Pinto Bean Hominy Chili

I love corn and corn based products. Especially paired with Mexican food. Grits, arepas, hominy and tortillas are some of my favorite foods. I made a great batch of chili this week and wanted to share my secrets (one of which is hominy!).

Pinto Bean Hominy Chili
1/2 large red onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium large poblano pepper, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1/2 pint mushrooms, chopped
1 chayote squash, chopped (can sub zucchini)
1 chipotle chili, diced (omit if you want it less spicy)
2 cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can hominy, rinsed and drained
1 can diced tomatoes
2 squares dark chocolate (with chilis if you have it)
Red wine vinegar
Spice blend (salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, chili powder, garlic powder)

Saute the onions and peppers in a large stock pot for 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and saute for another 3-5 minutes until the onions are turning translucent. Use water or red wine vinegar to deglaze the pan as you saute.

Add the mushrooms, squash and chipotle. Saute for another 3-5 minutes. Add the dark chocolate and spice blend. Stir to combine.

Add the beans, hominy and tomatoes. Stir until combined. Saute on very low heat for at least 15 minutes to let the flavors blend.

Serve the next day if possible.

Toppings
Cilantro
Scallions
Avocado/guacamole
Tortilla chips

Vietnamese Bun Salad Recipe

A recent trip to Lac Viet Bistro for summer rolls and bun. 

Vietnamese restaurants are one of my favorite choices when dining out. Summer rolls are a must, and I rotate between various other dishes when I visit. One of my favorites to re-create in a more healthy way at home is the Bun. Bun is traditionally a noodle dish with lettuce and other fresh veggies plus cooked meat/tofu/veg. When I make it at home I don't cook with oil and flip the ratio of noodles to lettuce. 

The Buns of my life :)

Vietnamese Bun Salad
Serves 3

6 oz. rice noodles
1 package tofu (I prefer pre-cooked/marinated versions for this dish to make it easier, this is my favorite)
1 package of romaine lettuce hearts, chopped
1/2 english cucumber, julienned (thin strips)
2 medium carrots, julienned
1 package bean sprouts
1 bell pepper, julienned
Cilantro
Scallions
Sriracha
Peanuts or cashews

Dressing:
1 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp ponzu or soy or tamari
1-2 limes, juiced
1-2 Tbsp chili garlic paste
2 cloves garlic, crushed/diced
1/2 Tbsp agave
2-4 Tbsp water

Combine dressing ingredients in a cruet or container with a lid and shake to combine.

Prep your salad base by chopping romaine, cucumber, carrots, pepper, cilantro and scallions.

Cook your noodles in salted water. They should only take a few minutes, drain and set aside.

Cut your tofu into cubes or slices. Fry in a dry, non-stick pan until browned on at least one side and heated through.

Assemble:
Place romaine, cucumber, carrot, pepper and bean sprouts in your bowl. Top with 1/3 of the noodles and 1/3 of the tofu.

Garnish with cilantro, scallions, sriracha and nuts to your preference.

Drizzle dressing over top to coat.

The Magical Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash is a variety of hard squash unlike any other. It looks similar to acorn squash, pumpkin, butternut squash, etc. but has a texture unlike any of those squashes. When cooked you can run a fork down the squash and yield strands of squash in the shape of angel hair pasta or spaghetti.

It is popular among the dieting and low carb crowds because it is as filling as pasta but is much less calorie dense. Here are the nutritional stats for one cup of cooked spaghetti squash:

You can use it in any recipe where you'd normally use pasta, and it's neutral flavor pairs well with any cuisine. Many other bloggers have covered how to cook it, and I suggest clicking on the squash photo below to read a post from Elana's Pantry with a nice short set of instructions with photos:

I eat spaghetti squash at least once a month, and usually eat one small squash worth of noodles per serving. Here are some of my favorite toppings: 

Italian Style

1 medium onion, sliced

1-2 cups mushrooms, sliced

1 small bell pepper, sliced

1 clove garlic, diced

1 bunch kale, sliced into ribbons (can sub any other dark leafy green)

1 can diced tomatoes

1-2 cups broccoli, chopped

Salt, pepper, red pepper flakes to taste

Nutritional yeast to taste

Black olives to taste

Saute the onions, mushrooms, and pepper for 3-5 minutes on medium heat in a medium pot. Use juice from the tomatoes, red wine vinegar or water to keep the veggies from sticking. Add garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes.

