Lemon Walnut Muffins

Living in California can mean free fruit, especially when you have friends with a gorgeous lemon tree in their backyard. These lemons are amazing, thin-skinned and super juicy - It's hard to get this lucky at the grocery store. 

Lemons are a good source of vitamin C and citric acid, which aids in digestion and dissolving kidney stones.

I would not include the pulp in this recipe as the muffins tend not to bake as evenly. 

Makes 10-12

• 1 cup rolled oats

• Zest of one lemon 

• Juice of 2 lemons (about 1/2 cup)

• 1/2 cup boiling water 

• 1 cup whole wheat flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder 

• 1 teaspoon baking soda 

• 3/4 teaspoon salt 

• 1/2-1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 

• 1/3 cup white sugar 

• 1/2 cup applesauce unsweetened 

• 2 eggs (or 2/3 cup applesauce)

• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

In a small bowl soak oats in lemon juice, zest, and boiled water for 15min. (Note: much easier to zest the lemon prior to juicing!)

Preheat oven to 350 and line muffin tin. 

In a separate bowl, blend whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

In a large bowl, beat applesauce, sugars, eggs (or substitute 2/3 cup applesauce), and vanilla with hand held mixer. Add oat mixture and beat to combine.

Stir dry ingredients into batter using a spoon. Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan. 

Sprinkle chopped walnuts generously over muffin tops, patting them lightly so they do not come loose. 

Bake for 20 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick (toothpick inserted at center of largest muffin should come out clean when done). 

Beet & Lentil Soup

Winter is coming = soup time. I used to make pureed veggie soups like this, but without lentils, and they were not nearly as satisfying. With the addition of lentils, a large bowl of this hearty soup is enough to keep you warm and full.

Wondering about nutrition? Beets do wonders for your insides: the betalains in beets provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and detoxification support. Lentils are a heart-healthy superfood that is 25% protein, rich in dietary fiber, folate, and magnesium. Sweet potatoes pack a lot of Vitamin A and antioxidants. Don't skip the raw parsley garnish - this herb contains health benefiting essential volatile oils, antioxidants, potassium, and Vitamin K.

Makes 4 bowls

• 3 medium beets
• 1 small sweet potato 
• Handful fresh parsley 
• 3/4 cup lentils, rinsed
• 2.5 cups water or vegetable broth
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 chili peppers 
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• Pinch chili flakes
• Salt & pepper, to taste

Peel and chop beets and sweet potato into small chunks (no bigger than 1in cubes or cook time may be longer). Place in nonstick pan. 

Chop a handful of fresh parsley and add to pan with rinsed lentils and water or vegetable broth. Cover with lid, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 35min. 

Meanwhile, mince garlic and chili peppers - set aside. 

Once the beets mixture has finished simmering, remove the pan from heat and let cool before transferring to a blender. Blend until smooth. 

While blending, add a small amount of olive oil to the same pan, and brown garlic and chili peppers over medium heat. Add garlic and chili peppers to blender and blend til mixed. 

Transfer everything back to pan. Add paprika, turmeric, chili flakes, salt and pepper. Add water until desired consistency achieved (I added about 3/4 cup for a thicker soup). Stir to combine. Cover and let simmer at low heat for 15min. 

Serve warm. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

Orange Oatmeal Muffins

Please please please do not use store bought orange juice for this recipe! The zest and fresh squeezed juice of real oranges will energize your kitchen with the most refreshing scent. Then as the muffins bake, the smell of warm citrus fills your entire home - you definitely won't be able to resist having one fresh out of the oven!! 

These muffins contain no fats, so they are light and healthy. Using applesauce instead of butter or oil ensures the muffins stay moist. I've made these both with and without eggs, just add more applesauce in place of eggs, per below. 

