Veggie Delight

Today I had my bestie, co-worker, calorie counting confidant, fellow veggie lover, and partner in crime when it comes to eating whatever we find in the fridge come over for dinner. I wanted to be creative and yet impress her  in a matter of  30minutes (to be honest I really wanted to impress her), so I decided to pull some of our favorites out of the pantry. The following creation was born, Gio (the previously described veggie freak) happened to love it, therefore, it had to earn its own altar in this blog. This is a really good one my fellow addicts. Composed of mainly vegetables I'm sure this is now one of my favorites. Please enjoy with caution your addiction might be born soon. Keep loving food!!

Makes 2 Servings
About  300 kcals/serving

Ingredients

1/2 of a medium Egg Plant
1/2 Mexican zucchini
1 medium red pepper
3oz of extra firm tofu
1 cup of black beans
2 cups baby spinach
1/2 med avocado
1 oz teese vegan mozzarella cheese
2 cups of cooked spaghetti squash
1 tbsp of chilli paste
1/2 lime
1tsp of diced garlic
1 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Recommended spices 

Garlic Powder
Onion Flakes
Pepper
Salt

Get your hands dirty:

To cook the spaghetti squash: 
Note: I usually cook my spaghetti squash on Sunday night, that way it is ready for me to use as I wish during the week. For this dish in particular I decided to serve the squash cold as a base . If you prefer food extra hot you can use it freshly out of the over or preheat it in the microwave.

- Cut the squash in half (length wise)
- Place in a cooking pan with 1 inch of water. Meat facing down
- Cover with foil paper and stick in the oven at 350F for about 1 hour or until fork tender

The rest of the dish: 
Start by mixing the chilli paste, lime juice, diced garlic, and soy sauce on a small container. Mix and set aside.

In a pan add the olive oil and let it get hot. After cutting the tofu in small thin squares add the tofu to the oil. Let cook for a minute and follow by adding the egg plant (cut the egg plant in bigger squares 1'x1'), if the pan gets dry don't be scared of adding some water to maintain some moisture. Add the onion flakes, some garlic salt, salt, and pepper. Once the egg plant is cooked add the rest of the veggies (pepper and zucchini) previously cut in small squares. When all your ingredients are hot add the previously made chili paste/lime combination to the mix and the black beans. When everything is hot and cooked add the spinach, remove from heat and allow to sit.

Serve over a bed of spaghetti squash and  top it with the avocado and cheese. Voila, you have created white magic.

P.S. I will really like to take the time to congratulate this Gio person who happens to be leaving soon to pursue the dream of any food lover: Holistic Cooking. I look forward to sharing the kitchen with you in March Gio! Pursue your dream, always smile and don't hesitate to make art in the pan. Food will be our way of life. I love you.