Tofu Scramble from eatingconsciously

Great with onions and red bell pepper too and bokchoy

This is my picture of what I had for lunch--I couldn't believe how yummy this was---a great substitute for scrambled eggs. I found this at :http://eatingconsciously.blogspot.com/2009/03/tofu-scramble.html He is going to make an online cook book soon ! THIS IS HIS RECIPE:

"Tofu Scramble

1 TBS Earth Balance, or olive oil
1 small onion (chopped)
1 clove garlic (minced)
1 block extra firm tofu (crumbled) [I only had firm and it worked SWELL ;-)
2 TBS nutritional yeast {}
1/4 tsp turmeric
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 C frozen peas (optional--but REALLY adds to the flavor)
soy sauce -optional

In a large pan, heat the Earth Balance, onions, and garlic over medium heat until the onions become translucent.{I like adding a sprinkling of soy sauce to the onions--adds a nice flavor to them} Add the crumbled tofu, nutritional yeast, turmeric, salt and pepper, and the peas if desired. Allow to continue to heat until everything is nice and hot. Serve with two slices of whole wheat toast, or on it's own. "

Another way I like it: 


Extra firm tofu scrambled with turmeric, onions, mushrooms, and fresh oregano from the garden added at end. Salt and pepper .

collard greens (no added fat)

Collard Greens (I love their flavor and without the fat!!)

Ingredients
2 lbs collard greens, tough stems discarded, leaves chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced (or a tablespoon or so of minced garlic from jar)
red pepper flakes, a pinch
Salt, a couple pinches
Sugar, a couple pinches

Method

1. Holding onto the stem with one hand , wrap your other hand around the stem and pull down--this takes off the large part of the stem. After you have done a few of these , roll the leaves and chop. (there are youtube videos on how to do this ie here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvfkdnEoxT4)
2. Place chopped onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and sugar in a large pot and cover with water. Cook for 3-4 minutes.

3. Add the greens and add a bit more water. Steam for 10-20 minutes stirring occasionally to blend flavors. (If the collards are really huge tough ones you may have to cook longer).

Polenta as cereal

I found this recipe at : http://www.eatingconsciously.com/ He called it perfect polenta--this is his recipe. I love the Hodgson Mill's yellow corn meal---very good stuff!! (This recipe serves one nice serving)

"Perfect Polenta:

1/3 C cornmeal
1 C water
2 TBS nutritional yeast (or more if you like!) {I forgot and it was still delicious}
1 clove garlic
1 TBS olive oil {I used just a spray}
salt and pepper to taste (I like a lot of black pepper in this)

In a pot, combine the cornmeal, water, nutritional yeast, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to low-med and cover. Stir every two minutes or so to avoid sticking to the bottom (it's inevitable, some will stick to the bottom, but you don't want a large amount to collect there). After the cornmeal mixture has cooked for about 10 minutes, it should be sticky and gooey. Pour out onto a plate and serve warm, or allow to cool and slice into pieces.

Tip: The sliced pieces can even be baked in the oven, or fried in a pan for even more deliciousness! "

NOTE: THE ABOVE IN BLUE IS A QUOTE FROM HIS SITE

Portebella Burgers and questionable hotdogs!

These Portebella Burgers were GREAT!! You take your portebella mushrooms and marinate them in some olive oil with garlic and some sprinkles of balsamic vinegar. Marinate them for at least 30 minutes. (turning to cover). Then grill them for 3 minutes or so on each side until nice and juicy. (The time varies according to your grill).Do not salt them until you are cooking them---then add the salt and pepper. (you don't want the salt to draw out the juice from the mushrooms while marinating them.

I didn't have gluten free rolls--but you all can use hamburger buns. Now what are these carrots for????

I know--sounds strange----but when we were in Charleston this guy complained about standing in a long line for hot dogs only to find out they were carrots!! So we decided to try it. I roasted these on my grill for about 30 minutes and brushed them with a bit of olive oil and garlic. They were really yummy!!! SURPRISE SURPRISE!! They would be good too with some slaw and chili beans!

arrowood wine

Just wanted to make a note--we really liked this Cabernet Savignon---it was nice and dry and yet there was a little fruity-ness to it. Very Good.