Add in your sliced kale and tomatoes. Add in salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste. Stir to combine and cook until kale is wilted.

Add your broccoli, cover and let simmer on low heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir in broccoli once it's had a few minutes to steam. Continue to cook until your preferred broccoli doneness. 

Place 1/2 of this mixture on your squash. Top with nutritional yeast and chopped olives.

Bulked up Rawsta
Follow the instructions for Rawsta from this post

Mix raw noodles with squash and pesto or hummus.

Mexican Style

1 medium onion, sliced

1-2 cups mushrooms, sliced

1 small bell pepper, sliced

1 clove garlic, diced

1 can/2 cups black beans
1/2 container fresh salsa
Salt, pepper, taco blend (cumin, coriander, garlic, chili powder, cayenne) to taste
Lime
Cilantro
Avocado

Saute the onions, mushrooms, and pepper for 3-5 minutes on medium heat in a medium pot. Use juice from the salsa, red wine vinegar or water to keep the veggies from sticking. Add garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes.

Stir in black beans and salsa plus your seasonings. Cook for at least 10 minutes for flavors to combine. You can also add fresh or frozen greens with the beans and salsa.

Top the squash with 1/3-1/2 of this mixture plus avocado and cilantro.

Soup
Add the squash noodles to your favorite soup. It's best to add warm noodles to warm soup.

Rice
Use the noodles in place of where you'd normally use rice, for example, as a bed for a delicious curry.

Side Dish
The noodles are great on their own as a side dish to a more traditional meal, like a slice of lentil loaf or a veggie burger. Make sure to season with your favorite spices, condiments or nutritional yeast.

If you have another way you love to eat spaghetti squash please share it in the comments!

Oil Free Braised Greens Recipe

There are many iterations of plant based diets. Many of them fall on one of two extremes: lots of oils vs. no added oils. I try to limit how much oil I add to my foods but embrace foods that have fat like nuts, seeds, avocado and olives. I've developed a great way to cook greens without added oil AND with tons of flavor.

Oil Free Braised Greens Recipe
1 bunch greens (Swiss chard is my favorite)
1 small onion
1 lemon
Spices (salt, pepper, garlic & harissa are my preferences)

Prep your ingredients. Slice the onion in thin strips. Halve your lemon. Cut the Swiss chard stems off about half way up the stalk. Slice the rest of the chard (including stems) in thin ribbons and wash in a colander. 

Warm your pan (non-stick if you have it) on medium heat. When you can feel warmth in the pan throw in the onions in a single layer (top left). Let them sit for a few minutes, then squeeze your lemon over top. Stir the onion and scrape any brown bits from the pan. When your onions look like the right picture, add your sliced chard. 

Add half your chard on top of the onions and then top with your spices. Your chard will likely still be wet from washing, if not, add a splash of water. Stir in the chard with the onions until it wilts. Add the second half and repeat. These get better as they cook. Cook for at least 5 more minutes after all the chard has wilted.

Fruity Pancakes Update

I posted a recipe for fruity pancakes and have made some tweaks to the recipe that make them even more delicious, so I wanted to share those changes. I'm also adding two recipes for toppings!

Fruity Pancakes Recipe
gluten free & vegan

1 tablespoon flax meal
1/3 C almond milk

1 C oats

1 medium apple, cored and chopped
1 banana, broken in 2-3 pieces
1 handful baby carrots
1 C pumpkin puree or unsweetened applesauce
2 cups fresh baby spinach
1/3 to 1/2 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ scoop protein powder of choice (vanilla works best)
Cinnamon
Pinch of salt

Combine flax meal and 1/3 C almond milk. Let sit for at least 5 minutes, if not 10.

Process the cup of oats in your blender until they are closer to flour than whole oats, a little chunky is okay.

Next add the flax mixture everything else to your blender (if you have a crappy blender it might be better to add 2-3 at a time). Blend, scrape sides, blend until you get pancake batter consistency. Add oats or liquid as needed to get to the consistency you prefer.

