Lentil & Rice Pilaf

Super simple, super cheap, super healthy, and super delicious! --what more could you want? 

1 cup hulled small French green or brown lentils, sorted of debris and rinsed
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups finely chopped onions $
1 teaspoon minced garlic $
3/4 cup long-grain white rice
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon pepper

1. In a 3-quart pan over high heat, bring lentils and 2 1/2 cups water to a boil. Cover and simmer until tender to bite, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, add oil, onions, and garlic to a 12-inch frying pan over medium heat; stir often until onions are golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Add rice, salt, cumin, and pepper; stir until rice looks opaque, about 3 minutes.

3. Stir in lentils and 2 more cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender to bite and liquid is absorbed, 13 to 15 minutes.

Great served with tzatzik (Greek yogurt sauce) & roasted butternut squash.

Recipe taken entirely from myrecipies.com. 

Roasted Corn & Black Bean Salad

The flavors in this salad are so good. We just had it last night for dinner for the first time and I'm already craving it! Yum!

Ingredients:
2 cobs of corn, kernels cut from cob (or use frozen)
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1 jalapeno peppers , seeded & finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 large avocado, peeled and cut in 1/2 inch dice
1 large fresh tomatoes, diced

For the Dressing:
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine corn and oil, toss to coat. Spread corn in ungreased baking pan. Bake in oven 18-22 minutes or until corn begins to turn light golden brown, stirring every 5-10 minutes. Cool 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile prepare dressing. Combine all ingredients in a small jar with tight fitting lid and shake well until blended.

3. In a large bowl, combine chopped onion, tomatoes, jalapenos, bell pepper, garlic, beans and corn. Mix well. Add dressing and mix again. Add avocados; toss gently to combine.

4.You can eat this with or with out lettuce, but we put 2 big scoops over the top of 1-1.5 cups packed romaine and it was delicious!

Recipe taken from Vegan Coach.

Cheesy Potato Soup

I must admit I only tried this recipe because the pictures of it were so beautiful, but once I started making it and realized how strange the ingredients were I was very nervous about it. Apple cider vinegar and spinach? However, it was actually very good. Jackson even at 2 servings! 

We served these in homemade bread bowls! yum! 

2 1/2 cups white potatoes (tiny or large or a mix of both)
1 small sweet potato, peeled, diced
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
5 cups veggie broth
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp garlic powder
1/4 cup vegan cheese (cheddar or pepper jack) *Daiya is my fave*
1/2 block frozen spinach
salt & pepper to taste
2 bay leaves

Directions:

1. Start on your soup by prepping all the potatoes. Toss them into your pot along with most your required ingredients. Leave out the spinach and cheddar cheese.

2. Bring your soup to a boil, reduce to med-high and half-cover with lid. Simmer until all the potatoes are tender.

3. Add in the spinach. I just threw in half of the frozen block and let it thaw in the pot. And remove the bay leaves. Once the spinach has mixed in blend the soup with an immersion blender or in your regular blender until well blended, soup should pretty much turn green and there shouldn't be any visible chunks of spinach in it.

4. Put soup back in pot and add cheese.
  
Recipe very slightly adapted from Healthy Happy Life.

Snobby Joes

1 cup uncooked green lentils
4 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced small
1 green pepper, diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon salt
8 oz can tomato sauce
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
4 to 6 kaiser rolls or sesame buns (optional – for serving)

Put the lentils in a small sauce pot and pour in 4 cups water. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until lentils are soft. Drain and set aside.

About 10 minutes before the lentils are done boiling, preheat a medium soup pot over medium heat. Saute the onion and pepper in the oil for about 7 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and saute a minute more.  Add the cooked lentils, the chili powder, oregano and salt and mix. Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Cook for about 10 minutes.

Add the maple syrup and mustard and heat through.Turn the heat off and let sit for about 10 minutes, so that the flavors can meld, or go ahead and eat immediately if you can’t wait.

Recipe taken from The Post Punk Kitchen. 

Broccoli Curry Udon

8 oz dry round udon noodles
Olive oil for sauteeing
1 pound broccoli florettes (6 cups)
Medium red onion, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons fresh minced ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
Big pinch red pepper flakes
2 cups vegetable broth mixed with 2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup light coconut milk
4 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

First boil water for the udon. Cook udon according to package directions. Once cooked, drain and rinse with cold water and set aside.

