A few meals from last week

from top to bottom: Asparagus Salad & Couscous, Late Night Buckwheat noodles, Impromptu Broccoli Tofu Burrito Roll

I'm not going to post a recipe for every meal on this site, but I'll add notes and ideas.

Asparagus are in season late April through early June, so Matt and I have been eating Asparagus more often lately and decided to throw the first meal together one lazy afternoon. The salad is essentially blanched asparagus, sliced cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzerella cheese and grilled tofu tossed together served over whole wheat couscous.

Notes:
1. I love couscous since it cooks up so quick (5 min)! and it has 8g of protein per serving
2. When I plan on grilling tofu I take the tofu out of the package- ideally the night before if I remember, and wrap it in a paper towel, let it soak and wring out water (repeat a couple of times) and let it sit overnight wrapped in the fridge. This makes the tofu extra firm and perfect for grilling and adding seasonings.
3. Asparagus is high in vitamins A, B-complex and C. Rich in potassium and zinc.
4. I used lemon infused olive oil for this recipe (i LOVE infused olive oils! I bought a bottle of O Olive Oil's Blood Orange and am dying to try it among many others), Matt thought Balsamic would have been good too.

Next- Buckwheat noodles are great to stock in the pantry since they cook up pretty quick too. We got home late one night so I cooked what I had on hand- frozen edamame, chopped baby carrots, and leftover grilled tofu. On top of the olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper, I added a tablespoon of miso paste and some red pepper paste to add extra flavor and spice (you can find this at an asian grocery store). Add a little bit of vegetable broth into the pan to make the mixture more saucey, after mixing everything together I combined the noodles and topped the concoction off with some toasted sesame oil!

Notes:
1. Buckwheat noodles are a good source of fiber and protein (30g/serving)!
2. Frozen edamame are great to stock in your freezer- it's a complete protein containing all essential amino acids and is a good source of protein, fiber, essential fatty acids, and isoflavones.

Lastly- the Broccoli & Tofu Burrito Roll! Matt made a homemade taco seasoning, which was easily made with spices we had and contains much less sodium than the packaged variaties- yum! We filled an old peppercorn jar with this to save for future use.

Basic Recipe:
1 T chili powder
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t onion powder
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 t italian seasoning
1/2 t paprika
1-1/2 t ground cumin
1 t salt
1 t pepper

I used this spice on the tofu to grill, as well as the refried beans (white beans would be another good option). We mixed the bean mixture with sauteed soy protein (mock ground beef) and threw in cheese we had on hand (in this case the fresh mozz)

Notes:
1. Broccoli is in season now! It's a great source of vitamin A,C, calcium, potassium, and iron. It also contains anti-cancer enzymes. 101Cookbooks just did a recipe with Broccoli pesto...something to try next!!

.....and I think that may be the longest post i will EVER write! hope you enjoyed the first taste of what's to come next. I was going to make the Pink Lady Apple salad tonight but we went to eat at Angelika's Kitchen instead.