Pineapple-Datil Hot Sauce

Jack was telling me about a Pineapple Habanero sauce he saw on TV the other day. You know I've got Datil's in the freezer, so I went in search. I discovered the Chili Pepper Madness website. Oh my gosh folks you have to check it  out if you like heat. I subbed Datil for Habanero and it was so freaking  hot. I made another batch with NO Datil and mixed the two together. Below are the ingredients for the final version. 

• 20 Datil peppers
• 2 cups (2 cans) sliced pineapple, drained
• 1 handful cilantro leaves, rinsed
• Juice from 2 limes
• 2 cups white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt

Add all ingredients to your blender (or food processor)  and blend till fairly smooth.

Pour into pot and simmer over low for 15 minutes.

Get jars/bottles ready.

Ladle into jars and close.

Store in frig. Makes about 24 ounces. **If you have canning equipment you could process this and keep it in your cabinet.

Roasted Veggies and Peanut Sauce

We had some beautiful local veggies and I decided we'd roast all of them and serve over couscous with a peanut sauce. Great decision. The veggie I had on hand were all hard veggies that would take about the same amount of time to roast. You can mix this up with whatever you have on hand or like, just be sure that you don't put a zucchini in for the same amount of time as cauliflower. You can use two pans and have one pan full of things that take the same amount of time and add the second pan part way through the roasting.

Veggies:

• 1 stalk brussel sprouts, large ones cut in half
• 1/2 head of cauliflower florets, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 head broccoli florets, cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 carrots, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 box of couscous, cooked according to package directions

Peanut Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup 100% pure maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Prep all of your veggies.

Preheat oven to 450F. Place parchment paper over your baking sheet pans. Toss all of your veggies in a bowl with a tablespoon oil and the seasoning of your choice. I used a vegetable blend. Stir well. Pour veggies onto baking sheets.

Roast veggies at 450 for 20 minutes. Give them a stir at the half way mark. Check them with a toothpick to be sure they are cooked the way you like. But don't over cook them, they should hold their shape and be toothsome.

While the veggies are roasting cook a box of couscous and make your peanut sauce. To serve: place your couscous in a bowl (or plate) add veggies and drizzle with peanut sauce.

***I had one Field Roast Italian sauce  in the frig. So I cut it up and sauted it and added it to our bowls.

Enjoy!!!

Pigs in a Blanket

We love Field Roast hot dogs. I know they aren't the most healthy thing out there, but hey sometimes you just have to have some fun food. I had 2 hot dogs left from a package and a package of Crescent Rolls (yes, they are vegan). I whipped these up for a quick lunch. They were very filling and yummy. These could also be used a appetizers.

Pigs:

• 1 package Crescent rolls 
• 2 Field Roast Frankfurters, cut into 4ths
• 8 thin slices vegan cheese, (I used Daiya and sliced it myself0
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• coarse salt (mine had red pepper flakes in it)

Dip:

• equal parts pure maple syrup and Dijon mustard

Ingredients for Pigs

The dip

Cut each hot dog into 4 equal pieces.

Separate the Crescent rolls into 2 rectangle pieces. I use the first 2 triangles as 1 piece and pinch the seams together. Then repeat with the last two. Cut each rectangle into 4 pieces for a total of 8 strips. place a piece of hot god and a slice of cheese on one end.

Roll up and put on aluminum foil covered baking sheet. (I used the small one that fits in my toaster oven.). Repeat with remaining pieces of hot dog, cheese and crescent roll.

Brush tops with melted vegan butter.

Sprinkle with coarse salt.

Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes until nice and brown.

Serve with the dip that you made and enjoy.

Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

I saw this recipe and knew I wanted to make a vegan version. I tried Morning Star Farms Steak Strips (vegan) for the first time. These are good, however, for this use next time I'll cut them in half. The other change I would make to this recipe is to get more creamy stuff inside the peppers, maybe some vegan shreds or some type of sauce. But I will definitely make these again.

• 2 bell peppers, halved and deseeded
• 1/2 package Morning Star Steak Strips
• 1/2 large sweet onion, sliced
• 1 8 ounce container crimini mushrooms, sliced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 slices vegan provolone

Split the bells in half and remove membranes and seeds. Place on foil lined baking sheet.

Bake empty shells at 325 for 20 minutes.

In a non-stick skillet add the steak strips and cook until lightly browned. Set aside.

To the same skillet add onions and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper.

Once things begin to soften add the steak strips back to the skillet. Stir to combine

Add provolone to the bottom of the peppers, top with steak mixture. Top with another piece of provolone.

Bake or broil until cheese begins to melt.

These are really good and served with a side salad it's a complete meal.

Enjoy!!