Jalapeno White Bean Chili

I love white beans and jalapenos so this recipe caught my eye in my Forks Over Knives Cookboook. A simple and satisfying chili for a cold Boston night.

 

Ingredients:

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 large green pepper, seeded and diced

3 jalapeño peppers, seeded and diced

6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 tbps cumin seeds, toasted and crushed

1 28oz can diced tomatoes

2 cans of white beans

3 cups vegetable stock

Zest and juice of one lime

1 cup finely chopped cilantro

Salt to taste

 Directions:

Place onion, green pepper, and jalapeno pepper in large saucepan and sauté over medium heat for 7 to 8 minutes. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water at time to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan. Add the garlic and cumin and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, beans, and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes.  Remove from heat and add lime zest, juice, and cilantro. Salt to taste.

Spicy Quinoa Salad

Last weekend I took a very much anticipated trip to Florida. Beach time in January should be mandatory for everyone. Anyways, before I left I needed to whip up dinner and did not want to run to the grocery store prior to leaving for a few days. I threw this together in a few minutes, with supplies all found in my pantry. Not fancy at all, but definitely served in a pinch and actually tasted pretty good and filling. This would also be an easy lunchbox option.


2 cups cooked quinoa (cooked according to package)
1 can of black beans, drained
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1 cup of frozen corn, cooked
1 jar of salsa

Mix all ingredients together, adding the salsa to taste.

 

Kale stuffed peppers

So tomorrow I start the BluePrintCleanse again. I did the three day cleanse around this time last year and while I had mixed feelings about it, I have decided to take the plunge again.

I am preparing a little bit better this time around. I am on my third day with no coffee, having cut down from my usual three cups a day to one cup of black tea. And today I ate raw vegan- fruit for breakfast, some veggies for lunch, and some nuts pre-run for energy. For dinner tonight, I ended up making red peppers stuffed with kale and avocado. Super simple, all raw.

Ingredients:
1 bunch of kale, stems trimmed and shredded
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 avocado
2 bell peppers


Cut the avocado in half and mash up one half in a bowl. Mix the mashed avocado with the kale leaves (hands are actually the best method here to get it fully incorporated) and then add in the carrots. Cut the other half of the avocado into small chunks. Add in, mixing lightly.

Cut tops off of peppers and remove inner ribbing and seeds. Stuff with the kale salad.

I added a side salad of shaved zucchini with some olive oil.

Delicious....and the last solid meal I will have for three days. eek.

 

Kale Salad with Maple Mustard Dressing

I am super excited about the new cookbooks that I got for Christmas. One of them, Forks Over Knives, is particularly exciting because the recipes are all vegan, and all low fat. I usually don't get too excited about salads in cookbooks - I rarely have the patience to follow recipes for something I feel like I can put together just as easily on my own. However, this book has quite a few salad recipes that caught my eye. The one I made the other day, a kale salad with maple mustard dressing, was surprisingly unique in taste.
 
 Dressing:

• Zest and juice of 1 lemons
• 1 cup cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tbps cup tahini
• 1 tbps stone-ground mustard
• 1 tbps Braggs Amino Acids (or wheat-free tamari or low-sodium soy sauce)
• 1 tbs. 100% pure maple syrup
• 2 tbps nutritional yeast flakes
• 1/4 cup water

Salad:

• 6 cups kale, ribs removed & shredded
• 2 cup of broccoli florets, cut into tiny pieces
• 1 cup of red cabbage, shredded
• 1 cup of carrots, shredded
• 1 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1. Place all dressing ingredients into blender and blend until smooth (add more or less water to get to the desired consistency)
2. Mix salad ingredients together and add dressing.

White Bean, Potatoes, and Cabbage Skillet

Being home for the holidays is challenging as I come from a family of meat eaters. The easiest way to avoid temptation while still being a part of family meals is to make a side for the group which can serve as a meal in itself for me.

Last night my family was making a pork roast so I immediately thought of cabbage as a good side option. I had just received Swanson's book, "Super Natural Every Day" for Christmas and decided to give a recipe she had in there a shot. With potatoes, cabbage, and white beans it was very much a meal in and of itself. And my family enjoyed it as as side as well...even my two year old niece!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 small red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into tiny dice
1 shallot, minced
1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups (8 ounces) very finely shredded green cabbage
coarse and fine-grain sea salt

Directions:

1. Pour the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the potatoes and spread them evenly in the pan. Add sprinkle of coarse salt. Cook the potatoes for 5 minutes or so, make sure you scrape and toss the potatoes during cooking so that you can get each side browned and cooked through.
2. Add in the shallot and the white beans and spread all around the skillet. Let cook, undisturbed for 2 minutes to brown just a bit, then scrape and toss again. Cook until the beans are nicely browned on both sides.
3. Stir in the cabbage and cook for another minute. Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir and toss again. (I added more olive oil here to soften the cabbage - you might find you need some sort of liquid). Once the cabbage has wilted down, the dish is ready.

