Beefless Broccoli & Mushroom with Zucchini and Tomato Stew

Yay!!! October is here and it's time for all the great things the end of the year brings.  Clear nights and beautifully colored leaves even here in the Monterey Bay.  This morning started out as most mornings. Opened my eyes to the sound of my soft alarm clock and got up to get dressed for a run.  Out the door by 5 AM.  I didn't have the best run but worked through it nonetheless.  Managed 5.5 miles in 55 minutes.

For breakfast I made my husband and I a couple of blended drinks.  I made him a vanilla, strawberry protein shake with almond milk and I had a chocolate-strawberry smoothie made with 1/2 banana and vega one chocolate protein powder.  This one was also made with almond milk.  I totally forgot to take a pic but I'm sure you can imagine what it would look like. 

For lunch I made my husband a plain Tofurky and Daiya cheese sandwich on whole wheat.  And for myself I made a giant salad pictured below dressed with a herb de Provence dressing I found at whole foods.  

For dinner- my plan was to make Gardein beefless and broccoli, but it has been so long since I had made it and since my husband was starving, i just threw some ingredients together and ended up with Gardein  beefless broccoli with a gravy sauce served over brown rice.  I served this with a dish of stewed zucchini and tomatoes that my mom used to make.  Mmmm, it took me back :)  The recipes are below.  

Zucchini and Tomato Stew

1 large tomato chopped

1/4 onion chopped

2 gloves of garlic diced

1 large zucchini chopped

2 teaspoons oil or water

Daiya cheese (optional)

Heat a medium sized deep pan over medium heat.  Add oil, wait a minute or so, until the oil is heated add all the ingredients and heat through.  Cover with lid and lower heat to low and cook for 10-15 minutes until zucchini has softened.  Add Daiya cheese and cover with lid, cheese will melt in a few minutes. 

Beefless Broccoli & Mushroom 

1 1/2 cups mushrooms, sliced

2 cups Broccoli florets or cauliflower florets 

1 bag Gardein Beefless tips

For sauce (basic gravy)

1 cup vegetable broth (better than bouillon vegetable base) this will be warm

2 tbs flour

2 tbs Earth Balance

In a large shallow pan, sauté mushrooms in a little bit of water and cook until soft.  Remove mushrooms from pan. Making roux for gravy: add flour and butter to pan and cook until the mixture turns color (pale to beige)  The mixture will also smell toasty.  Add broth and mix quickly to break down any lumps.  add the broccoli and cook for 5 minutes with lid.  Add Gardein and cook for an additional 10 minutes until Gardein is heated through.  Ready to serve

I served this over brown rice which I bought frozen from Trader Joe's.  

Sorry for the terrible pictures but I will be using my iPhone until my husband lets me borrow his fancy camera.  

Thanks for reading.