Thai Peanut Zucchini and Black Bean Noodle Bowl

As I mentioned on Instagram, I’m doing a project for my Psychology Environmental Sustainability class where I need to change one aspect of my behaviour in order to contribute more positively to the environment. So of course i chose something food related lol. For the next four weeks I taken on the challenge of: eating no red meat, going meatless on Mondays and Wednesdays, and eating all organic food (and local whenever possible). Choosing food that is produced in a more sustainable way will significantly reduce my ecological footprint and help out the environment! So other than missing steak (and all meat 2 days a week), I’d say that’s a big win. I’m definitely up for the challenge.

So today was my first meatless Monday!! And dinner was absolutely delicious! I got the recipe from the Oh She Glows cookbook. Thank goodness I already have a bunch of vegetarian/vegan cookbooks to make this a lot easier.

Makes 1 serving      Total Time: 15 minutes 

Ingredients for Dressing

1. 1 clove garlic
2. 2 tbsp sesame oil
3. 1.5 tbsp all natural peanut butter
4. thumb size piece of fresh ginger
5. 2 tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice
6. 2 tbsp tamari

Ingredients for Salad

1. 1/2 cup cooked black bean noodles (or any long noodle you like)
2. 1/2 cup zucchini noodles
3. 1/4 cup edamame, shelled
4. 1/4 red bell pepper, sliced into matchsticks
5. 1/4 cucumber, diced
6. 1/4 cup green onions, chopped
7. 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped finely
8. Sesame seeds, for garnish

Directions

1. To make the dressing, throw all the ingredients into a blender and pulse until smooth.
2. To assemble the salad, throw the black bean and zucchini noodles into a bowl. Top with remaining vegetables. Drizzle dressing over top and garnish with sesame seeds. Easy!

Leftovers – Asian Chicken Quinoa Stirfry

This is a great dinner (or lunch) that’s packed with protein for a night when you have some leftovers! I needed a quick, tasty lunch yesterday and had some edamame in the freezer that I wanted to use.  So this is what I came up with :) Its not the most glamourous recipe ever, but oh well! You can sub in whatever veggies you have lying around.

Prep Time: 5 minutes       Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

1. 1 cooked chicken breast, cut into bit size pieces
2. 1 egg
3. 1/3 cup cooked quinoa or brown rice noodles
4. 1/2 cup edamame, out of shell
5. 1 cup broccoli, steamed
6. Handful of spinach or kale
7. Tamari (to taste)
8. Green onions and sesame seeds, for garnish

Directions

1. In a pan on medium-low heat, throw in your chicken breast and drizzle on some tamari.  Stir it around for a few minutes.
2. Next, crack the egg in the pan and let it cook through while stirring constantly.  Once the egg is cooked you can add in the rest of your ingredients.  Add some more tamari and stir around until everything is heated up and spinach has wilted.
3. Serve up in a bowl with some sesame seeds and green onions on top :) EASY!