Melinda Cooks :: Cruciferous Vegetable Night

Twofer: Crockpot Rice and Veggies and Sauteed Red Cabbage

2013-05-22T12:30:00.001-05:00

Ben and I had a lot of produce sitting in our fridge that really needed to get used up. It's also been really hot, so I didn't want to run the stove for any long period of time. After some thought, I decided I wanted to try to recreate this Weight Watchers crock pot recipe I had had in the past (with chicken, but clearly excluded here) and initially I was planning on throwing the red cabbage in there but decided against it (and what a relief I didn't do it!)

So the inspirations for these recipes come from Weight Watchers, Rachel Ray, and Chef John. (And E2 for telling me to eat a rainbow everyday!) :)

The main dish: Crock pot Rice and Veggies

2 cups vegetable broth
3/4 cup uncooked brown rice
4 cups veggies (I used 8oz bella mushrooms, sliced, carrots, chopped, and mini sweet peppers, chopped) *
1 tsp dijon
1 tsp sage
1 tsp salt

* Leeks and celery would also work really well.

1. Add broth, dijon, sage, and rice to crockpot, plug in and set on high.
2. Prep veggies and just thrown them in as you're going along.
3. Add salt, stirring everything together and making sure it's mixed well.
4. Cover and let cook for about 3 to 3.5 hours. It cooks pretty quickly (for a crock pot) but you could probably slow it down putting it on low. I'll have to make it again and check it out!

The side dish: Sauteed Red Cabbage

2 tbsp vegetable broth
1/2 vidalia onion, chopped
1 red cabbage, small (about 4" in diameter), shredded
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar (a bit strong, I would lower this next time)
1 rounded tbsp sugar (the recipe calls for 2, and I'm glad I didn't do it)
1 tsp mustard seed (not sure I even noticed the flavor of this)
salt (to taste)
caraway seed (about 7-10 seeds)

1. Heat skillet on medium high heat, add broth and saute onions for 2 minutes.
2. Add cabbage and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Add vinegar, and turn cabbage to coat. Add sugar, turning cabbage again to mix well.
4. Add seasonings (mustard seed, salt, caraway seed) and cook for another 10 minutes.

If the vinegar and broth are absorbed/evaporate before the 10 minutes, you may end up with some crunchy bits of cabbage. If that's okay with you-- cool, you're done! If not, just add more broth or water to help the cabbage along to the 10 minute mark. If the liquids are still present at 10 minutes, just keep cooking until they're all gone!

Rachel Ray's recipe says to turn the heat down, but I found that I never had to. I'm sure it depends on your stove and your cookware.

I also didn't use one drop of oil for either recipe (even though the originals both called for it) and nothing stuck and everything was fine :)

I was actually surprised (Ben mentioned this too) about how good the cabbage was. The crock pot rice came out mostly as I expected it to. We had the Weight Watchers version in the past and loved it, I'm really glad that it still works out without the chicken (or Worcestershire sauce).

Review: Happy Herbivore's Spicy Mustard Chickpeas

2013-05-22T11:46:00.000-05:00

from Happy Herbivore Abroad (buy it!)

serves 2

This recipe is fantastic! And it goes really well with some cooked kale. After I make the chickpeas, I rinse the skillet out real fast and then add the remaining vegetable broth I used (the recipe says "as needed" but I make mine from bouillon, so I always make at least a cup or two) and cook the kale down with some garlic. Works out very nice! Sorry I don't have a finished picture here to post, it was just so good I forgot about it :)

Happy Herbivore's Orange Teriyaki Rice

2013-05-22T11:39:00.001-05:00

from the Happy Herbivore Abroad

serves 1 (maybe.)

1 c cooked brown rice
1 tbsp teriyaki sauce
1/2 orange (juice and zest)
1 green onion, sliced

Combine rice with teriyaki sauce, stirring to coat rice with sauce. Taste, adding more teriyaki sauce if desired.

Add 1 tsp orange zest and juice from two slices of the orange. Stir to combine. Taste, adding more juice or zest for a more citrus flavor if desired.

