"I do not mind telling you that within me I find the Easter message and the reality of the Resurrection more beautiful and glorious than the Christmas scene. Christmas tells us that Jesus was born; that He was born for the humiliation of suffering and death and atonement. But Easter is the radiant and glory-filled celebration of Christ's mighty triumph over the grave and death and hell! When Easter comes, our voices are raised in the triumphant chorus: The three sad days had quickly sped; He rises glorious from the dead! There is the real beauty! This is more than the beauty of color; more than the beauty of outline or form; more than the beauty of physical proportion. In the living Christ is the perfection of all beauty; and because He lives, we too shall live in the presence of His beauty and the beauties of heaven, forever!" -A.W. Tozer
Mix all ingredients well. Pur into a large bar pan (with sides) and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Frost with cream cheese frosting when cooled.
Vegetarian Pad Thai
(Pad Thai might be my favorite food. I have a recipe that I always use... but this one is modified for the DF.)
1/4 lb. rice noodles
8 oz firm tofu, cubed
4 oz bean sprouts
1 bunch green onions
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter (I make my own PB and then add extra peanuts later)
3 T soy sauce
2 T chili paste
1 1/2 T rice vinegar
1/2 T lime juice
2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
drizzle of sesame oil
In medium bowl, mix peanut butter, soy sauce, chili paste, vinegar, lime juice, and garlic. Set aside. Boil rice noodles for about 4 minutes (or as package suggests). In large skillet or wok, saute tofu in small amount of olive oil until golden brown on all sides. Add in washed bean sprouts, chopped green onions, and drizzle with soy sauce. Add noodles and peanut butter sauce. Mix until all is heated and serve!
Ginger Poached Noodles
4 cups vegetable broth
2 ounces fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
8 ounces firm tofu, cut into small cubes
1-2 cups (half a bunch) of broccolini, trimmed
4 ounces dried spinach noodles, soba, or noodles of your choice (I used rice noodles)
1 - 2 tablespoons or soy sauce
1/4 cup fresh basil, shredded
scant 1/4 cup fresh mint, shredded
a squeeze of lime juice
crushed red pepper flakes (opt)
toasted sesame oil (opt)
Place the broth, ginger and tofu in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Dial down the heat, and gently simmer for ten minutes or so. Remove (just) the tofu from the pan using a slotted spoon and set aside. Now add the broccolini to the simmering broth. Cook for just a minute, until bright, and remove from pan with fork. Add pasta to ginger broth and cook until done, stirring regularly. Remove pasta with fork, set aside, and pour out most of the broth and all of the ginger slices. Return the tofu, broccolini and noodles to the pot. Stir in the soy sauce, basil, mint, and a squeeze of lime juice. Finish with a couple pinches of crushed red pepper flakes. Taste and season to taste with salt, soy sauce, and perhaps a drop or two of toasted sesame oil.
Peanut Butter Hummus
1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1/3 cup warm water
4 T. peanut butter (I made my own PB first)
2 T. olive oil (+ a few drips of sesame oil)
3 T. lime juice
1 clove garlic
**I also added red pepper flakes and a splash of soy sauce
Blend all ingredients in a food processor. Serve with veggies.
Black Bean Chili
(I made this chili twice. The first time, we just had chili. Then the next day, we topped our baked sweet potatoes with the rest. Later in the week, I made a bigger batch of the chili but I added more spice, more veggies (zucchini, peppers, beans) and tofu.)
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 1/2 t. olive oil
1/2 cup green pepper, diced
1/2 cup Roma tomatoes, diced
2 t. garlic, minced
1/2 t. chili powder
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/4 t. sea salt
1/8 t. freshly ground black pepper
15 oz. black beans
1 - 8 oz. can tomato sauce
In a medium saucepan, saute the onion in the olive oil for 3 minutes to soften. Add the green pepper and saute an additional 3-4 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add the tomatoes, garlic, and seasonings, and saute an additional 2 minutes. Add the black beans, tomato sauce. Stir well to combine, and simmer the chili for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings, to taste. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
Cashew Curry with Cauliflower
(This also made dual meals. When I ate this as leftovers, I added some extra cooked winter squash that I had on hand.)
1 cup coconut milk
1 - 2 tablespoons curry powder
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/2 large red onion, chopped
1 medium garlic clove, chopped
1/3 cup water
4 ounces firm tofu, cut into small cubes
1 1/2 cups cauliflower, cut into tiny florets
1/3 cup cashews, toasted
a handful of cilantro, loosely chopped
Bring half of the coconut milk to a simmer in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Whisk in the curry powder and salt, working out any clumps. Now stir in the chopped red onion and garlic and cook for a minute. Stir in the remaining coconut milk and the water, and then the tofu. Cook down the liquid for a couple minutes before adding the cauliflower. Cover and simmer for just about one minute, maybe two - or just until the cauliflower loses it's raw edge and cook through a bit. Remove the pot from heat and stir in the cashews. Taste and adjust the seasoning (salt/curry powder) if needed. Serve with a bit of cilantro topping each bowl.
For snacks, we've had cut up carrots, celery, and peppers with homemade peanut butter hummus. We also always bring fruit and nuts (almonds and peanuts) to work for snacking.
Dinners (and leftovers for lunch) have consisted of the following:
I don't know the best way to post the recipes, so I'll try to post the recipes on separate posts.
Enjoy!
