Puttanesca Scramble and Two-Step Southwestern Stew

This weekend was supposed to be sunny and pleasant. This weekend ended up being chilly, gray, and drizzly :( Boo! However, we didn't let it stop us from getting outside. In fact, both my hubby and I thought it would be a perfect time to go kayaking on the pond near our house!

My son is stubborn and independent...just like his Mommy and Daddy! He insisted on handling the paddle by himself quite often during our hour-and-a-half outing. It gave my hubby the opportunity to wave and pose for pictures while my son handled the rowing duties. Sometimes it's hard to believe my son is only 27 months old! We're so happy that he loves being outside and active.

All that unexpected kayaking made me super hungry! I was already starting to think about lunch options before we even got off our kayaks. I knew we didn't have any leftovers from last night, so no luck there. I was craving some tofu or tempeh - something, well, meaty! - after all of that paddling around. By the time we got back to our house, I was a starving, raving lunatic so I grabbed a container of tofu and my copy of Vegan Brunch and looked for the quickest, easiest tofu scramble recipe I could find. I struck gold with the Puttanesca Scramble, which could be made in approximately 15 minutes with mostly pantry ingredients. It has tomatoes, capers, and olives, and it was deliciously salty and succulent. I didn't have quite enough fresh tomatoes, so I subbed in some jarred roasted red peppers. My hubby and I finished off the entire batch in one sitting, along with a side of steamed spinach. It was fabulous and couldn't have been easier to make!

Thankfully, I had already prepared the brown rice and Green Onion-Miso Vinaigrette for last night's dinner, so throwing together the Sushi Roll Edamame Salad from Appetite for Reduction took almost no time at all. And it was really, really great - spinach, shredded carrot, shredded cucumber, sesame seeds, avocado, edamame, and brown rice, drizzled with a tasty dressing. Unfortunately, for the life of me, I cannot locate the pictures I took (??) I'm positive I took pictures. I think they went to lost-photo-land, though :( Sad me. The salad was gorgeous!

I do have pictures of tonight's dinner, though - Two-Step Southwestern Stew from Vegetarian Times, and Grandma's Cornbread Made Vegan from VegWeb. I had already made the cornbread a few weeks ago and stuck it in the freezer, so all I had to do was pull it out and let it thaw out for a few minutes. This cornbread tastes great fresh or frozen, so I often will make extra and freeze it.

This stew takes 15 minutes to make - it's simply some fresh zucchini and onion, along with canned diced tomatoes, hominy, and kidney beans. It's great for those nights when you want something quick and nutritious! My son gobbled up his stew and lots of cornbread, so I'll be making this again :)