Chipotle-Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

We had several baked sweet potatoes left over from Thanksgiving. I was checking out some of the blogs I follow on a regular basis and came across this recipe from The Vegan Chronicle. I had most of the ingredients on had so this was Sunday nights dinner.

This is comfort food on a plate! I just used the smushed up sweet potatoes instead of cooking from scratch. I only had 1 package of Lightlife ground beef so I used that and one package of Boca crumbles. No frozen peas in the freezer so I drained a can and used them. Also, no crushed tomatoes so I used 1 can of tomato sauce.

We really loved this and Jack deemed it a make again right off the bat. In fact we are reheating leftovers for dinner tonight. Head over to The Vegan Chronicle and check out the great blog.

Chicken Seitan and Hominy Verde Stew

Even though the weather is still pretty warm I wanted to continue with my month of November soups/chili's and stews.  I didn't plan it that way, it's just how things went down. This was delicious but I could have used a little more heat. If you like heat you may want to use poblanos instead of the Anaheim chili.I found this recipe in a Cooking Light magazine and made some changes including making it vegan.

• 2 Anaheim chiles
• Cooking spray
• 1 1/2 pounds tomatillos, remove papery skins and rinse
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 cups Better Than Bouillon chicken broth, divided
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion (1 large)
• 1/2 cup chopped carrot
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
• 1 package Westsoy Chicken Seitan, drained and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• 2  cans white hominy, rinsed and drained
• 6 tablespoons Toffuti sour cream (garnish)
• Cilantro leaves (garnish)

Preheat broiler to high. Halve, stem, and seed chiles. Place chiles, skin side up, on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray; broil for 5 minutes or until charred.

Place chiles in a paper bag; seal. Let stand for 15 minutes. Peel and discard skins.

Arrange tomatillos on prepared baking sheet, and broil 14 minutes or until blackened, turning once.

Combine the chiles, tomatillos, 1/4 cup cilantro, cumin, and oregano in a blender.

Add 1 cup broth; process until smooth.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons olive oil; swirl to coat. Add onion, carrot, celery, and bell pepper; sauté for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in flour; sauté for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add garlic; sauté for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

Add seitan, remaining 1 cup broth, tomatillo mixture, and hominy to the onion mixture. Bring to a boil.

Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Ladle 1 2/3 cups stew into each of 6 bowls, and top each with 1 tablespoon sour cream. Garnish with cilantro, if desired.

Enjoy!

Beef and Bean Chili

Yeah, I know it's another chili post, but I could eat soups, stews and chilis every day! This is one I found in the Better Homes and Gardens magazine and I made it vegan. The original calls for 2 pounds of ground beef and 2-4 chopped jalapenos. I used 1 package Smart Ground Beef and 2 Field Roast Chorizo's and left out the jalapeno's. It was really delicious and was ready in less than an hour.

• 1 pound Smart Ground beef
• 2 links Field Roast Chorizo   
• 2 large onions, chopped (2 cups)  
• 6 cloves garlic, minced  
• 2 tablespoons chili powder  
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce
• 2 cups water  
• 3 15-ounce cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained 
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro  
• 1 semisweet chocolate, chopped

In a Dutch oven add beef and crumbled chorizo, cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Add onions and garlic to pan; cook about 5 minutes or until almost tender.

Add the chili powder and cumin; cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add tomato sauce and water; bring to boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

Stir all beans into chili. Return to simmering; cook about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the chopped cilantro, chocolate and salt (if needed to taste) until chocolate is melted. 

Serve with some sort of crackers, corn bread, etc. Yummy!

Cincinnati Chili

I love a good bowl of chili and the added chocolate to this served over pasta is really different, but in a good way.

• 1 box uncooked spaghetti
• Cooking spray
• 1 package Boca Ground Crumbles
• 1 1/2 cups onion, chopped and divided
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 1/2 tablespoons chopped semisweet chocolate
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Daiya cheddar cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; set aside. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add crumbles, 1 cup onion, bell pepper, and garlic; sauté 3 minutes.

Stir in chili powder and next 4 ingredients (through cinnamon); cook 1 minute.

Add broth, beans, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat; stir in chocolate and salt. Serve chili over spaghetti; top each serving with remaining onion and some cheese.

Chocolate Pumpkin Loaf

This is so delicious and moist I've made it twice in the last 3 weeks.

I found this recipe on the Post Punk Kitchen blog - one of the blogs I follow on a regular basis. The only thing I did different was to add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts! Yummy! Go get the recipe, you won't be sorry! I do believe you could use the batter for muffins, or small loaf pans to make nice gifts.

Green Chile Cornbread

Yesterday the weather was cool and my daughter had requested Red Beans and Rice for dinner. About an hour before we ate I decided that some cornbread would be delicious with dinner. The original recipe can be found at Simply Recipes, but this is my vegan version. It is so good and makes a large skillet so there will be leftovers! Enjoy!

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornmeal
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) softened Earth Balance vegan butter
• 1/2 cup Toffuti sour cream
• 2 egg replacement (Ener-G)
• 1 3/4 cups soy milk
• 2 7-ounce cans of chopped green chiles, drained)
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 cup shredded cheddar (Diaya - 4 ounces)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Add about a tablespoon canola oil to a large cast iron (mine is 10 5/8 inch) skillet. Put skillet in oven to be getting hot.


In a medium bowl mix the cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

In a separate bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar.

Beat the sour cream and eggs to the butter sugar mixture.

Add the milk and the dry ingredients, a third at a time and alternating wet/dry.

Mix in the green chiles, corn, and shredded cheese.

Take hot skillet (be careful) out of oven and pour off any extra oil. Pour mixture into prepared skillet. Bake for 35 minutes, until top is browned, the center springs back when pressed down, and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool almost completely before serving.

Makes about 12 serving pieces.

Fall Minestrone

I'm still on a soup kick, this was dinner on Sunday night. You probably have most of these ingredients at home and remember how healthy kale is for you!!! Leftovers are dinner tonight. Fix some cornbread or your favorite dipping bread to go with this. Yummy!

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 2 1/2 cups (3/4-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash
• 2 1/2 cups (3/4-inch) cubed peeled baking potato
• 1 can cut green beans 
• 1/2 cup diced carrot
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups chopped kale
• 1/2 cup uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
• 1 (16-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
• Garnish: a few shakes of vegan parm cheese

forgot to include the orzo in the pic

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 2 1/2 minutes or until tender. Add broth and the next 7 ingredients (broth through salt); bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes. Add kale, orzo, and beans; cook 5 minutes or until orzo is done and vegetables are tender. Sprinkle with cheese.