Delicious quinoa and tofu recipe

This amazing quinoa dish tastes AWESOME! Plus, it's very good for you!  Quinoa, the seed, has a very large source of protein (Which vegetarians need).  So does tofu.  Try this recipe and let me know how it is!!!  I thought is was magnificent when we made it.

Curried Tofu:


Prepare firm or extra firm tofu:

Set the tofu on a paper towel, on a plate. Put something heavy on top of the tofu, like a can of tomatoes in a bowl. Let the tofu drain for 20-30 minutes. Then, cut the tofu into desirably-sized pieces. Place the chunks into the marinade and let soak for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Marinade:
2 Tbls Peanut Butter
2 Tbls Braggs Aminos (could be soy sauce or tamari)
1 Cup Coconut Milk
2-3 tsp curry powder
2 cloves chopped garlic
2 tsp grated fresh turmeric (I've really been loving this, but you could skip it since the curry powder probably has ground turmeric in it!)

Bake the tofu on a parchment lined baking sheet for about 40 minutes, turning it every 10 minutes.
                                                                                                                   Facts about quinoa:

For Quinoa, toss together:

Cooked quinoa

Cooked, chopped kale (or any green)

Toasted pine nuts

Leftover marinade (love that you can do that with tofu!)

Baked tofu

Fresh spinach or arugula

Feta cheese

Let my know what you think!

~The Jolly Green Giant

(AKA, Hannah)

Thanks to Polly for putting the recipe together!

Being a green vegetarian

Green.

Lettuce, broccoli, celery, spinach, arugula, avocado, cilantro, zucchini, asparagus, paint (well, that is green, but I wouldn't recommend eating it.), grass (well, you could try it I guess...) and many more vegetables and fruits are this olive-like color. This, however, is not the green I am talking about (with all respect to the delicious green vegetables). I am talking about the "eco-friendly" green. The "green" fad that seems to have invaded our society with reusable grocery bags and refillable water bottles. Being a vegetarian is "green" in more ways than one. Let's start with the economic factor. Eating plants is extremely economical. The process of "creating" meat takes so much time, energy, and resources. Plus, all of the nutrients from the food that the livestock eats is being cleared away. I recently watched a documentary called King Corn. It follows two college-aged guys as they learn about the corn industry. It talks a lot about how corn is influencing the eating habits of modern humans. The documentary starts with them getting their hair tested to see what it is made out of. It turns out that it is made out of corn. Basically all of the food that commercial livestock eats is pure corn. This means that the meat turns out to be mostly made of corn. King Corn is a great documentary and I recommend it to anyone. It really made me think about what I eat! Corn and other crops for livestock are grown on gigantic sections of land. The plants take up so much water to grow, just for the livestock, that is wastes tons of water. Here is a great website that explains the “Land + Water + Crops = Livestock” theory of the downsides to being a carnivore. http://www.enviroveggie.com/

This information is a great start to learning all about the environmentally friendly benefits of vegetarianism. This is just the first topic in a huge cache of knowledge of being a “green” vegetarian.

I hope you enjoyed my second post! I look forward to researching more!

~The Jolly “Green” Giant

(AKA Hannah)

FIRST POST!

Welcome to my first Clever Vegetarian post! In this blog, we will explore the benefits of being a vegetarian, including the ecological advantages. Being a vegetarian is not as hard as some people make it out to be. It actually is quite easy!! I am always on the lookout for awesome vegetarian recipes, that I will share with you all, as well. Enjoy!

Happy vegetarian trails,

~"The Jolly Green Giant"
(AKA, Hannah)