Polenta with Kale & Beans

Confession: I have been a little slack on the blogging. Reality: I have still been cooking up a storm. I have six dishes waiting, longing, yearning to be blogged. But as a result of having some sort of cold and or flu the last few days cooking the food is about all the energy I have. Mustering up some energy for a little photo shoot this afternoon, revolving around yes, food! I'm very excited to do this!! Okay, so hopefully there will be a steady roll out of posts this week because I have a lot to post. 

This dish was something I was eagerly waiting to make. Not really sure why. Probably the balsamic reduction!! And yes, I mean the reduction that almost killed us. I've never made a balsamic reduction before so I'm not sure if this is true for everyone else...but the "burn off" was potent! Al refused to go into the kitchen, and I knew I had to cause I already started the process. Which took about an hour, FYI so I was invested and committed to it. Turned out great, but yeah, painful. Ha! And my polenta turned out a bit funky too. I didn't have much coarse polenta was the thing, and I didn't want to mix it with fine ground cornmeal. I don't know. I was experimenting to say the least. But it turned out great. The kale and beans with the balsamic...pretty sure I could eat that daily. So good. It'll probably become a nice little side for us in the future. 

Also, yes, for those of you on pinterest, that is the infamous pinterest potato. Thought I'd try it, worked great. Go figure.

INGREDIENTS:

polenta, sliced

olive oil

crushed red pepper flakes(optional)

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 bunch of kale, chopped

1 can of white beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup of vegetable broth

salt and pepper

balsamic vinegar

*Heat a splash of olive oil and flakes in a skillet on medium-high, brown the polenta slices and set aside.

*In a stock pot, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat and the garlic until the garlic is nice and aromatic. Toss in the kale and cook until wilted, about 6 minutes. Add in the broth and beans. Heat through and make sure the kale is nice and tender. Stir in s&p and balsamic to taste. (I used only a splash of balsamic at this point.)

*Plate up the polenta, top with kale and beans, drizzle with more balsamic. Enjoy!

Veggie & Garbanzo Bean Curry

Tonights dinner, well lets just say it was kind of a last minute change of plans. All day I kept thinking it was Friday-not sure why. But my thought process when cooking on Friday is not like that of Sunday-Thursday. See, on those days, I'm always keeping Al in mind. Leftovers for lunch that is. So I changed it up and made this tonight instead of tomorrow. And tonights dish(its a doosey)will be made tomorrow.

This is yet another inspiration from the vegan stoner blog. Al is mad in love with curry. The boy could eat it, like always. When he came home from work he was hungry, which is totally the norm. Usually we eat dinner around 5:30, depending on the day. But this was going to take a bit longer. Mainly because my motivation for making it didn't start until later and also because I decided to make naan. For the first time. Ever. Not that it turned out to be terribly difficult, just a little more time consuming. I'll toss out the naan recipe some time in the not so distant future. Back to the curry. It was made, it was consumed, it was good. Wish I would have had some more yogurt, could have been a little more saucy. Next time! So I'm doubling what I used as far as yogurt goes.

INGREDIENTS:
olive oil
2 green bell peppers, chopped
3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
12 oz plain greek yogurt
4 tbls curry powder
1 teas garlic powder
prepared brown rice

*Heat olive oil in a medium pot, add carrots and peppers. Cook for a few minutes and then add in beans, yogurt, curry, and garlic powder.
*Mix and cook until veggies are soft.
*Serve with brown rice.

Lentil Loaf

Today I am thankful for my parents. I got to pick them up from the airport today, they were off escaping the winter by golfing in Arizona for the past week. I got to puppy sit for their dog-loved having another animal in the house. But back to what I'm thankful for, my parents...there really isn't much to say except that I was once an unruly teenager and now, finally, at the age of 25 I can say that I am friends with my parents.

