Fiesta Lime Rice

From Skinny Taste

Ok all you new and newly returned vegans out there. I found this recipe and decided to give it a go. If you've ever been to Chipotle it tastes kind of like their burrito bowl sans meat. We did eat ours with some yummy rotisserie chicken, but you don't have to. It's perfectly filling and nutritious all on its own. It would probably taste great on a tortilla too - Mark actually preferred his burrito style with some salsa and Greek yogurt.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups rice, cooked (I used brown rice)
3/4-1 cup black beans, drained
3/4 cup corn (canned or frozen, doesn't matter)
1 tomato, chopped
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1-2 scallions, chopped (I didn't have any so I just chopped up a bit of sweet onion and it was fine)
1/3 bell pepper, chopped (optional)
1 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
salt
Any toppings: avocado, cheese, meat, salsa, greek yogurt, tortilla, etc

Cook rice, chop all ingredients, dump in a bowl, and mix. Couldn't get much easier than that.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Flautas

From Peas and Crayons

This was really good! It was a winner with Mark and I'm pretty sure Tyler and Clara liked it too. A good veggie dish!

Ingredients:

9 corn tortillas
1 cup of black beans
1 cup mexi-corn [corn + colorful red/green peppers!] (I didn't have this so I just used regular canned corn and then added some chopped peppers to it)
1 small/medium sweet potato
1/4 cup of diced white, yellow, or red onion
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried or fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes [optional]
2oz cream cheese, room temperature [optional] (didn't use it)
4-6 ounces of grated cheese
1 heaping tablespoon [or two!] of taco sauce, enchilada sauce, or salsa (I used red enchilada sauce and more than a tablespoon. Just keep tasting until you get the flavor you want).
salt and pepper to taste
all-natural olive oil spray or plain oil


Directions: (She had a lot of good tips so I'm basically just giving her directions verbatim)

-Pre-heat your oven to 425F.  
-Poke a few holes in your sweet potato, wrap it in a slightly damp paper towel, and microwave on high for about 6-8 minutes.  
-While you wait, combine corn/peppers/onion with your black beans, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, cilantro, cayenne, and taco sauce/salsa.  
-In a separate bowl mix your cheeses.  Add the sweet potato [minus the skin] to the rest of your veggies and mix thoroughly.  Add salt, pepper, and any additional seasoning or sauce to taste.
-Next wrap your corn tortillas in a damp paper towel, followed by a dry paper towel, and microwave on high for 30 seconds.  Follow it up with an additional 30 seconds.  The goal here is to steam the tortillas so they roll into perfect flautas without breaking or cracking (This worked great! I think I did 4 or so at a time) 
-Spray or rub one side of the tortilla with oil and add "line" of veggie filling to the center of the "dry side" of the tortilla, about 1-inch thick.  Top it off with a layer of cheese and roll the tortilla. -Place on a wire baking/cooling rack and seal with a toothpick, if needed.  
-Give them one more spritz of olive oil to get them extra crispy and set on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.  
-Bake on the middle rack, at 425F, for 15 minutes.  At the end, set to broil on HIGH for just under a minute to crisp the tortillas into a perfectly golden, crunchy shell.

Tuscan Soup

This is DEEEEEELICIOUS!! Our friends made it for us once and ever since Mark's been on my back to get the recipe. Yes, you read that right, MARK wanted the recipe and that man never likes soup.  Then I made it while mom and Jim were here and they wanted the recipe. The other great thing: it's SUPER easy and pretty fast.

Ingredients:
-1lb spicy (hot) sausage
-3/4 c chopped onion
-1 slice bacon (or 2 tbsp bacon bits) (optional - I don't use it)
-1/2 tsp minced garlic
-1 quart water
-2 tbsp chicken bullion
-4-5 medium russet potatoes
-2 c (or more) chopped Kale (it looks like a lot, but it shrinks down tons. Next time I will use more.
-1 cup half and half (or heavy cream)

Directions:

-Chop everything ahead of time. Peel and chop potatoes into bite size pieces, dice onion and garlic, and chop kale. You can leave the kale in fairly large pieces, like you're preparing a salad.
-Heat a bit of EVOO in a large stock pot and saute onion and bacon until onion becomes translucent.   --Add garlic and saute for another minute or so.
-Add chopped potatoes, water, and bullion and simmer about 15-20 minutes until potatoes are tender.
-While it's simmering, brown sausage.
-When potatoes are tender add sausage, kale, and cream and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

Serve with crusty bread or rolls. The left overs are great too!