Tortillas (homemade) and grilled vegetables

I like the Masa flour above and it is organic/ non gmo . PS You can use these tortillas for making crackers— chips— link here https://nannykimsrecipes.blogspot.com/2021/01/chips-made-from-tortillas.html?m=1
These were so tasty. I had my grilled veggies with fresh homemade tortillas and my hubby had his with homemade pita bread grilled on the grill also.

We grilled the vegetables in a grill basket I got from Amazon. We had purple onions, zucchini squash, an eggplant, and two large portebello mushrooms. We sprinkled them with a little olive oil that had had fresh rosemary soaking in it. We threw the rosemary on them and some oregano (dry). It took about 15 minutes to grill them, stirring occasionally. We then sprinkled them with fresh sauteed garlic and balsamic vinegar. (Peppers would also be good in this--we forgot)

These are the 5-6 inch tortillas (after I had eated about 7!!

This is the flour---you can get it in the Mexican section of Walmart. Note: I now prefer King Arthur brand organic.

This is what I used for my tortilla press--2 cutting boards---it worked great--just follow the directions given below. Or— now that I have been making for a while I just place an individual dough ball between parchment paper and press it with the bottom of a cereal bowl to get the round shape and then finish it with a rolling pin. 

I used this little iron skillet and my iron frying pan to cook them.

This basket is what we used to grill the vegetables in our outdoor grill.

Here are the directions!:pS parchment paper works well instead of the plastic bags for rolling out. Actually I prefer parchment paper instead of the plastic. I often flatten a ball of dough with a bowl and then finish rolling the circle with my rolling pin. —always using parchment.

The happy-hermit. blogspot.com ( http://happy-hermit.blogspot.com/ ) referred to this site: http://www.curbly.com/Chrisjob/posts/1013-DIY-Tortilla-Press and here is what the recipe said--(if you go to this site it also gives directions on how to make a press---but 2 cutting boards work fine!!...so if you don't want to make one , do what I did) Actually I prefer parchment paper instead of the plastic. I often flatted a ball of dough with a bowl and then finish rolling the circle with my rolling pin. —always using parchment.


"Mix two cups of Masa Harina (such as the widely available Maseca brand) with 1 1/4 cups hot water and a hefty pinch of salt. Using your hands, mix until soft, like Play-dough, but not sticky like a cookie batter. If necessary, add a little more water or masa flour. Let the dough rest while you preheat a griddle or two skillets, one side/skillet to medium(400Ëš F) and the other to medium low (300Ëš).

Divide the dough into golf-sized balls; there should be 15-17, and cover with a damp cloth.

Cut a large zip-top bag along the sides, and remove the thick zipper, to make a long sheet of thick plastic. Lay the plastic on the bottom of the press, and place one dough ball slightly off-center, towards the hinge. Lay the other half of the plastic on top, and close the lid. Press the handle, forcefully, and form a tortilla 5-6” in diameter.

Open the press, and peel off the top sheet of plastic. Flip the tortilla onto your palm, so the dough is touching your skin, and carefully remove the rest of the plastic. (This will take practice).

At the griddle, drag the tortilla off your hand and let it catch on the cooler surface, and cook for 30 seconds, or until the tortilla comes off easily. The edges may look a little dry, but no worries. Flip it to the hotter surface and cook for 40-60 seconds. You see some steam and the bottom will get brown spots from the larger pieces of corn. Flip and cook for another 40-60 seconds, during which the tortilla will begin to puff.

Once off the heat, stack and store in a towel-lined bowl or basket. This traps the steam, keeping the tortillas most and warm.

Wrap around your filling of choice (hopefully, not ground beef with “taco” seasoning), and enjoy! ""

Bob's Birthday Spaghetti Sauce

1 (28 ounce) can of crushed tomatoes
1 24 oz jar of bertolli tomato and basil sauce
a sprinkle of dry red wine
1 small can of tomato paste
14 ounces of water
2-3 tab minced garlic
1 tab oregano
1-2 tsp onion powder
pinch of so of crushed red pepper
1 tsp of basil
few grinds of pepper
1 pound of Italian sausage (low fat turkey ones -sweet)
12-16 falafel balls

Cook sausage in a bit of water for a few minutes--drain the fat then bake in oven at 350 for about 20 minutes. Cook the falafel balls. (see recipe index --it is a few posts down) Mix all of the ingredients except the balls and simmer for 2 hours until nice and thick. Add the balls. Refrigerate until needed----the balls will flavor it as it sits.