** Just tried the same recipe, using lemon for zest and juice in place of orange - great alternative if you lemons at hand. We both prefer orange though :)

Makes 12

• 1 cup rolled oats
• Zest of one small orange 
• Juice of 2 small oranges (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 cup boiling water 
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 3/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2-1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 
• 1/3 cup white sugar 
• 1/2 cup applesauce unsweetened 
• 2 eggs (or 2/3 cup applesauce)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

In a small bowl soak oats in orange juice, zest, and boiled water for 15min. Note: it's easier to zest the orange prior to juicing! 

Preheat oven to 350 and line muffin tin. 

In a separate bowl, blend all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

In a large bowl, beat applesauce and sugars together. Beat in eggs (or substitute 2/3 cup applesauce), vanilla and oat mixture. 

Stir dry ingredients into batter by hand. Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan. 

Bake for 20 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick (toothpick inserted at center of largest muffin should come out clean when done). 

Chicken and Asparagus Penne, Bell Pepper & Tomato Sauce

I've been guilty of buying store-bought pasta sauce for way too long. There's no excuse considering how quick and easy this sauce recipe is, plus the added satisfaction of knowing the healthy ingredients you're putting into the sauce! 

I chose asparagus as my green vegetable for this dish because this detoxifying plant is packed full of antioxidants, and vitamins K, C, A and E, and also because the OCD in me enjoys cutting asparagus spears down to the same length as the penne noodles. Feel free to substitute with different greens, like peas, zucchini, etc.

Makes dinner for 2, and leftover lunches for 2

• 1 skinless, boneless chicken breast
• chicken marinade: 
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne or chili flakes
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 3 red bell peppers
• 5 roma tomatoes
• 1 bunch asparagus
• 1 tsp of each: basil, oregano, parsley
• salt, pepper, and cayenne/chili flakes, to taste
• 1 box (375g) whole grain penne, or pasta of choice
• optional: 1 6oz can tomato paste, plus 6oz water (if you want pasta that is very heavy on sauce)

Begin by slicing the chicken breast into thin strips (about the size of penne). Add all marinade ingredients to chicken and stir to combine. Cover and set aside in fridge. 

Peel and roughly chop the onion and garlic cloves. Size and shape won't matter much as they will be pureed in a blender later. 

Heat olive oil in a large non-stick pan over high heat. Add chopped onion and garlic, and let cook for 1min. Reduce heat to med-low, and cover for about 5min. 

Meanwhile, wash, then roughly chop the red bell peppers and roma tomatoes. Be sure to remove the seeds from the peppers. Again, the size and shape of these veggies won't matter as they will also be tossed in the blender later. 

Once the onion has been cooking for 5min, add the chopped peppers and tomatoes, stir, increase to medium heat, cover and let cook for another 5-10min (or til the veggies have softened and broken down a bit - ie. the tomato skins will have separated from the flesh). Remove pan from heat and leave uncovered to let cool. 

While these veggies are cooling, bring a large pot of water (enough to cook the penne) to boil. 

Wash and cut the asparagus down to about the same size as the penne, then set aside. For thicker spears, slice the asparagus lengthwise so it all cooks in the same amount of time. 

Once the veggies have cooled down enough, transfer to a large blender (or in batches to a smaller blender like the magic bullet I used), and puree only til you no longer see large chunks of vegetables. Do not overblend! Pour the blended veggies back into pan. Add dried basil, oregano and parsley, then salt, pepper and cayenne/chili flakes to taste. Stir and bring to med-high heat, then add marinated chicken and asparagus. [optional: if you want to make a pasta that is quite heavy in sauce, now is the time to add the 6oz can of tomato paste and 6oz of water. Just stir it in and let simmer with everything else.] Cover, reduce to med-low and let simmer for 8-10min (or til chicken is cooked through). 

Add penne to boiling water and cook per package instructions. Drain once al dente, and rinse to remove excess starch. Add drained pasta to finished sauce in pan and mix thoroughly to coat the pasta. Serve when pasta has been reheated through. 

