My Favorite Recipes From Last Year - M Loves M (2024)

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Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

45 mins

Salad

• 1medium head romaine lettucechopped
• 3medium carrotsjulienned and chopped into bite-sized pieces (1½ cups/375 mL)
• 1medium red bell peppersseeded and diced, or 1¼ cups (300 mL) diced cucumber
• 4green onionsthinly sliced (⅔ cup/150 mL)
• ⅓cup75 mL chopped fresh cilantro or basil leaves
• Cast-Iron Tofurecipe below
• Roasted Tamari Almondsrecipe below
• Thai Almond Butter Saucerecipe below

Cast-Iron Tofu

• 112- to 16-ounce/340 to 450 g block firm or extra-firm tofu
• 3teaspoons15 mL avocado oil, grapeseed oil, or olive oil
• 1teaspoon5 mL garlic powder
• ¼teaspoon1 mL fine sea salt
• ¼teaspoon1 mL onion powder (optional)

Roasted Tamari Almonds

• ½cup125 mL raw almonds, finely chopped
• 1tablespoonplus 1 teaspoon20 mL low-sodium tamari or coconut aminos

Thai Almond Butter Sauce

• 1large or 2 small cloves garlic
• 2 to 3teaspoons10 to 15 mL grated fresh ginger, to taste
• ¾cup175 mL smooth homemade almond butter or store-bought
• 3 to 4tablespoons45 to 60 mL fresh lime juice, to taste
• 2tablespoons30 mL low-sodium tamari or coconut aminos, or more to taste
• 3 to 4 ½teaspoons15 to 22 mL pure maple syrup, to taste
• ⅛teaspoon0.5 mL cayenne pepper, or to taste (optional)
• 2 to 6tablespoons30 to 90 mL water, as needed to thin

Salad

1. Place the romaine in a large salad bowl, or divide it among four individual bowls.

2. Add the carrot, bell pepper, green onion, cilantro, tofu, and almonds.

3. Serve the Thai Almond Butter Sauce on the side and drizzle it over the salads just before serving.

Cast Iron Tofu

1. Press the tofu overnight, or for at least 30 minutes.

2. Slice the pressed tofu into 9 or 10 rectangles ½ inch (1 cm) thick and then slice each rectangle into 6 squares, to make a total of 54 to 60 tofu pieces.

3. Heat a large cast-iron (for nonstick) skillet over medium-high heat for several minutes.

4. In a large bowl, combine the tofu with 1½ teaspoons (7 mL) of the oil. Gently stir until all the tofu is coated. Stir in the garlic powder, salt, and onion powder (if using).

5. When a drop of water gently sizzles on the skillet, the skillet is hot enough. Carefully add the remaining 1 ½ teaspoons (7 mL) oil and tilt the skillet to coat it evenly with the oil. Add the tofu to the pan in a single layer (be careful, as the oil might splatter-- use a splatter guard, if desired), making sure all the pieces lay flat against the skillet. If your skillet is too small to cook all the tofu at once, work in batches.

6. Cook the tofu on one side for 4 to 7 minutes, until you have a golden crust with some speckled brown spots (the crust should be about 1/16 inch/ 1.5 mm in thickness). With a fork, flip each piece and cook for 4 to 5 minutes more, until golden. Serve immediately; the tofu crust will soften as it cools.

Roasted Tamari Almonds

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, toss the almonds with the tamari until the almond pieces are fully coated. Spread the almonds over the prepared baking sheet in an even layer.

3. Roast the almonds for 9 to 12 minutes, until lightly golden. The tamari will have dried up.

4. Let cool completely on the pan. The almonds will harden up as they cool. Using a spoon, scrape the almonds off the parchment paper and enjoy! Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of weeks

Thai Almond Butter Sauce

1. In a food processor, process the garlic until they are finely chopped.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth. Add the water to thin the sauce to your desired consistency-- start with 2 tablespoons (30 mL) and work from there. The sauce will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days.

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Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

30 mins

Cookies

• 3tablespoons45 mL virgin coconut oil, softened
• ½cup125 mL lightly packed brown sugar
• ⅓cup75 mL unsweetened pumpkin purée
• ½teaspoon2 mL pure vanilla extract
• 2teaspoons10 mL ground cinnamon
• 2teaspoons10 mL ground flax
• ¾teaspoon4 mL ground ginger
• ½teaspoon2 mL baking soda
• ½teaspoon2 mL freshly grated nutmeg
• ⅛teaspoon0.5 mL ground cloves
• Dash of ground cardamom
• ¼teaspoon1 mL fine sea salt
• 1cup250 mL whole-grain or white/ light spelt flour

Coconut Whipped Cream

• 114-ounce/400 mL can full-fat coconut milk
• 1 to 2tablespoons15 to 30 mL sweetener (maple syrup, powdered sugar, cane sugar, etc.), to taste
• 1vanilla beanseeds scraped, or ½ teaspoon (2 mL) pure vanilla extract (optional)

Cookies

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl using electric beaters, beat together the coconut oil, sugar, pumpkin, and vanilla until smooth.

3. Add the cinnamon, ground flax, ginger, baking soda, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, and salt. Beat until combined. Add the flour and beat again until combined. The dough should be moist and easy to roll into balls.

4. Shape the dough into large balls, about 2 packed tablespoons (30 mL) each. Place the balls 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheet. Do not flatten the balls, or the cookies will not be as fluffy.

5. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the cookies have puffed up. Some might be lightly cracked on the surface.

6. Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

7. Pipe Coconut Whipped Cream onto the cookies, if desired (make sure they are completely cool or the cream will melt). Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days or freeze them for up to 2 weeks.

Coconut Whipped Cream

1. Chill the can of coconut milk in the fridge for at least 24 hours.

2. About 1 hour before making the whipped cream, chill a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer in the freezer.

3. Open the can and scoop the solid white coconut cream into the chilled bowl. Discard the coconut water or save it for another use (such as coconut water ice cubes).

4. Using electric beaters or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the cream until fluffy and smooth. Add the sweetener and vanilla bean seeds (if using), and beat again.

5. Cover the whipped cream and return it to the fridge until ready to use. It will firm up when chilled and soften at room temperature. The whipped coconut cream will keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week, or you can freeze it in a freezer bag for up to 1 month. After chilling in the fridge, let sit at room temperature until it softens slightly and then rewhip it as needed.