Stir in green onion and serve.

Pretty simple, easy recipe if you have the ingredients on hand. I wouldn't go out of your way to buy the ingredients or anything.

In the book it says "serves 1 or 2" and then has some nutritional information, but when I did the math it wasn't exactly right. I imagine that depends on what brand of teriyaki sauce you're using.

Anyway, it is a good recipe. The orange and teriyaki sauce go well together, but you're going to need a lot more food to make a meal out of this one. (I served mine with a side of steamed sugar snap peas.)

Black Bean Pizza

2013-05-22T11:20:00.002-05:00

from the McDougall Quick & Easy Cookbook

Serves 8
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 12 minutes

3/4 cup tomato sauce
12 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp thyme
1 large whole wheat pizza crust
1 15-ounce cna black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup salsa

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Combine the tomato sauce, cu min, garlic powder, and thyme. Spread over the pizza crust. Combine the black beans, corn, onion, and salsa. Spoon evenly over the pizza crust on top of the tomato sauce. Bake for 12 minutes, until the crust is golden.

Note: For those of you who like a little "heat," add a few chopped or sliced jalapenos to the bean mixture.

Nice and simple pizza with a lot of flavor! Loved it!

Review: Happy Herbivore's Nona's Chickpeas (with link to recipe)

2013-05-21T23:46:00.002-05:00

This link is a little strange, it's a link to a Google Book review, and I think you may have to click 'next' (twice, or once and scroll a little) to see the recipe...

Ben was very wary of this recipe, especially because of the raisins. But, he tried it and we both declared "it works!" It really does. This was really nice, I like chickpea recipes like this, they're fast and easy and always end up tasting really good!

Review: Happy Herbivore's Lentil Taco "Meat" (with link to recipe)

2013-05-21T23:40:00.001-05:00

Look at that, even Oprah is rockin' this recipe.

Unfortunately, I can't even say how hard or easy this was to make because Ben made it :) Both times we had it he made it! (That probably means it was fairly simple, he tends to pick recipes that aren't a lot of hassle.)

This recipe calls for ketchup and both Ben and I think that you should skip it. The second time he made this he made it with his salsa and it was 150% better. MUCH MUCH BETTER. (Why ketchup? I dunno.) However, it is good, it is plentiful, and we'll definitely be making this again!

just so you can really see the lentil in action (looks a little like something you'd find in a toilet!)

Review: Happy Herbivore's Veggie Biscuit Pot Pie (with link to recipe)

2013-05-21T23:33:00.001-05:00

from the Everyday Happy Herbivore

This recipe is so good, and so easy, I think I've made it 4 times already. I even adapted it to a more southwestern style recipe, which I'll post in the future. It's super good though and I definitely recommend this!

Review: Happy Herbivore's Cream of Vegetables (with link to recipe)

2013-05-21T23:27:00.001-05:00

from the Happy Herbivore Abroad

I have a note on this recipe, it reads "Didn't really love this recipe-- needs lots of salt to be edible". :(

It's kind of obvious, as there's a crap-ton of veggies but no seasoning going on here. It just kind of tastes like potatoes.

Review: Happy Herbivore's Cajun Cornbread Casserole (with link to recipe)

2013-05-21T22:48:00.001-05:00

from the Everyday Happy Herbivore by Lindsay Nixon

This recipe is pretty good, Ben and I both enjoyed it but we also decided it's kind of similar to Ben's chili recipe... but his chili is better ;) In the future, we'll likely just make the chili instead. Not having any meat in it, it cooks pretty fast.

Review: Side of Sneaker's Vegan Queso Blanco (with link to recipe)

2013-05-21T22:29:00.001-05:00

Well. Needless to say, Ben didn't get any of this the first time it was made. He barely got any the second time it was made too. Ooops :) It was just so delicious! I can't believe how simple and delicious it was. Just looking at these pictures, I want to make it again right now!

