Chick'n & Broccoli in Hot Garlic Sauce

I order mixed veggies in Garlic Sauce at the local Chinese Restaurant all the time. I saw this recipe over at Spicy Treats and decided to double the sauce and add Gardein Chick'n Scallopini to make it an entire meal. You could serve it over rice or curly noodles - but I didn't, maybe next time. Oh yeah! There will be a next time!

Ingredients

• 2 medium broccoli crowns (cut into bite sized florets)
• 1/4 large red onion, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 Gardein Chick'n Scallopini, slightly thawed and sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

For Sauce

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 6 tablespoons Chilli Garlic Sauce (I like hot, if you aren't use less)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 3/4 cup cold water

 

  In a small bowl add all the sauce ingredients, mix well and set aside.

Wash and cut broccoli in to small florets, slice the onions and set aside. 

 
Heat oil in a skillet, add onions and garlic and stir fry for a minute.

Cut each chick'n piece in half and then slice into strips.

Add chicken to skillet and mix well. Cook for 2-3 minutes til chick'n starts to brown.

Add broccoli, stir fry for 2-3 minutes. (I added 1-2 tablespoons water and covered the skillet to help the broccoli steam.)

Stir the sauce and add it to the skillet. Stir-fry - stirring frequently utnil the sauce is thick and glossy.

Serve hot. Next time I'm going to serve this over some rice.

Enjoy!

Mexican Lasagna

Remember those Crockpot Refried Beans I made last post? This was the reason I started that endeavor. These beans were really delicious and can be made adjusted to your taste with more or less jalapenos. After I had them ready to go I made this Mexican Lasagna or Mexican Casserole whatever you want to call it. I call it YUMMY and a make again!

• 1 large bell pepper, chopped (I had green so that's what I used)
• 1 jalapeño pepper, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 18 corn tortillas
• 3 cups (28 ounces) refried beans
• 2 roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 packageTofurky Chorizo
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 can enchilada sauce
• sliced black olives (optional)
• Garnishes: shredded lettuce, avocado, vegan cheese, extra salsa, vegan sour cream, olives, jalapenos

In a non-stick skillet with 1tablespoon water, sauté the peppers, garlic, and onion for about 3 minutes, or until softened. Set aside.  (I don't know what happened to the pic! Sorry.

Spray a 9 X 13-inch baking pan with non-stick spray. Line the bottom with a layer of tortillas (I tried to cut them to fit the pan but you'll see in the other layers I just used 6 tortillas per layer after that). Make sure you cover the entire bottom of the pan.

Spread half of the refried beans evenly over the tortillas.

Cover the refried beans with half of the pepper-onion mixture.

Add half of the tomatoes.

Sprinkle on half of the chorizo.

 

Add another layer of tortillas.

another layer of beans.

The remaining sauteed veggies.

The rest of the tomatoes.

Sprinkle over the remaining chorizo. Spread the cup of salsa over this layer.

Cover with a final layer of tortillas.

Pour the enchilada sauce over the top.

Spinkle with black olives (if desired).

Cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes at 375 or until hot throughout.

Let rest for about 10 minutes for easier serving. I garnished these with shredded lettuce, Toffuti sour cream and sliced avocado.

Enjoy!

Crockpot Refried Beans

I loved these beans, I was going to make a Mexican Lasagna (look for that post later in the week) and I had a sack of pinto beans in the pantry. I've been trying to buy less canned stuff and dried beans are just so economical - you just have to plan ahead for the soaking. Well these don't require soaking just a long cook time. Make these you can use them in the lasagna recipe, make tacos, quesadillas, taquitos, tostadas, etc.

• 1 sweet onion, peeled and quartered
• 1 package dry pinto beans, rinsed
• 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (I didn't have fresh so I used 1/2 a can of chopped)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 5 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, optional
• 9 cups water

Place the onion, rinsed beans, jalapeno, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin into a slow cooker. 

Pour in the water and stir to combine. 

Cook on high for 8 hours. Once the beans have cooked, strain them, and reserve the liquid. 

Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding the reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency. Enjoy!

Romaine Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

We had a delicious pasta dish for dinner the other night and I wanted a salad to round it out. I've been trying to eat smaller portions, so having something healthy to help fill me up at dinner is one of my "tricks". I had everything on hand, so here ya go. This was really flavorful with the dried cherries, but you could also use craisins, dried blueberries and even add nuts.

• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• 1 tablespoon minced shallots
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 1/4 cup dried cherries, chopped
• 2 tablespoons crumbled vegan feta cheese

Combine first 8 ingredients in a mason jar; shake well. I made individual salads: add lettuce, dried cherries, and cheese; toss gently to coat. Shake dressing again and pour desired amount over your salad and dig in!

Enjoy!

Penne with Spicy Sausage & Zucchini in Tomato Cream Sauce

I love pasta and was really wanting to fix some comfort food for dinner. I had ripped this recipe from the Cooking Light magazine and it was the basis for the following meal. This was so delicious I had it for lunch today too. I paired this with a simple salad (recipe coming this week) and a glass of wine. Nom Nom!

• 8 ounces uncooked penne pasta
• 2 links Field Roast Sausages (I used 1 Italian and 1 Chipotle), crumbled
• 1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• Dash of sugar
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons Toffuti cream cheese
• Cooking spray
• 4 ounces Daiya mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
• 1/4 cup vegan Parm, divided

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; set aside.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage to pan, and sauté until browned. Remove to a plate.

Add zucchini to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until crisp-tender, stirring frequently.

Add oregano and next 4 ingredients (through sugar); sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Add vinegar; cook for 30 seconds or until the liquid evaporates. Drain tomatoes, with juice; bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove pan from heat; stir in cream cheese.

 Add pasta and sausage to tomato mixture; stir to combine.

Spoon half of pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch glass or ceramic baking dish, or divide half evenly among 4 individual dishes coated with cooking spray.

Sprinkle 1/2 the mozzarella and 2 tablespoons Parm over pasta.

Top with remaining pasta mixture.

Sprinkle evenly with remaining mozzarella and remaining Parm.

Bake at 375° for 20 - 25 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

Serve with your choice of salad, garlic bread, wine, etc. Look at these yummy layers.

Enjoy! I'll post the salad recipe later this week.