Vietnamese Vegetarian Pho

Recipe makes 2 servings.  1 serving = 1 Yellow, 1 Red, 1/2 Green

INGREDIENTS
1 large onion, peeled and halved
2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and halved lengthwise
3-inch cinnamon stick
2 whole cloves
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
4 cups water
2 teaspoons reduced sodium soy sauce
4 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 Yellow containers brown rice noodles, cooked
2 Red containers tofu, cubed and cooked in a pan with cooking spray
1/2 Green container mushrooms, sliced and cooked in a pan with cooking spray
1/2 Green container broccoli, cooked in a pan with cooking spray
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 lime
Few drops Sriracha sauce

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Char the onion and ginger over an open flame (holding with tongs) or directly under a broiler until slightly blackened, about 5 minutes on each side.  Rinse with water.

2.  In a large pot, dry-roast cinnamon, cloves, and coriander seeds over medium-low heat, stirring to prevent burning.  When you can smell the aroma of the roaster spices, add the water, soy sauce, carrots, and charred onion and ginger.

3.  Bring the broth to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.  Strain and keep hot until ready to serve.

4.  While the broth is simmering, place the noodles in a large bowl and cover with hot water.  Let stand for 20 to 30 minutes or until tender but still chewy.  Drain.

5.  To serve, divide the noodles in two portions.  Arrange the tofu, mushrooms and broccoli over noodles.  Ladle the broth between the two portions.  Top with green onions, cilantro, lime juice and Sriracha.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

1 serving = 1 Red, 1 Green, 1 Orange (for the sauce)

INGREDIENTS

1/2 Red container tofu, cut into tiny cubes

1 egg (can use a full red container of tofu if you don't want the egg), scrambled

1/4 Green container onions, chopped finely

1/4 Green container water chestnuts, chopped finely

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp pickled ginger, minced

1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce

1/2 tsp chili garlic sauce (or to taste)

1 tsp Hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tsp sesame oil

2 leaves romaine lettuce for wrapping

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat sesame oil in a wok or a pan.  Add onions, garlic and water chestnuts and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add in the tofu and scrambled egg and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

2.  Mix in the soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, and pickled ginger.  Cook for 5 minutes mixing frequently.

3.  Scoop the mixture into the lettuce leaves and enjoy!

Veggie "ranch" dip

Makes 2 servings.  Each serving = 0.5 Red containers

INGREDIENTS
1/2 red container plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1/2 red container 1% cottage cheese
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp fresh dill
1 tbsp fresh parsley
Pinch of salt and black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place all ingredients in blender and add 1 tbsp water.  Blend until smooth, adding additional water to achieve desired thickness.

2.  Eat with fresh vegetables (carrots, bell peppers, cucumber, broccoli)!

Vietnamese Salad

1 Serving = 2 Greens, 1 Orange (for the dressing)

INGREDIENTS
1.5 Green containers raw veggies (I use cucumber, broccoli, red bell pepper)
0.5 Green containers finely diced radish and carrot (I put pieces of the carrot and radish in my Vitamix and just pulse it until they are in small pieces.  I measure the 1/2 Green after I have made them into pieces)
2 Tbsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp mustard
1 tsp hot sauce (I use Sriracha)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 tsp low sodium soy sauce

INSTRUCTIONS
1.  Mix the finely diced radish and carrots with the vinegar, honey and salt.  Place in fridge and allow it to sit for at least 20 minutes for the flavors to mix!

2.  Mix the mustard and hot sauce together.

3.  Put all the veggies on a plate and top with the radish/carrot mixture.  Then drizzle the mustard/hot sauce mixture over the vegetables.  Top the entire salad with the chopped cilantro and green onions.  Finally, drizzle the soy sauce all over the salad.

Thai Coconut Curry

1 Serving = 1 Blue, 1 Green, 1 Red

INGREDIENTS
1 blue container unsweetened coconut milk (there are about 5 blue containers worth of coconut milk in one 13.5oz can, so you can make 5 servings of this at a time using one can of coconut milk and then portion it out!)
1 green container veggies of your choice (I usually use broccoli, mushrooms, red bell peppers, onions, and bok choy)
1 red container cubed tofu
1 tsp of red curry paste
1 tsp low sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp chili garlic sauce (or to taste)

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Bring the coconut milk, red curry paste, soy sauce, and chili garlic sauce to a boil.

2.  Add in the veggies and tofu and mix well.  Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and let cook for about 10 minutes.

3. Serve over brown rice for one extra yellow!

Squash and Tofu Soup

1 Serving = 2 Green, 1 Red and 1 tsp

INGREDIENTS
1.5 Green containers cooked (steamed) squash of any type (summer, acorn, butternut, etc.)
1 Red container cubed tofu
0.5 Green container onions, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp olive oil
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Cook onions in olive oil until translucent.  Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

2. Place onion/garlic mixture along with the cooked squash and tofu in a blender and add in the salt and pepper.  Add 1 cup water.  Blend until smooth.

3. Place blended soup in a pot and heat, covered, for about 10 minutes.

Falafel

This recipe makes 2 servings.
For vegetarians, each serving = 1.5 Greens, 1.5 Reds, 1 Yellows, 1 Orange
For non-vegetarians, each serving = 1.5 Greens, 0.5 Reds, 2 Yellows, 1 Orange

INGREDIENTS

For the falafel balls:
1 Green container onions, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves
2 Red containers chick peas, drained and washed
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp coconut flour

For the chutney:
2 Orange containers sesame seeds
1 Red container plain Greek yogurt
5 slices pickled mild jalapeno peppers (from a jar)
1 tbsp vinegar from the jalapeno jar

For the salad:
1/2 Green container cucumber, cubed
1/2 Green container tomato, cubed

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Put the onions and garlic in a food processor and pulse until finely minced.  Remove the mixture and set it aside.

2. Put the chick peas, parsley, cilantro, salt, chili powder and cumin in the food processor and pulse until they are roughly blended but not pureed.

3. Return the onion mixture back to the food processor along with the baking powder and flour.  Pulse until well combined.

4. Transfer the falafel mixture to a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least one hour.

5. While the falafel mixture is chilling, make the chutney.  Put all the ingredients for the chutney in a blender and blend until smooth.

6. Once the falafel mixture has chilled, roll the mixture into 2-inch balls and press into a patty.

7. Spray a pan with non-stick cooking spray and preheat the pan to low-medium heat.  Place the falafel patties onto the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side.

How I like to eat this: I stuff the patties in half of a whole wheat pita along with the cucumber/tomato salad and pour on the yogurt chutney.  I also add a few drops of spicy chili garlic sauce (store bought) for some extra heat!