I have a mild obsession with cooking dishes that manage to taste even better the day after. Lunchtime, despite its potential to be a respite from a stress filled work day tends to be easily be lost to YouTube searches for cats doing funny things and lack-luster microwaveable calorie bombs.

I love cooking this recipe during early Spring, the colors and flavors are cheery and refreshing, but the warmth and stew like quality helps chase the chill out of those early Spring nights. 

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons of olive oil (or 2 table spoons of peanut oil for some extra depth)
• 2 large onions – diced
• 1 to 2 teaspoons of sea salt
• 5 chopped garlic gloves
• 4 cups of cherry tomatoes – each cut in half
• 2 teaspoons of turmeric 
• 1 teaspoon of mustard powder
• 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika or chili powder
• 2 teaspoons of garam masala (sometimes labeled as red curry powder)
• 1 can of lower fat coconut milk
• 1 bag of frozen peas

Directions

• Find yourself a nice big pot with a lid. Over a medium heat, add your oil, chopped onions, and salt until the onion becomes a little transparent. 
• Throw in the chopped garlic, the halved cherry tomatoes, and the spices. Let the mixture cook for about five minutes then add in the can of coconut milk. 
• Turn the heat down to the medium end of “low” and let simmer for about 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes add your frozen peas and let cook until the peas are bright green.
• Serve over brown rice or if you are really ambitious whip up some Thai style coconut rice – the combination is mind blowing. 

Photo Credit: Nigella

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Everyone knows that there are a lot of compelling reasons—considerations of health, the environment, animal rights— to go vegetarian or vegan. If you’ve ever seen those pictures of the production of meat, you know it’s a pretty heinous process, and the environmental affects of the industry are staggering. Plus, fruits and vegetables are so good for you!    

In California, there is certainly a broad and robust culture of vegetarianism and opportunities to eat your way to a better life and world abound. However, there is always this pressure to be “100%!” To NEVER eat ANYTHING that has meat or animal products, or else you aren’t “truly” a vegetarian or vegan.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s definitely something to that—it’s the basic idea that the more you do something good, the better.  

But there is this confessional attitude that can go with the lifestyle that can almost parallel that of AA meetings—“I was so bad, I ate a cheeseburger, shame on me! Now I’m not a real vegetarian anymore.” 

Unless you are really motivated by animal rights, I think that the point should really be to encourage eating less meat as much as possible and not worry too much about being so hardcore about it, because overall I think it scares people off.  

The idea is “vege-do-what-you-want,” as a friend of mine puts it. The more you eat like a vegetarian, with lots of fruits, veggies, nuts and whole grains, the better. If your body tells you that you need to supplement with some chicken, really, that’s okay too!  

I understand that the idea of being 100% is to encourage society to create more meat-free options, and that’s really great. But especially when just starting out, the more you learn about satisfying dishes that are made without animals, the more accessible the lifestyle becomes.  

So vege-do-what-you-want ladies!

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This is a great healthy alternative to regular chili. A heads up through, you need a few hours if you really want to get this simmering to perfection. Also, a note to my first time chili cookers you DO NOT have to follow the tablespoons of spices and sauces. That’s the beauty of cooking vs. baking: you don’t have to be exact. 

I like my chili to burn my nose and make my eyes water. You may even think of some of your own favorite spices to add. Also, you may be thinking, “What the hell is sriracha sauce?” It’s delicious, that’s what it is! But in all seriousness you can find it at any supermarket, just head to the “foreign aisle.”

Ingredients

• 2 lbs of firm tofu
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1 large bell pepper, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, diced 
• 2 (15 ounce) cans of kidney beans
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 2 tablespoons of ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon of oregano
• 2 tablespoons of seasoning salt (I prefer Lawry’s)
• ¼ chili powder
• 2 tablespoons of cayenne pepper
• 1-2 tablespoons of Sriracha sauce 
• 1-2 tablespoons of vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of honey or brown sugar
• 2-3 cups of shredded cheese (optional) 

Directions

1. The first thing you need to do is freeze your tofu overnight. This is what gives it the consistency of ground beef. So, go freeze it, I’ll wait...

2. Ok now that our tofu is frozen its time to defrost. If you’re a huge procrastinator like myself and need to speed up the defrost process, fill your kitchen sink with hot water and let the tofu take a bath. 

3. Once the tofu is done splashing around its time to fry it up! In a large cooking pan let your tofu, onion, garlic, salt and olive oil have a party. Once your onion looks like a piece of jellyfish (translucent) you’re done. Put that aside.

4. Now put the beans, tomatoes, pepper and vinegar in a large pot. Let this simmer for a few minutes. Throw in the tofu mix and add the spices. Mix well. 

5. At this point we simply need time to let all of those spices get to know each other. Let your chili simmer, open a bottle of wine, start a game of Sudoku you’ll never finish or stalk your ex-boyfriend on Facebook; you’ll know best how to waste your time. 

6. Check on the concoction every once in a while and give it a quick stir. Don’t forget to check the taste as well; you may want to add most zest. After about an hour or so it should be ready to eat.

7. Now invite all your meat-loving friends over and lie to them. Tell them you raised and slaughtered the cow yourself. Then after you’re all done eating, show them the tofu cases and watch the surprise wash over their faces.

Oh, you can also add cheese to each bowl.

Enjoy.

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Whether or not you want to go fully 100% veg, incorporating more veggies and less "bad stuff" into your diet can help you get into shape for summer s. Don't Panic! You don't need to totally cut out the meat, (unless you want to), and "going veg" is less painful than you may think.

Following a vegetarian diet just ONE day a week can have a significant impact upon your body and health. In the United States, an average adult eats approximately 250 POUNDS of meat each year. By going Veg just one day a week, the average adult can reduce their consumption of meat by 30-40 pounds a year. Not only will vegetarian diet tips one day a week help you reduce weight in time for summer swimsuit season, they also have many other dramatic results.

Go Veg One Day Per Week And…

Reduce Global Warming. The "meat industry" of animal agriculture causes more greenhouse gasses to be released into the environment than cars! Eating vegetarian one day a week helps you reduce your contribution to global warming.

Save Water, Save Life. Animal agriculture uses a LOT of water. By reducing your consumption of animals and going Veg just one day a week, you can save over 80,000 gallons of water a year!

Save the Rainforest! In order to make room for animal agriculture and to grow the crops to feed the animals, millions of acres of rainforest and other land need to be cleared. Going Veg one day a week can help you save over 7,000 sq feet of rain forest each year.

Feed Hungry People. For each pound of beef, chicken or pork, approximately 5-7 pounds of grain must be used to feed that animal. About 33% of the world's grain is currently be used to feed livestock. Eating less animals means more grain available to feed people who are starving in this country and around the world.

Going vegetarian one day a week also helps reduce animal waste, save fossil fuels, and minimize topsoil erosion. On a more personal level, going Veg can help you reduce your risks of cancer and heart disease while helping you to trim and tighten your body for summer. Get started today and be amazed.

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