vegetable stir fry with crispy tofu

coat the tofu in corn starch and fry in a little oil on both sides.  keep in the oven until ready to serve.  saute vegetables all at once or reserve the ones you want to stay crunchy until last.  above you see tomatoes, carrots, jicama, broccoli, shitake and crimini mushrooms, onions, red bell pepper and garlic., but you can use whatever you want!  i made a sauce of soy sauce, sesame oil, chili oil, rice vinegar and honey.

tempeh in mushroom lager sauce

brown the tempeh on all sides in a little oil.  saute mushrooms until carmelized, and sprinkle with a few tablespoons of flour.  add a bottle of beer and some dijon mustard and stir continually over medium heat until thickened.  serve over mashed sweet potatoes.

grated yellow beet salad with jicama, avocado and orange

dressing made of orange juice, lime juice, cumin, cilantro and olive oil

Chili

ingredients: 3 cloves garlic, 1 onion, 1T chili powder, 1 can black beans, 1 can black-eyed peas, 2 cans dark kidney beans, 2 cans diced tomatoes with green chiles.  

in a food processor, puree garlic, 1/2 the onion, chili powder, 1 can kidney beans,1 can tomatoes.  reserve the other half of the onion for garnish.  put all ingredients in a big pot and cook until you are ready to eat.  salt to taste and top with diced remaining onion.  this will make tons of low fat food for less than $5.

options:  you can add morningstar crumbles if you're into that kind of thing.  

top with freshly shredded white cheddar.

top with sliced jalapenos for color and spice.

add a dollop of lebanese "labna" which is yummier and better than sour cream.

serve over brown rice (seen here) or whole grain small noodles.

eggplant parmesan

used the cook's illustrated recipe for this one too.  first you salt the eggplant so it releases it's water.  then you shake it in a bag of flour, then dip it in beaten egg, and coat it in breadcrumbs.  then bake on an oiled cookie sheet for 15 min each side.  then randomly layer eggplant and mozzarella cheese on a bed of tomato sauce and bake for another 10 or until cheese bubbles.  sprinkle with parmesan and basil and serve!  delicious!  and no need to deep fry!