Tofu, Brussels Sprouts and Peanut Stir-fry

This is one of those classic, throw-it-together meals, using up leftovers that turns out fantastic enough to become a real recipe worth repeating.  With just a few ingredients, this makes a complete meal for our family.

Tofu, Brussels Sprouts and Peanut Stir-fry

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. canola oil
3 -  12 to 14 oz. pkgs, water-packed tofu, drained and cubed in 1/2 inch squares
2 cups of Brussels sprouts halves
2 cups of kale, chopped
2 cups of cooked or leftover medium pasta - I used bow ties
2 Tbs. sesame oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped

Directions:

Heat canola oil over medium high heat in a large pan.  When hot, add the tofu cubes.  Cook for fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned.  Reduce heat to medium and add the Brussels sprouts.  Cook for another ten minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the kale, pasta, sesame oil and soy sauce.  Stir well and cook for five minutes, until kale is just wilted.  Add the peanuts.  Turn off heat and stir. Serve hot. Feeds five hungry vegans.

Maple-Pecan Baked Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash and Christmas, 2013

I was feeling guilty about blogging about Christmas so far after the date and was prepared to lament about all the sicknesses I've either endured personally or as a motherly nurse.  But, then as I was catching up on reading the blogs, I discovered that lots of people are posting belatedly.  So, I feel better.  Although, I do really wish I had my Christmas post in the same year that I ate the dish.  Ah, well.

I wanted to come up with something seasonal and savory to bring to the family potluck, and I came up with this baked dish (that took longer to bake than anticipated), consisting basically of all the ingredients listed in the title.  Makes it easy, doesn't it? It turned out very well, and if I end up tweaking it in the future, I'll edit this post, but it's pretty darn good for now!  Buuuuuuttt, because we were all sick, we ended up staying home and not joining the big family for dinner.  Aaaand, my parents didn't come over for my traditional breakfast spread.  It was a very different Christmas indeed, but I still tried to make it as special as I could.  I made some of my breakfast dishes anyways, and we had a nice dinner, albeit simpler. 

Here's what we had for breakfast:

GR and JK made the Gingerbread house again
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Tiger Balls
SR made the Soft Ginger Cookies
Loaded Cinnamon Rolls 
Breakfast Links
Orange Juice
Hot Apple Cider
Coffee

For dinner all I could muster was:

Maple-Pecan Baked Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash
A kid-friendly spaghetti dish

Our "scant" breakfast table

We also managed to drag ourselves to the fire station again to deliver our annual Christmas treats.  They remember us every year now.  GR was too sick to come, so it was just SR, JK and me.

SR and JK are sicker than they look.  But, we just love this tradition!

Maple-Pecan Baked Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash

(taken with my new camera as of that morning; not sure if I like the posted date on the pic, but you can see I took it on Christmas!)

Maple-Pecan Baked Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

4 cups Brussels sprouts that have been halved
5 cups butternut squash that have been diced into half inch to an inch cubes
1 and 1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 cup 100% maple syrup

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Toss all the ingredients together in a large casserole dish.  Bake uncovered for one hour, stirring at the halfway mark.  That's it!  So easy.  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Fresh Spring Soup

Hello, hello, hello!  My apologies on the break at last posting.  Summertime with the Blessings is quite busy.  I actually made this soup in the heart of spring, but I finally found a moment to post it.  Also, a warning, my middle Blessing seems to have spilled a fruit drink on my keyboard, and so until further notice I cannot depress the letter that is between "i" and "k" in the alphabet.  Luckily, none of the ingredients involve that letter. Also my mouse sticks to the desk now and seems quite "uncleanable."  But, we must carry on!

This is one of those cupboard dishes that almost always turn out great.  I loved the finished product; it was delicious and used up so much of the awesome seasonal produce that I picked up at the Farmer's market.  Give it a try in about ten months!  :-)  Ha ha, only kidding, you can have it now.

Fresh Spring Soup

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. canola oil
1 red onion, chopped
2 cups chopped cauliflower
2 cups chopped Brussels sprouts
1 corn on the cob, kernels sliced off (it's even good if they come off in chunks!)
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. salt
2 cups favorite spaghetti sauce (I used some in a glass cylindrical containers, er, storebought)
1 cup leftover rice
Water to cover
 1/4 cup mint leaves
1 cup chopped parsley

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the onion, and cook for ten minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and corn.  Cook for another ten minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the pepper, salt, spaghetti sauce, rice and water, and cook for another twenty minutes.  Add the mint and parsley.  Stir well, and it's ready to serve.  So tasty!  Feeds five hungry vegans.