A Week Gone Vegetarian: Hoisin-Glazed Tempeh with Green Beans + Roasted Cashews

Tuesday's dinner: Our first time eating tempeh. I found this recipe on vegetariantimes.com. I'll admit, I was a little skeptical but the results were pleasingly delicious! This is a vegetarian dish I would absolutely try again.

• Serves 4 •

• Ingredients:
• 4 tsp. hoisin sauce
• 2 1/2 tsp. rice vinegar, divided
• 1 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
• 1 tsp. cornstarch (I used rice flour instead)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 Tbs. vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (4 tsp.)
• 1 8-oz. pkg. tempeh, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 12-oz. pkg. frozen whole baby green beans
• 1/3 cup roasted, unsalted cashews

Directions:

1. Whisk together hoisin sauce, 2 tsp. rice vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch/alternative thickener, and 1/2 cup water in small bowl. Set aside. Now's a good time to toast your nuts.

2. Heat skillet or wok over medium heat. Add oil, then ginger and garlic. Stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes, or until garlic turns pale gold.

3. Add tempeh and hoisin sauce mixture to pan. Stir to coat tempeh. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 2 minutes, or until sauce begins to thicken.

4. Stir in green beans. Cover, and simmer 4 to 5 minutes, or until beans are hot, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining 1/2 tsp. rice vinegar. Serve topped with toasted cashews (I forgot these for the photo, but loved the overall dish with them added).

A Week Gone Vegetarian: Sesame Flatbread Crackers

What a great snack these things are. I saw these flatbread crackers in Aldi one day (big fan of Aldi, btw) as I was looking for some new snacks to pack in Ben's lunches and thought they'd be nice to try, especially at just 60 calories a serving! We loved them so much after the first time I got them, that I went back & bought 3 more boxes. The flavor alone is really great; the cracker is light, crispy and considerably filling for a small snack. You can top them with a little hummus (a good low cal protein) or spot of cheese or what have you. The options are endless. They even make the perfect mini snack pizza, with just a few slices of pepperoni (or veggeroni) – didn't even need the cheese!

A Week Gone Vegetarian

Ben really wanted to try going meatless for a week so I devised a vegetarian meal plan of what he'd eat for breakfast, lunch & dinner everyday (well, mostly dinner since the other two meals didn't need to be as varied). In my search I came across some really great sites with delicious vegetarian recipes that I will be sharing with you as the week goes on. I'll be posting what we ate along with recipes here. Enjoy & be inspired!

Dinner: Mushroom + Black Bean Quesadillas
• Makes 2 Quesadillas •

Quesadillas are great because you can pretty much do anything with them as far as filling goes. Not to mention the various dips & sauces you can pair them with. I served these with a little salsa, a dollop of fat free sour cream & a sprig of cilantro

1 Tb cooking oil
cooking spray
6 large mushrooms, sliced (I used baby bella)
1/2 onion, chopped
1/3 cup green bell peppers
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 15 oz. can black beans, drained & rinsed, divided
1 4 oz. can chopped green chiles
1/2 ts cumin
salt & pepper to taste
4 oz shredded cheese (I like cheddar jack myself)
2 flour tortillas

*Remember to divide filling ingredients equally, since you're making two quesadillas.

1. Saute Mushrooms & onions in oil until mushrooms turn dark & soften.

2. In a separate saucepan, grill pan, or George Foreman grill, spray with cooking spray. Place down one of the tortillas. Sprinkle down quesadilla filling on one half of the quesadilla starting & ending with the cheese (like the glue of the quesadilla). Fold over so it forms a half circle & cook about 2 min, using something heavy to flatten the quesadilla while it cooks, like another pan if you're not using a Foreman grill. *You can also fill one tortilla and place the other tortilla on top, just another way to do it.* Flip & cook the other side until desired doneness. Repeat for remaining quesadilla(s).

3. Slice, garnish & serve warm with dipping of choice.

Kid's Chalkboard Table

I have been wanting to get Liam a little table for his room/play area and this is such a cool, trendy take on chalkboards for kids. I'm so doing this! Get the instructions here.

Chipotle Chicken Tacos with Mango Salsa

I came across this recipe while sorting through some old recipes last weekend. And what a deliciously refreshing break from the norm. Enjoy!

TACOS
3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 teaspoons minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce*
1 teaspoon adobo sauce from chiles
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon canola oil
4 (8-inch) fat-free or low-fat whole wheat tortillas
1/4 cup crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese

MANGO SALSA
1 mango, chopped
2 plum tomatoes, seeded, chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons finely chopped seeded deveined jalapeño chile
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Place chicken in shallow pan. Combine chipotle chiles, adobo sauce, cumin and 1/2 teaspoon salt in small bowl; spread over both sides of chicken. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes or overnight.

2. Combine all mango salsa ingredients in medium bowl. (Salsa can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

3. Heat nonstick grillpan over high heat until hot; brush with oil. Add chicken; reduce heat to medium. Cook 9 to 12 minutes or until no longer pink in center, turning once. Remove chicken. Cover loosely with foil; let stand 3 minutes before slicing diagonally.

4. Meanwhile, warm tortillas on same grillpan over medium heat 1 minute or until pliable, turning once. Top tortillas with chicken, 1/2 cup of the mango salsa and cheese. Serve with remaining salsa.

TIP *Chipotle chiles in adobo sauce can be found in the Hispanic section of the supermarket. Remove veins and seeds for less heat. Refrigerate remaining chiles for about 1 week.

Makes 4 tacos

PER TACO: 275 calories, 6.5 g total fat (1.5 g saturated fat), 25 g protein, 31.5 g carbohydrate, 60 mg cholesterol, 890 mg sodium, 5 g fiber

Texstyle Clutch Giveaway

The Mane Source will be giving away a free Texstyle Clutch next week to one lucky lady, so don't miss out! There's less than a week left. See video ^ on how to enter.

The Memphis Flyer's Top 20 < 30

I was recently interviewed for the Memphis Flyer's Top 20 under 30 issue, which hit streets today! Justin Fox Burks, an amazing Memphis photographer (+ author of the chubby vegetarian), did the shoot and it was so much fun. I love what I do and love being able to meet other extremely creative people here, including the writer of the article, Richard Alley. I'll post a link to the article once it's online. Until then, hope you enjoy this little snippet :}.