Shepperd's Pie.

I loved this... and possibly loved it even better the second day. Very mild flavor and great with all the veggies. And that's just not too common when you've got mashed potatoes. First time using miso, and me like.

Filling:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, diced
2 cups cabbage, broccoli, or kale, finely chopped
½ cup water, vegetable stock or lentil cooking water
2 cups cooked lentils
1 cup peas
1 cup corn
1 teaspoon amino acids

Crust:
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/3 to ½ cup nondairy milk
1 tablespoon miso
2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
paprika

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in large skillet on medium low or just steam-fry with water. Add onion and sauté 5 minutes until soft. Stir in garlic, carrots, and greens add water and cover. Cook 10 minutes or until veggies are tender. Stir in remaining filling ingredients. Cook 5 minutes or until filling is hot. Pour into 2 quart casserole dish.

While filling cooks, prepare mash potato crust. Place potatoes in medium pan add water just to top of potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook over medium heat until tender, About 15 minutes. Drain and return to pot. Add miso. Begin mashing and adding milk a little at a time, until smooth. Add parsley. Spread evenly over filling. Sprinkle evenly with paprika. Bake uncovered 20 to 30 minutes until the dish is hot and the edges are slightly golden.

from The Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook

who told my friend, Natalie, who told me

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas.

My friend Natalie gave me this recipe with a few of her other staples. This one will for sure be in the rotation in my house too. When I texted her to tell her "thanks, it was awesome!..." she was having it at her house that very night too. Shayne's stomach had been feeling sick all day, and when he took a bite - the cumin was much too much for him. He's decided that after 6 years into marriage with a cumin-lovin-girl, that he doesn't like cumin. I even halved it for him - but it was still a no go with the sick stomach. So the kids and I totally enjoyed all of it.

1 small onion, diced
2 sweet potatoes, diced (about 2 ½ cups)
2 cups cooked black beans (if you are using canned beans, use 2 cans)
2 cups chopped greens (kales, spinach, etc.)
sea salt and black pepper to taste
2 cups enchilada sauce (see below)
8 to 12 whole grain tortillas
optional toppers: avocado, mashed
lettuce/cabbage
salsa

In skillet, steam fry onion and sauté for 5 to 10 minutes, until soft. Add sweet potatoes. Cover and cook about 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in beans and greens. Cover and heat about 5 minutes until greens are wilted. Add a little water if necessary to prevent scorching. Season with salt and pepper.

[With my texture sensitive, trying to disguise the 'yucky' food family... this is when I pureed it. It was green... and with the kids on their shrek shake strike - they were leery of them. I had to make the kids eat their first bites - but they all loved it after... green and all.]

Cover bottom of 9 x 13 with 1/3 cup of enchilada sauce. Scoop a line of filling across the width of the tortilla about 2 inches from the bottom. Roll up and place in pan, seam side down. Repeat until all filling has been used. Cover with enchilada sauce. Cover and bake @ 375 for 20 minutes.

We like to eat these with shredded lettuce and/or cabbage, salsa, and guacamole.

Enchilada Sauce
1 small onion, minced
2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups tomato puree (i just used 14 oz. can)
½ cup water
½ teaspoon sea salt

In a medium pan over medium-low heat, steam fry onion. Sauté 5 to 7 minutes or until golden. Stir in chili powder, cumin, oregano, and garlic. Sauté 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer 15 minutes.

belly biters: we all tore.it.up [except Shayne] and Nolan had 2 full ones himself

 

recipe from my friend Natalie

who got it from The Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook

Vegan Mexican Spaghetti.

So I updated a classic from about a year ago, which was originally a Rachael Ray... I just took out the beef, alcohol, cinnamon and added tomato. Turned out awesome.

