I love cooking for one

I never understood why some people say they just don't think it's worth the trouble to cook just for themselves. It's one of my favorite things to do. Lately, I've been finding all sorts of ways to cook yummy things without animal products of any kind. No, I have not totally made a declaration of true veganism, but I find I'm so happy and guilt-free when I know I've made food choices that are better for me, for the environment, and most certainly for the animals of the world!

Here are two dishes I made recently that came out GREAT:

Quinoa, Kale and Cherry Tomato Pilaf

1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups water
1 veggie bouillon cube
1 bunch of kale, torn into small pieces
1 dozen or so cherry tomatoes, cut into halves or quarters

This is ridiculously quick and easy. You may rinse the quinoa, sometimes unrinsed quinoa is a little bitter. You basically throw everything in a pot, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 15 or 20 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed. Fluff it up with a fork and chow down! It's high in protein (quinoa is a complete protein), calcium, iron, all sorts of goodness, and basically fat-free.


Inari Stuffed with Rice and Veggies

Ok, this one's a little more complicated, so I'm not going to type out the whole recipe, but basically I made sushi rice and mixed it with seasoning and veggies, then stuffed it inside fried, marinated tofu pockets (inarizushi-no-moto). The tofu pockets come from the Asian grocery, and come in a can of about 16 pieces. I have done this with various veggie combinations, like edamame, green onions, and nori fumi furikake (a japanese rice seasoning). This time I went all out (and wanted to use up some veggies that were sitting around, so I used avocado, cucumber, green onions, carrots, shitake mushrooms (sauteed in peanut oil, ginger & soy sauce), and the aforementioned furikake seasoning.

These are so good, I ate several during the stuffing process, brought 5 to work with me for lunch the following day, then finished the rest off when I got home from work. They can be dipped in soy sauce, or just eaten as is. The only downside is the prepared tofu is made with MSG (apparently that's the "no-moto" part), which I would rather avoid, though it doesn't seem to give me headaches or anything. If anyone knows where to get non-msg inarizushi - a longshot, I realize, given my huge audience - let me know!