Fiesta Rice

Do you  need a great side dish to serve with those enchiladas, tacos or burritos? This is it. The rice is so flavorful you could serve as part of a rice bowl or in a burrito. This is really a simple dish but full of flavor.

Fiesta Rice on the left, enchilada on right

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion
• 1 cup uncooked brown rice
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspooon minced garlic
• 2 cups no-chicken chicken broth (I use Better Than Bouillon)
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• dash of salt
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomaotes with chiles, undrained
• 1 (15 ou8nce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add corn to pan and cook 10 minutes or until it starts to brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from pan, set aside.

In the same pan, melt butter. Add onions; saute 5 minutes until tender.

Stir in rice, cumin and garlic. Cook 1 minute.

Add broth, pepper, sat and diced tomatoes to pan; bring to a boil Cover and reduce heat, simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat; stir in reserved corn and beans. Cover and let stand 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro and juice. Makes about 8 servings.

Homemade Datil BBQ Sauce

I love making homemade condiments. You get to decide how much sugar and what kind, the sodium level, etc. This has to be better for you than store bought stuff full of chemicals, colors, etc. The datils give this a nice little kick. You could leave them out or sub a different pepper.

• 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup honey or agave
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire (use a vegan brand)
• 2 teaspoons liquid smoke
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 datil peppers

Add ingredients to your blender.

Blend until peppers are smooth.

Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered about 20 minutes, or until it's the consistency you like. Pour into a jar and refrigerate. Keep refrigerated.

Easy White Chick'n Chili

This is an amazing Chili. It comes together very quick and is absolutely delicious.  I use Tofurky Chick'n style seitan, give a quick chop and it makes super fast chili. You could also use Gardein chick'n strips. You definitely need to make this one; I'm adding it to our winter rotation.

• 1 medium sweet onion, diced
• 6 cups no-chicken broth (I use Better Than Bouillon)
• 1 package Tofurky Chick'n Style Seitan
• 2 cans Great Northern beans, drained
• 1 cup whole kernel corn
• 2 cups salsa verde (I use store brand)
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• Garnish: tortilla chips, scallion, avocado, vegan sour cream, cilantro

Saute onion in about 1/4 cup water until kind of soft in a medium saucepan.

Add broth, seitan, beans, salsa, corn and cumin. Stir to combine. Heat over medium-high heat until boiling, then cover; reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes.

You don't want this super thick it's more the consistency of soup. But you can take the lid off while cooking if you want it thicker. Garnish as desired.

Enjoy!!

Spicy Butternut Squash Soup

I have several recipes for Butternut Squash Soup (use the search bar on the right to find more) and like try different ones since each has a slightly different flavor. This soup has two roasted jalapenos, but it is NOT hot. In fact next time I might add more roasted jalapenos since I love the heat. I served this in coffee cups with a vegan BLT. This would make a good light lunch by itself with some hearty bread or crackers.

• 1 large butternut squash, halved, deseeded
• 1 medium sweet onion, quartered
• 2 jalapenos, seeded and deveined
• 1 shallot, hyalved
• 5 cloves garlic, skin removed
• 2 cups no-chicken chicken broth (I use Better Than Bouillon)
• 1 can full-fat coconut milk
• 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (I  use Bragg's brand)

Preheat oven to 400F and grease a large baking pan with oil (or use parchment).  Place prepared squash on pan and bake for 30 minutes.

Toss the other veggies with a little oil and then toss on the roasting pan (onions,  jalapeno, shallot, garlic).

Roast another 30 minutes.

Scoop the flesh from the squash and add it and the other veggies to a large soup pot.

Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, sage, numeg and vinegar. Use your hand emulsion blender and blend well.

Bring soup to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer 20-30 minutes. Enjoy!!

Taco Quinoa Salad Bowls

This recipe is loosely based on one I saw online that was not vegan and had a few different ingredients. I know bowls have been very popular lately and for good reason. It's great sitting down to a healthy, quick dinner that is contained with one bowl. This is so good and makes a lot. Serves 8.

