Protein-Packed Spicy Orzo

Ingredients

2 cups orzo

2 cups snow peas

1 pkg firm tofu, drained, rinsed, & cubed

1 can corn, drained & rinsed

1 can aduki beans, drained & rinsed

1 can black olives, drained & rinsed

1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds

Marinade

2 Tbs Braggs liquid amino (soy sauce)

1 tsp garlic aioli mustard (Trader Joes)

2 tsp maple syrup

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cumin

Sauce

1 cup vegan cream cheese (Follow Your Heart)

3 cloves garlic, pressed

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp freshly cracked pepper

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Mix marinade ingredients together, coat tofu, place tofu on parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through.

3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add orzo, cook 8-10 minutes, add snow peas the last minute, and drain.

4. While the orzo is cooking, mix the sauce ingredients together, once the orzo is done, add the sauce to the warm pasta and mix well.

5. Add remaining ingredients to the cooked orzo and mix well.

This was a random creation that I came up with for supper tonight and luckily it turned out great! Eric and I definitely overate because it was so tasty that it was hard to stop eating. This recipe makes a lot of pasta, which is great because then you will have lots of leftovers for lunch the next day. I love cooking with orzo because it is so comforting and it tastes great warm or cold. It felt good to get back to cooking tonight because I have been really busy and sick for the last week so I didn't have the time or energy to cook much. This recipe was super easy to whip up and it is also very healthy. I thought I would call this recipe "protein-packed" because there are 3 different protein sources: the tofu, pumpkin seeds, and the aduki beans. I highly recommend trying aduki beans, which is an easy to digest mild bean. I always like to try something different and it makes the dish more special. This was my first time using the vegan cream cheese and I don't think it will be my last. I don't think I would eat it plain, but when you doctor it up with spices it tastes great and you can feel better because you don't have all the fat and cholesterol like you would have in regular cream cheese.