Martha Stewarts Gluten Free chocolate layer cake LOW FAT

This was a very very very moist wonderful gluten free low fat CAKE--UNBELIEVABLE!! AND VERY chocolately ;-) This was in the April 2009 issue. She said it would take about an hour to bake and mine was far faster (I set the timer for 45 minutes and didn't check it and it was done---it may have been done sooner!!) NOTE--this is a very LOW FAT cake. She had a 7 minute frosting---that would not do for my hubby. He wants chocolate---I found a low fat one!! For the Layers 

 Vegetable oil cooking spray 

 1 1/2 cups sugar 

3/4 cup brown rice flour (can use white rice flour)

1/2 cup almond flour

 3/4 cup dutch-process cocoa powder 

1/4 cup quinoa flour (I prefer Teff flour)

2 tsp baking soda 

1 tsp baking powder 

3/4tsp coarse salt

 2 large eggs 

3/4 cup warm water 

3/4 cup low fat buttermilk (I used soy milk with almost 1 TB of rice vinegar) 

1 ounce of unsalted butter (2 tab) 

1 tsp pure vanilla extract 

 Directions: Preheat oven to 350 F Lightly coat 2 eight inch cake pans with cooking spray. Line bottoms with parchment; spray parchment. Whisk together dry ingredient in large bowl. Add remaining ingredients, and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Divide batter between pans. Bake cakes until they pull away from sides of pans, about 1 hour [NOTE: MINE TOOK WAY LESS SO YOU NEED TO KEEP CHECKING--I CHECKED AT 45 MINUTES AND THEY WERE DONE--] AND SHE TELLS YOU NOT TO OPEN THE DOOR TO CHECK OR IT MAY FALL.You can kind of tell when they are done when the sides of the cake pull away from the pans. Mine sometimes are done between 35-40 minutes. Let cool in pans on wire racks. Cakes will keep, covered, for up to 1 day. Frosting: http://nannykimsrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/03/very-low-fat-chocolate-icing.html

It is the post below this one.

PS--if you don't care about fat content there is a very quick decadent chocolate cake that is flourless and great here: http://nannykimsrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/06/flourless-chocolate-cake-decadent-no.html

Note: can do substitutions.  I have made this with white rice flour instead of the brown rice flour. I also have used 1/4 cup Teff flour instead of quinoa flour (quinoa bothers me now), I have used coconut milk (the drinkable kind )-instead of soy milk.

Very Low Fat Chocolate Icing or chocolate pudding!

Makes 24 servings Great frosting and you can use it for pudding too!! To make dairy free don't use the butter.

Ingredients :

1/2 cup cocoa powder 4 tabl Corn Starch 1 cup sugar 1/4 tsp salt 2 cup non fat milk (I used soy milk and or/ almond milk) 1 tbl butter (can omit) 2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Mix together cocoa, corn starch, sugar and salt. Add milk slowly and stir. Cook on medium heat until thick (stovetop) stirring continuously. It takes about 10-12 minutes to get nice and thick--it will eventually come to a boil and then turn down and let it simmer for about one more minute and then remove from the burner. Add butter and vanilla. Cool, then spread Low fat or non-fat milk may be used, making this a very low-fat cake frosting. Note: this is also good by itself! ha! kind of like a pudding.

Pita Bread

These appear to have come out well. I will have to have my hubby taste them, as I can't have gluten! OK--HE LOVES IT! In the picture below you can see that some puff up more than others.

Below is what they look like before cooking.

I found the recipe for these from about.com and have quoted it here. They have a terrific video so go to their site to see it--it is short--only about 2 minutes , but it is helpful.

THIS IS FROM ABOUT.COM HERE:

http://video.about.com/mideastfood/How-to-Make-Pita-Bread.htm

There is a good video that goes with it---I am posting it here for my convenience



"Pita is used to scoop sauces or dips such as hummus and to wrap sandwiches like kebabs, gyros, or falafel.

