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.

French Onion Soup

I am not even sure why I made this soup today. I mean, it is soup season, we are well into October...right? But wait, it hit 80 degrees again today...what's that about?!? Seriously warmest fall I can remember. I guess my innards really want it to be fall so they can experience all the cozy-warm-things that come with this time before the world(ahem, the northland)goes snow white. So I made soup. Yepper doodle, I did. Found this on another blog actually, called (never home)maker. Fairly snazzy looking blog if you ask me. So anywho, I made it and it was well worth the effort. Its not that its super hard, just a bit time consuming. And tears, lots and lots of tears. The soup honestly turned out amazing! I wish I had enough to share with everyone right now, cause I would! I am drooling at the thought of how awesome it would be with melty melty cheese all up on top though. Ugh! But seriously, doesn't need it. We were going to have soup and salad for dinner but got caught up in the wonderment that is this soup and forgot about the salads. Oh well. I would like to note that I didn't have vegetable broth on hand, so I just made the equivalent with some veg bouillon cubes and it turned out fine. And the bread I used was some wheat that I had made a few days earlier in the week, I cut into big cubes and toasted the bread in the oven so it was like big croutons.

INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs of yellow onions, sliced
2 tbls olive oil
1 tbls maple syrup
salt & pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teas ground coriander
8 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
bread, cubed

*Heat 2 tbls of olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the onions and let them cook for about 10 mins, stirring often. Once softened add maple syrup and s&p. Stirring well, mindful of the temp you don't want to burn the onions, for 20 mins. You want the onions to be golden. Add garlic, coriander, and broth. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer for 30 mins.
*About 20 min after boil, heat the 1/4 cup of olive oil in a pan on medium-low heat. Add the flour to the oil and stir continuously for 10 minutes. The flower should become a deep brown and smell kind of nutty.
*Add the roux to the soup and simmer for another 5 or so mins. Serve with the bread.

Veggie Filled Pita & Fries

Dinners on Friday nights usually happen a little earlier and are gobbled up pretty quick. Cause its football season, and that means we are on the field. Well I'm down on the field snapping photos and Al is up in the box taping the game. We're such nerds...its true. That's a whole 'nother point though. This is all about the veggie filled pita! And fries! Tonights dish highlighted the loveliness that is: avocado. Finding vegan condiments and "cheeses" that aren't crazy imitations of regular condiments or...cheese is my ultimate goal. And yes there are ones out there. But I'm all about using stuff that satisfies, like avocados. They are buttery in consistency and mighty tasty if you ask me. Carrots were another highlight of the sandwich, I used peelings to offer a different texture, and loved it. The fries are another staple in the house. Normally they are sweet potato fries, but that would have been a bit much considering they were consumed multiple other times this week.

There's no real recipe to the wrap, I just used a whole wheat pita and the following veggies filled it: spinach, carrots, red peppers, onions, and avocado. Badda bing! Badda bomb! Done! And the fries are simply cut, dressed in olive oil, salt, pepper, and paprika and put in a 400 degree oven for a bout 45-50 minutes, until crispy. The trick is to put them on a cooling rack on the cookie sheet. That way they are off the sheet and all sides can crisp up, no flipping necessary!

Sweet Potato Falafel

A sweet potato dish again? Yes ma'am, and I'm okay with that. What I really appreciated about tonights dinner was that I was able to prep it all this afternoon. I had a photo shoot tonight and we were heading out and would be gone until closer to seven, so I knew I wasn't going to want to make anything then. With these falafels I was able to prep it all and then go off on our way, come back, pop them in the oven for 20 minutes and plate up the rest of the dinner. Like I'm a pro or something. Uhmmm, yeah, more like not a pro tonight. Not the falafel that was great. I was trying to come up with something to serve it with, having well, not many options in the fridge. I had broccoli and cherry tomatoes that I needed to use. So I found a little salad recipe and thought, let's go for it. Well, as I told Al when he finished his meal with almost all the salad I had served him left on his plate....you can't hit 'em all out of the park. And let me tell you, that kid has never not finished something I put in front of him. It just wasn't our style. I think it may have been the rice vinegar. It was a bit too potent. After I had a few bites I was fine and was definitely a member of the clean plate club tonight. But I don't think I'll make it again....the salad that is. So falafel, yay...broccoli & tomato salad, nay.