Heat your griddle over medium high heat. Pour 1/4 cup scoops of batter in the pan. These will take longer than traditional pancakes to set. I recommend using a non-stick pan or a good layer of coconut oil to fry them so they don’t stick. Mine took about 3-5 minutes on each side.

These were topped with runny PB2 with a bit of maple syrup. 

Maple Sunbutter Topping
2 parts sunflower butter (I like the kind with flax seeds)
2 parts real maple syrup
blueberries

Combine the syrup and sunbutter in a small bowl and whip together with a fork. Spread on pancakes. Blueberries go well with this topping!

Pumpkin Maple Almond Topping
1/2 c pumpkin puree
1 Tbsp almond butter
1 Tbsp maple syrup
splash of nut milk

Combine the ingredients in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 10-30 seconds to get the mixture warm but not scalding. Stir again. Pour on pancakes with fruit of your choice.

Two Years Meat Free + A Recipe

Today marks two years since I stopped eating meat. I had been struggling with accessing sources of high quality meat and watching documentaries like “Forks Over Knives” and “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead”. I distinctly remember on the morning of February 3, 2011 eating a turkey sausage breakfast sandwich and having trouble physically eating it. That’s when I knew I wanted to give up meat. Two years later I am fully plant based and eating an incredibly healthy diet. More on that when I hit my two year animal product free anniversary in July!

In honor of my veggie-versary I wanted to share a few recipes. First is the Mexiquinoa I ate last night which was quite popular on Instagram. I actually posted a recipe in June 2012 for it here. Last night’s version had chayote squash instead of zucchini, corn, and I used a blend of black beans and chickpeas because it’s what I had leftover! I served it on a salad with romaine, mixed baby greens, jicama, bell pepper, and scallions with a side of roasted plantains.

On Sunday I made a pizza based on the Thrive pizzas that Brendan Brazier makes. It was excellent, and I wanted to share that recipe as well.

Beet & Chickpea Pizza

Crust:
1 roasted beet, sliced
1 C chickpeas (canned or cooked from dry)
¼ C tomato sauce
¼ C sunflower seeds
¼ C sundried tomatoes
¼ C buckwheat groats (can sub oats)
Spices (salt, pepper, garlic powder/clove, harissa)

Toppings:
Tomato sauce
Broccoli, small chop
Red onion, thinly sliced
Bell pepper, thinly sliced
Sundried tomatoes, sliced
Kalamata olives, sliced

Preheat the oven to 300.

Combine crust ingredients in a food processor. Process until the mixture comes together. You will likely have to scrape down the sides a few times. If it is too wet add more buckwheat/oats, if it’s too dry add more tomato sauce.

Spread the crust onto a nonstick cookie sheet. This was enough to fill a small cookie sheet with a thin layer. Bake for 5 minutes.

Crust, pre-baking - love the color from the beets!

Remove crust. Add toppings to your preference, just make sure everything is small so it will cook at a lower temperature. Bake for another 35-45 minutes or until your toppings look done. Top with vegan parmesan if so desired.

You will need to eat this with a fork!  I cut mine into 4 large pieces, 2 per serving.

Served with some steamed broccolini

Lentil Stuffed Acorn Squash Recipe

Sometimes the best meals are ones you don’t plan. Carly was out of town all week and I've been eating weird combinations of food. I did my long run in the morning (10 miles) and usually go out to lunch on those days but since Carly wasn't home yet I stayed in for lunch. I surveyed what we had on hand and put together an amazing dish that is definitely worth repeating (and sharing!).

Lentil Stuffed Acorn Squash
1 small-medium acorn squash
1/3 C brown/green lentils
Hummus of choice
5 kalamata olives, sliced
Scallions, chopped
Salad greens
Raw veggies of choice
Spices (salt, pepper, garlic powder, harissa)
Tahini or tahini based dressing

Preheat your oven to 450. Cut the squash in half and use a spoon to scoop out the middles. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and harissa. Place face down on a foil lined cookie sheet. Roast until fork tender, check after 15 minutes and flip if there’s nice color on the cut side.

Rinse the lentils and pick out any stones/twigs. Place in a small pot with 2/3 C water and spices to taste. Cook until done. If they are tender with water left, drain it out. If there’s not enough water add more.

Stir a generous dollop of hummus and the sliced olives into lentils until combined.