I'm going to call this dish a work in progress. I loosely followed the recipe from this vegan blog. When I make this again in an (inevitable) week or two, I will most likely put 2/3 in a food processor and blend. This is because I had some consistency issues. I would also add a little more ketchup into the mix....I've accounted for that in this recipe. But taste wise...fantastic. Al asked if I put "meatloaf spice" on it. HA! Oh, he'll be a vegetarian yet! :]

INGREDIENTS:
1 bag lentils, cooked
1 onion, chopped
1/2 a sleeve of ritz crackers, crushed
1/2 bag of frozen veggie mix(carrots, peas, and beans)
1/4 cup apple sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1 teas garlic powder

*Heat oven to 350.
*Put lentils, onions, veggies, apple sauce, and ketchup in a large bowl. Mix well adding the garlic powder and crackers.
*Process a portion in the food processor. Mix back together.
*Pack in a loaf pan, top with ketchup. Cook in the oven for 45-50 min.
*Enjoy!

White Bean Dip

Today I am thankful for YOU! Cheesy? Perhaps. But seriously. I started this blog about 5 or 6 weeks ago because people seemed to be enjoying the things I was eating for dinner. I never thought that in such a short time I would already be at 589 views!! Mind blowing! So thank you to all of you who read this faithfully, or you catch a dish every now and then or hey, thanks to you if this is the first time you've been here!! This is becoming a fun little hobby. And really for me, its kind of like a digital recipe book to go back to things I've made. Its just that all of you get to come here too.

Bonus: today you will learn a little more about me and my husband. Ahem. For us, life is...at the core, all about Christ. Our relationship is based with Him at the center. Al and I go to this really amazing home church. We meet at our pastors house each Sunday. We've been going for the past few years and couldn't have found more amazing people to fellowship with. Each week I usually try to whip up something to snack on. A few of us do. Its funny how one week we all bring sugar-loaded-desserts, the next crunchy-salty-snacks, and then the next we all cut up fruit. Ha! Remember the Apple Donuts, those were a huge hit there. Anyways, this is something I brought this past Sunday.

I am all about hummus. I make it all the time and we use it on everything. But a girl can use a break sometimes. Hence, a white bean dip. (I can hear the ooo's and ahh's now) This was born out of a simple concept...substitute what type of bean you are using normally. But then I had to experiment with the herbs. Result, a rosemary and thyme spread. I toasted up some thin slices of french bread to smother in the stuff. Delicious. Also, I made it in a hurry Sunday morning...so, umm, I hope I'm remembering all that went into it!!

INGREDIENTS:
1 can white beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup water
1 tbls lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbls grated parmesan
1 teas rosemary
1 teas thyme
1/2 teas black pepper

*Place all ingredients in a food processor.
*Process. :)

Quinoa Tostadas

Today I am thankful for organization. Now, this thankful moment I'm having is two fold. I'm thankful for having an organized room, things put in their place, everything neat and tidy. When and if that happens-I love it! Its effort but such a weight off when all is said and done. Secondly, I'm thankful for event type things that are organized. When you have a group of people that are doing something, going somewhere, all pitching in on something...when things run smooth that my friends is a blessing. Because so often there are bumps along the way. So here's to being organized, getting organized or aspiring towards organization.

Okay, so for those who have come here a time or two, remember the Quinoa Stuffed Peppers? Well this is using the base of that! We fell head over heals for the filling to those peppers and this is the second go-'round that couldn't come any sooner. This time I went the route of a tostada. I bought some small corn tortillas which I baked in the oven till crispy, saving some calories from going the frying in oil route. The assembly line went as follows: crispy tostada, slathered with refried beans(from a can, I wasn't that ambitious tonight), sprinkled with lettuce, covered in the quinoa mix, and topped with a few slices of avocado. YUM! The crispy tortilla really did the trick. All in all, a great use for this. Four thumbs up from the Reich's.