Pita Bread Recipe Ingredients You will need:

1 package of yeast
1 1/2 cup of warm water
3 cups of flour (you can also put 2 1/2 cups white flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat)
1 1/4 teaspoon of salt (I only used 1/4 tsp)
1 teaspoon of granulated sugar

Prepare the Pita Dough

First we need to activate the yeast.

Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water. Add sugar and lightly stir until dissolved. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes until the water is frothy. Make a depression in your bowl of flour and pour in your yeast mixture. Slowly add 1 cup of warm water and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture is combined. Flour your working surface, place the dough and knead it for 10-15 minutes until it is elastic. Coat the large bowl with olive oil and place your kneaded dough. Turn the dough so it is also coated in oil. Place the bowl in a warm place to sit for 1 hour until the dough is doubled in size.

Shape the Pita Dough

Flour your working surface and roll out your dough in a shape of a rope. Cut the dough into 10-12 small pieces. Roll out each ball of dough with a floured rolling pin into circles about 5-6 inches and 1/4 inches thick.

Bake the Pita Bread

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F and place your rack at the bottom of the oven. Bake each circle for 4 minutes. When the bread puffs up, turn over and bake for 2 minutes on the other side. When the pita browns on the second side, remove the pita with a spatula and add additional for baking. You can store pita bread in a pantry or bread box for a week and up to a month in a freezer."

hummus and falafel

For the hummus:


2 cups of garbanzo beans
2-3 tab. of tahini
2-3 heaping tsp. of minced garlic
juice from one lemon (I might want more next time)
some cumin, red pepper, sea salt, vegetable magic, onion powder, chili powder (all to taste)
1 tab of olive oil (I would like to add less next time to reduce fat)

water

mix in my food processor adding enough water and seasoning to get the taste and consistency I desire.

Falafel:

I found this mix in Charleston, at Saffrons. I love the seasonings in this. I mix, set it aside for one hour in the frig, then make into golf sized balls and bake at 350 F for 20 minutes--turning once after ten minutes. Great with hummus or just plain as a snack or in pita with cukes, tomatoes , lettuce etc. The web address of the manufacture is http://www.tarazifoods.com/

2 oz of the falafel has 12 g protein--main ingredients are fava beans and garbanzo beans.

About.com also has different recipes for falafel from scratch--such as this one:

15 oz. can chickpeas, drained
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon coriander
3/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons flour (I use cornstarch or Bob's all purpose gluten free flour) sometimes Iuse more

I also like cilantro and ground cayenne red pepper

You just chop the ingredients in a food processor--I add the chickpeas last and don't over process.

PS--When making fresh they take longer to bake.--more like 14 minutes on a side---it depends on how large you make them and if you want them crusty.

But I ESPECIALLY LIKE THIS FALAFEL RECIPE IF I HAVE TO MAKE IT FROM SCRATCH:

http://nannykimsrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/08/gluten-free-baked-falafel.html

Easy Vegetable Soup

This is similar to something I had this weekend at Charleston, Sc---I was craving more.

In a big pot place the following:

chopped: carrots, potatoes, celery, mushroom, and onions and a handful of rice. Cover with water. Add a tablespoon or two or minced garlic. Add a bit of salt and pepper. Cook for 20 minutes. Add a can of diced tomatoes (14..5 oz) and finish cooking until veggies are the way you like them and the rice is done.

I used about 3-4 carrots and 4 potatoes, around 2 large celery and 1 large onion, and 3-4 mushrooms. You can add as much or as little as you want. (I used organic tomatoes)

Oatmeal/nut cookies Gluten Free/ Dairy Free/ Oil free except nuts and flax seed

These are great---especially because they are dairy/egg free and no fat except the walnuts and flax seed. My son gave me the recipe ;-) Note: you can buy guaranteed gluten free oats. Oats are gluten free unless contaminated at the plant.

1 cup soy milk

1 cup packed unrefined brown sugar (I just had the regular kind)

1/4 cup honey

egg substitute (1/4 cup hot water, 2-3 tab of ground flax seed--stir and leave for 10 minutes

stirring occasionally during that period)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 & 1/4 cup of flour (I used Bob's all purpose gluten free)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp salt

3 cups quick cooking oats

1 cup chopped walnuts

2 tsp of vanilla (I FORGOT TO PUT THIS ON THIS BLOG)

Heat oven 325. Mix all together. Add nuts and mix more. Place on nonstick cookie sheet (I sprayed mine lightly). Bake 10-12 minutes---mix about 15 large cookies.