Place a bed of greens and your raw veg of choice in a bowl. Put the squash halves face up on top of the greens and fill each with half of the lentil mixture and top with scallions. Drizzle with tahini/dressing and sprinkle with more harissa if you love spice like I do!

Zucchini and Corn Buckwheat Cakes

I found a recipe for these cakes on Quick'n'Healthy over the summer, and we've made them a few times. Our style is to find a recipe and use it as a guideline rather than a hard and fast rule, so we made some changes. We also serve them a bit differently than the original recipe. Here is our version.

Zucchini and Corn Buckwheat Cakes
1 C buckwheat, toasted if you can find it
½ C plain nut milk
½ C water
½ lime, juiced
2 medium zucchini, grated
1 cup corn kernels
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
2 Tbsp chia seeds or flax meal
½ tsp baking soda
Sea salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, coriander, garlic and cayenne to taste
Coconut or other oil for cooking pancakes

Soak buckwheat in water for at least 8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse buckwheat.

Add the buckwheat, nut milk, water, lime juice, and coconut to a blender or food processor. Blend until you have a thick batter. Pour into a large mixing bowl.

Add the grated zucchini, corn, chia seeds/flax meal, baking soda and spices to the batter and mix well.

Cook as you would any other pancake. We used a bit of coconut oil in the pan for each batch. This makes about 15 small pancakes.

To serve:
1 can beans of choice (refried, black, pinto, pink and kidney work best)
Fresh salsa
Scallions
Cilantro
Extra fresh veggies of preference (peppers, tomato, etc.)
Greens

Place greens in a bowl. Top with cakes, ½-1 C beans, salsa, fresh veg and garnishes. Alternatively, you could eat these by themselves or with an Indian spice/chickpea theme as well.

Carrot Dogs with Baked Beans

We saw carrot hot dogs at a food truck at a local farmers market and were inspired to make this dish. Nothing goes better with hot dogs than baked beans!

Carrot Dogs
2 large/3 medium carrots per person, peeled
Oil of choice
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400.

Place peeled carrots on a cookie sheet lined with foil or silpat or parchment paper. Oil to your preference. Salt and pepper to taste.

Roast until carrots are fork tender, this will depend on how thick your carrots are. Check after 20 minutes.

Baked Beans
½ red onion
3 cups (2 cans, rinsed) cooked beans of your choice (we used pink and pinto)
1/3 C cider vinegar
1/3 C ketchup
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
¼ C molasses
1 Tbsp hot sauce
1/3 C water
Spices (garlic, smoked paprika, coriander, cumin, bay leaf, salt, pepper)

Saute onion in a medium stock pot until translucent. Add liquid ingredients and spices. Cook for 3-4 minutes on low until sauce starts to bubble.

Add in beans, stir to combine, and cook on low heat for at least 30 minutes.

To serve
Buns (or not) of choice
Cole slaw of choice (we made our own with pre-cut cole slaw veggies and leftover avocado ranch dressing)
Ketchup/mustard

Use the roasted carrots as you would a hot dog, in a bun piled with toppings. If you’re eating super clean or gluten free you can just eat the roasted carrot without the bun!

Italian Chopped Veggie Bake Recipe

We knew that we'd be taking it easy around the house yesterday as I recovered from my race, so we planned on a casserole. What started as an idea for veggie lasagna turned into a more rustic chopped veggie bake that is one of the best meals we've made in a long time. A special thanks to Carly for creating this amazing dish and for letting me share!

Sorry for the sub-par photos, I think I got too much sweat on my phone camera!

Italian Chopped Veggie Bake
serves 6 with side dishes, or 4 as a main course

Tofu ricotta:
1 block extra firm tofu, sprouted if possible
¼ C nutritional yeast
1/8 C almond milk, plain & unsweetened
1-2 Tbsp lemon juice
Italian blend spices (salt, pepper, garlic, parsley, oregano, basil), to taste

Veggie blend
1 eggplant, peeled & cubed
1 cup cauliflower florets (can use more, that’s all we had)
3 medium zucchini, chopped
1 C carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 large can whole tomatoes, chopped (reserve juice!)
12 large pitted black olives, chopped
1 cup chopped spinach
Italian blend spices (salt, pepper, garlic, parsley, oregano, basil, crushed red pepper), to taste

Sauce
Reserved tomato juice
1 C red wine (optional, if you don’t cook with alcohol just add in more crushed tomatoes/tomato sauce)

Topping:
¼ C vegan parmesan cheese, optional

Preheat your oven to 400 and roast the eggplant cubes and cauliflower florets until just fork tender. Olive oil optional.

