Recipe Post: Spaghetti Squash "Chicken" Enchiladas--Veganized!

This recipe was definitely a winner in our little household--even the ferret was checking it out (she didn't get any). But first, let me give credit to the two sites that inspired the dish (check out some of the other spaghetti squash ideas): http://greatist.com/eat/spaghetti-squash-recipes and http://www.closetcooking.com/2013/12/chicken-enchilada-stuffed-spaghetti.html?m=1.

I tend to get into a spaghetti squash rut. I bake it, throw some marinara on it, and call it a meal. I've gone creative a few times, but I needed some new ideas. There are some great ones on the above sites! I took the chicken enchilada one and customized it for us (mainly making it vegan). We don't use the fake meats a lot, but I just had to try this recipe--and it turned out really well!

1 large organic spaghetti squash
1 can of organic black beans
package of meatless chicken of your choice
big handful of organic spinach
1 jar of enchilada sauce (I used Trader Joe's. The closet cooking site above has a homemade recipe. The jar was just a time-saver for me).
Daiya's Havarti with jalapenos

Other than the cooking time for the spaghetti sauce, this is quick and easy.

Slice the spaghetti sauce horizontally so you have to nice squash boats (once you remove the seeds). Bake the squash for an hour at 350 degrees.

Thaw the "chicken" strips. Drain and rinse the black beans. Cut up the big handful of spinach (removing the big stems). I also chopped up the "chicken" strips so they were a bit smaller. Put them in a mixing bowl. Pour in the enchilada sauce, and mix it all up.

Once the squash has finished cooking, fill the boats with the enchilada mixture.
(At this point, I had to head out for about 45 minutes. So, I turned the oven off, but left the stuffed squash in the oven while I was gone so that the mixture would get warm. Otherwise, I would simply stuff the squash, and put them back in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes until the mixture is heated).

Turn the oven to broil, and sprinkle pieces of Daiya cheese on the top. Broil until the cheese is nice and melted.

Enjoy! I have plenty left-over for another meal (Mark does not).

Recipe Post: Vegan Faux Fredo with Kale/Walnut Pesto

You know I typically stick to simple, but delicious recipes because I don't like taking a lot of time to cook. But sometimes, when I have some extra time, I really enjoy tackling a higher maintenance recipe. Tonight was one of those nights. This is decadent, but still healthy! You will need a food processor and a high speed blender (or at least one of these--washing it out between uses). It is vegan and gluten-free.

I stole the original recipe from Healthy Recipe Ecstasy. So give that blog a read when you have some time. I'm posting the original recipe below, along with the changes I made (in red) to please our diets/palettes. It's always fun to add your own twist to recipes!

INGREDIENTS

• KALE PESTO:
• 3 cups kale (fresh with tough stems removed or frozen)
• ¼ cup raw walnuts (I could not find raw walnuts, so I used regular walnuts from the bakery section)
• 2 cloves of garlic
  
  
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil (I had some infused olive oils on hand so I did 2 parts regular olive oil and one part hot red pepper infused olive oil to give it a little kick).
• 1/4 cup of Nutritional Yeast
• Coarse salt & black pepper to taste
• PASTA ALFREDO:
• ¼ cup vegan margarine (I used 1/4 cup unrefined, organic coconut oil). 
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups canned white beans, rinsed and drained (Three cans of organic White Northern Beans)
• 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened soy milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
• Coarse salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1 pound whole wheat penne pasta (I used my Mung Bean Pasta "go to" for this. See picture below). 
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving (I skipped using any extra oil).

INSTRUCTIONS

KALE PESTO:

1. Transfer the kale, walnuts and garlic to a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. With the motor running, add the olive oil in a steady stream and process to a coarse purée.

