Garden Vegetable Quinoa, Cherry Tomato Salad, Fried Tofu Fries with Sesame Soy Dressing
Today’s menu from is Garden vegetable quinoa, Cucumber Cherry Tomato Salad, Fried Tofu Fries with Sesame Soy Dressing, and Summer Bing Cherries
Garden Vegetable Quinoa
Lunch Lead: Quinoa is a super grain that is extremely good for your health. Its packed with protein, calcium and iron and is almost the perfect balance of all eight essential amino acids needed for tissue development in humans. It’s a durable grain and tastes just as good the next day, so this is another food that can be prepped the night before.
Quinoa Ingredients:
- 1 cup of quinoa
- 2 cups water
- ½ cup zucchini, chopped (substitute any fresh vegetable you would like)
- ½ cup mushrooms, any variety you like, chopped
- 1 pinch salt & pepper
- 1 pat of butter
- Tamarind sauce for mixing in
Cooking steps for Quinoa
1. Combine quinoa and water in a saucepan, cover with lid and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat, and let simmer for approximately 10-12 minutes or until all of the water is absorbed.
3. While quinoa is cooking, melt butter in a sauté pan and add in the zucchini and mushrooms. Stir and brown approximately 5-7 minutes. Add in salt and pepper to taste.
4. Mix together vegetables with quinoa and pack in a stainless steel to go container.
Cucumber & Cherry Tomato Salad
Salad Ingredients:
- 1 cup cucumber, chopped
- ½ cup cherry or grape tomatoes, chopped
- ½ Tablespoon of cilantro, chopped
- ½ lemon, squeezed
- ¾ cup rice wine vinegar
- ¾ cup organic raw sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt & pepper
Preparation steps for Salad
1. Combine cucumber, cherry tomatoes and cilantro in bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, combine, lemon, rice wine vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper.
3. Mix both cucumber mixture and dressing mixture together.
Fried Tofu Fries with Sesame Soy Dip Sauce
Tofu Fries Ingredients:
- Firm tofu, cut into long strips
- Olive oil
- ½ Tablespoon of braggs
- Salt & pepper taste
Preparation steps for Tofu Fries
1. In a frying pan, heat up olive oil.
2. Lay tofu strips in pan and drizzle with braggs, salt and pepper.
3. Brown the tofu on both sides. This process may take up to 5-7 minutes.
Sesame Soy Dip Sauce Ingredients:
- ¾ cup of Soy Sauce
- ½ Tablespoon Sesame Sauce
- pinch of sesame seeds
- 1 clove of raw garlic, cut in half
- 2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
Preparation steps for Sesame Soy Dip Sauce
- Mix all ingredients together and let sit for a while infusing the sauce together.
- Serve with Tofu Fries and Kids Konserve online has great stainless steel small containers that would work great for transporting soy sauce.
Image credit: Alexandra DeFurio
Anni Daulter, author of Sacred Pregnancy and The Organic Family Cookbook, is a Conscious Family Living lifestyle expert, professional cook, advocate of sustainable living and author of 6 books. She recently, along with Elena Rego began her new online website and community, Sacred Pregnancy.