Note you can grind the flax seed with a coffee grinder.

easier one below:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/209910032619842275/

Meatless Chili--using few ingredients

This picture came out funny because I forgot to shut off the flash!!

I am posting this here because this takes just a few ingredients that I usually have on hand and it is good in a pinch. It only takes about 6 minutes to assemble and you cook it for 45 min to an hour. I do like adding a little salsa instead of the hot sauce and I think I would omit the turmeric (however turmeric is so good for you). Some cilantro might be a good addition. Found the basic recipe in the local newspaper (but they used oil instead of water and used 1 & 1/2 CANS of beans instead of 2). Makes 3-4 soup bowls when using 2 cans of beans.

Ingredients

1/4 cup water
4 cloves of garlic, chopped (or more if you like)
1 yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, chopped (or one from a fire roasted jar)
2 tsp chopped parsley
1 tab. chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp ground turmeric
salt and pepper to taste
2 cans (16 oz each) kidney beans, drained (reserve liquid)
2-3 tablespoons of tomato paste
hot sauce to taste (or salsa or picante sauce)
cilantro (optional)

Directions:

Place the water in a pot. Add the garlic, onion, red bell pepper, parsley, chili powder, cumin, paprika, turmeric, salt and pepper, until onions are tender. Stir in kidney beans. Stir in enough tomato paste to thicken it. Add hot sauce or salsa. Cook covered for about 45 minutes to an hour. Add some cilantro at the end if desired. (CELERY might also be good in this dish).

Pasta Ratatouilli

This was FULL OF GREAT FLAVOR--the combo of the veggies and seasonings and sauce was great. [of course this bowl was almost empty when I remembered to snap a picture, so it does not do it justice!!!]

We had a mixed greens salad with strawberries and walnuts to go with it.

For the Ratatouille:

4-5 zucchini squash, sliced

1 onion, sliced

1/2 pound of portebella mushrooms, sliced/chopped

1 large bell pepper

oregano

1 rounded tablespoon of minced garlic

Mrs. Dash Italian Seasoning

Balsamic vinegar

Olive oil

Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herbs Seasoning

Place veggies in a baking pan that has been lightly sprayed with olive oil. Sprinkle with all of the seasonings, a bit of balsamic vinegar, and some spritzes of olive oil. Cook at 400 degrees F. for about 30 minutes, stirring every ten minutes. Don't overcook--keep checking.

Cook the pasta---any kind.

Place the amount of pasta you desire in individual bowls and top with veggies, and some of the organic sauce (or whatever sauce you prefer). THE FLAVOR from THE SEASONED VEGGIES was great!!

Creamy Sage Butternut Squash with Pasta

Ok--I really like THIS-- I couldn't wait to try this. I made a creamy sage butternut squash in the post below found here:http://nannykimsrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/03/creamed-butternut-squash-with-fresh.html THIS WOULD PROBABLY BE GREAT STUFFED IN SHELLS TOO.

Ingredients:

The sauce in the post mentioned

pasta noodles of your choosing (cooked)

pinenuts

nutritional yeast or parmesian cheese

salt and pepper

You toss some of the sauce with some pasta (I used Gluten free Ziti and Spaghetti noodles) and you sprinkle a little nutritional yeast (or Parmesian Cheese) on it. Add salt and pepper. It is a great way to have squash!! Tastes similar to mac and cheese!! The sage goes so well with Butternut Squash. I also sprinkled some toasted pinenuts on top (this really added a lot more flavor)!!

We had a walnut/apple/greens salad too.

Creamed Butternut Squash with fresh sage

For some reason the picture turned on me!! This is the creamed Butternut squash with sage--I love its flavor!!! I placed a squash (This was a 2 pound squash--about 6 or 7 inches long by about 4 inch in the thickest part) cut in half with the seeds and strings taken out in a baking pan at 375 degrees faced down as seen in this picture. Cook for 30-45 minutes or until tender---it depends on how big it is. The outside will shrivel. This is one half---you cook both and use both halves. {Note--for a quick method you can split in half/ take seeds out/ microwave each half covered for 8 minutes or until fork tender!)