Meanwhile, preheat a large pan over medium heat. Saute broccoli in a few sprays of oil and a pinch of salt for about 7 minutes. Keep covered while cooking, lifting the lid just to stir a few times. In the meantime, prep everything else.

When broccoli is done, remove from pan and set aside. Next saute onions in a bit of oil, with a pinch of salt for about 3 minutes. You want them to retain some crunch. Remove from pan (transfer to the same bowl as broccoli to cut down on dishes). Now you’ll make the sauce in the same pan.

Saute the garlic and ginger in a little oil for about 1 minute. Mix in the red pepper flakes. Add the vegetable broth/cornstarch, the curry powder and soy sauce. Cover pan and bring to a boil. Let thicken a bit, for about 3 minutes. Mix in coconut milk and turn off the heat.

Add noodles to the pan and mix to coat. Then fold in the broccoli and onions. Divide between bowls and top with garnishes (if using) and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Recipe taken entirely from Post Punk Kitchen. 

Kathy's Veggie Pasta Stew

4 ounces sliced mushrooms (I used shiitake)
1 medium tomato
1 large sweet onion
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder or 2 Tbsp chopped fresh garlic
2 bay leaves
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water
2 Tbsp Italian Herbs
1 potato, diced
1/3 cup nutritional yeast or 1/4 cup vegan cheese
1 cup dry fusilli pasta
1/3 cup leftover roasted tomato salsa
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 can of beans, drained (I used white cannellini beans)
6 ounces leafy greens (spinach, kale, chard, collard..)

optional: a few dashes of cayenne for added heat.

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot, add the onions, tomato, mushrooms, garlic and olive oil. Stir and saute for about 5 minutes, until the onions become translucent.

2. Add in all the remaining ingredients (except the beans and leafy greens). Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover with lid. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Do a few taste tests midway through and check on the salt/spice levels.

3. When you are just about ready to serve the soup, you can add in the beans and greens. Adding the last keeps them tender and not mushy. If you want your greens a bit more hearty, use kale or collard. Spinach wilts very easily.

4. Serve warm! With a nice slice of crusty bread.

Cobb Salad (vegan style)

6-8 cups of chopped romaine
1 cup mandarin oranges, drained
1/3 cup sliced black olives
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
1 avocado, chopped - tossed in the juice of 1 large lemon
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup chilled kidney beans, drained





Place lettuce in large bowl and arrange other toppings in rows on the lettuce. Serve with your favorite ranch dressing. Recipe slightly adapted from Healthy Happy Life.

Vegan Black Bean Burgers

2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
1/4 cup finely chopped carrots
1/4 cup finely chopped peppers (any color)
1/4 cup finely chopped mushrooms  (when I don't have mushrooms, sometimes I substitute corn here)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup black beans
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add your onions, carrots, and peppers. Saute for 4-5 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add the ketchup, mustard, cumin, chili powder, and salt. Stir to combine.

Remove vegetables from heat and set aside to cool. Once they’re cool enough to handle, place the vegetables into a food processor with the black beans and bread crumbs and pulse a few times to combine.

Form the mixture into patties, usually makes us about 4 small. Place them on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes at 450°. The burgers will hold together, but they’ll always be slightly mushy and have a tendency to crumble if handled too much. Just place them on a bun using a spatula and garnish with your favorite burger toppings.

Recipe taken entirely from http://www.canyoustayfordinner.com. 

Stuffed Peppers

These were so good! Its actually one of the few meals I didn't get from closely following a recipe--I'm finally breaking out of my box.

1 cup brown rice
2.5 cups stock
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 bell peppers (I used green, but any color would work), with the tops cut off & seeded--if they don't stand upright cut a tiny bit off the bottom bulbs to keep them up
1 container of mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion diced
1/3 cup raw almonds, chopped (probably slivered would work best here, but I just used what I had)
3/4 cup parsley
1-2 tsp garlic
1 tsp chili powder
1.5 Tbsp tomato paste
2-3 Tbsp cooking Sherry
1 cup water
S & P to taste
vegan parmesan cheese

Cook brown rice in stock until liquid is absorbed or rice is tender, about 45 minutes. Its okay if there is some liquid remaining.