I followed Heather's recipe as it says, the only difference was instead of using Mexican beer, I used vegetable broth. Everything else was the same and, as I said, crazy delicious. Definitely try it!

Review: Happy Herbivore's Spinach-Scallion Pancakes

2013-05-21T22:13:00.005-05:00

second attempt - made in a skillet

These "pancakes" are absolutely amazing. They can be found in "The Everyday Happy Herbivore" cookbook by Lindsay Nixon.

Ben and I actually had these for dinner one night, and the next day when he came home for lunch he had an idea. I'll have to ask him for the recipe and update this, but he basically heated the hot sauce (we use Frank's) on the stove with some lime and it gave these pancakes an amazing make over.

Two things: The hot sauce really seals the deal. I don't know if I would love these plain. I'd probably eat them, but I really like mine just covered in hot sauce! And, if you have a griddle, use it. Making these in a skillet, even one that's been sprayed, was really annoying and they kind of fell apart.

first attempt - made in a griddle

Layered Mashed White and Sweet Potatoes with Greens

2013-05-21T22:02:00.000-05:00

From Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease

6 medium white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (if you don't mind skins, don't peel)
3/4-1 cup oat or nonfat soy milk
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chunked
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
4 cups packed collard greens, finely chopped and steamed
3 cups chopped Napa cabbage, steamed (about 1/2 cabbage)
1/4 cup finely chopped fennel (not necessary to steam)
cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice to taste

1. Cook white potatoes in a large pot of boiling water until soft. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Mash, adding milk, until no longer stiff.
2. Steam or boil sweet potatoes until soft. Drain, and transfer to another large bowl.
3. Stir-fry onions in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat until brown, adding water or broth as necessary. Add onions to mashed white potatoes along with collard greens. Mix well.
4. Add cabbage and fennel to sweet potatoes. Mix well.
5. Put a single layer of white poratoes in a 9 x 11-inch baking dish. Follow with a layer of sweet potatoes. Finish with a layer of white potatoes.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
7. Bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and devour!

This recipe is as exhausting as it sounds, but it was definitely good. But it made way more than I anticipated. A 9 x 13 baking dish was completely packed in with all these ingredients. I followed the recipe as well as possible, I think the only difference was that I used red cabbage. And then, I was getting tired and frustrated steaming all these vegetables so Ben stepped in to help me out. He was steaming the collard greens and cabbage for me and ended up mixing them together. So there's a lot of purple peaking through the white potatoes (which is okay, it's layered, it's all mushed together nd going in the same place!) I must say my favorite was the center (the sweet potatoes and fennel) and I really desperately wish we would have had fresh cilantro, I think it would have really made this dish.

Favorite Salad

2013-05-21T22:00:00.000-05:00

Hard to give a recipe for a salad, but this is my go-to salad whenever I'm at a salad bar. And sometimes I buy the ingredients and then eat this salad at home every day (several times a day) for a week or so.

Ingredients:

Lettuce mix
cucumber slices (not pictured)
broccoli
cauliflower
carrots
celery
black olives
chickpeas
fresh mushrooms
craisins
Dressing of choice, but I prefer something strong or fruity.

Vegan Overnight Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal (Crock Pot Recipes)

2013-05-21T21:37:00.001-05:00

adapted from Chocolate Broccoli

Ingredients

Non-stick cooking spray
2 large tart apples (such as Granny Smith or Pink Lady), chopped
1 1/2 cups plant milk
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup whole grain oats
3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons applesauce
1 tablespoon cinnamon (more or less to your taste)
2 tablespoons milled/ground flaxseed
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Additional Toppings
1/4 cup dried fruit (raisins, cranberries)
1/4 cup chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans)

Instructions

Spray a 3 1/2 quart or larger slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine chopped apples, milk, water, oats, sugar, butter, and flax- stirring to combine.

Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours (overnight).

Stir in 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt into the oatmeal just before serving.

If desired, serve with additional toppings (1 tablespoon dried fruit and 1 tablespoon chopped nuts, each)

Midnight, the magic begins!