This is a picture of it turned face up after it was done.

While it is cooking you take 1 & 1/2 cups of soy milk (or whatever milk your family uses) and 1 & 1/2 tablespoons of Cornstarch. Mix together and then place in a pan with 10-15 sage leaves (my sage is still growing in 20 degree weather!!). Heat at medium to medium high heat intil it thickens. [stirring constantly]

Let the sage remain in the creamy mixture for a while to season it more fully. Remove sage and mix it with your baked squash (which you remove from the peeling). Add salt to taste.

This is great by itself , but I want to try it mixed in some pasta and topped with some roasted pinenuts. I may let you know how it turns out in a later post---aren't you excited? ;-)

Go here for adding it to pasta https://nannykimsrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/03/creamy-sage-butternut-squash-with-pasta.html?m=1

Dairy free, oil free, Gluten free Pumpkin Muffins

I used the same photo for the muffins in a few posts below because they look the same '-)
I tried making some without the oil or eggs because I am trying to follow the Mcdougall diet.
These came out wELL. They are good. They are very moist, especially when you put them in a ziplock bag!! ( NOTE::::: IF YOU CAN HAVE GLUTEN YOU CAN USE REGULAR FLOUR OR 1 & 1/2 CUP OF THE WHITE FLOUR AND 1/2 CUP OF THE WHOLE WHEAT)
Cooking Time: about 20 minutes

Ingredients:

3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
½ cup Raw Sugar
1 cup Mashed, cooked pumpkin (the kind with the sugar and spices already in it--pie ready}
1 ½ cups of Brown Rice Flour
½ cup Soy Flour
3 teaspoon Baking powder
1 teaspoon Baking soda
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
½ teaspoon Allspice
dash Salt
1 tsp Xanthan gum (OMIT IF YOU ARE NOT MAKING A GLUTEN FREE VERSION)
1½ oz Raisins (optional) --ie one of the little raisin boxes--individual ones
½ cup Chopped nuts ( walnuts or pecans)

Preheat oven to 350F .Place applesauce in bowl; add sugar and pumpkin. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in raisins and nuts. Fill paper-lined or greased muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350F (180C) degrees for 20 minutes ( or until done --watch carefully, I use a toothpick ). I used 6 large muffins --Rotate tins once to brown

For the other recipe with oil and eggs go here: http://nannykimsrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/02/gluten-free-pumpkin-muffins-yes.html

Vegetable and Bean Risotto (Better home and G)

This was good for a variety dish. I think I like the risotto here at this link a bit better: http://nannykimsrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/05/vegtable-risotto.html However the one pictured here does have beans--I used pinto, but think I would prefer the cannellini beans (which are sometimes hard to find here!).

Ingredients

3 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth (adding a bit of dry wine is good with this too)
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup arborio rice (I used basamati)
1 cup finely chopped zucchini
1 cup finely chopped carrots
1 15-ounce can white kidney (cannellini) beans or pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons snipped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley (I also added a few bunches of spinach)
Finely shredded Parmesan cheese (optional) (I used nutritional yeast instead)

1/2-1 teaspoon of dried Thyme (my addition)

Directions
1. In a medium saucepan bring broth to boiling. Reduce heat; simmer until needed. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan cook mushrooms, onion, and garlic in hot oil over medium heat about 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Add uncooked rice. Cook and stir about 5 minutes more or until rice is golden brown.

2. Slowly add 1 cup of the broth to the rice mixture, stirring constantly. Continue to cook and stir until liquid is absorbed. Add another 1/2 cup of the broth, the zucchini, and carrots to rice mixture, stirring constantly. Continue to cook and stir until liquid is absorbed. Add another 1 cup broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until the broth is absorbed. (This should take about 20 minutes.)

3. Stir the remaining 1/2 cup broth into rice mixture. Add Thyme. Cook and stir until rice is slightly creamy and just tender. Stir in beans and spinach and Parmesan cheese (or nutritional yeast); heat through. Sprinkle with parsley and additional cheese, if desired. Soy sauce is also good when serving.