White Chili

I adapted this recipe for my taste from a crockpot cook book I have from Better Homes and Gardens. I think I've had this book 15 years. I have made this recipe for years, but now I leave out the chicken. I've added a few other ingredients, so now I call it mine. :) Although you can make this in the crockpot, it also comes together pretty fast on the stovetop.

Ingredients:

2 - 3 15 oz cans great northern, pinto, or cannelli beans, drained
1/2 - 1 c diced onion
1 c diced celery
1 c chopped red, green, and/or yellow bell pepper
1 1/2 c diced yukon potatoes (leftover mashed potatoes are great too, makes it "creamy")
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano, crushed
1/4 - 1/2 tsp chili powder
3 1/2 c chicken broth
3/4 c frozen corn

optional:
diced green chilis
jalapeno chili pepers, stemmed and chopped
cayenne peper

Toppings:
monterey jack cheese
broken tortilla chips
cilantro

Option 1: combine drained beans, vegetables, spices and broth in crockpot. Cook for 8-10 hrs on low or 4-5 on high.

Option 2:
Sautee diced onion, celery, and peppers. Add broth, minced garlic, cumin, salt, oregano, chili powder, potatoes, beans, and corn. Bring to boil then reduce to heat and simmer till potatoes are tender.

Best Corn Bread

I found this recipe on the back of Lamb's brand corn meal but I tweaked it, so I'm claiming partial credit. I adapted the recipe by using yogurt instead of milk, using honey instead of sugar, and coconut oil of course. The finished product is more dense than their version, but I like how moist it is. I also obsess over the mild coconut flavor, and it is delicious with chili. Sometimes I also add ground flax seed for an additional binding agent and for the omega 3-benefits.

Stir together all dry ingredients.
1 cup Lamb's stone ground corn meal
1 cup flour (unbleached)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp ground flax (optional)

Add :
2 eggs
1 cup milk of choice
2 tbsp honey

Stir into dry mixture but be careful not too over mix.

Add while mixer is on:
melted 1/2 cup coconut oil
Note: when you stir it all together in your mixer, your dough will be stiff but that's fine.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pour batter into a greased 8x8 glass baking dish (I like to grease with coconut oil). Place pan in oven and cook for 30 min until fully baked. Top of cornbread will be slightly brown and firm to the touch. While bread is hot, spread butter or coconut oil over the top.

TexMex Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

1 can refried beans or the equivalent of homemade
2-3 oz. grated cheddar (but you can never go wrong with more)
4 bell peppers
salsa

Directions:

1) Slice the top off of each pepper, removing the stem, seeds, and membrane.  Fill each one with layers of cheddar and beans.  Finish with a layer of salsa and a sprinkle of cheese.
2) Place each pepper standing upright in an 8"x8" pan.  Bake in a 425 degree oven for around 25 minutes, or until the pepper begins to get a bit soft and wrinkly and the cheese is melted.  Then turn the oven off and use the broiler setting on low for 1-2 minutes, watching carefully to make sure that you don't burn anything.
3) Let stand for about 5 minutes and then eat.

We love this and it's easy.  Serve with Spanish rice and/or a side salad.  I also like to add guacamole and chopped tomatoes when serving, if I happen to have them on hand.

Lazy Eggplant Parmigiana

Ingredients:
1-2 eggplants, sliced into 1/2" medallions
2-3 eggs, scrambled but uncooked
planko bread crumbs
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 jar spaghetti sauce
grated parmigiana cheese

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 425.
2) Heat 1-2 T. olive oil in a skillet on medium high heat.
3) Dredge each eggplant slice in egg, then bread crumbs.  Add to preheated skillet.  Lightly salt and pepper.  cook each slice for 1-2 minutes per side, or until each side is nicely browned (adding more oil as necessary).
4) Layer the cooked eggplant slices in a 9"x13" pan.  Cover with the spaghetti sauce.  Top with cheese.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is nicely melted on top and the dish is hot.

We love this dish.  It's good with a simple side salad.

Roasted Mushroom and White Bean Soup

Quick, easy, and delicious.

http://shewearsmanyhats.com/roasted-mushroom-soup/

For us, it was perfect to cut this recipe in half (plenty for tonight, enough for leftovers for lunch).  My kids don't usually like soup, so I reserved some of the beans for them to eat plain, alongside the biscuits I served with the soup.  Eden also likes plain, uncooked mushrooms (weirdo!), so I saved some for her.  We're not sage fans, so we omitted that.

Fast and Tasty

I've really been trying to cut back on my time in the kitchen without sacrificing quality. (We can all agree that two hours of dinner prep is excessive, yes?) Here are two great recipes that have helped me out:

The first is a new version of the Wonderpot.

 http://damndelicious.net/2014/06/13/one-pot-zucchini-mushroom-pasta/

Fyi, that blog has a pretty good vegetarian section.

The second recipe I'm loving is the best quinoa salad I've ever had. It's only a few changes away from my usual, but those changes are awesome. I do usually add a little more honey than called for and use red and yellow sweet peppers. Adding about a half cup of pine nuts does wonders. Also, we obviously leave out the steak (though keeping it in is a great way to make an omnivore meal that you'll still enjoy).

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/black-bean-quino-salad

Happy cooking!

Balsamic Pepper Stir Fry

Because I grew up in a picky eaters household, I really haven't eaten a lot of peppers in my lifetime. Since I started trying a plant based lifestyle, I have made an effort to eat more of them, but bad habits die hard.

This recipe is a keeper in our family. We just omit the chicken. I'm so proud of myself after I've literally licked the plate clean - I just ate a whole bunch of peppers, different colors too!

The recipe is great on it's own but I like to bring the vinegar to the table for an extra punch of flavor.