Feel free to top with more chili flakes, fresh ground pep, parmesan, or chopped parsley!

Asian-inspired Cucumber Cups

This healthy and refreshing appetizer is perfect because it won't fill your guests up before a meal. Plus they're pretty to look at! And it's a perfect way to use up some of the to die for spicy peanut sauce from my Chicken Nood Wraps recipe! 

Yield: 10 cucumber cups (+/- depending on length of cucumber)

• spicy peanut sauce: 

• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-inch section of fresh ginger, minced
• 2 small chilis, minced, with seeds 
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (1-2 limes) 
• 2/3 cup reduced-fat creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• note: this yields more peanut sauce than you will need, but it lasts a few days in the fridge, and can easily be used up for stir-fry, thai curry, veggie dip, etc. 
• 1 cucumber
• 1 small carrot
• 30 lo-mein  noodles (approx) 
• 10 peanuts, crushed

Prepare peanut sauce. Start by mincing the garlic, ginger and chilis. Heat a small amount of olive oil to a small frying pan over med-high. Add garlic, ginger and chilis. Cook for a few minutes, stirring, til fragrant and the edges of the garlic turn golden brown. Remove pan from heat and set aside. 

Juice lime(s) and pour into small sauce pan with lid. Combine all other peanut sauce ingredients, including the cooked garlic, ginger and chili peppers with lime juice in sauce pan. Cook over low heat til peanut butter melts. Stir frequently to mix and prevent the sauce from sticking to the bottom. Remove from heat, cover with lid and set aside. 

Set a small pot of water to boil and cook noodles per package instructions. Rinse with cold water and strain. 

Peel carrot. Cut carrot into thin strips using peeler and set strips aside (note: you'll likely only need half of a small carrot). 

Wash cucumber. Using a peeler, strip the length of the cucumber four times, creating a stripe pattern (optional step, just to make it look pretty). Slice cucumber into 1 1/2 inch "cups". Using a small spoon, scoop out the center. Be sure to leave 1/8-1/4 inch at the bottom to hold cup contents. 

Scoop a small dollop of peanut sauce to coat the bottom of the cucumber cup. 

* Make sure your hands are washed and clean for this part! *

Gather 1-2 noodles with 1-2 strips of carrot, holding them at one end between your finger and thumb. Use your other hand to twirl the length of the noodles and carrot around your finger. Carefully slide the coiled noodles and carrot off your finger and into the cucumber cup. Press the coil gently into the cup to ensure the ends don't spring loose. Repeat until all cucumber cups are stuffed. 

Top each coil with another small dollop of peanut sauce. Sprinkle crushed peanuts over top. 

Pumpkin Craisin Granola Bars

Instead of wastefully composting the small freebie from our Lemos Farm field trip, I decided to revamp my Oatmeal Raisin Bars. This is my first stab at doing anything with pumpkin other than carving jack-o-lanterns, so I'm pretty happy with the healthy results! Pumpkins are extremely rich in Vitamin A and also contain Vitamin C and potassium.

Yield: 8 bars

1 small pumpkin (1 cup and 1 tbsp roasted pumpkin, pureed)

1 tbsp water

2 cups old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup packed brown sugar (1/2 cup if you like it sweet)

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup craisins

1/3 cup roasted, salted sunflower seeds

1/4 cup chopped almonds

Preheat oven to 350. 

Wash and remove the stem off 1 small pumpkin. Slice in half, scoop out seeds and fibers, and place flesh side down on a baking sheet covered with tin foil. Add 1 tbsp of water to the pan, then roast for 40 minutes, or until fork pierces through skin. Let cool before scooping the flesh out with a spoon and processing in a blender/magic bullet to puree. Half of my pumpkin yielded 1 cup and 1 tbsp of pureed pumpkin, so this is the amount I used. 

Combine pureed pumpkin with all other ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Blend with a spoon until dry ingredients are moist.