Fiesta Bake

2013-03-19T02:26:00.005-05:00

from the Everyday Happy Herbivore

Ingredients:

1/2 lb whole-wheat pasta
1 11-oz can corn, drained and rinsed
1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 4-oz can diced green chilies, drained (optional)
1 1/4 c nondairy milk
1/3 c nutritional yeast
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 c salsa
1 tomato, sliced (optional, garnish)
fresh cilantro for garnish

1. cook pasta according to package directions and immediately rinse under cold water.
2. Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce by whisking nondairy milk together with nutritional yeast, cornstarch, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and turmeric. Heat over medium heat until it thickens and then add salsa. Start with 1 cup, if the it's really chunky, add another 1/4 to 1/2 cup.
3. Preheat oven to 350.
4. Mix prepared cheese sauce with pasta, beans, corn, and chilies.
5. Pour mixture into a casserole dish and bake for 15 to 25 minutes, or until a crisp outer crust starts to form and the casserole is totally warm.
6. Garnish with chopped cilantro and tomato slices if desired.

This recipe actually calls for 2 tbsp of yellow miso, which I find the Happy Herbivore adds to her recipes when she's trying to create a cheese sauce. We bought some miso made from brown rice and I'm just really not into it. Which is real sad cause it's like a $12 jar. But, it's disgusting to me and I doubt I'll ever use it in another recipe EVER. The cheese sauce comes out fine without it!

So, i just made a whole package of pasta (it was a 13.5 oz box of rotini) and stuffed whatever would fit into the casserole dish. I used frozen corn (unmeasured) instead of canned. And of course, I think green chilies are gross, so I always sub with jalapenos.

This was rather easy to make, but it was nice having a second pair of hands in the kitchen. Watch that cheese sauce, it will create a thick layer at the bottom of the pot if you're not paying attention! The one thing that was *GREATLY* missing from this recipe was salt. The first bite was so bland, I really didn't know what to think. Ben and I just used some sea salt which was especially nice with the fresh tomato chunks in there. I really did like this recipe and I'll likely be making it again!

Vegan French Toast Muffins

2013-03-19T02:24:00.003-05:00

from the Everyday Happy Herbivore

Ingredients:
1 3/4 c whole-wheat pastry flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 c light brown or raw sugar (for a sweet muffin, add another 1/4 c)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
dash of ground nutmeg
1 c plant milk
1/4 c chickpea flour
1 tsp vanilla or maple extract
1/4 c unsweetened applesauce (add another 1/4 c for a moister muffin)

Preheat oven to 350.
Grease a muffin tin or spray paper liners.
In a mixing bowl, whisk dry ingredients (except chickpea flour). In a small bowl, whisk together milk, chickpea flour, and extract.
Pour milk mixture on top of dry ingredients, add apple sauce and stir until just combined.
Spoon into muffin cups 3/4 full, bake for 15 to 25 minutes. Serves 12.

These are really good, Ben didn't even get to try them!

Charleston Grits

2013-03-19T02:21:00.004-05:00

from the Everyday Happy Herbivore

Ingredients:

1 c water
1/4 c quick grits
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp cajun seasoning
salt and pepper, to taste

Cook grits according to directions.
Add nutritional yeast and cajun seasoning, stirring to combine.
Taste, adding salt and pepper or more Cajun seasoning as desired and serve (serves 1).

I just used regular grits for this, which take about 15 minutes to cook. HH has a recipe for Cajun seasoning in her EHH book, but I just used some store bought stuff I had on hand which also took care of the salt.

Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

2013-03-19T02:21:00.003-05:00

adapted from Simply Recipes

makes 2 dozen

Ingredients:

1/2 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c applesauce
1/2 c peanut butter (I used unsalted)
3 Tbsp water + 1 Tbsp ground flax meal (or 1 egg)
1 1/4 c whole-wheat flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Mix applesauce, sugars, peanut butter, water, and flax meal.
Mix dry ingredients, then add to peanut butter mixture.
Wrap dough in plastic for at least 3 hours.
Preheat oven to 375.
Shape dough into 1 1/4" balls, place 3 inches apart, flatten in crisscross with fork, and bake for 9-10 minutes.
For a chewy cookie-- 300 degrees for 15 minutes.