• 1 cup uncooked Quinoa (I had tri-color)
• 1 package Tofurky Burger
• 1 cup water
• 1 package taco sesaoning
• 1 can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 can chopped green chilies
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups whole kernel corn (I used frozen and just let it sit out while I prepped everything)
• chopped lettuce
• avocado chunks
• Daiya cheddar shreds
• salsa
• pickled jalapeno slices

Cook the quinoa according to package directions.

Placed the burger, water and taco seasoning in a skillet. Cook while breaking up the burger - about 4-5 minutes.

Add tomatoes, chilies, black beans and corn. Stir well.

When the quinoa is ready add it to the skillet. Mix well.

Place desired amount of lettuce in your bowl. Top with 1 cup taco mixture. Garnish with cheese, avocado, salsa and jalapenos.

Enjoy.

Tomato & Lentil Soup

Even though the weather has been warm I still want soup in November. I made BLT (B was Fakin' Bacon tempeh) for lunch and knew I wanted soup with it. So here's a tomato soup that leans heavy on the lentils.

• 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 3/4 cup lentils (I used brown)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 3 cups no-chicken bouillon (I used Better Than Bouillon)
• 2 cups water
• 1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper to taste
• Garnish: vegan Parm cheese

Saute the onion, garlic, celery, carrots in about 1/4 cup water until softened. Add more water if it all evaporates.

Stir in cumin, coriander, lentils and tomato paste.

Add bouillon, water, bay leaf, salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and cover with lid slightly ajar. Cook 15-20 minutes until lentils are soft. Stir occasionally.

Use an immersion blender and puree until smooth. Add salt and pepper if needed.

I served this with half a BLT (bacon tempeh, lettuce, tomato sandwich) but if you are not having a sandwich with it you could serve with croutons.

Enjoy!!

Breakfast Bagel

I love breakfast. During the week it's pretty much grab and go, but on the weekend that all changes. We have bagels, breakfast burritos, Eggless Benedict, Frittata and breakfast hash. This is my favorite way to enjoy a breakfast bagel.

• Bagels, halved (I used Everything)
• Earth Balance margarine
• vegan cream cheese (I used Toffuti brand)
• sweet onion, sliced and diced
• capers
• tomato, sliced
• salt and pepper

Spread half of a bagel with Earth Balance and toast (I use my toaster oven).

Smear a healthy layer of cream cheese.

Top with sweet onion.

Add capers (I love capers)

Top with a thick slice of fresh tomato. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Chow down!

Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Peppers

I saw this reipce on line last week and knew I wanted to make it vegan. Artichoke & Spinach dip is one of my favorites. This is definitely a make again. The stuffing is creamy and full of flavor. I didn't get all the normal pics but these will hopefully inspire you to give this a try.

• 4 bell peppers (I used 2 red and 2 orange), halved and seeded
• Extra-virgin olive oil (I have a misting bottle that works great)
• salt and pepper
• 1 package Beyond Meat Chick'n Strips (cut into quarters)
• 1 (14-oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 (10-oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained 
• 6 ounces vegan cream cheese, softened (I used Toffuti)
• 1 cups shredded mozzarella, divided (I used Daiya)
• 1/2 cup grated vegan Parmesan (I used Follow Your Heart)
• 1/4 cup vegan sour cream (I used Toffuti)
• 1/4 cup vegan mayo (I used Just Mayo)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Preheat oven to 400. On a large, rimmed baking sheet, place the bell peppers cut side-up and mist with oil, then season with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, add chick'n, artichoke heart, spinach, cream cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella, Parm, sour cream, mayo and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, mix until combined.

Divide this mixture evenly between pepper halves.

Top with remaining mozzarella,

Bake until cheese is melted and filling is hot. About 25 minutes. I served these over a bed of Garlic and Olive Oil Couscous.