Cherry Chocolate Chunk Mini Loaves

I needed something sweet and portable for the week and was going through my print outs and mag rip outs and saw this recipe from Post Punk Kitchen - I didn't have all of the ingredients she called for so here is my loosely based version.

• 1/2 cup applesauce
•  1/4 cup natural peanut butter
•  1/3 cup cocoa powder
•  1/3 cup original, light, soy milk
•  boiling water, divided
•  3/4 cup white sugar
•  2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
•  3/4 teaspoon salt
•  1/2 cup chocolate chunks, check the ingredients to see that they are vegan
•  1 cup chopped sweet cherries (thawed if using frozen)

Preheat oven to 350 F and lightly spray mini loaf pans with cooking spray (I have 6 - so I had leftover batter that made 12 mini muffins.) Also, boil some water in a tea kettle (no need to measure yet.) Put applesauce, peanut butter, milk and cocoa powder in a mixing bowl.

Measure out 1/3 cup boiling water and pour into the bowl with the chocolate mixture, mixing quickly with a whisk to make a thick chocolate sauce. Add sugar and extract and mix well.

Sift about half of the flour, along with the baking soda and salt, into the chocolate mixture, and gently stir just to incorporate, then measure out 1 tablespoon of boiling water and stir again. Now add the rest of the flour mixture and another tablespoon of boiling water and stir just until smooth. Take care not to overmix.

Fold in the chocolate chunks and the cherries.

Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pans, about 3/4 of the way.

Bake for 28 to 30 minutes. The tops should be puffy and firm. Stick a tooth pick into the center of the loaf to check for doneness. A little bit of wetness is okay since it could be from a chocolate chunk or a cherry, but it should come out mostly dry. Let cool for 10 minutes, then invert pan and place loaves on a cooling rack to cool some of the way. It’s yummy when still a bit warm, with the chocolate chunks oozy and melty.

Wrap extra loaves and mini muffins in plastic wrap to keep from drying out. If not using within a day, refrigerate wrapped loaves.

Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup

I've posted a Chicken Enchilada Soup before but it was more of a tomato broth base. This one has milk in it so it's creamy. I used a few different recipes and came up with this. Now that the weather has decided to warm up, hopefully for good, this will probably be the last soup recipe for a while. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

 

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 sweet onion, diced

1/2 large red bell pepper, diced

1 can Rotel

1 can (4.5 ounces) green chiles

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 can Enchilada Sauce (I used Mild)

2 cups non-dariy milk, divided (I used soy)

3 tablespoons Earth Balance margarine

3 tablespoons Flour

1/2 cup no-chicken broth, divided

salt and pepper

1 package chicken style seitan, be sure it's in bite sized pieces

Garnishes: Diaya cheedsar cheese, sour cream, avocado, cilantro, tortilla chips

 

Heat a soup pan to medium high heat and warm the olive oil. Add the diced onion and red peppers, cooking until tender, about 5 minutes.

 

Add the rotel, green chiles, corn, pinto beans. enchilada sauce and 1 1/2 cups of the milk. Stirring occasionally.

 

In a small sauce pan, over medium heat, melt the Earth Balance. When melted add the flour, whisking constantly until thick. Add the remaining 1/2 a cup of milk and 1/2 a cup of the chicken broth. Whisk constantly until the mixture thickens, about 4-6 minutes. Then add it to the soup and give the soup a good stir.

 

Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 

Top with desired garnishes and serve! Enjoy!

This is my bowl after I stirred in the garnishes!

 

Chipotle Nachos

You know sometimes you just want a plate of yummy snack food. I love nachos with the works: sour cream, pickled jalapenos, etc. I made these from scratch using meatless crumbles. Go grab your favorite beef substitute and get to cooking. I made individual servings on saucers. But you could make a platter full and just gather around!

1 cup green bell pepper, chopped

1 cup chopped sweet onion 

1 (12-ounce) package meatless fat-free crumbles

1 chili from a (7-ounce) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce

1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

corn tortilla chips

shredded romaine lettuce

1 peeled avocado, sliced or diced

Diaya shredded cheddar cheese

Tofutti sour cream

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray. Add bell pepper, chopped onion, and crumbles; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove 1 chile and 1 tablespoon sauce from can; reserve remaining chiles and sauce for another use. Chop chile; add chile, sauce, beans, and tomatoes to pan.

Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in cilantro. Arrange tortilla chips on saucers.

Top each serving with bean mixture.

Add shredded cheese.

Top with shredded lettuce.

Finally add the rest of your garnish: sour cream, jalapenos and avocados.

Dig in!