Beet and Citrus Quinoa Salad

 

       You can find the real recipe here!

       I did it a little differently though. I went to three grocery stores and none of them had blood oranges or kumquats....so I just used regular oranges and tangerines. It still tasted excellent though! I also added feta cheese which isn't in the recipe, but was an excellent addition. Set aside some time to cook the beets though. Those suckers really take time. Basic gist though...avocado, beets, orange-like fruit, quinoa, and a yummy dressing mixed in. Verrrry tasty!

Veggie Omelette/Frittata

I got this idea from Aggie's Kitchen, but I don't have a skillet that is oven safe so mine turned in to an omelette. I never thought of putting black beans in with eggs, but it is delicious!

eggs
zucchini, chopped

red onion, chopped, or whatever kind you have
Best Black Beans, rinsed
shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese
salt and pepper

I have also added bacon or sausage at times if I wanted some meat.

Saute the zucchini and onion in some evoo. Add in some black beans according to taste until warmed through. At this point you can either mix them in with some scrambled eggs for a breakfast burrito, put them in a fritatta, or place them in your omelette. Add cheese, salt and pepper. YUM!  

Santa Fe Bean Wrap

From Mama's Blissful Bites

Mark and I both agreed this was an excellent wrap and healthy too. Bonus! Filling and delicious without the meat. If you use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and add the brown rice it has plenty of protein and fiber.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt (the actual recipe called for sour cream)

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (or less. Mark said it was too limey and I agree. Next time I'll do less)

1/2 – 3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1 – 2 tablespoon minced cilantro (I used 1 heaping Tbsp and it was plenty of cilantro for me)

1 shallot: chopped

1 can (15 oz) black beans: drained and rinsed

1/2 can (8oz.) of diced tomatoes with garlic and oregano: drained (aka Italian diced tomatoes)

hot sauce (optional) (didn't use it)

1 avocado: halved, seeded, peeled and diced

bunch of spinach leaves (I used romaine)

flour Tortillas

mozzarella or Cheddar Cheese for topping

I also added brown rice and I think it really gave it a good texture and taste. 

Directions:

Combine all ingredients up through hot sauce and mix to combine. Place in fridge to chill for about an hour. (I made mine at about 4 and put it in the fridge while the rice cooked and I prepared everything else). While it's chilling cut up avocado and lettuce and shred cheese. Place on a tortilla and wrap.

Open faced Turkey Pesto Sandwiches

I made this while mom was here. YUM!! We had it for lunch two days in a row.

Ciabatta bread (or something similar)
Mayo
Pesto (I use the recipe from mom's cookbook)
Turkey (a thicker slice is better. I used a natural brand from costco. It was honey roasted and the sweetness added the perfect flavor)
Tomatoes
Mozarella cheese

Preheat oven on broil setting. Slice bread. Spread on a bit of mayo, then a decent amount of pesto. Lay on the turkey, tomato, and mozarella slices. Place in the broiler for about 5 minutes (keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn). Devour!

Whole Wheat Pizza Pockets

From 100 Days of Real Food

These were so good! Seriously! And now that I know the tricks to the trade they are a pretty quick meal too. The cheese mixture is what really makes it. Man now I want these for dinner again!

Dough Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 2 teaspoons dry active yeast (did you know that yeast should be refrigerated or in the freezer)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cups whole-wheat flour (same with this - whole wheat flour needs to be refrigerated or in the freezer to keep it good).
• 2 tsp sugar (I tried this SEVERAL times without sugar and it never ever ever foamed like it's supposed to. I even tried to see if foaming was really necessary and the dough would not stick together - it was just a clumpy mess. Finally Mark looked at the back of my yeast jar and in the directions it says to add sugar. Anyway, it may just be the yeast I have, but check to make sure).

