Burrito Bowls

This has to be the easiest dinner party we've ever had.  It was, as usual, a last minute get together, informal, with close friends.   We worked in the yard most of the afternoon, which left little time for cooking.

We threw this together in about 20 minutes, then let the beans and rice cook a little while longer while we pulled out the dishes and made Italian margaritas.

We made the individual layers, then let the guests assemble their own bowls to their tastes.

Bowl layers:

• Lettuce
• Black beans
• Brown rice or other
• Guacamole
• Salsa

Recipes:


Guacamole -

Avocados
Diced fresh tomatoes, chopped and juice drained
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 Tbsp salsa
Garlic powder, dash of cayenne







Salsa - all ingredient amounts are to taste, so experiment away! 

• Fresh or canned tomatoes, or both.   I used both here including some new canned, organic, no salt added tomatoes I found at Walmart (Sam's Choice brand)
• 1 small or medium jalepeno, seeds removed
• 1/2 medium onion, more or less to taste
• 2 cloves garlic or 3-4 cloves roasted garlic
• 1 large bell pepper
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/4 cup cilantro*

* We make salsa often and find cilantro hard to keep fresh, so we've taken to washing it, drying it, and then freezing it.  It's very handy!  






Chopped lettuce






Beans - 

• 2 cans black beans or equivalent fresh cooked
• 1 medium onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 large bell pepper (we used orange, as you can see)
• 1/3 pound or more chopped mushrooms
• Seasonings (pepper, dash of cayenne, garlic powder, chipotle powder, etc)

Saute onion, garlic, peppers, mushrooms until onions are translucent, then add cooked or canned beans and 1 cup of water.  Season and let simmer until the flavors merge well, then turn on low until ready to serve.




Brown rice or corn kernels are the last ingredient in our bowl.   We love brown rice, flavored with a bit of garlic and cilantro for a Chipotle feel to the bowl. 



List of the food you'll need for all of this:

• Corn tortillas, tortilla chips for starters (with the salsa and guac so make enough for the bowls and the starter course)
• 3-4 large avocados
• 2 medium onions
• 1 bulb garlic
• 2 large bell peppers
• 1/2 pound mushrooms
• Jalapenos
• Cilantro
• 2 cans beans
• Canned and fresh tomatoes
• Lettuce
• Brown rice
• Seasonings

Mock Chicken Salad

I've been meaning to give the various mock tuna/chicken salad recipes a try and finally did today.  There are many variations depending on your preferences...this one closely resembles our old favorite, minus the chicken/tuna, and it received three of four thumbs up (the 8 year old wouldn't even taste it, of course).




Ingredients :

2cups garbanzo beans
1 tablespoon fat source,  your choice, or eliminate this if desired
     ...options are olive oil, mayo, tahini, etc.  or none.
1/2 cup finely chopped onions or green onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
1 tablespoon relish
1 tablespoon mustard, your choice
Pepper, garlic powder, dash of cayenne

Mash half the chickpeas with a fork, add all other ingredients and toss well.  Serve on a whole grain pita or crackers or on top of a bed of lettuce.  It's also good just eaten out of the bowl, with a fork.

Chili Pie

I'm not generally big on casserole type recipes but saw this one online that combined several of my husband and daughter's favorite foods and thought I would take a shot at something new. 

I've adapted the recipe from a Dr Fuhrman member who in turn adapted it from fatfreevegan.com.

Ours, so far, is made with two of our existing recipes, but we may switch to making it more from scratch if the circumstances are different.   This time, we already had chili made to use as the first layer, next time we might make the layer from beans, peppers, and so on instead. 





The first layer is the black bean chili, recipe here







Next, we added a layer of frozen, chopped greens.  We used collards but kale, spinach, or other would work.  



The third layer was the "Cheeze" from our Mac & Cheeze recipe, recipe here

The last layer was 1/3 of a bag of frozen hash browns.

