Lentil Sweet Potato Taco Bowl (WFPBNO)

 Y'all I have discovered canned lentils. One of my local stores has them on a regular basis; the other never has them. They make preparing dishes with lentil SO fast and easy. If you have the time by all means use dried lentils and prepare them. But, this is the quickest way to get some yummy lentils in a dish. If you want to try this dish be sure to have some cheese sauce on hand or make it first. For this recipe I used the Fork Over Knives Queso Sauce (it's amazing and a link is below). Serves 2

• 1 can lentils, rinsed and drained
• 1 medium/large sweet potato, baked until cooked through and cut in half
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 tablespoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon chipotle pepper
• 2 tablespoons of your favorite salsa
• 2 cups organic romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 avocado, sliced
• Forks Over Knives Queso Sauce
• Salsa, jalapenos, scallions to garnish

Before you begin be sure you have a cheese sauce you enjoy and get that sweet potato in the oven to bake. Add lentils (rinsed and drained) to a saute pan with all the spices and salsa.

Stir and cook 5-7 minutes until heated through. Stir occasionally.

Once everything is ready assemble your bowl (all of my bowls were in the dishwasher) or plate. Add chopped romaine lettuce to one side. Then around the edge add the lentils, halved sweet potato, avocado, tomatoes, extra salsa and your cheese sauce. Garnish with whatever other 'taco' things you like.

Enjoy!!!!

Stir-Fried Noodles with Vegetables (WFPBNO)

I had a package of Lo Mein Noodles in the pantry that I was wanting to use/try. I looked around to see what I had in the freezer/frig and came up with this delicious stir-fry. This is a pretty quick meal to make; I think it was about 30 minutes. Be sure to get your water on to boil before you begin cooking. Also, be sure to prep all your ingredients since stir-fries come together so fast. Let me know if you tried this or if you used different veggies.  Feel free to sub out any of the vegetable for ones you have on hand.

Sauce:

• 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/3 cup vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Stir-Fry:

• 1 8-ounce package wide Lo Mein Noodles
• 1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 1 package edamame peas cooked according to package directions (I didn't have shelled ones, so I microwaved them, let them cool a bit and shelled them)
• 1 cup 1-inch pieces asparagus
• 1/2 cup carrots, shredded (pre-shredded)
• 1/2 cup baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• Fresh black pepper
• Sesame seeds

Be sure to get that water started for the pasta before you begin. Saute the onion in a couple of tablespoons water in a non-stick skillet. Cook for 3-4 minutes until soft.

Add the remainder of the vegetables to the skillet. Toss occasionally and add more water, a tablespoon at a time, if needed.

All all of the sauce ingredients to a small sauce pan. Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes until it has thickened. Set aside.

After cooking the vegetables for a few minutes (don't overcook them). Add the Sauce; cook about 2 more minutes until it's hot. 

Add the noodles and gently toss until everything is coated in the sauce.

Serve with black pepper and black sesame seeds.

Enjoy!!!!

Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower (WFPBNO)

 I love cauliflower nuggets dressed up like chicken nuggets. These were super crunchy and easy to make.  You start with 3 bowls of ingredients, dip the cauliflower florets in each bowl, place on parchment paper and bake. Then serve with buffalo sauce. So easy as an appetizer or fix some veggies on the side and serve these as your main entrée. Let's get cooking.

Bowl 1:

• 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Bowl 2:

• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 3/4 cup warm water

Bowl 3:

• 4 cups wheat bran flakes
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Process these 4 ingredients in a food processor until the flakes are pretty broken down.

Other Ingredients:

• 1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1/2 cup Frank's buffalo sauce or red hot sauce

Get your 3 bowls of ingredients ready.

Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the cauliflower into the appropriate sized florets.

Rinse the cauliflower so that it's wet. Coat the florets in bowl 1, 2 and then 3 and place on baking sheet. Be sure they aren't touching. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Pour the Frank's sauce over them and toss. (I did this on my plate so the leftovers wouldn't loose their crunch. Serve as an appetizer, or as I did with a side of roasted potatoes, fresh sliced tomatoes and some vegan ranch.

Enjoy!

Leftovers heat well in a toaster oven.

Split Pea Soup (WFPBNO)

I have quite a few mason jars filled with dried beans and peas. Some of them have passed their best used by date and I decided it was time to get out the InstaPot and use the split green peas. I have never made a pressure cooked soup before but knew that the peas were sure to get soft using this method. This turned out so tasty in such a quick time. I will probably begin using the InstaPot more often for these types of dishes, especially ones using dried beans.

• 4 cups water
• 1 medium  sweet potato, diced
• 1 cup split green peas
• 1/2 cup dried split yellow peas
• 1/2 sweet onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
• 1 teaspoon dried mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Add all of the ingredients except the nutritional yeast to the InstaPot. Stir well to mix. Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes. All pressure to release naturally.

Carefully removed lid and add the nutritional yeast and black pepper. Give it a good stir; if it's too chunky for you use an immersion blender to puree some of the veggies. 

Ladle up and serve with a side salad, bread, cracker, cornbread, etc.

Enjoy!!

Mushroom Stroganoff (WFPBNO) II

I wanted a pasta dish for dinner last night and looked in the frig and pantry to see what I had on hand. So, Mushroom Stroganoff was made and it was delicious. If you don't like mushrooms, well this one isn't for you. But this creamy mushroom sauce served over wide (eggless) noodles was delicious. I should have made a side salad to go with it, but I didn't, you should do that when you made these. This is a very straight forward dish and only takes about 20 minutes to make using two pots. 

• 6 ounces pasta
• 1/2 sweet onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 ounces baby bella mushroom's, sliced
• 3 tablespoons white wine (optional)
• 3/4 cup vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
• black pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup unsweet soymilk

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of water in a nonstick skillet and sauce the onions until translucent. Add mushrooms and garlic and cook 5-7 minutes.

Add the wine and cook until mushrooms are tender.

In a small bowl or mason jar, mix vegetable broth, soy sauce and cornstarch until smooth. Pour into the pan. Add mustard and nutritional yeast. Stir in soymilk. Simmer, stirring occasionally for 5-10 minutes or until thickened to desired consistency. Season with paprika and black pepper.

Add the pasta and toss well to combine. Simmer until pasta is warmed up. 

Taste, I don't cook with salt, but if you need a little it is okay to add a sprinkle to the food after it's cooked.

Enjoy!!!