Sautéed Za’atar Veggies with Soy “Sangria”

So you know how they say some of the greatest inventions were originally mistakes? Like silly putty, the vacuum cleaner, and Coca Cola. Today’s lunch recipe could possibly make that list. From a broken blender to accidental convection, what I thought would be a flop actually turned out pretty good!

Sautéed Za’atar Veggies: 2 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 to 3/4 cup Calabaza or pumpkin/squash, diced
• 10 Cherry Tomatoes, sliced
• Handful of Spinach
• Handful of Basil
• 1/4 Red Pepper, sliced
• 1/4 Zucchini, chopped
• 1/3 cup Tofu, chopped
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Olive Oil
• 3 Tbsp Za’atar
• Crushed Red Pepper or chili powder, to taste

Begin by sautéing or grilling the calabaza for 10 minutes. Then add the zucchini and red peppers. Add sliced cherry tomatoes Sprinkle in salt, crushed red pepper and Za’atar. Toss until all veggies are coated. Turn the heat down low, cover and let the veggies sit for another 5-7 minutes to absorb in the flavors. Separately pan-fry the tofu in olive oil. Remove from heat, combine with veggies, and cover.

Wash and prep spinach and basil in a large bowl. Originally, I had planned to make a salad with grilled veggies, but when I accidentally placed the bowl of spinach and basil on the warm stove, it wilted and I mixed it in with the sautéed tofu and veggies anyway. Who knew, it tastes even better that way! Combine all the warm ingredients onto a plate, and serve. You can also try serving this with rice, lentils, or maybe even as a stuffing in a wrap or pita bread! Try adding tahini or hummus as a dressing for a Mediterranean kick!

It was a smoothie kind of day, and I had bought ripe fruit from the vendor a couple blocks down, prepped it all and put it in the blender. It wasn’t until I poured in the soy milk that I noticed it was all falling through the spot where the blade is supposed to be. Determined to make my smoothie, I attempted to use a masher to smash-blend it together. It kind of, well not really, worked. So I poured the fruit into a pitcher, topped it off with some more soy milk, and a few ice cubes to create what I call a…

Soy “Sangria”: 2 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Peach
• 1/2 mango
• 1 banana
• ~2 cups soy milk
• ice cubes

Chop fruit into small pieces/mash together. Pour soy milk over the fruit into a pitcher with ice and a spoon!