While this is cooking, you can make your tofu ricotta. We pressed our tofu for about an hour before this step, but I think it comes out fine either way. Preheat a frying pan on low-medium heat. Crumble the tofu by hand into the skillet. Add the nutritional yeast, spices, and lemon juice. Saute for a few minutes to cook out some of the water. Add the almond milk and cook until it’s reduced into the blend.

Combine the reserved tomato sauce and wine in a small sauce pan and cook until it’s reduced by 1/3 or so. We eyeball everything!

Combine the rest of the veggie mixture in a bowl with the roasted eggplant and cauliflower. Season to taste with Italian seasonings.

To make the casserole:
Put a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a 13x9 pan. Add half of the veggie mixture, then a layer of 2/3 of the ricotta. Cover with the rest of the sauce. Add another layer of veggies, then the rest of the ricotta.

Sprinkle the top generously with vegan parm.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes covered (30 if you refrigerated the dish). Take off the cover and cook 10 more minutes or until it’s bubbling.

Carly has a tropical vacation planned for Christmas and is tracking her calories now to get in bikini shape. I don't normally generate nutritional information for my recipes, but I have it for this one. Here it is if you're curious!

For 1/6th:

Thanksgiving Recap

This was my second Thanksgiving eating a fully plant based diet. I grew up eating very traditional Thanksgiving meals and had a finicky palate. My go to plate was: white meat turkey & mashed potatoes covered in gravy, corn (from a can), sometimes green beans (canned) and a buttered roll. For this meal, I eschewed all of those traditions!

First new tradition: a morning run! I did four fast and chilly  miles, it was 40 degrees here!

Mimosas!

 It was also our first Thanksgiving without being with any family so that was a bit strange, although we did video chat with our families. Since it was just the two of us we planned a simple menu: Field Roast Apple Sage sausage roasted in the oven, roasted Brussels sprouts, mashed sweet potatoes, homemade gluten free stuffing (see recipe below), and canned cranberry sauce (for Carly). For dessert we made these raw pumpkin tarts  – delicious!

Magic happening

Ready to eat

Plated

Pumpkin tarts

Got it out in one piece!

I am trying to actively express and explore gratitude and Thanksgiving is a day (that should be) meant for just that. I posted a list of things I am grateful for recently, but here are a few more things:

1. Video chatting
2. A calm and peaceful Thanksgiving
3. Florida weather
4. Farmers
5. Rest days
6. The means to buy new clothes
7. The exercise that has caused me to need new clothes
8. A Ravens win over the Steelers

I hope you all had a restful Thanksgiving weekend.

Best Stuffing Ever (vegan, gluten free)
6 slices gluten free raisin bread, toasted & cubed
2 Tbsp Earth Balance
2 stalks celery, diced
3 large shallots, diced
½ C diced mushrooms
1-2 Tbsp sherry or red wine
¼ C orange juice
2/3 C vegetable broth
¼ C sliced almonds
1/3 C dried cranberries
Salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp sage
½ tsp thyme

Melt the Earth Balance in a medium frying pan. Add the celery, shallots and mushrooms. Season with salt, pepper, sage and thyme. Cook for 10 minutes, deglazing the pan about half way through (optional) until vegetables have softened.

Add bread cubes (roughly the same size as your vegetables), sautéed vegetables, almonds and cranberries in a large bowl. Add the orange juice. Add the broth slowly until the mixture is moist but not soggy.

Place in an 8x8 square or equivalent size round baking dish, preferably one with a lid. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, covered. If it is still too moist, bake for another 5-10 minutes uncovered.

Collard Samosa Wraps

Collard greens are fantastic. They have cancer fighting properties and contain a lot of essential nutrients. They aren't as bitter as kale. They are large enough to wrap other food in, and can also be cooked until they are tender and delicious. They're also usually cheap! We typically use them in three ways: chopped and cooked in vinegar, as raw wraps for hummus and other goodies, and as cooked wraps with various stuffings and sauces. We also throw them in soup, smoothies and stir fries. So versatile!  Here's a recipe for a dish we made this week with collards.

