Revisiting two favorites

I've been cooing some of make again recipes. My husband says I call them make agains, but never get around to making them again!!! LOL - so without further ado, tonight we have Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms with Garlic Green Beans served with Garlic Bread. Yummy.

Sauteed Garlic Green Beans

Stuffed Mushrooms Caps (this pic is from the ones on the grill - but tonight I used the toaster oven to cook them).

Polenta Primavera

This is a great way to use some fresh produce. Since this dish cooks fast be sure to prep all of your veggies before you get started. I think I liked the left overs even better, it seems like their flavors really became richer with an overnight stay in the frig.

1 tube polenta, cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small red onion, cut into thin wedges
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 pound green beans, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 medium red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1 small yellow squash, cut in 1/4-inch slices (bigger circles cut into 1/2 moons)
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup Diaya mozzarella cheese shreds

Yes, I know this is not my normal pic of the ingredients listed above. But my precious granddaughter was naming all of the veggies and the ones she couldn't identify I was helping her learn. So, I forgot to take a pic of the produce.  Instead of a pic of all the beautiful produce on the counter you get a pic of my beautiful princess!!

Cook polenta as directed on package. Set aside.

Heat oil in non-stick skillet and cook onion and garlic for 3-5 minutes.

Stir in green beans and bell pepper; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beans are crisp tender.

Stir in mushrooms, squash, fennel seeds and salt.  Cover nad cook 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until squash is crisp-tender.

Serve vegetables with polenta. Sprinkle with cheese.

Layered Enchilada Bake

Once again another Tex-Mex recipe, I do see a pattern this month, guess I need to branch out. But hey, I love this type of food. It's easy, delicious and provides leftovers for some of the week. You can't go wrong with that. I bet  you have all the ingredients on hand, go look!

• 1 package (5 oz) baby spinach,
• 1 package LightLife Smart Ground (ground beef)
• 1 large  onion, chopped
• 2 cups Chunky Salsa
• 1 can  (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons Taco Seasoning Mix
• 6 flour whole wheat tortillas (8 inch)
• 1 cup  Toffuti Sour Cream
• 1 pkg. Daiya pepper jack cheese shreds

 

Heat oven to 400. Saute spinach in a nonstick skillet, set aside.

Add meat with onions in large skillet on medium-high heat; heat through until onions start to get translucent. 

Stir in next 3 ingredients. 

Arrange 1- 1/2 tortillas in single layer on bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish. 

Cover with half meat mixture. 

Add half of the sour cream 

Then add the sauteed spinach.

Add half of the cheese,

Repeat layers (except the spinach).

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, uncover, bake for 10 more minutes until casserole is heated through and cheese is melted.

 Let stand 5 minutes before cutting. Serve with lettuce, additional salsa and jalapenos.

Enjoy!!!

Baja Stew

I like to serve this stew with a garnish of fresh scallion, maybe some cheese and/or sour cream with tortillas on the side.

1 package Gardein Beefless tips
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cube vegan chicken broth, mixed with 1-1/2 cups water
1 can Rotel, undrained
1 can diced green chiles, undrained
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
flour tortillas
Toppings: sliced scallions, sour cream, cheese, salsa

Toss beef tips with flour in medium sized bowl.

Brown the tips in hot oil in a large Dutch oven. Remove beef and set aside. Stir in next 9 ingredients (through oregano); bring to a boil.

Simmer for about 15 minutes. Add corn and beans to pot and simmer another 15 minutes or until everything is nice and hot.

Add tips and cook for another 3 or 4 minutes. Serve with tortillas and garnishes.

Enchilada Casserole

Umm, love me some Tex-Mex type food and casseroles are always a great way to get lots of variety in one single dish. I've made this as shown here with chicken strips but have also used ground crumbles, either way it's delicious. Be sure to serve with garnish, we love shredded lettuce, Toffuti sour cream, salsa and jalapeno slices.

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 (19-ounce) can enchilada sauce
• 1 (16-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Rotel
• 1 (11-ounce) can Mexican-style corn, drained
• 1 teaspoon fajita seasoning or chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 (10-ounce) package 6-inch corn tortillas
• 1 package Morning Star Farms chicken strips (cut into bite sized pieces)
• 1 package Daiya PepperJack cheese

Saute onion in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until tender.

Stir in next 6 ingredients. Reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring often, 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Spoon one-third of sauce mixture in bottom of a lightly greased 2 quart baking dish.

Layer with one-third of tortillas.

Layer half of the chicken.

Add 1/3 of the cheese.

Repeat layers with one-third each of sauce mixture and tortillas, remaining chicken, and 1 cup cheese. Top with remaining tortillas, sauce mixture, and 1/3 of the cheese.

Bake at 350° for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Serve with garnishes of  your choice (see top for ideas) and an ice cold beer or glass of wine. Enjoy!

Beef(less) Tacos

I really enjoy using the Gardein brand products. You can substitute these products in every day recipes, maybe adjust your seasonings and voila, you have a vegan meal. I've seen several recipes for soft tacos and this was my take on them using what I had on hand.

• 1 package Gardein Beefless Tips
• 6 fajita size flour tortillas 
• 1/3 cup green salsa
• 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 lime, squeezed
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• Salsa:
• 3/4 cup green salsa
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
• 1 tablespoon onion, chopped
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup canned corn, drained
• garnishes: lettuce, jalapenos, cheese, things you like on a taco

Defrost beefless tips for 10 minutes or so. Combine marinade ingredients. 

Cut tips in half and marinate for 20 minutes. 

Heat nonstick skillet, add oil and sear beefless tips for 3 minutes or so on each side.

While this is cooking combine avocado salsa ingredients in medium bowl. Set aside. 

Warm tortillas for a few moments in the microwave. Put taco meat in middle of tortilla with avocado salsa and some lettuce and fold. Garnish with green onions, shredded cheese, chopped fresh cilantro, lime wedges.

Revisiting a favorite

So, I was trying to see what was in the frig produce drawer to try and use some stuff while it's still good. I saw peppers, 2 links of Apple & Sage sausage by Field Roast, Vidalia onions in the pantry and I just had to revist this dish. It is delicious, so if you are new to my blog or missed it on the first go round I encourage you to try http://gloskitchen.blogspot.com/2011/05/spaghetti-with-sausage-and-peppers.html this dish. YUMMY! and quick. If you have the Italian Sauages use them instead they add the Italian spices that make this special. If I had to use some other type of sauce I'd add some Italian seasonings to the dish.