In the meantime cook cleaned peppers in boiling water for 5 minutes. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350. Sauté onions and mushrooms in olive oil until soft. Add chopped almonds, sauté 2-3 minutes. Next add rice, garlic, chili powder, cooking sherry, and  S & P. Sauté 2 minutes. Add tomato paste to 1 cup water and mix well, add to vegetable mixture. Cook another 2 minutes. Remove from heat, add parsley, adjust seasonings if needed.

Fill peppers with rice mixture and stand them upright in a casserole dish. If there is any left over rice arrange it around the bottom of the peppers to help them stand up. Sprinkle a little of this vegan parmesan cheese over the top. Bake for 15 minutes, allow to cool for 10 minutes in pan & enjoy!

Serve with a nice green salad and these yummy green beans!

Caribean Rundown

1/2 cup water
1 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp oregano
1 cup carrot, diced
2 cups chopped asparagus
2 cups chopped chayote squash
1 Tbsp jerk seasonings
salt
1 cup chopped collards
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup vegetable broth
small can tomato sauce
soy sauce or tamari

Bring the water to a boil in a medium skillet. Stir in the thyme, oregano, carrot, asparagus, chayote, jerk seasonings, and a pinch of salt. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the collards, peas, and vegetable broth and stir well. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomato sauce, cover, and simmer for another 5 minutes. Add soy sauce or tamari to taste and simmer for another few minutes.

Recipe taken from Forks Over Knives, Christy Morgan. 

Bean and Barley Chowder

8 cups of vegetable stock
1 cup dry baby lima beans, soaked overnight and drained
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrot
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1/2 cup pearl barley
1 Tbsp crushed garlic
1 tsp thyme
S & P

Place water and beans in a large soup pot and bring to a boil. Add remaining ingredients, except salt and pepper. Return to a boil, reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer until barley and beans are tender and broth is creamy, about 1.5-2 hours. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe taken from Forks Over Knives, by Jo Stepaniak. 

Cream of Broccoli Deluxe

6 cups vegetable stock
1 cup rounded cashews
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 large red bell pepper, chopped
2 medium potatoes, cubed
1 large head of broccoli, including stem, chopped (about 4 cups)
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Puree 1 cup of the vegetable stock with the cashews, until smooth. Set aside. In a large pot, cook the onion, celery, and carrot over medium heat in 1 cup of the vegetable stock for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, bell pepper, and potatoes and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the remaining 4 cups of vegetable stock and the broccoli, thyme, salt and black pepper, bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer until the broccoli and potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes.

Add the cashew mixture to the soup and stir until mixed. Remove the pot from the heat and puree about half the soup, in small batches, until smooth. Return pureed soup to the pot and reheat stirring well.

Recipe taken from Forks Over Knives, Anastasia St. John. 

Acorn Squash Soup

7 cups vegetable stock
3 acorn squash, peeled and chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large yam, peeled and chopped
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp sage
2 cups corn

Bring stock to boil and stir in all ingredients except corn. Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes until squash is soft.

Blend the soup in batches until smooth. Return to pot, add corn and reheat on low for 10 minutes.

Pretty time consuming, but makes a lot and the taste is well worth it!

Recipe taken from Forks Over Knives, Alan Goldhamer and Doug Lisle.

MexiCali Burritos

1-15 oz can oil-free refried beans
2 cups frozen corn
1 cup salsa
1 small onion, diced
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 tsp chili powder
1/3 tsp cumin
1/3 tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/2-1 cup nutritional yeast
whole grain tortillas
shredded lettuce
guacamole (optional)

Saute onion in vegetable broth until translucent. Add chili powder, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne and sauté an additional minute. Add beans, corn and salsa, cook, stirring until heated and smooth, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in nutritional yeast.

Heat tortillas. Spoon mixture into tortillas and top with lettuce and guacamole.

Recipe taken from Forks Over Knives, by Julieanna Hever. 

Noodles with Mushrooms

1 lb fresh mushrooms (not button), ringed and cut into slices
1/4 cup, plus 1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp minced shallot or 1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 lb whole wheat dried pasta
1/2 cup parsley

Cook noodles. Put 1/4 cup oil in large skillet over med heat. When oil is hot, add all the mushrooms and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Raise heat and cook until mushrooms begin to brown, at least 10 minutes. Add shallot or garlic and stir until mushrooms are tender, about another minute or two. Turn off the heat. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water and add to mushrooms. Toss the pasta and mushrooms together with remaining Tbsp of oil. Add more pasta water if noodles seem dry. Stir in parsley.