2 ancho chili peppers, stemmed and seeded {i found a big bag of them at Wal-mart}
3 cups vegetable stock
3/4 pound soyrizo {Sprouts}
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 12-ounce can tomato sauce
1 pound whole wheat spaghetti
Finely chopped scallions, cilantro or parsley, to garnish

Simmer peppers in stock for 15 minutes to reconstitute, then purée stock and softened peppers in a food processor.

Meanwhile, heat heavy pot over medium-high heat add soyrizo, brown 8-10 minutes. Then add onion, garlic, bay leaf, salt and pepper, and cook 8-10 more. Then add tomato paste and cook 1 minute, stirring.

Add tomato sauce, stir a minute more then add the stock and pepper purée. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.

While sauce simmers, bring water to boil for spaghetti. Salt water and cook pasta to al dente. Serve in bowls with pasta, sauce on top, and garnish with scallions and cilantro or parsley.

Red Lentil Soup.

This soup is from my friend, Brooke's "Simply Real Food" food blog. It's yummy. It's also the soup that my Coco-koala climbed up the spindles on our kitchen chair to get to. It's also the soup that she ate so fast I wondered if she even chewed anything up. Basically, it was really good. Thanks Brooke!

1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 carrots, chopped (1 cup)
1 can diced tomatoes (or use fresh to equal about 1 1/2 cups)
1 celery rib, chopped
5-6 kale leaves, stems removed, finely chopped
1 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 cup dried red lentils
1/2 cup millet, optional
5 1/2 cups water
2-3 vegetable bouillon cubes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Steam fry in a 4-5 quart saucepan over med high heat, onion, stirring until golden. Add garlic, carrots, tomato, celery, kale, cumin, coriander, and salt and saute 2 minutes. Add lentils, millet, water, and broth and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in parsley, season with salt and pepper as desired, and serve.

Quinoa and Black Beans.

Yum... Shayne said, "It's good, but it's not like I'm going to request this one." Well, that's all good and all until we saw how much Corynn tore-it-up. And if that stubborn girl likes it... we'll be having it again! It was real good the next day for lunch, wrapped up in a whole grain tortilla with avocado and tomatoes. Thanks Jami!

1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup frozen corn kernels (or one can corn)
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
Juice of one lime
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
garnish with avocado or sour cream

First start by soaking quinoa in water. Before you add it to your sauce pan rinse very well and drain.

Heat some water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Steam-fry the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.

Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Add canned tomatoes (drained). Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro and lime juice.

Spaghetti with Roasted Veggies & Garlic.

I love spaghetti... and I've been trying to concoct the perfect recipe for a while now. And I think I've got it. The trick is in the roasted garlic. Yum. It obviously doesn't have to be exact - especially if I came up with it.

1 red pepper, seeded & chunked
1 yellow pepper, seeded & chunked
1 orange pepper, seeded & chunked
1 green pepper, seeded & chunked
2 handfuls cremini mushrooms, chunked
1 squash, chunked
1 zucchini, chunked
1 bulb of garlic
1 - 14 oz. tomato sauce, no salt added
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon fennel seed
salt to taste
whole wheat thin spaghetti

Preheat oven to 375*. Cut the top off the bulb of garlic, spray with evoo cooking spray and sprinkle with salt and ground pepper. Wrap in foil and put in the oven, roast for 20-30 minutes.

Cut up the rest of the veggies and put on 1 or 2 baking sheets. Spray and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 15-20 minutes.

Put water onto boil for the pasta. Cook according to package directions.

Put the tomato sauce in a pot over warm heat. When the veggies are done roasting, add them along with the seasonings. Salt to taste - remember you salted the veggies before roasting them. Get all of the roasted garlic cloves out of the bulb and smash them into a paste on a cutting board with a fork. Add to the pot. Let the flavors combine for 10 or so minutes... then chow down.

I also do this in a crockpot. You've got to do the roasted garlic separately... otherwise just put it all in the crock pot and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Serve over whole wheat thin spaghetti noodles. Yum. It's even better the next day.

Italian Fusilli with Sundried Tomatoes & Artichoke Hearts.