Filling Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cups ricotta cheese (maybe you could substitute with cottage cheese)
• 1 ¼ cups mozzarella cheese, shredded 
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
• Salt and pepper, to taste 
• Other fillings as desired: (Italian sausage, mushrooms, green bell pepper with onions and garlic. Other ideas: BBQ chicken, cilantro, pineapple, caramelized onions, olives, basil, roasted garlic, spinach, eggplant, goat cheese, figs, and zucchini. (We just used Italian sausage. I was going to saute up some onions and peppers, but after fighting with the dough for an hour I just wanted to get it over with. Next time, next time).
• Pizza sauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. In a glass measuring cup heat 1-cup water until warm. Drop in 2 teaspoons yeast (and sugar) and let rest for a minute. (more like 5-10 minutes)
3. After the yeast foams up a bit add the salt and olive oil to the water mixture and gently stir if necessary.
4. In a food processor or mixer with a dough blade/hook add 3 cups flour. Pour in the water mixture and process until a dough ball forms. (I still had to knead mine by hand a little bit to get it good and doughy)
5. Coat a large bowl with olive oil, add the pizza dough ball, and cover with plastic wrap while you prepare the other fillings. (She says this in her blog post, but you don't have to let it rise. I didn't and it was still good).
6. In another bowl mix together the ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Chop and/or cook other desired fillings while dough rises on the counter (20 – 30 minutes). 
7. Divide dough into 6 equal sized pieces. Shape each one into a ball and then flatten it out with a rolling pin. 
8. Spread a spoonful of pizza sauce in the center of the dough. Add two heaping spoonfuls of the cheese mixture and one spoonful of filling (or 3 spoonfuls of cheese mixture if no other filling is desired).
9. Seal edges of the dough together as best you can with your fingers. (After reading some of the comments I folded ours like a calzone. Otherwise the cheese filling comes out and the dough doesn't cook all the way in the middle. Make a couple of holes with a fork in the top.
10. Bake in the oven for 12 – 15 minutes and once done let cool for a few minutes.
11. Serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping and enjoy!

Veggie Pancakes

From 100 Days of Real Food

These were yummy! Tyler ate 3 and Mark had just as many and probably would have had more, but they were all gone. I made them as a side when we were having pancakes for dinner. (I needed to add something of nutritional value). It probably made about 8 pancakes. 

Ingredients

• 2 cups shredded veggies (I like to use a mix including things like sweet potatoes, zucchini, yellow squash and/or carrots…whatever you have on hand)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon whole-wheat flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Olive oil for cooking
• I added some salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder to give it some flavor.

Directions

1. Combine the shredded veggies with the eggs, flour, and salt. Mix thoroughly.
2. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. It is important that the heat is the right temperature because you want the pancakes to cook all the way through the middle by the time they are brown on the outside.
3. Once the oil has heated up add pancake size dollops of the veggie mixture into the pan. Cook for several minutes until the bottom starts to brown. Then flip and repeat.
4. Transfer cooked pancakes to a plate lined with paper towels.

Shredded Pork Sandwiches

Recipe from My Baking Addiction

I'm giving up on remembering to take pictures. Even when I do remember they turn out very unappetizing looking. Anyway, I'm pretty sure this is a recipe Katelyn uses too, but since she hasn't posted it on here, I will. I found it on her pinterest page and tried it. YUM! We all loved it. Tyler devoured a whole sandwich, plus some on the side that he dipped in ketchup (that kid and ketchup!). I especially like that it isn't cooked in bbq sauce. It seems like the recipes that require that are way too saucy and strong. So, what are you waiting for - give it a try!

1 large Vidalia onion, sliced thin

2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (4-6 lb) boneless pork butt or shoulder - I've also tried it with bone-in and it worked just fine
¾ cup cider vinegar
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (with Tyler in mind, I only used 1 tsp)
1 ½ teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoons dry mustard
½ teaspoon garlic salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (same here - I just dashed some in)

Don't forget the whole wheat hamburger buns!