Tuesday Choupi

Last night proved to be a fun one in the kitchen. I've mentioned it before, but Tuesdays often end up being a soup day. Making something you can have over the next few days. This one ended up being spur of the moment, spontaneous if you will. I'm calling it the Tuesday Choupi. Choupi, being a cross between a chili and a soup. Its hearty like a chili, but not quite all there to put it in such a category. I was tossing in things left and right. "Oh, I have a few potatoes!" & "Lets put in carrots!!" may have been things I said. This dish has some kick to it, so feel free to modify the spice down to your liking. It makes a ton! My pot was simmering to the brim with this concoction. And not gonna lie, it turned out awesome. Once again, when Al came home, he inhaled a huge portion. Gotta love him.

TIP:
I am constantly using chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in my dishes. Not wanting the to waste a whole can, try this out for size. Take the whole can when you first need it and throw it in a food processor, process until nice and smooth. Use what you need the first time, and then put the rest in a ziplock baggie, place in the freezer. It makes it so easy to then, when you need it, break off a chunk and use! An extra step the first time around and a super time saver all subsequent times!

INGREDIENTS:
olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
1 bell pepper, chopped
salt and pepper
2 tbls chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, food processed
2 tbls ground cumin
1 tbls ground corriander
1 tbls chili powder
1 teas oregano
1 4 oz can diced jalapenos
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
water(refill the tomato can with water, dump in...twice)
4 russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 cans of white beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup bulgur

*In a LARGE pot, heat a bit of olive oil over medium-high. Add in the onion and garlic, sweat out for 3 or 4 mins. Throw in the carrot and bell pepper, throw in some s&p and cook until the veggies are tender. Sprinkle on all the seasonings and the chipotle peppers as well as the diced jalapenos. Work together so everything is covered in spicy goodness.
*Pour in the can of diced tomatoes in their juices. Refill the empty can with water, pour in and do it one more time. Adding in a total of 2 cans of water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add in the potatoes and let it boil for 5 min and then reduce heat to a solid simmer, place the cover over the pot, tilted.
*Add in the beans and continue to simmer for about 10 mins, again mostly covered. Then add in the bulger. Simmer for another 10 min with the cover fully on, check to see if the bulger and potatoes are done. As soon as they are...serve!

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Oh. My. Good food! So I'm not a mom yet, but I know I'm going to be one of those moms who quietly hides veggies in food unannounced to the little mouths that will eat it. That is unless they come out like their mama, aka veggie loving! This is seriously a dish that is jam packed with awesomeness. In my pursuit of all things nummy, I scour the web and the growing stack of cookbooks I have for ideas. This one caught my eye and my taste buds wanted at it! I've made stuffed peppers before, but this one takes the cake. The combination of everything in it seriously wanders close to the line of perfection. I used poblano peppers this time, I might try good old bell peppers next time...its just hard when they're so expensive. Not to mention I got some mighty good sized poblanos this week. On a spicy scale from 1-10 this ranks at a "I noticed there was something there". But we love ourselves some spice here at the Reich household. (So we topped it with a little chopped jalapeno!) We ended up with extra filling, I only had 3 peppers, so I'm freezing it to use for a burrito filling the next time we are in need of an insta-meal. And like I said before, check out all the great super foods packed into these delicious peppers...

INGREDIENTS:

4 or 5 peppers(poblano or bell)
2 tbls olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 tbls chili powder
1 tbls cumin
1 teas oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
a generous handful of spinach
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup frozen corn
1 large carrot, grated
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup shredded cheese
salt & pepper

*Heat oil in a large pot, over medium-high. Add in the onion and cook for 5 mins. Then add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, and garlic and saute for about a minute.
*Toss in the spinach and tomatoes, cook off some of the extra liquids for 5 mins. Then add in the black beans, quinoa, corn, carrots, and water. Bring to a boil then reduce to a medium to medium-low heat. Simmer for about 20 mins or until the quinoa is cooked.
*Stir in the cheese and s&p.
*Take your peppers and cut them in half from top to bottom. Strip out the seeds and ribs. Stuff with the hot quinoa mix. Place in a baking dish with tinfoil tented over the top. Put in a 375 degree oven for 30-35 mins.
*Remove tinfoil and top with a little bit of extra cheese, place back in the oven for another 5 mins. Serve and enjoy to your little hearts content!