Recipe taken from Food Matters, by Mark Bittman. 

Curried Lentil Soup with Potatoes

2 Tbsp peanut or other neutral oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 Tbsp ginger, minced
3 Tbsp curry powder
2 medium tomatoes or 4 canned tomatoes
1 cup dried lentils
1 quart vegetable stock
1 can coconut milk (or another 1.5 cups of stock)
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled & diced
1 small zucchini, roughly chopped
S & P

Cook onion in oil until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook another minute. Sprinkle with S & P and add curry powder, cook until fragrant.

Stir in the tomatoes and lentil, add stock and coconut milk. Bring to a boil; partially cover and turn heat down to medium-low so the soup bubbles gently.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are just tender, stir in the potatoes and more liquid if needed. Cover again and cook for about 10 minutes, then stir in remaining vegetables. Cover and cook until potatoes and vegetables are tender, another 5-10 minutes.

Recipe taken from Food Matters, by Mark Bittman. 

Creamy Carrot Soup

3 Tbsp olive oil
2-inch piece of ginger, minced
1 1/2 pounds carrots (about 9 large), diced
1 large potato, diced
6 cups of vegetable stock
S & P

1.  Heat oil in a dutch oven, when oil is hot add vegetables and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes, until carrots begin to soften.

2. Add the stock and cook until vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes.

3. Use an immersion blender if you have one or a regular blender if not and puree the soup. I put it in my blender in batches. Make sure to only fill up your blender 1/2 way and cover the top with a towel, since the soup will be hot!


Recipe taken from Food Matters, by Mark Bittman. 

Linguini with Roasted Tomatoes & Spinach

1 lb linguini noodles
1/2-1 pint cherry tomatoes
2 tsp chopped garlic
1/4 cup & 2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup bread crumbs
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup broth
2-3 cups spinach

Preheat oven to 400. Toss together cherry tomatoes, 1 tsp chopped garlic, 1/4 cup olive oil & salt and pepper to taste. Roast for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup breadcrumbs and roast for an additional 5 minutes. Set aside.

Cook noodles. In saute pan over medium heat add 2 Tbsp oil, 2 Tbsp butter, & 1 tsp garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup broth & let cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the drained pasta, roasted tomatoes and 2 cups spinach. Toss well, then serve.

Recipe taken from Buddy Valastro in October 2011, Parenting magazine. 

Vegetarian Chili

2 Tbsp canola oil
1 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
1 cup red pepper, diced
2 Tbsp minced garlic
2-3 serrano peppers, minced
1 medium zucchini, chopped
2 cups corn
1 1/2 lbs portobello, cubed
1 can diced tomatoes
2-14 oz cans or 3 cups black beans
1-15 oz can tomato sauce
1 cup vegetable stock
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/4 tsp salt

Heat oil in heavy pot, add onions, peppers & garlic--cook until soft. Add corn, zucchini & mushrooms--cook until soft and slightly brown, about 6 minutes. Add chili powder, cayenne, cumin and salt, stirring until fragrant. Add tomatoes, stir well. Add beans, stock & tomato sauce, stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to med-low and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes.

Serve over brown rice or quinoa. Top with green onions, diced avocado, & cilantro.

Recipe taken from Emeril Lagasse on the Food Network. 

Penne with Asparagus & Cherry Tomatoes

8 oz penne pasta
3 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 pounds thin asparagus, trimmed & cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup broth
1 cup vegan parmesan cheese (optional)
2 Tbsp fresh basil leaves (1 tsp of dried basil)
S & P to taste

Cook noodles. In large sauté pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic & cook unit fragrant. Add asparagus, season with S & P, cook for 3 minutes until slightly soft. Add the cherry tomatoes & peas. Cook for 2 minutes. Pour in broth and bring mixture to a simmer. Simmer until the tomatoes start to burst & broth is reduced. Add cooked noodles, basil, & parmesan if desired.

Recipe taken from Giada de Laurentiis, from the Food Network.