Vegan Chili

My room mate was wanting to have one of his friends from work over for dinner this Friday night. I found myself wondering: "What on earth can I feed two hard working men after a buy workday, that will satisfy them?" One thing came to mind. CHILI!

I browsed about a half a dozen vegan chili recipes before deciding to just wing it. This is the beauty of chili. You can throw in just about anything and as long as you have the spices right, it will be delicious.

Vegan Chili
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 can chick peas
1 can red kidney beans
1 can vegan refried beans
1 can of beer (I used an IPA for more flavour)
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 zucchini, chopped
1 red pepper, diced
3/4 cup of corn kernals
1 jalapeno or another pepper of your choice, minced
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried mustard powder
1 tsp yellow mustard
2 tsp whole grain mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Grab a large pot and start cooking the onion, jalapeno and garlic in some olive oil. When the onions are translucent add the can of beer. Bring to a simmer and add the tomatoes, including the liquid from the can. Add the vegetables and beans. Stir thoroughly. Add all spices and mustards. Next, you will add refried beans, spoonful at a time, until you reach the desired consistency. Refried beans are used to thicken the chili. Cover and let simmer for at least 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Dish out and garnish with vegan cheese or cheese of your choice (I used a local BC organic aged white cheddar) and green onions.

I served this with my Aunt Barb's amazing home made buns. Unfortunately they are not vegan, but I am hoping to make a magic vegan transformation on them soon. The men loved the chili and the buns. It filled them up so well they were full after one heaping bowl :)

An Easy Way to Dress Your Salad

Salad Dressing is one of the easiest things you can make fresh and the best way to reduce preservatives and additives in your diet. There are so many different kinds you can make from simple oil and vinegar to blended thick and creamy. You can make a lot to keep in the fridge for a couple of days, or just make enough for the one meal. 
My fav is an Asian dressing that we use 70% of the time, visit our "Make Your Own" page for this recipe and more ideas to help you rely less on store bought goods. 


~Sarah

A Warm Salad to Warm Your Heart

Today, we present to you a cross between salad and stir-fry. Melanie and I agreed that this is going to become a popular meal choice, for its simplicity, nutrition and it is a tasty way to pack in your vegetables for the day! You can choose to serve it on quinoa which adds protein for a complete meal, or add sautéed tofu.  


                                 Warm Vegetable Salad with Maple Zinger Dressing

 (Zinger is my new favourite word to describe kick)
Recipe adapted from the Rebar cook book.

Dressing:
(Yields one cup)
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves minced
2 tbsp of pure maple syrup
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp red win vinegar
1/4 tsp red chile flakes
2 tbsp sesame oil
1/4 vegetable oil
1/4 salt
Braggs seasoning to taste

Salad:
2 cups broccoli florets
2 cups  cauliflower florets
1 small zucchini
2 medium carrots
1 small red pepper
1/2 bunch spinach
1/4 cup roasted (or raw) cashews or sesame seeds

- Start by making the dressing. Place all of the ingredients except oil, in a bowl. Whisk to combine. Slowly drizzle in the oil in a think, steady stream while whisking. Season to taste and transfer to a small pot. Heat the dressing gently over low heat while you prepare and steam the vegetable. Keep the dressing warm.
- Slice the zucchini into 1.2" thick half moon slices. Slice the carrots into diagonal 1/4" coins. Cut the pepper into 1/2" squares. Stem the spinach.
- Set a seam basket over a pot of boiling water. Add the carrots and cauliflower, cover and steam for 3 minutes. Add the broccoli, zucchini and pepper and steam until the vegetables are just tender.
- To serve, toss a the warm dressing with the spinach and vegetables and serve topped with chopped cashews or sesame seeds.

Potato Chip Replacer!

This recipe for kale chips is SO easy (10 minutes or less!) and delicious.

http://weight-loss-story.blogspot.com/2012/01/kale-chips-super-nutritional-low.html

I will be experimenting with my new dehydrator in the next little bit, and I'm sure Sarah will be putting her new Vitamix to the test.

~Melanie

Cashew Crunch Enchiladas

As Sarah and I have a lot of time on our hands these winter days, we decided to get together this afternoon and make some yummy home made enchiladas. I got my inspiration from two different dishes I've had at Bandidas and The Naam. If you have a good kitchen helper, it might be best to recruit them for this meal! Thanks so much to Sarah, the lovely hostess of Karma Kitchen Headquarters and our dear friend/photographer Marilyne Beauchemin.

There are three parts to this dish.
1. Corn Tortillas - you can buy these, but they are healthier if you make them like we did
2. Enchilada Sauce - you can also buy this, but we went out on a limb and tried this recipe
3. Enchilada Filling - feel free to make up your own creation (for ours we used butternut squash which you need to cook for about 45 minutes, so get that bad boy in the oven right now)

Corn Tortilla 
2 1/2 cups Masa Mix (We got this at Dollar Grocer on Commercial Dr.)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/2 cup brown rice flour

Mix together Masa Mix and salt, add water 1/2 cup at a time. Mix until ready to roll. Sprinkle flour over counter and rolling pin. Form dough into 12 balls and roll each one flat. Make sure to re-flour your rolling pin and surface between each tortilla. Fry in a dry pan on medium heat for about 4 minutes on each side.
Keep warm so they will be pliable to roll later on.


Enchilada Sauce
We used this recipe here.

Enchilada Filling
1 small - medium size butternut squash (roasted and cut into cubes)
2 cups of cooked black beans
3/4 cup raw crushed cashews

Mash black beans and squash pieces in a large bowl. Add cashews and stir.

Now we are ready to put them all together!

Lay a tortilla flat and spoon out some filling on it as shown in the first photo. Roll and place into a casserole dish. Repeat until dish is full. You may need two dishes, as we did. Cover the rolled up tortillas with enchilada sauce. Top with cheese, soy cheese or cashew cheese if desired.

Cook for 8-10 minutes at 350. Serve with guacamole, pickled cabbage or any other mexican toppings of your choice!

Enjoy my friends! 

<3 Melanie