I'm pretty sure I went for the chewy cookie and they were delicious :) Once I got the cookie dough into the plastic wrap it was real easy to shape, I made it look like a log (like the pillsbury cookie dough you buy at the store) and it made exactly 2 dozen cookies. I can't remember if Ben liked them (it's been awhile since I made these cookies, I should have started this whole paragraph with that!) but I remember enjoying them a lot!

Chickpea Marinara ... Revisited!

2013-03-19T02:18:00.003-05:00

Chickpea Marinara | adapted from the Everyday Happy Herbivore

1 15oz-can tomato sauce

2 tsp Italian sausage seasoning (recipe at the end of this post)

1 tsp onion powder (granulated)

1 tsp garlic powder (granulated)

dash of black pepper

pinch of salt (optional)

hot sauce

1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

serve over a bed of lettuce or spinach with favorite toppings (Ben and I like black olives and pepperoncinis)

In a skillet whisk tomato sauce and seasonings, including a few drops of hot sauce.
Turn heat to medium-low and gently heat.
Once thoroughly warm, taste. If it's too acidic, add a drop of agave nectar or pinch of sugar (all tomato sauces are slightly different).
Add chickpeas, stirring to coat the chickpeas with the tomato sauce.
Reduce heat to low and continue to cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally to incorporate the chickpeas with the sauce.
Once the chickpeas are warm and start to take on a little color from the tomato sauce, serve.

Chickpea marinara has become a staple in my apartment. It's a really easy go-to meal that we always have the ingredients on hand for. Around Christmas time I had found a recipe for Italian sausage seasoning and had incorporated it into a vegan-version of Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana to get that spicy sausage flavor into the soup, and it worked out rather successfully I believe! Ben liked the seasoning so much he decided he wanted to try it with the marinara sauce here in this recipe (which we already enjoyed, we just thought it would be neat to get that meaty flavor without the meat and have sausage spaghetti!) I must say, I've never had sausage spaghetti before so I didn't know what to expect and thought the idea was kind of weird, but this is really delicious and I don't know if we'll ever go back to making Chickpea Marinara the old way ever again!

And... so you don't have to click around to a different link, here's the recipe for the Italian sausage seasoning mix:

Spicy Hot Italian seasoning mix | from The Dancing Farmer
makes about 1 cup of seasoning

2 TBSP sugar
2 TBSP fennel seeds (toasted)
1 TBSP ground coriander
2 TBSP paprika
Cayenne to taste (I did about 1 tsp)
4 TBSP oregano
5 TBSP basil
2 TBSP red pepper flake
2 tsp black pepper

Dijon Broccoli with Brown Rice

2013-03-19T02:14:00.002-05:00

from the Everyday Happy Herbivore

Ingredients:

1 c cooked brown rice
2 c broccoli florets, fresh or frozen
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp bragg's liquid aminos
1 tsp hot sauce

Steam broccoli or, if frozen, microwave as directed.
Meanwhile, whisk 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard, 1 tsp bragg's liquid aminos, and 1 tsp of hot sauce together.
Taste, adding more hot sauce and Dijon if needed. If the Dijon is too strong, add a few drops of agave nectar or a pinch of sugar to help cut it.
Mix with cooked rice (if using leftover rice, add a splash of broth or water before reheating it).
Then mix in cooked broccoli, season with salt and pepper and serve (serves 2).