DIRECTIONS:

1. Rinse pork roast under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. 

Tips: 1)My pork had a HUGE, THICK "fat cap" (and yes, it really is called that - I googled it) that I had the privilege of sawing off. I wasn't expecting that step.
2) Be careful opening your package of meat! Maybe it was just my package but I opened mine on a flat cutting board and juice/blood ran everywhere. I would try opening it on a plate or in a bowl or something to contain the flood of juice that is bound to follow.
Basically, preparing the meat for this recipe is kind of messy. Pick one spot of your kitchen to prepare this and then clean thoroughly - don't forget that sink that now has raw meat juice incubating in it. 

2. Place onions in crock-pot. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, paprika, kosher salt and pepper; mix thoroughly. Rub mixture all over roast and place the roast on top of the onions.

3. In a medium bowl, combine vinegar, Worcestershire, red pepper flakes, sugar, mustard, garlic salt and cayenne pepper; whisk to combine. Drizzle about 1/3 of vinegar mixture over roast. Cover and refrigerate remaining vinegar mixture.

4. Cover crockpot; cook on low for 10-12 hours. Drizzle about 1/3 of reserved vinegar mixture over roast during last ½ hour of cooking.

5. Remove meat and onions; drain. Chop or shred meat and onions. Serve with remaining vinegar mixture or your favorite barbeque sauce. (We used some Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce and it added the perfect amount of flavor to the sandwich. We just spread some on the bread like you would mayo or something.)

PS I think Katelyn makes coleslaw to go with this and I imagine that would be great! I'm just too lazy. 

Pasta Fagioli

Pasta Fagioli (Pasta and Beans)
From Skinny Taste

(I made this last night and it was yummy! Tyler ate it and Mark said it was good for a soup. It is very versatile - you can add basically whatever veggies you want. I served it with warmed up hard rolls - double yum!)


Ingredients: 

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 onion
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• ( I added about 1/3 zucchini, chopped)
• 1 15 oz can cannellini beans
• 15 oz can tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
• 1 large bay leaf
• 1 tbsp basil
• 1 tbsp parsley
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 (14 oz each) cans fat free chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarians)
• 2 cups water (1 cup of water is used to blend the beans if you choose to do so , the other is for the broth.  I only used 1/4 cup of water for the broth)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1-1/2 cups (6 oz) dry Ditalini pasta or other small pasta
• grated parmesan or Romano cheese (optional) (Or unparmesan)

Directions:

In a deep pot, saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat.

Blend the can of beans with one cup water in electric blender until almost smooth. (You don't have to do this. I did because she said it was a way to hide the beans from little kids.  I thought that was a great idea, because Tyler won't eat whole beans, but he ate this soup without even noticing he was eating beans...hahaha I win!) 

Add blended beans to pan then add the can of tomato sauce, celery, carrots, chicken broth, basil, bay leaf, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. Add 1 cup water (or however much you want) and bring to slow boil. Let simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally (I did about 5 min more). Add pasta and cook uncovered until pasta is al dente, according to pasta directions.

Vegan Pizza

I was a wee bit wary of making a vegan pizza, but I finally decided to try and boy was it a success!! I haven't had pizza in a long time and to be honest, back when I could have pizza I didn't really like it.  But this pizza was great - fresh and nongreasy!  YUMMY! I basically ate most of it by myself - mom had a couple pieces. I'll take a picture the next time I make it.

Ingredients:
Pizza crust.  (I bought Freschetta crust from Winco)
Pizza sauce.  (I bought the homemade Winco sauce)
Toppings: peppers, onions, meat (I used the soy faux ham), pineapple, mushrooms, etc
Unparmesan

Directions:
Preheat oven. (Just follow the directions on the package). Spread sauce on crust and top with toppings.  IMPORTANT: Put the toppings on first - BEFORE the unparmesan. If you don't, the juice in the sauce will make it goopy, pasty, and yucky. Same thing goes for veggies/fruit that have a high juice content.  This is what I did to try and avoid pasty fake cheese: Put on all toppings (minus unparmesan) and bake the pizza for approximately half the total baking time.  Then pull the pizza out, sprinkle on a generous amount of unparmesan and return to the oven for the remainder of the baking time.  This worked great! I was able to use pineapple and not worry about the juice content. And the cheese wasn't pasty at all! Please make this! It was sooooo good! I'm basically planning on having a pizza night once a week!   