Spread mixture in pan (will likely fit an 8x8 pan, but if your pan is larger like mine, spread over half the pan only so that mixture sits about an inch high). Bake at 350 for 25min (or until golden - my oven will burn the craisins if baked for 30min, so adjust baking time accordingly). 

Let cool completely before cutting. I like to saran wrap each bar individually so they are easy on-the-go snacks. Otherwise, store in an airtight container. 

Craisin Quinoa Salad with Grilled Balsamic Basil Chicken

Time to shake up our usual quinoa salads with something a little sweeter and citrusy for the summer. 

Makes 2 dinners with chicken and 2 leftover vegetarian lunches for the next day. 

• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
• Chicken marinade: 
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp salt
• fresh ground pepper (a few shakes or grinds)
• 1 1/4 cups quinoa
• 2 1/4 vegetable broth (or water)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 ear of corn
• 1 1/3 cup diced cucumber
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 5oz (142 gr) package craisins (50% reduced sugar is best!)
• Dressing: 
• 1 1/2 tbsp fresh basil
• 1 tbsp orange juice
• 1 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil (I used a Mediterranean blend of extra virgin olive oil, canola & grapeseed)
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp salt

A few hours in advance (or overnight), trim any fat off chicken breast and place in a bowl. Add all marinade ingredients, mixing well to coat. Set aside in fridge to allow marinade to soak in.

The quinoa should also be prepared in advance to allow time for it to cool. Add vegetable broth/water, salt and cumin to quinoa in a small pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce to low, cover, and set a timer for 15min. Let cool completely after it has cooked, then set aside in fridge. 

De-husk the corn, then take a sharp knife to slice the kernels off in swaths. I prefer laying the corn flat on a large chopping board instead of holding it vertically so the kernels don't fall everywhere. Place kernels in a large salad bowl. 

Slice the celery and cucumber lengthwise into thin strips before dicing. If the cucumber has a lot of mushy wet seeds in the center, take a small spoon to carve out the seeds in the center after slicking the cuke in half before slicing and dicing. Add diced veg to the salad bowl. 

Cut avocado in half and remove pit. Slice lengthwise into 8 strips and remove the peel. Give the peeled avocado a quick cold water bath to prevent them from turning brown. Remove from water and dice into bite size pieces. Add to salad bowl along with the craisins and cooked, cold quinoa, tossing well. 

Put all dressing ingredients into a jar, then shake/stir to mix. Pour over quinoa salad, mixing well to combine. 

To cook the chicken, I use a 2-sided grill (ie. George Foreman). Once the grill has pre-heated, place chicken breast in the center and set timer for 8min. Slice and arrange over salad. 

Tabbouleh with Quinoa

Summer salad time! Parsley is seriously overlooked because it's an herb and usually only used as garnish. Nutrition-wise however, parsley is an amazingly healthy green, rich in anti-oxidants, vitamins (A, B, C, E and K), dietary fiber, essential volatile oils, potassium, calcium, iron, manganese, magnesium and folates. Wow, that was a long list of goodness! So here's a way to get a whole lot of good in you, fast: tabbouleh!

This parsley salad makes a great starter or side for two, but sometimes I demolish the entire recipe as a main. Because I'm hungry. And it's completely guilt free.

I've used quinoa instead of the traditional bulgur, and lime instead of lemon. Also opting out of cucumber. Bonus is that I got to use our homegrown tomatoes - yay! 

Yield: 2 sides or 1 main

• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 small, ripe tomatoes (or 1 medium)
• 2 green onion
• 1 bunch flat leaf parsley
• juice of 1 lime (approx 2 tbsp)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp sumac
• salt and pepper to taste

Start by cooking the quinoa in advance to allow time for it to cool. Add water, cumin, and salt to quinoa in a small pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce to low, cover, and set a timer for 15min. Let cool completely after it has cooked. 

Wash all vegetables thoroughly, and dry parsley in salad spinner. 