The finished product, served with pepitas and curry roasted cauliflower

Collard Samosa Wraps
1-2 bunches of collard greens
1 can of chickpeas or 2 cups cooked from dried
1 red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 carrots, diced
1 cup of peas (frozen is fine)
Your favorite Indian spices (curry, garlic, cumin, coriander, cayenne, etc.)

Sauce
1 cup cider vinegar
¼ cup tamarind sauce
2 tbsp tomato paste
Water (as much as needed to cut the acidity of the sauce)
Spices (garlic, minced onion, smoked paprika, salt, pepper & curry)

For the filling (adapted from meg & veg):
In a pot, add the onion, garlic, and oil/water and cook until wilted. Add in the carrots, and stir for a few minutes to cook slightly.

Then add in the spices, chickpeas, and peas. Continue to stir for about 5 minutes until everything is combined and the peas are defrosted.

Sauce:
Combine all ingredients except water in a bowl. Stir and taste. Add water as needed to cut the acidity.

Before cooking

Assembly:
This made enough wraps to fill at 13x9 baking dish, or about 8-10 leaves. Wrap filling into each leaf and place seam side down in your 13x9 dish. Follow this amazing tutorial from Choosing Raw

When you are done wrapping and your dish is full you can either let sit overnight in the fridge or cook immediately.

After cooking

Cook:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Pour your sauce over the wraps, cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes.

Lentil Mushroom Sloppy Joes

I used to make sloppy joes a lot when I first started cooking from scratch. After switching to a plant based diet, I’ve struggled with getting the right consistency and texture on my veggie versions. This iteration is the best I’ve made in two years of trying so I thought I’d share.

Lentil Mushroom Sloppy Joes
1 cup brown or green lentils, cooked in 3 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 medium onion, diced
1 anaheim pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 pint mushrooms (white button or baby bellas), sliced
¼ cup date paste or sub with sweetener of choice (see note below)
1 Tbsp steak seasoning blend, such as McCormick brand Montreal Seasoning
½ Tbsp garlic powder
½ Tbsp crushed red chili flakes
2-3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
½ Tbsp Bragg’s Liquid Aminos or vegan Worcestershire sauce
1.5 C tomato sauce
2 Tbsp tomato paste

Add lentils and water to a medium pot. Add salt, garlic and a bay leaf. Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered, on low for approximately 20 minutes. Test the lentils for doneness. If tender, drain any remaining liquid into a bowl for use in sautéing later.

Meanwhile, prepare your vegetables. Water sauté the onion, peppers and garlic for a few minutes, then add in mushrooms. Season with steak seasoning and any extra spices to taste (we added additional garlic and some red chili flakes). Saute until mushrooms have browned, adding the red wine vinegar as needed to keep things from burning.

Add lentils to the mixture. Stir to combine. Then add the Bragg’s, tomato sauce and tomato paste and stir to combine. If the mixture seems too dry add some of the reserved lentil cooking liquid or more vinegar. Cook on low for 3-5 more minutes to let flavors combine. We actually let these sit on low for 20 minutes while we prepped our meal, and they held up fine.

Serve as you like. I ate mine on spinach greens garnished with pickled jalapenos with a side of roasted cauliflower, but they worked perfectly on a roll!

Note:
I’m trying to cut down on processed sweeteners, so I made date paste to try out in this recipe. All I did was soak 1 cup of pitted dates in 1 cup of hot water for about 20 minutes. Then I added it to my (strong) blender and blended on low for about 2 minutes, scraped, and then another minute. If you don’t have a strong blender, you can use a food processor.

If you don’t want to go to the hassle of making it, the best substitute for this recipe is and equal brown sugar.

What I Ate Wednesday

The next installment of What I Ate Wednesday has arrived. This time with a recipe for Eggplant Caponata (see end of post)!

We buy kale every week for smoothies and salads. Last week we still had an abundance and made kale chips. We hand tore them, tossed them with a bit of oil, salt & pepper and then threw them in a 400 degree oven until they looked crispy. Delicious!