This stuff is goooood. Light and fresh - but fills you up as a pasta dish should. And don't even get me started on sun-dried tomatoes and artichoke combo... yum.

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes

1/4 cup vegetable broth

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered

1/2 cup white grape juice

sea salt to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano

1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil, thinly sliced

1 (10-ounce) package fusilli pasta, whole wheat {I used a veggie pasta combo that I got at Costco}

Cover the sun-dried tomatoes with boiling water in a small bowl and let stand for about 10 minutes to soften. Drain and slice tomatoes into thin strips. Set aside.

Heat the broth over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 3 to 5 minutes, until softened and translucent. Add the tomatoes, artichoke hearts, grape juice, salt, and black pepper. Lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the oregano and basil.

Meanwhile cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain. Toss the pasta with the artichoke mixture. Serve.



page 106

Quinoa with Navy Beans and Almonds.

I'm a big fan of Dr. Neal Barnard. His book Reversing Diabetes totally gave me the last little push I need to get my family converted over to a plant-based diet. I've gone through a lot of his recipes from that book... and was totally stoked to see he had a new cookbook, the get healthy, go vegan cookbook, coming out. I got on the waiting list at the library (all of 1 person was ahead of me) and waited.

This is my first try from it, and it was yummy, simple and fresh. I made it that night because I had all the ingredients on hand. I can't wait to try more...

1 cup quinoa, rinsed in a fine sieve

1/4 cup vegetable broth

1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 (15-ounce) can white navy beans, drained and rinsed

kosher or sea salt to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon slivered almonds, toasted

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the rinsed quinoa, bring to a boil again, lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the vegetable broth in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and saute for 2 minutes. Add the onion and bell pepper and saute for 5 minutes until the mushrooms are browned. Add the lemon juice, beans, and cooked quinoa. Season with salt and black pepper and mix well. Garnish with the almonds and parsley, serve.

{{This is for you Lady... Makes 4 servings, 1/4 of the recipe has 50.9 grams of carbs. {It was in the book, I didn't calculate that one out.)}}

the get healthy, go vegan cookbook - page 109

Lentil Stew. {The Kind Diet}

This stuff is really, really good. So simple and so filling. From the ingredients you wouldn't think it was anything spectacular... but it's scrumpy. First time I made it I pureed it... because my kids always eat better when they don't know everything they're eating. Next time I didn't, they ate, and I liked the way it tasted better. It's from The Kind Diet. It works awesome in the crockpot too! I usually amp up the spices and veggies... and love using sweet potato instead of regular.... and added kale.

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

2 tablespoons olive oil {i omit and steam-fry}

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 large onions, cut into chunks

2 celery stalks, diced

1 carrot, sliced

1 potato or sweet potato*, cut into chunks

1/4 cup shoyu

5 cups vegetable broth

3 tomatoes, cored and cut into chunks

1 1/2 cups brown lentils

5 big leaves of kale*, chopped

2 slices of your favorite bread, cubed

extra-virgin olive oil {i omit}

Combine the garlic powder, paprika, salt, cumin, oregano, and basil in a small bowl. Heat the oil {i omit the oil and just add a little water on the bottom of the pan to steam-fry} in a large soup pot (you'll be adding a lot of liquid later, so make sure it's big enough) over medium-high heat, and add the garlic, onion, celery, carrot, and potato. Stir in half the seasoning mixture and the shoyu. Cook, stirring frequently, for 7 minutes or until the onions are tender.

Add 5 cups of water, the broth, tomatoes, and lentils. Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer with the lid askew for 30 minutes. Add the remaining seasoning mixture, and cook for 20 minutes longer or until the lentils are soft. Meanwhile, pan-roast the cubed bread in a dry skillet until nice and toasted. Ladle stew into the bowls, and garnish with croutons and a drizzle of olive oil {i omit the drizzle... and usually don't cook the croutons}.

*my additions

The Kind Diet - Alicia Silverstone