Mince garlic, dice tomatoes, and thinly slice the green onion and parsley. Use all leafy parts of the parsley, and discard parsley stems or save for some other use (I keep the stems to make vegetable broth).

Juice the lime. Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl, along with the lime juice, olive oil and seasonings. Let marinate for 10min before serving. Enjoy! 

Avocado Toast

Sometimes the odds and ends in your fridge come together as deliciousness. This is one such delight that has me taking care to stock the fridge deliberately with the same ingredients to ensure it all gets into my mouth again soon.

It's a simple and very filling snack... or a light meal. 

Serves 1

• 1 slice of multigrain bread (I love Milton's original healthy multi-grain because it's almost completely fat-free, and there's 3 grams of fiber in each slice!)
• Monterey Jill cheese (which is a reduced fat version of Monterey Jack, or any cheese you have on hand would work)
• 1/2 avocado
• seasoning salt, to taste
• paprika, to taste

Place a slice of bread on a non-stick pan over medium-high heat (no need to oil the pan).  

Meanwhile, thinly slice as much cheese as you like. 

Flip the bread over once the side facing down is lightly toasted.  Place sliced cheese on the toasted side and allow the other side to toast while the cheese melts.  Placing a lid over the pan will speed up the cheese melting.  Reduce heat if it is toasting too quickly. 

Smush up half an avocado with a fork while you wait.  Once the cheese has melted, spread the avocado over top.  Sprinkle generously with seasoning salt and paprika. 

Avocado Greens Smoothie

With the avocado capital of the world right here in California, I'm fortunate enough to have almost more avocado than I know what to do with! ALMOST. Because there are always amazing ways to incorporate this buttery fruit packed full of fiber, potassium and vitamins! This time, I've magic bulleted it into the creamiest smoothie ever. Yum. 

This recipe also calls for a scoop of Greens+ powder, which has spirulina, chlorella, bee pollen, and all sorts of healthy stuff in an all-natural energy enhancing citrus blend. Greens+ is the brand I'm most used to, but I'm sure any of the other superfood greens powder mixes out there will do the trick for an extra nutritional boost. 

You will need a magic bullet or blender for this recipe.

Serves 1 

• 1/2 banana
• 1/2 avocado
• 1/4 cup fresh washed spinach, fresh
• 1/4 cup non-fat vanilla yogurt
• 1 scoop (13.6 gr) greens+ extra energy powder
• 1/3-1/2 cup cold water (less water for a thicker smoothie, more for a runny one)

This recipe is extra convenient when you double it. If not, you can freeze the other half of the banana for next time, and give the other half of the avocado a quick cold water rinse so it doesn't brown as easily before storing it in the fridge in an airtight container for your next smoothie. 

Slice up half of the banana into smaller chunks and scoop out half of the avocado and place into blender along with all other ingredients. 

Blend for a few minutes until smooth. Feel free to adjust water amount to desired consistency. 

Mexi-style Quinoa Salad, Chipotle-Lime Dressing

I've decided this deserves a post even though it's pretty similar to my other post for Grilled Chicken over Quinoa Salad, Cilantro-Lime Dressing because it's a meatless version that incorporates the best part of the chicken into the salad - the chipotle peppers of course!

We went to a Mexican themed potluck this weekend, and this salad, with a slight chipotle kick, got a lot of love!

Serves 4-6

• 1 1/3 cup quinoa
• 2 1/3 cups water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 bay leaf
• Dressing
• Juice squeezed from 1 lime
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 3/4 tsp ground cumin
• 3/4 tsp ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 1 (14oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed 
• 1 1/3 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1/2 hothouse cucumber 
• top half of a bunch of green onion
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 1 ripe avocado

Quinoa should be cooked in advance so it has time to cool. Add quinoa, water, salt, cumin and bay leaf to a medium pot over high heat. Once it reaches a boil, reduce to low and cover with lid. Set timer for 15min. Remove from heat, let stand 5min. Discard bay leaf. Fluff and set aside to cool to room temperature (or refrigerate if making well in advance).

