Buffalo Chili

This chili is soooo good!  I found this on Betty Crocker.  Of course I changed it up a bit.  It's supposed to have chicken in it but I omitted that.  And it's supposed to be served with blue cheese on top but I can't think of a good vegan substitute for that one.  Any suggestions?  I guess you could drizzle some of that yummy Ranch Dressing over the top if you wanted to.  I also added 1/2 cup total of barley and millet.  You could add one or the other or leave out completely.  I just wanted mine thicker and not so "soupy".  I also did different tomatoes and added white beans after reading some reviews.  I really liked the flavor though.  It's definitely got some "spice" to it.  Different than the normal chili flavors.  I am not a fan of chicken wings...ever.  I worked in a deli in between college semesters and saw way too many chicken feathers still attached to those suckers.  Never could eat them again.  But I do enjoy the flavors of the sauce.  We had some freshly baked whole wheat bread to go with it.  Very tasty.

Buffalo Chili

1 large onion chopped (about 1 cup)
2 celery sticks, diced (about 1 cup)
2 carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes with chilis, undrained
1 (14.5 oz.) can chili ready tomatoes, undrained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can white beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups vegetable broth (might need to add up to 2 more cups of broth if you add barley/millet)
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt (I will leave out next time.  Plenty salty for us.)
1/2 cup (total) barley and/or millet, optional
1/4-1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce ( I used Frank's Red Hot sauce)
Garnishes: guacamole, ranch, chips, celery sticks, etc.

Put all ingredients in crock pot except hot sauce and garnishes.  (I read the recipe wrong and put the hot sauce in, too.  Worked fine.  I'll probably do this every time.)  Mix.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours.  If it seems to be getting too thick add more vegetable broth.  Stir in hot sauce (if you didn't before) and serve.

Bean & Veggie Quesadillas

I'm not sure what to call these.  I cook them like a quesadilla but there isn't any cheese.  Of course you could add some vegan cheese sauce to it and that is delicious, too.  I normally make these as a "quick" or "spur-of-the-moment" meal so I normally don't have the cheese sauce handy.  But occasionally I'm lucky and have leftovers to use.  These are quick and simple and a great meal to make in a hurry.  One of our favorites.  The ones in the picture look a little non colorful.  I thought I had tomatoes but all I found was an empty container.  My kids eat grape tomatoes like they're...well...grapes!  Hard to keep them around!  But you get the idea.  Any of your favorite veggies work.  I usually serve these with salad.

Bean & Veggie Quesadillas

Whole grain tortillas
Refried beans (or leftover Un-Refried Beans which is the BEST)
Chopped veggies:  cucumber, tomato, olives, avocado, corn, onions, peppers, spinach, etc.
"Cheese" sauce
Vegan Ranch Dressing
Salsa
Guacamole

Heat large skillet or griddle.  You can oil or spray the tortillas if desired but I usually skip it.  They still get nice and crispy.  Spread beans over bottom tortilla.  Sprinkle chopped veggies over beans (or optionally, save chopped veggies to sprinkle over top of cooked quesadilla.  I have a few who prefer it one way or the other  in my family.)  Drizzle with ranch dressing and/or salsa (or "cheese" sauce if using) if desired.  Place another tortilla on top.  When bottom is golden brown, flip over and heat other side.  Remove from heat and let sit for just a few minutes.  Cut into sixths (or eighths if using really big tortillas.)  Serve with more ranch/salsa/guacamole for dipping if desired.

Vegan Ranch Dressing & Dip

This is yet another recipe from my friend, Jen, over at Belly Bites.  She's got some good stuff so don't be surprised if I post more. :)  This is such a yummy vegan ranch dressing substitute.  I am a ranch fan all the way.  It is my most favorite dressing ever.  I like it on everything and it makes everything better.  My kids love this, too.  They come running with spoons when I make it.  Yes, it's that good.  One thing I have done to thicken it up without adding more Vegenaise is to add a cup of Sunflower Seed Sour Cream to this recipe (posted below this recipe as well.)  This turns it into a great dip for veggies or if you just want a rich, thick, and creamy dressing.  Either way is good though.  Without the Sunflower Seed Sour Cream is quicker to whip up but if you have some leftover SSSC then this would be a great way to use it up.