After assembly, I baked it in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes, but it was still very liquid, so I left it in there for another 45 minutes while I baked a loaf of banana oat bread.   

The final product was a huge hit with my husband who ate two servings and asked for leftovers with his lunch.  

Now that I'm thinking about it....I may always make this recipe with the black bean chili and Mac & Cheeze sauce because that way I end up with nearly a week's worth of food for the family.   The casserole, the chili, and the Mac & Cheeze.    I'm not going to say how I know this, but the Mac & Cheeze tastes great on top of the chili, also.    :)  

 

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Pasta e Fagioli, The SOUP

An old family favorite, made over.   I'm not sure why it has taken me so long to get to ETL-izing this recipe, but the wait has only made it taste better. 

I'm not sure Olive Garden would recognize it now. 


Ingredients:

1 extra large onion, chopped
1/2 pound mushrooms, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
5 large carrots, shredded
1 bulb of garlic, or less, to taste
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
2 cups minced greens like kale, collards, spinach

1 pound dried beans, cooked, or equivalent in canned, no salt added if possible
      We use pintos, navy, cannellini beans but any will work
2 oz whole wheat or other pasta, small shaped, cooked
14 oz +/-  canned or cooked tomatoes
2 tablespoons condensed tomato paste

Seasonings - pepper, splash white or rice vinegar, garlic powder, dash cayenne or red pepper, etc. 


Directions:

I start by boiling my beans in the morning, letting them sit an hour, then popping them into the crockpot on high for 3-4 hours without ANY seasonings.  

( Mom's best friend, pictured below, cooks while she sleeps, shops, works, works out, and so on.)  



Later, saute vegetables in 1 tsp olive oil or 1/4 cup water for about 10 minutes.














Then, add 1 cup water and continue to cook until onions are translucent, carrots start to get soft. Add water if needed; this will start to make its own thick broth. 













After beans are cooked, add cooked vegetables with their broth to the beans in the soup pot or crockpot. 



 




Add seasonings, tomatoes, paste, sauce and let simmer for 30 minutes.    Before serving, add precooked pasta. 

 

With the pasta added -

 

Roasted ChickPeas

Picture to follow..... keep eating them too fast... Okay, now I've added pictures.   

These are great for snacking on something crunchy or using in tacos or wraps in place of meat or softer beans.   I've fallen in taste-love with them and even like them now chewy instead of crunchy, cold, leftover, anything.
 

Directions:

Cook a package of dry garbanzo beans/chickpeas according to package directions or drain a can of chickpeas (garbanzos) and rinse very well.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and put the equivalent of 1 can of the beans, a couple of cups.

Various baking experiments have produced these results:

Bake at 425 for 30-40 minutes, then turn the oven off and let them finish baking while it cools.   This "turn off the oven and let them finish" tip is thanks to Lindsey, of The Lean Green Bean, and it is amazing for preventing burnt beans.

Or, bake at 350 for one hour, then turn off the oven and let them finish baking.  

Any temperature in between requires a little more or less time to get them right.    

The finished product:



When they are crispy, squeeze a lime over them and sprinkle with your choice of seasonings.  We love garlic, cayenne, and so on....the flavor mix possibilities are many.

Cheezy Kale Soup

My version of Dr Fuhrman's soup.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 lb yellow split peas or lentils
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
5 garlic cloves, diced
1 pound carrots, shredded
1 bunch kale, stem removed, chopped
Other green like collards, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 cup cashews, made into butter
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

DIRECTIONS:

Water saute onions, mushrooms, garlic 5 minutes then add shredded carrots, chopped kale, tomatoes.  add more water and cook another 10 minutes.

Then add dry lentils/peas and water to cover by an inch or so.  Bring to a boil, turn down a but and let simmer 40 minutes.  Add water as needed while it cooks.



Remove from heat, add yeast and cashews, mix well with a wooden spoon, pressing some of the soup against the side to mash it.  A thick broth should form. 

Then season with your favorite seasoning blend including pepper.