Drain and rinse black beans in a colander. Measure out frozen corn and place in colander with black beans. 

Mince the chipotle peppers with a little bit of adobo sauce. Store remaining peppers in airtight container. Add all dressing ingredients to a cup/jar, stirring well to incorporate. Set aside.

Dice cucumber. Chop green onion and cilantro.

Remove pit from avocado. Slice lengthwise into 8 strips and remove the peel. Give the peeled avocado a quick cold water bath to prevent them from turning brown. Remove from water and dice into bite size pieces. 

Place cooled quinoa, beans and vegetables in a large salad bowl and toss well with dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside until ready to serve.

Vegetarian Delight: Tofu & Mushrooms, Spicy Satay Sauce

Last night, B had a business dinner. I normally don't love solo dining, but I took the opportunity to create something using ingredients B cringes and shudders at the thought of. Tofu and mushrooms are definitely high on his list of things not to put in his mouth, but I happen to find both delightful, so why not throw the two together! Mmm! 

This vegetarian dish is nutritious and packed with protein (the one brick of tofu alone contains 35gr of protein!). Feeling somewhat weighed down and guilty from the late night meat lovers pizza the dinner before, I had this tofu stir fry on its own. It would make a fantastic topper for a brown rice bowl though. Quinoa would work just as well. 

Serves 2

• 14oz extra firm, reduced fat tofu
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 dried red chili pepper
• 1/2 onion
• 1 small zucchini
• 8 medium mushrooms
• 1/3 cup frozen shelled edamame peas
• 1 tsp olive oil
• Spicy satay sauce: 
• 1/3 cup skim milk
• 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp peanut butter (not chunky)
• 1/2 tsp green thai curry paste
• 1/2 tsp corn starch
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper 
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander 
• Optional: brown rice or quinoa (cooked per package instructions)
• Sesame seeds, garnish

Carefully remove tofu from packaging, and set aside in a colander to drain excess liquid while you prepare the veggies.

Mince the garlic and chili pepper together. 

Dice the onion. Slice zucchini lengthwise into 4-5 strips, then dice. Chop washed mushrooms into bite-size chunks (I cut each mushroom up into 6 pieces). 

Measure out 1/3 cup of frozen shelled edamame peas and set aside.  

Carefully slice the tofu into rectangular cubes. I sliced a 14oz brick into 20 mini bricks of approximately the same size. 

Heat no more than 1 tsp olive oil in a medium frying pan over high, swiveling the pan around so the tsp of olive oil evenly coats the pan.  Once the pan is hot, add the sliced tofu, taking care to ensure the pieces don't break (extra firm tofu is easiest to work with). Reduce to medium heat and cook for about 3 minutes. Carefully flip each tofu slice over (I find using chopsticks allows the most precision and control, but a spatula should work fine too), letting each side cook for approx 3min until the tofu is golden all around. Meanwhile, measure out all spicy satay sauce ingredients and mix together in a cup or small bowl, stirring well to incorporate. Once the tofu is finished cooking, remove from pan and set aside on a plate, covering with a pot lid to keep warm. 

Without adding any more oil to the same frying pan, add the minced garlic, red chili and diced onions over medium heat. Cook for 2min, adding a tablespoon of water to help steam fry. Add the frozen edamame peas to the pan and stir for another minute. 

Add mushrooms and zucchini to pan. Give the satay sauce another big stir, then pour into pan with veggies.Cook for 5-10min until sauce has thickened to desired consistency. 

(If serving as a brown rice/quinoa bowl, portion out brown rice/quinoa, arrange tofu slices over top, then drizzle sauce and veggies on tofu. Garnish with sesame seeds.)

Serve saucy vegetables over bed of tofu. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and enjoy!