Vegan Ranch Dressing & Dip

1 cup Vegenaise (like Mayo)
1/4-1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1-2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, dill, and chives-chopped (or 1-2 tsp. dried)
1 cup Sunflower Seed Sour Cream, optional

Whisk all ingredients together, except milk, until well combined.  Then slowly add the milk until you get the consistency of dip or dressing you like.  It will thicken some after it's chilled.  Chill and let flavors combine.  Mmmm...

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Sunflower Seed Sour Cream
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup water
4 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 garlic clove pressed (or 1/2 tsp. garlic powder)
1/2-3/4 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Place ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

Un-Refried Beans

This recipe is from my friend, Mandy.  I've made it so many times now and decided it was time to put it on here to make hunting down the recipe a little easier.  I love these beans!  I could eat them every day.  And I confess, I've never actually mashed them.  We usually just have a cup of them or put them in tortillas for burritos or tacos.  (That's why I'm putting them in the "soup" category as well.)  The flavor is so good and I love the juices.  I haven't ever made them with the jalapeño.  The first time I made them I had everything but the jalapeño but I did have chipotle peppers in adobe sauce (they come in a can) so I substituted with those.  They add a really good smokey flavor.  I always seem to have the chipotle peppers because I only use a small portion out of the can and then freeze the rest.  When I make these beans I just cut off what I need from the frozen leftovers and then finely dice.  And since I was using chipotle peppers I decided to  switch the chili powder with chipotle chili powder.  One of these days I need to make them with the jalapeño!  Sooo good!  And they smell so good cooking all day.  Super simple and super cheap.  The only bad part is we sure don't have many leftovers.  I guess I need a bigger crock pot so we can double the batch!  The last time I made them I used Cranberry Beans!  I'd never seen them before.  They look a lot like pinto beans but with red stripes and some are completely red.  They turned out great and were big and plump.  Thanks for the great recipe, Mandy!

Un-Refried Beans

1 lb. dry pinto beans, picked through and rinsed

1 medium onion, diced

1 jalapeño, diced (or chipotle peppers in adobe sauce)

1 Tbsp. garlic, minced

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder (or chipotle chili powder)

10-15 cranks cracked black pepper (I've never put the black pepper in since the peppers spice it up a lot)

1 tsp. salt 

6 cups water

Place onion, garlic, jalapeno, cumin, chili powder and pepper into crockpot.  Add the sorted and rinsed beans and the water.  Stir everything well to distribute seasoning.  Cook on high for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.  After cooking, remove as much water as possible, saving it in a bowl.  Mash the beans {I used my potato masher}, adding in just enough reserved water to get the consistency you want.  Season the mashed beans with salt.  I would start with 1 tsp, taste, and add more if needed.

This recipe ends up making about six cups of refried beans, so I took the leftovers and divided them into two-cup batches in Ziploc freezer bags. Cool completely in refrigerator, then transfer to freezer.  To use the frozen beans, you can just put them in the fridge in the morning and they'll be thawed by dinner.  Or, if you're like me and can't seem to plan that far in advance, you can always put the whole ziploc bag into a bowl of warm water and they thaw in no time.

Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup

Another recipe from Oh She Glows.  I love that site.  I almost get overwhelmed whenever I visit it though.  I want to make everything.  I want to print her entire blog.  Too much good stuff over there.  This is one that I saw and had to make.  And I'm not a big tomato soup fan.  Well...not a Campbell's tomato soup fan that is.  But I know everyone else in my family is and I do love roasted tomatoes.  This one just called my name.  I used 3 lbs. of Roma tomatoes.  It was just right.  One thing that wasn't right was her baking times.  Holy smokes!  You should have seen my onions!  Nothing but black rings.  Very sad.  I had to start completely over with the onions.  Good thing they are the fastest!  I'll post the times I used.  I find that with a lot of her recipes.  The oven temp is too hot and/or it's cooked too long.  Maybe it's because she's from Canada? :)  But anyway, this soup was awesome and everyone in my family loved it.  I added croutons on top and it was surprisingly filling.  We had it with salad.  So good!  The baby had a big piece of whole grain bread torn up in his to soak up the juices so he could eat it by himself better but other than that, no additions were made.  Don't leave out the garam masala!  I forgot to reserve my coconut milk for garnish.  But check out her pictures.  Very "pretty" soup.  Mine looks NOTHING like hers.  Guess I blended mine too much.  I'm hoping it tasted the same though!  But regardless...it was delicious!

Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup

Roasting vegetables:

3-5 pounds of Roma tomatoes, washed & sliced in half

1 large sweet onion, peeled & sliced

1 large garlic bulb, prepared for roasting

extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, & pepper, for vegetables

Soup:

3 cups roasted tomatoes

2 tbsp roasted garlic flesh (I just used the whole thing)

All of the roasted sweet onion

1 can light coconut milk (reserve 2-3 tbsp for garnish)

3 cups vegetable broth (I used low-sodium)

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp salt or to taste (you may have to reduce amt. if you used full-sodium broth)

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

For garnish: garlic croutons, coconut milk, pesto, herbs, garam masala, pepper, etc.

1. Preheat oven to 400F and line 2 baking sheets with tin foil (note that parchment paper will burn). Grab a small casserole dish to place the garlic in. For how to prepare the garlic, see this tutorial. Lightly drizzle on EVOO onto onions and season onions and tomatoes with S & P. Place onions on one baking sheet and the tomatoes on the other.  Roast for about 10-15 minutes and then check on the vegetables. The onions will most likely be done as they cook the quickest. When the onions are golden and lightly blackened on the edge, you can remove them. Continue roasting the tomatoes and the garlic for about 30-45 minutes or so. The tomatoes might take just a little longer than the garlic.  Your oven times will vary though, so keep an eye on them.

2. Add 3 cups roasted tomatoes, 2 tbsp roasted garlic flesh, and all the onion into a large pot. Add coconut milk, tomato paste, and broth and stir well.

3. Stir in the seasonings and spices to taste. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 5-10 minutes.

4. Carefully transfer into a blender, processor, or use an immersion blender. Pulse for just a few seconds until chunky. You can also make it smooth, but I liked the texture. Serve immediately and garnish with reserved coconut milk, a sprinkle of garam masala, croutons/bread, and fresh black pepper.

Yield:  6 cups

Carrot Cake Oats

I tried a new variation with our oats today.  I cooked the oats as usual (just regular old fashioned oats today) with raisins (I like to cook my raisins so they're nice and soft and plump) then dished it out into individual bowls.  I added 1/2 of a very finely shredded carrot to each bowl, shredded coconut, chopped walnuts, and plenty of cinnamon.  Top it off with some almond milk and that's it!  It was really tasty!  All five kids inhaled it.  What a great start to their day!  You can sweeten it with your choice of sweetener if desired.  We don't put anything on ours.  Those carrots really sweeten it up!  In the recipe I put amounts for one individual serving.  Feel free to add more or less of anything.  These are just estimates.

Carrot Cake Oats

1/2 cup dry, old-fashioned oats (or 1 serving steel cut oats, etc.)
2 Tbsp. raisins
1/2 carrot, finely shredded
2 Tbsp. shredded coconut
1 Tbsp. chopped walnuts
cinnamon
almond milk

Cook oats with raisins as directed on package.  When done, stir in shredded carrots, coconut, walnuts and cinnamon.  Top with almond milk.