*For my non vegan family members, I added some Parmesan cheese to the mix.

 

 

 

Spicy Tempeh and Broccoli Rabe With Rotelle

So I have to admit that when I got the cookbook "Veganomicon" for Christmas last year I was thrilled to try out what my friends called the "Vegan Bible". Sadly, since the initial read-through, this cookbook has been relegated to the back of my bookshelf and has rarely seen the light of day. I pulled it out last night, desperate to find a good recipe for the tempeh sitting in my fridge. And promptly realized why I never use it. As a single professional, I usually only have a few staple ingredients on hand to cook with. The recipes in Veganomicon always call for more ingredients than I have in my pantry and more time than I have on hand. So I was surprised and pleased to realize I had everything to make one of the many tempeh recipes in there last night. Well, everything except the broccoli rabe....but I did have a bag of frozen broccoli in my freezer. The tempeh marinade was actually delicious and the perfect amount of spicy for me.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb whole wheat spiral pasta

Spicy Fennel Tempeh:

1 (15 ounce) package tempeh, cubed

1/2 cup vegetable broth, plus 2 tablespoons vegetable broth

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 garlic clove, pressed

1 tablespoon fennel seed 

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste)

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar

Broccoli rabe:
1/4 cup olive oil
5 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
1 bunch broccoli rabe, tough stems trimmed, chopped coarsely (1/2-3/4 pound)  * I used a bag of frozen broccoli cut into small pieces
2 -3 tablespoons white wine or 2 -3 tablespoons water or 2 -3 tablespoons vegetable broth
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar or 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
salt & freshly ground black pepper

 

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, add the pasta and cook according to the package directions, usually about 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, toss with a teaspoon or two of olive oil and keep covered either in a large covered serving bowl or the cooking pot. While your pasta is boiling, prepare the other ingredients.

 

2. Tempeh: Place the tempeh in a large, nonstick skillet. In a measuring cup, whisk together the vegetable broth, tomato paste, soy sauce, garlic, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, and oregano. Pour over the tempeh, stir to coat, and cook over medium heat until the liquid starts to simmer. Cover the pan and steam the tempeh for 8 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed and the tempeh is tender. Stir a few times while tempeh is steaming.

 

 

3. Transfer the tempeh to a bowl and crumble about half the cubes with the back of a spoon.

 

4. Wipe down the skillet to remove any leftover tempeh sauce, return the skillet to medium heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. To test the heat, drop a bit of tempeh into the oil- when it sizzles, the oil is hot enough. Add the tempeh and stir-fry for 4 to 5 minutes, until it begins to brown. Remove from heat, add to the pasta, and keep covered.

 

5. Broccoli rabe: Pour the remaining olive oil into the pan and add the sliced garlic. When the garlic begins to sizzle, stir and cook it for about a minute. Add the broccoli rabe (or defrosted broccoli, in my case), stir to coat it with the oil, sprinkle with a little salt, and cover the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the white wine and steam for 8 to 10 minutes, until the broccoli rabe is bright green and its stems are tender (you may need to do this in 2 batches, just add the second batch of broccoli rabe when the first batch has wilted enough to leave room in your pan)

 

6. Remove the cover and continue to saute for an additional minute or two, until any excess liquid is evaporated. Pour the cooked broccoli rabe onto the tempeh and pasta, sprinkle with red wine vinegar, season with salt and pepper, and toss everything to mix.

 

Caramelized Tofu & Brussel Sprouts

Thanksgiving shopping has been all consuming for me this week - stocking up on non-perishables for the big day and preparing my list of what I need to get the day-of. I have not put much thought into any other dinner recipes for the week. I was thus pleasantly surprised when I realized that I had everything on hand to make this meal from Heidi's blog 101 Cookbooks. I have made this once before and loved it. A nice light meal to enjoy pre-thanksgiving feasting!

Ingredients:

7 - 8 ounces extra-firm tofu cut into thin 1-inch segments (see photo)
a couple pinches of fine-grain sea salt
a couple splashes of olive or peanut oil
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
3 tablespoons fine-grain natural cane sugar or brown sugar
1/2 lb. brussels sprouts, washed and cut into 1/8-inch wide ribbons

Directions:

Cook the tofu strips in large hot skillet (or pot) with a bit of salt and a splash of oil. Saute until slightly golden, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and pecans, and cook for another minute. Stir in sugar. Cook for another couple of minutes. Remove from heat. Scrape the tofu out onto a plate and set aside while you cook the brussels sprouts.

In the same pan (no need to wash), add a touch more oil, another pinch of salt, and dial the heat up to medium-high. When the pan is nice and hot stir in the shredded brussels sprouts. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes, stirring a couple times (but not too often) until you get some golden bits, and the rest of the sprouts are bright and delicious.