Cumin-Lime Dressing Quinoa

Quinoa Salad with Black Beans, Avocado and Cumin-Lime Dressing

From Eating For England

This was really yummy! Mark liked it and he had sworn off quinoa. Next time I make it I'll take a picture.  I feel bad taking another person's picture - copyright and all.  

serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
• 1 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
• 1 3/4 cup water
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 avocado, chopped into chunks
• handful cherry tomatoes, quartered (I just chopped up a roma tomato) 
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped into chunks
• small handful cilantro, diced
• 1 limes, juiced
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• salt, to taste

Directions

1. Warm the olive/coconut oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once it’s hot add the rinsed quinoa and toast for about 2-3 minutes until it starts smelling nutty and lovely. Add water, stir once, cover, and simmer with a lid on for 20 minutes.
2. While the quinoa is cooking, prepare all other ingredients. Prepare the dressing by combining the lime juice, oil, cumin, and salt. Whisk it aggressively. Adjust seasoning as necessary.
3. When the quinoa has finished cooking, remove it from heat and fluff with a fork. Add black beans and toss to warm them through.
4. Let the quinoa cool for about five minutes and then add all the remaining ingredients, including the dressing, and mix. Adjust seasoning if necessary. 

Shredded Chicken in a Tomatillo Sauce

I got the ingredients for this recipe from bevcooks, but changed the method of preparation from the original to make it a million times easier!

INGREDIENTS
* 2 (12 oz) cans whole tomatillos, drained
* 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil (no need for this ingredient using my method)
* 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of any excess fat (I used frozen boneless, skinless chicken cutlets)
* 2 jalapenos, minced (leave the seeds in for more heat) (I left them out)
* 1/2 medium onion, diced
* 3 or 4 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 (15 oz) can white hominy, drained (I forgot to buy this, so I left it out)
*1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
* juice from 1/2 lime
* coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
* 2 cups cooked jasmine rice (I used brown rice)


METHOD
1. Put frozen chicken into the crockpot.
2. Blend all of the other ingredients together in a blender or food processor, minus the oil and rice.
3. Put the sauce on top of the chicken and cook for 5 hours-ish on high or longer on low or until the chicken is cooked.
4. Take the chicken out, shred it, toss it back in, and throw in some rice!


I ate mine with some whole wheat wraps and a little sriracha. YUM!!

Low fat Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

There's no real recipe for this creation, so I figured I'd just show you exactly what I used. I was craving mac and cheese, but wanted to make a much healthier version than the one we grew up on. I had the leftover pureed pumpkin eyeing me from the fridge and it hit me, maybe I could throw that in with the cheese sauce. I am super proud of the end results, it was creamy and delicious and even a little healthy.

INGREDIENTS
100% whole wheat elbow macaroni noodles
one bag of reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese
pureed pumpkin (I used about a cup and a half) *If no pumpkin, you could use butternut squash
50/50 Smartchoice butter (about a tablespoon)
all purpose flour (a couple of tablespoons)
almond milk (a couple of cups)
unsalted chicken stock (about a cup)

1. Cook the pasta according to box directions and drain.
2. In the same pot (while noodles are sitting in the strainer) add the butter, let it melt, add the flour and stir.
3. Add the almond milk and chicken stock. Whisk until it's heated through.
4. Add the pumpkin and cheese. Stir until it's thickened and delicious looking.
5. Add the noodles and a healthy dose of salt and pepper.
6. SCARF! (This goes without saying...but obviously sprinkle some vinegar on top)
7. Force yourself to not eat seconds.

I've let the leftovers cool completely and then portioned it out into single servings to put in the freezer. I know it's not completely vegan (sorry Feather and Laina), but it really is a great alternative to regular mac and cheese!