Sunday, August 16, 2009

Spicy Vegetarian Beef, Thai Style

You would think that I would've exhausted all of Trader Joe's brand goods by now... that store has a lot on their shelves and they keep coming up with new items! The Beef-less strips, however, is my favorite store brand good. I was surprised to find that it was really easy to cook and didn't take as long as I had anticipated. Just look at that picture... mmm.

Ingredients:
Trader Joe's Beef-less Strips
1 Red, Yellow, and Orange Bell Pepper
1/2 of One Tofu - Firm
Thai Basil or Regular Basil

Sriracha
Vegetable Oil
Soy Sauce
White Rice

First stir-fry the sliced peppers in a pan with oil. While cooking, slice thin strips of tofu and chop a handful of basil. Stir in tofu and 1 Tbsp of soy sauce. Cook until peppers turn softer. Throw in entire beef-less package. Stir in basil. Keep stirring. Add sriracha to taste. I didn't add salt because of the beef-less strips, but you may want to add a little to your taste.


Serve over bed of rice... Quick, simple and yummy.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Add a Little Spice in Your Life

Featuring: Tapatio. For those of you who live in the LA area or anywhere that produces native Mexican foods you are well aware of this little hot sauce bottle. Before moving here, I wasn't familiar with it. Since my boyfriend who is from Arizona turned me onto it, I've been using it to cook lately. If you're a health nut, you might not want to use this sauce because it does contain preservatives. I do, however, only use a small amount to flavor some foods while cooking. For instance, last night I sauteed mushrooms and penne in a pan then added a few chopped tomatoes and some dashes of Tapatio. It gave it a slightly spicy and salty taste.

Try it in small amounts if you're a little wimpy about hot, then work your way up. I personally have a low tolerance when it comes to hot and I've been known to poor this on.

Ingredients: water, red peppers, salt, spices, garlic, acetic acid, xanthan gum, sodium benzoate

Monday, August 3, 2009

Dr. Praeger Would Be Proud

Once in awhile when I'm browsing the frozen aisle at Trader Joe's I'll pick-up a box of Dr. Praeger's Veggie Burgers. They're yummy and pretty healthy to boot. If you're curious the list of ingredients are: Carrot, Onion, Stringbeans, Soybeans, Zucchini, Oat Bran, Peas, Spinach, Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Broccoli, Textured Soy Flour, Corn, Oat Fiber, Red Pepper, Arrowroot, Corn Meal, Corn Starch, Garlic, Salt, Parsley, Black Pepper, All Natural Vegetable Gum. As you see, the only real unknown ingredient is 'vegetable gum.'

With the veggie burger patty, I made a Mexican style sandwich with just a few key ingredients.

Ingredients
Toasted Sour dough bread (or whichever kind you prefer)
Dr. Praeger's California Veggie Burger
Guacamole
Cilantro
Mexican Cheese or Soy Cheese (there's a mixed kind you can get at TJ's)

See instructions on how to cook the burger from the box.
I used the guacomole as a spread and loaded it with cilantro. Use it like you would lettuce :) It's really that easy.