Chunky Chili

I want to start out with a confession. I am sad to say the vegan diet was broke a meal short of a full week. ::sigh:: We ended up eating with family yesterday and we ended up eating....chinese. I can't bat an eye at mongolian beef without desiring all of its saucy-ness. Unashamed we dined and chatted and enjoyed ourselves. Really enjoyed ourselves, and by that I mean went back for seconds. Uffda, now that that's off my chest I can move on.

To tonights main dish, er just dish. Chili! And since the above mentioned relapse happened, I thought it appropriate to jump back in with an "almost" vegan dinner. You're probably thinking....its either vegan, or its not. This would fall under the category of vegetarian not vegan simply because the meat crumbles that I used are alas, not vegan. They contain egg product.......or something, and milk too I believe. Anyways, I just about doubled this recipe by adding in more beans and veggies and tomatoes because left over chili is as good as just made chili-if not better. So this makes a TON of chili. For reals. We found this recipe to be absolutely terrific and enjoyed every bite of our obscenely large bowls.

 INGREDIENTS:
1 tbls olive oil
3 onions, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
12 oz of vegan/vegetarian burger crumbles
1 tbls chili powder
2 tbls cumin
2 teas cayenne
2 bell peppers, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
2 cans (28 oz) diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups corn
2 cans of kidney beans
1 can of black beans
1 can of large butter beans
3/4 cup medium-grind bulger
salt and pepper

*Heat oil in a large pot, over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, crumbles, chili powder, cumin and cayenne. Cook for about 5 min until the vegetables are soft. Stir in the bell peppers and jalapeno and work that together for a minute. Then add in the tomatoes with their liquids and water. Bring it to a boil and then add the corn, beans, and bulger. Dropped the heat down to medium-low and cook uncovered for about 15-20 min. Season, if desired with s&p.

Roasted Garbanzo Beans

In my many failed attempts to go against my natural tendencies, I have resolved that: I love to eat food! So, that brings me to finding things to eat that aren't a bazillion calories, loaded with sugar or salt, or any of those other taboo things. Especially when it comes to munching on stuff...cause man, do I love to munch! Among my findings are these bad boys...roasted garbanzo beans. And yeah, they aren't exactly the lowest calorie option, but they are packed with protein and fiber. Now, I am one that currently has 8 cans of garbanzo beans, otherwise knowns as chick peas, in my corner cabinet. I'm the hummus queen, self-proclaimed of course. (I'll share one of those recipes soon I'm sure.) Basically I'm not usually without a can or two. So this was an easy thing for that reason and the fact that, well its really easy to make. They come out as this crunchy-munchy-snack that you can season to your own liking. For instance, last time I leaned towards crushed red-pepper and paprika. This go 'round was cumin, cayenne and salt. You could do straight s&p, maybe some garlic and salt, or change it up and choose something sweeter, say cinnamon sugar. The saying is true...too each their own. My oven has some hot spots, so I had to mess around with the beans a few times so certain ones weren't burning. And I also like them slightly chewy on the inside...its really about playing around and figuring out what you like. I've also tried seasoning before they go in the oven and after...again, both work.

INGREDIENTS:
garbanzo beans(I do each batch with 2 cans)
olive oil

optional:
seasonings (whatever you like!)

*Heat oven to 400.
*Rinse and drain the beans, pat dry between some paper towels.
*Toss in some olive oil and lay flat on a cookie sheet.
*Place in the pre-heated oven for about 35-40 minutes, until they are nice and golden and crunchy.
*Remove and season.