INGREDIENTS:
(falafel)
3 medium sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
1 1/2 teas ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 teas ground coriander
1/2 a bunch of cilantro, chopped
juice of a lemon
1 cup garbanzo bean flour
salt & pepper
olive oil
sesame seeds

*In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients up through salt and pepper. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour, should come out kinda sticky still. If its too moist add a little more garbanzo bean flour. Sometimes the sweet potatoes have varying water content.
* Oil a pan, and place scoops of mixture onto the pan. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Bottoms will brown, then you're good to go.

(broccoli & tomato salad)
2 large heads of broccoli, chopped
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
2 teas dijon mustard
3 tbls seasoned rice vinegar
1 tbls olive oil
2 tbls chopped fresh oregano or 2 teas dried oregano

*Steam the broccoli until just crisp-tender. Only takes a few minutes. Cool and add tomatoes.
*Place mustard in a small bowl and whisk in the vinegar and then whisk in the oil  and then the oregano.
*Pour dressing over broccoli and tomatoes, toss to coat. Season with s&p to taste.
*Chill and serve.

Spicy Vegetable Fried Rice

Bam! Double post day!

Plain and simple, we love asian inspired food. Not that this is terribly traditional...but it is easy and delectable. Its another one of those "whatever you have" kind of meals. Throw in whatever veggies you have or like. I always put bell peppers and broccoli in. Al is a big fan of mushrooms, I am not...so we don't have mushrooms. Ha! I've added carrots before or you could toss in some edamame. And if you weren't trying to go vegan like us, scramble a couple eggs and toss those in there too.

Short post tonight, but I'm being crafty and must get back to my crafts!

INGREDIENTS:
prepared brown rice
2 tbls sesame oil
1/2 an onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teas crushed red pepper
1 head of broccoli, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
1 cup pea pods
2 tbls low-sodium soy sauce

*Heat oil in a wok or large pan over medium-high heat. Add in the onion, garlic and crushed red pepper. Allow those to cook until they're fragrent, 1-2 minutes.
*Add in the vegetables and toss periodically for 2 minutes to coat and cook. Add in the rice, stir and cook for another minute. Then pour in the soy sauce, stir and serve.

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.

Sweet Potato Muffins

Last night was my first post and I was delighted to start off with such an amazing meal. For todays post we've gone a bit of a different route. Tuesdays are Al's long day at school...well, really most of them are. But on Tuesdays he has class from 12-5 and 6-8:30, not to mention he usually goes to school around 8 in the morning to get things done. Long story...semi-long, he's gone all day. So I usually don't end up making a big meal, usually a soup or something that we can eat over the next couple days. Or I'll putts around making snacks or baked goods. That's what I did this afternoon. Last week my good friend Cherrie (hi cherrie!) let me borrow "eat vegan on $4 a day". A simple little cookbook with all kinds of vegan options and very reasonable prices. I copied out a few of the recipes in anticipation of this week endeavors. Todays baked good: sweet potato muffins. I looked at the recipe and I had my doubts, not gonna lie. My mind (and hips) immediately longed to see ingredients like butter and eggs and oil. Which were no where to be found. This recipe baked 10 hearty muffins. My kitchen has a wonderful fall scent still wafting into the rest of the house. They honestly turned out great. Next time I might do a little brown sugar & cinnamon topping, to make them more of a dessert type of baked good. But thumbs up from me...we'll see what the husband says when he, most likely scarfs one down within ten seconds of walking in the door tonight. 

INGREDIENTS: 

2 cups all-purpose wheat flour

1/2 cup sugar less 1 tbls

1 tbls brown sugar

1 tbls baking powder

1/2 teas baking soda

1/2 teas cinnamon

1/2 teas salt

1/4 teas ground nutmeg

1 large sweet potato, cooked and mashed(1 3/4 cup approx)

1/2 cup water

optional:

1/2 cup raisins

*Pre-heat oven to 375

*Put all ingredients except the sweet potato and water in a bowl and stir to combine. 

*Add the sweet potato and water. Stir to combine and make sure all is mixed together well.

*Coat a muffin tin with cooking spray. Fill each muffin cup just about full. 

*Place in the oven, cook for 25-30 minutes. The tops of the muffins should bounce back when lightly pressed. Remove and let muffins cool in tin for 1-2 minutes prior to putting on a cooling rack.