Butternut Squash Mac & Cheeze

Wow...wow...WOW!  This one you've got to try!  Please!  So creamy and cheesy!  And it's gluten and nut free (depending on the pasta you use.)  I saw this on one of my most favorite food blogs ever and knew I had to make it.  I zipped over to Sprouts as soon as I could to get a few ingredients I was missing and boy was it worth it.  I like this even better than my other favorite Mac & Cheese recipe.  Plus this one is virtually fat free!  I roasted my squash without any oil and the recipe does call for 1 Tbsp. non-dairy butter replacer but really I don't think you need it at all due to the way you make the sauce.  If you just whisk the flour into the milk while it's cold and then pour it into the saucepan then you don't need any extra added fats at all!  Cool!  


She also peels and cubes her squash before she bakes it but I find it's quicker and easier to just cut in half, scoop out the seeds, place cut side down in a baking dish with a little water and bake at 350 degrees for 45 min to an hour.  It practically falls out of the skin when it's done.  Much easier than peeling.  Another thing I always do when I'm roasting a butternut squash is to double it up and roast TWO at the same time.  If I have the oven on that long I might as well make good use of it!  I puree up the extras and freeze it in ice cube trays (like baby food) and then keep them in the freezer to throw in smoothies, soups, and now...to have on hand for even QUICKER Butternut Squash Mac & Cheeze!  Throw a cup of those into the cooking sauce and you're set!  My cheese sauce was very saucy but I added more squash than called for.  Probably an extra 1/2-1 cup.  So if you want it saucier add more squash.  It thickens as it sets.


I used the most beautiful green mustard greens instead of kale this time.  Any greens will do.  Spinach, collards, you name it.  I just halved the big leaves, stacked them all up, rolled them and then thinly sliced the roll (cinnamon roll style).  No need to cook or saute just throw them into the warm mac & cheese and they soften right up.  I doubled this recipe for my family of seven and we burned through it.  I'm posting the recipe with my changes.  If you want to see how the Glow Girl bakes her squash and makes hers go here.

Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:

1 fresh butternut squash (you will only use 1 cup cooked squash for this recipe-can also use frozen cubes or canned squash)

1 tbsp Earth Balance (or other non-dairy butter replacer), optional

1 cup unsweetened & unflavoured almond milk (or use rice or hemp milk if nut-free)

1 tbsp flour (or arrowroot powder or cornstarch)

5 tbsp nutritional yeast

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp garlic powder

3/4 tsp kosher salt (or to taste) & ground black pepper, to taste

4 servings brown rice macaroni (8oz or half a 16oz package) makes 3 1/4 cup cooked

Mix-ins of choice (e.g., kale, spinach, mustard greens, collard greens, broccoli, peas, pumpkin seeds, etc)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.  Cut butternut squash in half.  Scoop out seeds with spoon.  Place cut side down in a casserole dish (or 9x13 pan.)  Add about 1/4-1/2 inch of water.  No need to cover with foil.  Bake for 45-60 min.  Test thick part for doneness.  If fork goes through easily then it's done.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the cheeze sauce in a pot on the stove top. Add Earth balance over low-medium heat.  (Or omit this step altogether.)   In a bowl, whisk together milk and flour (or arrowroot powder or flour) until clumps are gone. Add into pot and whisk. Stir in remaining ingredients (nutritional yeast, Dijon, garlic, S & P) and whisk over low heat until thickened (about 5-7 minutes or so).

3. Cook your pasta according to package directions. The sauce makes enough to cover 4 servings of pasta.

4. In a blender, blend the sauce with 1 cup of roasted squash (or if using canned or frozen cubes, simply stir 1 cup into the pot).

5. Add cooked, drained, and rinsed macaroni into pot, along with cheeze sauce & mix-ins. Heat and serve.

Yield:  4 servings or 1.5 cups of cheeze sauce

Note:  A 3.5 pound squash makes about 5 cups cooked squash.  So you should have about 4 cups leftover.