The recipe actually calls for 2 to 3 tsp of Dijon mustard, 1 1/2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce, and 1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp hot sauce, and agave nectar as an optional ingredient. Ben had made this recipe twice before I ever got around to making it (and getting an opportunity to try it) and Ben found that the range of ingredients was hard to work with and couldn't find a "delicious" combination. I just guessed when I made it and started with the low end of the Dijon and bragg's, and went head first into the hot sauce (cause we love Frank's hot sauce!). It turned out really well, I made notes in the cookbook and we'll never not have it this way :)

Vegan Alfredo

2013-01-19T12:09:00.000-06:00

adapted from Vegan Yumminess
serves 4

Ingredients:

1 lbs pasta (dried)
1 1/2 c almond milk (the higher fat content will help)
1/2 c water
1/2 c raw cashews
2 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 tbsp lemon juice (fresh squeezed)
1 tbsp applesauce, unsweetened
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and rinse.
Put remaining ingredients into a blender, and blend until smooth. (Ben says this will be easier if you let the cashews soak in the water first).
Add the sauce to the pasta and cook over medium heat, stirring to coat and allowing to thicken.

I loved, loved, loved this recipe. However! A few things to note. The original recipe calls for coconut milk because of it's high fat content, 2 tbsp of cornstarch for thickening, and 1 tbsp of olive oil. I used almond milk because it was already opened in my fridge and I figured that it has a high enough fat content that it should be alright. I also read through the comments and noticed that people had mentioned it was a decent substitute. The cornstarch: I noticed Vegan Yumminess had a recipe posted that was incredibly similar to this one, but with vegetables. In her update she noted that she used wheat flour instead of cornstarch on her second batch and it got rid of some of the "goopiness". Well, I didn't want any goopiness at all, but no one in the comments on the recipe mentioned any, so I went half and half. And, the applesauce, I was worried, but being 1 tbsp, I figured it couldn't do a whole lot of damage (definitely not 120 calories worth of damage like the olive oil!). And I was correct, on all accounts. The recipe was very delicious, it turned out very creamy. It does not re-heat incredibly well though. That creaminess is gone. It's not disgusting or anything, but it was infinitely better fresh off the stove. So, I suggest cutting the recipe in half, or only cooking half at a time unless you plan on feeding more than two people, it's a lot of pasta! I also suggest adding some broccoli or other veggies to make this a complete meal!

Tropical Bliss Smoothie

2013-01-19T11:50:00.000-06:00

from Everyday Happy Herbivore
serves 1 | 160 Calories, 0.3g Fat, 36.8g Carbohydrates, 1.7g Fiber, 35.1g Sugars, 4.7g Protein

Ingredients:

1 c nondairy milk
1 c frozen pineapple chunks
1/4 c frozen mango chunks

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and whiz until smooth, adding more nondairy milk as necessary.

Chef's note: I occasionally like to sub fresh OJ for part of the nondairy milk in this recipe.

Well... I got a little crazy with this one and upped the servings to 3! I just had so much fruit around that needs to get eaten, I was craving something to help me take my mind off of eating so I could focus on studying, and this really did the trick.

adapted from Everyday Happy Herbivore
serves 3 | 164 Calories, 1.5g Fat, 38.7g Carbohydrates, 5.1g Fiber, 25.7g Sugars, 2g Protein*

Ingredients:

1 c nondairy milk
1/2 c canned pineapple tidbits, in 100% juice
1/4 c frozen mango chunks
2 bananas
1 orange
1 c baby spinach
a handful of ice

My goodness I am incredibly full! But it was delicious and totally worth it!

*My nutritional information is from using loseit.com's recipe builder-- I wouldn't put a lot of stock in it. The nutrition information here is just a guide and not necessarily actual fact.

Taco Soup

2013-01-19T11:46:00.000-06:00

from Happy Herbivore Abroad
serves 2 | Calories 501, Total Fat 5.5g, Carbohydrates 92.6g, Fiber 30.5g, Sugars 14.7g, Protein 30.2g

Ingredients:

1 14-oz can diced tomatoes, with juices
1 c vegetable broth
1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 c frozen corn
1/4 c salsa
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tbsp green chilies, minced
1 tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano or marjoram
1 tsp onion powder (granulated)
1 tsp garlic powder (granulated)
1/2 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Other optional toppings:
corn chips, crumbled
cilantro
Sour cream or vegan plain yogurt
hot sauce

Directions:

Combine all ingredients together in a medium pot, stirring to combine.
Cover and cook over low heat until thoroughly warm, about 15-20 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
Once warm, season with salt and pepper to taste, ladle into soup bowls, and garnish with optional toppings.