PASTA ALFREDO:

1. Cook pasta according to package. Drain and keep warm, retaining one tablespoon pasta water.(I didn't bother with the tablespoon of water).
2. In a large sauté pan over low heat, melt the margarine. Add the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Transfer the margarine mixture to a blender or food processor, and add the white beans, vegetable broth, soy milk and pasta water. Blend until completely smooth.
4. Pour the sauce back into the pan over low heat, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the sauce is warm.
5. Add the sauce to the pasta, and mix until all the noodles are covered in sauce. Divide pasta among 4 bowls. Top each bowl with 2-3 tablespoons kale pesto and some olive oil.
6. NOTE: At first, it may seem like you have too much sauce for the pasta, but the noodles quickly soak up all that sauce. To reheat leftovers, I like to slowly warm the pasta on the stove and add ¼ cup broth to help loosen up the sauce.

Look how creamy the white bean sauce is. It looks like we splurged on heavy cream, but this recipe gets rid of all of that unhealthy dairy.

Here's my pasta "go to" these days. It's packed with protein and fiber--and it's gluten/wheat free!

Recipe Post: Edamame Donburi

This is yet another dish out of Robin Robertson's 1000 Vegan Recipes. This is such a great cookbook--even if you are not vegan or vegetarian.





We've made this several times now. It's delicious. A little time consuming just because you need to get your rice started and your edamame cooking before you started browning your onions.

1 cup fresh or frozen shelled edamame
1 tbsp canola or grape seed oil
1 medium yellow onion, minced (I use red onions for almost everything)
5 shitake mushroom caps, lightly rinsed, patted dry, and cut into 1/4-inch strips (I hate mushrooms, so I do this dish without them)
1 tsp of grated fresh ginger (I've used powder in a pinch and it tasted fine)
8 ounces of firm tofu, drained and crumbled (below I'll tell you the secret to great textured tofu)
2 tbsp of soy sauce (low sodium to keep the sodium content down)
3 cups hot cooked rice (we always used brown...there's just no need for processed white rice)
1 tbsp of toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp of toasted sesame seeds (for garnish). I actually forgot to add the sesame seeds in the picture shown. They do add a nice extra taste.

1. In a small saucepan of boiling salted water (I never add salt to the water), cook the edamame until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, cover and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, and cook, uncovered, 5 minutes longer. Stir in the ginger and green onions. Add the tofu and soy sauce and cook until heated through, stirring to combine well, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cooked edamame and cook until heated through, about five minutes.

3. Divide the hot rice among 4 bowls (I sometimes just stir it right into the pan with the rest of the meal), top each with the edamame and tofu mixture, and drizzle on the sesame oil. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Recipe Post: Jamaican Stew

When I mentioned I made this for dinner, many folks seemed interested. So I decided to use it as a recipe post. Not to sound like a broken record, but this recipe also came from Robin Robinson's Quick-Fix Vegetarian. If you enjoy making vegetarian meals (even if you're not a vegetarian), I highly recommend her cookbooks. I have the one mentioned above and 1,000 Vegan Recipes (even though we're not vegan), and I have yet to try a bad recipe. Her use of spices is just amazing. Everything we've made out of either book has been simply fantastic!

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups sliced baby carrots (or nice, fresh organic carrots)
3 scallions, chopped
1 sweet potato, diced
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (We like spice, so I put about a tsp in)
1/4 tsp ground allspice
Salt and pepper to taste (we just peppered--especially if your diced tomatoes have salt)
2 cans dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed (I don't care for kidney beans...have a texture issue with them. So I used black beans. I'd use whatever beans you like)!
1 can unsweetened light coconut milk
1 cup vegetable broth (we buy they low sodium, organic broth. Robinson's cookbook has a recipe for homemade)

Pour the oil into a 4-quart slow-cooker and set the cooker on high. Add the garlic and put the lid on the cooker while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

To the cooker, add the carrots, scallions, sweet potato, and tomatoes. Stir in the curry powder, thyme, red pepper flakes, allspice, and salt and pepper. Add the beans, coconut milk, and broth. Reduce heat, cover, and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Delicious!