I had the good fortune last week to go to lunch with some of my colleagues as part of a day long meeting. I was nervous because their restaurant of choice, Grills in Cocoa Beach, FL, didn't have any strictly vegan dishes on the menu. Fortunately, their servers and chefs were knowledgeable and willing to make me this plate of coconut rice, black beans and sauteed vegetables. Don't be afraid to ask!

Raw bell pepper stuffed with sweet pea hummus, roasted asparagus & delicata squash, raw zucchini & carrots on top of mixed greens. 

Cool thing about living in Florida: local corn in November! That was the star, but the salad with leftover squash and hummus was excellent too. 

I got a spiralizer from my lovely Carly for my birthday. Here's my first batch of rawsta using the new toy. Mixed with hummus as the sauce. 

Every now and then we do a Mediterranean tapas night. This plate has roasted acorn squash, grape leaves, falafel, hummus, roasted red pepper, cucumbers & eggplant caponata. See below for the recipe!

Taco salad. Lettuce tip: mix the chopped romaine with half a lime's worth of juice, scallions, cilantro, salt & pepper before adding toppings. That lettuce blend is delicious on its own or on top of tostadas or other similar dishes. 

Eggplant Caponata
1 medium white onion, sliced
1 large eggplant, sliced & pre-roasted or grilled
5 roma tomatoes, roasted
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 c kalamata olives, chopped
1/3 cup raisins or golden raisins, soaked in hot water
Olive oil
Red wine vinegar
Balsamic vinegar
Salt & pepper
Crushed red pepper

Saute onions in olive oil until translucent. Add garlic and saute for 2 more minutes. Add eggplant, tomatoes, olives & raisins to pan. Stir to combine. Season with salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, and several splashes of each vinegar.

Cook for a few more minutes until mixture looks like caponata. Serve warm or cold.

Carrot Chickpea Salad Recipe

Carrot Chickpea Salad
1 bag shredded carrots (or about 2 cups if you DIY)
2 cans chickpeas, drained & rinsed (or about 4 cups cooked)
1 C dried apricots, chopped
¼ C sliced almonds
1-2 handfuls cilantro, chopped
1 bunch scallions, chopped

Dressing:
3 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp cider vinegar
3 garlic cloves, pressed
½ Tbsp smoked paprika
1 Tsp cumin
salt & pepper to taste
chili paste/harissa to taste
1 Tsp sweetener of choice (optional)

Combine dressing ingredients in a bowl & whisk until combined. Combine all ingredients in the salad plus dressing in a large bowl. Let sit as long as possible for flavors to meld.

Serve on top of greens with other fresh veg of choice. I chose to add bell peppers and cucumber, Carly went with celery. The recipe makes 4-6 portions depending on appetite.

Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad

Carly and I meal plan every week, typically on Thursday night since she can go to the grocery store on Friday. We use an app called Our Groceries that lets you have multiple lists (of anything really). We keep a list called Menu and add ideas we find throughout the week. We also do our best to evaluate what we have and use up fresh ingredients and make good use of our pantry. One combination we come back to often is Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes. We have it in a variety of ways, and last night we made a great version that I wanted to share.

Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad
1-2 lbs Brussels sprouts, shredded (see below)
2 large shallots, sliced
1/2 c pecans, chopped
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled & cubed
1 can (low sodium) kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 Tbsp tamarind chutney (or other sauce of choice)
1 head leaf or romaine lettuce, chopped
White balsamic vinegar
Salt & pepper
Garlic powder
Smoked paprika

This salad has four main components that can essentially be prepared separately. First, cook the peeled & cubed sweet potatoes however you prefer. You can roast them in the oven or fry them in a pan. Season them with salt & pepper.

Next, prep the Brussels sprouts. You can shred them in a food processor, on a mandoline or by hand. To do it by hand, chop the bottom off the sprout and discard any outer leaves that fall off when you do so. Cut the sprout in half. Lay it on the cut side and chop along the sprout from the top to bottom in slices. Also prep your sliced shallots (onions will work if you don't have them). Saute the shallots and sprouts in the oil of your choosing. We have some vegan bacon flavored grapeseed oil that we used for this. Season the sprouts with salt, pepper, garlic and smoked paprika.

In a small pan, toast the chopped pecans for a few minutes until they start to turn darker. Remove from heat and use these as a topping. The pecans are optional, but added a depth of flavor to the salad that for me was the best part.