Chef's note: You can add more green chilies to this soup for a spicier taste.

This soup is going on the top of my "I love everything about it!" list. It really couldn't have been much easier if it tried! Thankfully we had salsa on hand. I used jalapenos instead of green chilies and thought that it said 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper and added even a bit more than that! And then before tasting I added some hot sauce as a garnish! As George Takei would say, Ohhhh myyyyyy. It was a bit spicy! But still tolerable and not as hot as some of Ben's dishes turn out! It's really good, I highly recommend this. Easy to prepare, easy to clean up, and delicious to eat!

Cookbooks / Library

2013-01-13T11:14:00.001-06:00

I decided to write a blog about the books that I use in my kitchen. I've listed them in order in which I feel we use them most to least. The magazine at the end (Vegetarian Times) was a gift from my mother for my birthday. It is interesting but it really is vegetarian (a lot of eggs, sometimes cheese, and then a bunch of oil!) It also has a lot of "high end" type meals (like the 7 Secrets Cookbook) that tend to be more of a lavish cuisine than Ben and I eat on a regular basis. But! it is a good source of inspiration when making your own recipes or looking for recipes to adapt. It also is littered with advertisements about vegan and vegetarian products, and sometimes coupons. And, it has a really nice reference/index in the back that will take you straight to the recipes of vegan, dairy free, gluten free, low calorie, low fat, and 30 minute or less meals.

The Happy Herbivore books are like my Bibles. She really does make cooking easy, quick, and inexpensive. I have found a lot of good recipes in the McDougall Quick & Easy Cookbook, The Engine 2 Diet book, and Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease (and are posted here on my blog) but they don't have pictures so they're often skipped over (sadly!)

I will say this: The 7 Secrets Cookbook, even though the recipes are often details and upscale-restaurant type recipes-- I've never had a thing in there that was bad! They also have tons of recipes for those simple things like butter, cream cheese spread, mayonnaise, ice cream, pitas, cheeses, ranch dressing, and such other types of recipes (all made in a low-fat, plant based style).

I have invited my mom to start blogging with me (here on this blog) because a) it would be a lot of fun and b) I really want her to share her vegan crock pot cook book with me! :) Hopefully she'll get on that soon! :)

Swiss Chard with Garlic, Lemon, and Brown Rice

2013-01-11T14:37:00.002-06:00

serves 2

Ingredients:

vegetable broth, wine, or water*
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1-2 bunches Swiss chard, chopped into 1- to 2-inch pieces (including stems) and washed
juice and zest of 1 lemon
2-3 cups cooked brown rice

Heat a little vegetable broth, wine, or water in a nonstick pan and add garlic. Stir for a minute, then add Swiss chard and more liquid, if necessary. Cook until the chard has wilted and reduced in size, stirring constantly.
Add lemon juice and zest, cook a minute more, then stir in cooked brown rice. Heat through and serve with a salad and bread.

Note: This is easy to make, and especially pretty if you use red Swiss chard, which turns the rice pink.

*1 cup is fine, anymore and it will be more soupy (unless you do the 2 bunches of greens and 3 cups of rice, I normally do 1 bunch and 2 cups)

This is especially easy to make, and I think they forgot to add how quick it is. Especially if you have the brown rice prepared ahead of time. Get the Swiss chard prepped right away, then in a large pot or sauce pan, heat the water/broth, adding the garlic right away. Once the broth gets steamy, add the chard and cook it down (takes less than a minute, really). Add the lemon zest and juice, then rice and heat it all up! This meal takes less than 5 minutes and it's super flavorful. Ben and I just love it!

UPDATE: 03.19.13

Apparently I had pictures of this recipe all along... I just never uploaded them! I have no idea why! But I found them tonight and decided to share, Ben and I really do love this recipe!