprinkling those on top too!