Branden's Dinner (with "The Green Stuff")

I love being a teacher. Even on my worst days, it beats folding shirts at The Gap for a living (which I did, briefly, much to the consternation of the company). One of the best things about teaching high school is that I get to watch kids come in as a group of goofy freshman and be a part of how they grow and mature towards their senior year. Some students stick with you, too, and even now, a few thousand kids later, I could probably tell a former student just where he or she sat in my classroom.

Branden and I hit it off from the very beginning. For one thing, he was nearly 6' 7" as a 9th grader to my 5' 1", which he found endlessly amusing. I had Branden for numerous classes during his four years in high school and I never remember seeing him without a huge smile. It was infectious and it still is.

Branden struggled a lot with his weight in high school. Yes, he was tall, but he was also much heavier than he wanted to be. Then, one day, something seemed to "click," and he began to transform into the man we all knew he could be. He began working out in earnest when he started to play football his freshman year in college. The rigor of the program, a dedication to eating healthily, and Branden's never-ending optimism have all made him virtually unrecognizable (with the exception of his smile).

Over the years, Branden has become part of my family. With his mom's blessing he's always managed to fit in some time with us when he comes home from college. When he came to dinner this last time he asked if he could help cook. He's really dedicated to lean proteins and low fat eating, so together we whipped up a quick, easy, healthful meal that he can recreate on his own back at the ATO house. We didn't use a recipe because it was more about tastes and techniques and creating something he could do later on his own. He declared it "awesome" and said "the green stuff" was "EFFING fantastic." I love those college boys!


Some of our ingredients: shallots, spinach, mushrooms, avocado, garlic and tempeh.



Branden preparing the red quinoa (1 cup quinoa to 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth)



Shallots

 
Branden crying like a girl because the shallots burned his peepers.



Making the "Green Stuff," as Branden christened it.  Scoop out 1 avocado.





Add about a tablespoon of Italian herbs.



Add about a tablespoon of minced garlic.



Add between 1 to 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast.



Add ingredients to food processor.



Add some low sodium broth until it thins out to a sauce consistency.  Taste it and add some salt if needed.  Pop it in the fridge so it's cold to serve.  It was so yummy!



Quick frying of shallots, garlic and mushrooms in a little olive oil.




I had Brandon add little bits of low-sodium vegetable broth, cooking it down until it really reduced and concentrated the flavor.  It adds a buttery flavor without the butter (and fat).



Just before plating the vegetables, Branden adds some ground, toasted almonds for a little texture.





Veggies aren't Veggerific until they get some spinach love!



Here we're trying to capture the comical difference in our height . . .





We cut tempeh in half length-wise and width-wise, then browned it up with olive oil and some sea salt.





Branden says, "Effing FANTASTIC!"

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Lazy Lazy Hot-as-Hades Quesadillas

I’m not a summer person. Actually, that’s an understatement. Summer is to me as high noon is to Nosferatu. Once the mercury inches above 80°, I turn into a whining, pasty, squinting complainer. We’re in the middle of a heat wave right now, with the heat index above 100°. I want to hide in the dark with a fan on my face. What I don’t want to do is cook.

So here’s my concession to the heat. It took about 10 minutes from start to finish and I spiced it up nicely (that’s the kind of heat I like). The “Buffalo wings” I used, especially made this way, are pretty darn indiscernible from the real thing.

The pictures aren’t great because, like I said, it’s hoooooooooooooooooooot, and I’m feeling lazy lazy.

Quesadillas


For the quesdadillas:

1 package Smart Wings, Buffalo style
1 red bell pepper, sliced and diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 teaspoon jalapeño pepper, diced (optional. I say go for it!)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Any hotsy-totsy stuff you like (cayenne pepper, Tabasco, Frank's Red Hot, etc.), to taste
Daiya Vegan "Cheese" (I used Mozzerella and Cheddar)
1 package flour tortillas, burrito size
Tofutti "sour cream"
Picante salsa of your choice
Lazy Guacamole (recipe follows)

1. Add a tablespoon of oil to a skillet and heat it on medium-high. When oil is ready, add peppers, onion and cumin and sauté until glistening. Remove from skillet and set aside.
2. While the peppers and onions are cooking, grate Smart Wings in a food processor until shredded (see picture). Toss the shredded Smart Wings into skillet (add a little oil if needed) and allow it to heat through and start to carmelize a bit (this is a good time to sample it and add some spicy to taste). Remove from skillet and set aside.
3. Assemble your quesadillas. Place one tortilla either in bottom of a quesadilla maker or in the same skillet you've been using. I always brush the outside of the tortillas with a little bit of oil so they get some nice browned parts. Top tortilla with some peppers and onions, some shredded wings, and cheese. Pop another tortilla on top of that and heat the whole thing until it's all melty and gooey like God intended, flipping once to brown both sides. You'll make 4 or more quesadillas, depending on how much you put in each.
4. Serve topped with salsa, sour cream, and some form of guacamole (like my lazy version below)

Lazy Guacamole


1. Get the ingredients in my picture and put them all in a bowl.
2. Mix them up, adding more or less of everything to taste. There you go. Told you it was lazy!

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