This dish lends itself to a variety of protein sources. I happened to have a can of kidney beans and some tamarind chutney. I threw them together in a pan just to get them warm. Carly had bacon on her salad. You could essentially use any legume, tofu, tempeh, seitan or meat of choice.

Last is to cut your lettuce. Assemble the salad: lettuce, drizzle of white balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper, sprouts, sweet potatoes, protein & pecans.

Enchilada Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

I had a request for this recipe from Twitter (thanks Lauren!) The only thing I might have changed is to add a flax egg or flour or some kind of binding agent to the potatoes to make them firm up when cooked. As is common, the leftovers were better and it tasted great all mixed up!

Enchilada Shepherd’s Pie
(six big or eight small servings)

1-2 poblano peppers, sliced
1-2 bell peppers (only if you like them) , sliced
1-2 red onions, sliced
4 small-medium yellow squash, cut into large chunks
3 medium zucchini, cut into large chunks
1-2 C mushrooms, sliced
1 pint small tomatoes
2-3 cups frozen spinach
1 large can pinto beans, rinsed (or 3 cups cooked)
3 large sweet potatoes
Taco seasoning of choice (we use a blend of garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, coriander & something spicy)

Garnishes:
Hot sauce
Scallions
Cilantro
Avocado

Preheat oven to 400. Toss veggies (through tomatoes) with copious taco seasoning and oil of choice if you eat added oils. Spread veggies on a cookie sheet and roast 30 minutes or until they are tender. Mix the warm veggies with the frozen spinach and pinto beans when they are done roasting.

While the veggies are roasted, peel your sweet potatoes and put them in a pot of salted water. Boil until ready to be mashed. Mash the sweet potato and add more seasoning to taste. We didn’t add anything else to the potatoes, but as I mentioned before you may want to add milk and binder of choice here.

Spread the veggies in a 13x9 baking dish (you may not be able to fit them all). Top with sweet potato mash. This can sit overnight if needed. Bake at 350 degrees: if the veggies are still warm it should take about 20 minutes, if they are cold from the fridge it will take closer to an hour.

Garnish slices with hot sauce, scallions, cilantro, avocado, etc.

Hearty Miso Soup

We love miso soup, but I’m hesitant to order it out because so many places put fish flakes in their stock. It’s not easy to find miso in conventional grocery stores, but you can usually buy it at any organic market or Asian grocery store in your area. Check out this great post from Happy Herbivore on what miso is. 

When we make miso soup at home we usually add some extra ingredients to make it more of a meal. When we make it traditionally we usually eat it as a first course to some spring rolls or sushi or noodle/rice dish. Here’s our recipe for a heartier version:

Hearty Miso Soup
serves 2

Stock:
1 sheet kombu (a type of seaweed – again look for it at organic/Asian markets)
2-4 Tbsp miso paste of your choice
6-8 C water
Salt/soy sauce/Braggs to taste

1 package mushrooms, sliced
1 small head napa/green cabbage, sliced
½ package sprouted tofu (or whatever tofu you prefer), diced
1 bunch scallions, sliced thin
1 sheet seaweed, cut into bite size pieces (we use kitchen scissors for this)
Sesame oil
Ponzu or soy or Braggs or Nama shoyu
Cracked pepper

Heat water and kombu in a pot until it comes to a boil. Turn off and remove from heat. Add the miso once the stock is no longer boiling, you do not want to add miso to boiling liquid. I usually keep the hunk of miso on a spoon and stir it in or smash it against the side of the pot to get it to dissolve.

Let stock sit overnight if possible, if not, keep on very low heat just to keep it warm.

When you are ready to eat the soup, prep the rest of the ingredients. If you chilled your stock overnight, heat it gently while you cook everything else. In a frying pan, sear the tofu to get nice color and flavor. You can season it however you prefer, we use sesame oil spray to fry it, splash it with ponzu or soy while it cooks, and season with pepper.

Remove tofu from pan, split between two bowls for serving. Add cabbage and mushrooms to the tofu pan and sauté until the cabbage is slightly wilted. Again you can season to taste using sesame oil, ponzu/soy and pepper.

Add half of the pan to each bowl. Pour broth over each bowl, and add scallions and seaweed to taste. I also drizzle Sriracha on mine before I eat :)