Baked Beans & Pineapple Greens

Ever feel like eating greens, but don’t want black-eyed peas? That’s me. Do you crave BBQ? Yeah, me too. I LOVE BAKED BEANS. Let’s just get that way out into the front. I used anasazi beans to make these, and I just cheated by cooking them with packaged BBQ sauce and onion flakes. Hey, I’m busy sometimes. And it tasted great.

The pineapple greens are from Appetite for Reduction. I’m on the fence about them–they smelled like magical deliciousness. But they tasted a little on the bitter side–but it might be because I used the “mixed greens” bag from Trader Joe’s, not just collards. I’ll try it again, but yikes! The bitterness!

On the other side of the plate you see the awesome and easy Happy Herbivore cornbread. That is my go-to cornbread, I don’t think I’ll ever, ever make anything else. It’s magical.

 

Bulgur, Squash & White Beans

I keep thinking this dish is seafood, but it’s not. It looks like a delicious deconstructed crab cake, which seem amazing but I know I will hate. I hate seafood. With an undying passion.

That being said, this bowl is fantastic! It’s made with white (or navy) beans, bulgur, and summer squash that’s roasted with black pepper and salt. Then you smother that whole thing with delicious Caesar dressing from Appetite for Reduction.

It is missing a green element–I’m thinking kale (if you can find the good kind), asparagus, or even swiss chard. Any suggestions?

No-Huevos Rancheros

The saddest part is that this is the best picture I took. This dish is amazingly delicious, and yet I could only take the most horrendous pictures of it. Poor Huevos Rancheros. Look at you: homemade salsa, homemade corn tortillas, tofu scramble, veggie refried beans, cajun potatoes, avocado and a little bit of lime. Does it get any better than that?

I would love to make this again. However, it’s what’s known as a “kitchen destroyer” in that it takes up literally every mixing bowl and pot and pan that I have. And the food processor. Good grief! This dish has about as many elements as a Thanksgiving dinner. I think the best idea is to eat it when you have leftover salsa, leftover tortillas, and then you just have to make the scramble, beans, and potatoes. Do you see what I mean? That’s still a lot of work.

Happy Herbivore says she likes to make this when nursing a hangover. How could anyone have the stamina to make this while hungover?

 

 

The Triumphant Return of Kale

Oh, kale. I can’t stop trying to like you. Even the crinkly kale, which is mostly disgusting. But in this dish (Garlicky Mushrooms & Kale from Appetite for Reduction) you are mostly okay. Even the crinkly kale.

First, you’ll note that I altered the recipe (I can’t help myself!). I added a whole bunch of white beans, because I had them in the fridge and I thought it would be nice to add in a little protein. And I served it over barley, because it needed to be served over something. I can’t just sit and eat a giant bowl of kale. And I did put in the red pepper flakes that were suggested, because I will put red pepper flakes in anything.

I really, really want to make this again when I can get my hands on some dinosaur kale. I know it would be perfect. And maybe with some chickpeas instead of white beans. And maybe throw in a little ginger. The possibilities are endless.

 

Chilaquiles…what?

I had no idea what chilaquiles were until I made this. And I thought I knew a lot about Mexican food! Guess not.

These are the Tofu Chilaquiles from Happy Herbivore. I gotta say, it tasted a lot like a tofu scramble, but with a little flair thrown in. I’m not sure I loved it as a dinner, but as an enchilada filling or a breakfast burrito (with some roasted potato) this would be divine. And look at the tomatoes! God bless my friends out in the country. I couldn’t grow a decent tomato here if my life depended on it. And trust me, I’ve tried.

 

Baked Chimichangas!

Mmm…mmm…chimichangas! It’s fun to say. And fun to eat!

I love me some baked burrito. I love how it makes the outside all crispy, the bottom all mushy, and you can eat it with a fork! And a knife! And put pretty three colored sauces on top! I filled this one with brown rice, black beans, anasazi beans, tomatillo salsa and vegan chorizo. That recipe is so awesome, and makes TONS. I don’t even know what to do with the rest of it! Maybe some bowls, since I’m all out of tortillas now.

The sauces on the top are a little more tomatillo salsa (just from a jar, I KNOW), some quick salsa (no onion), and some onion cashew crema that I made up myself! Actually, out of desperation, since I totally messed up the cashew sour cream recipe from Vegan Brunch. Oops!

Onion Cashew Crema:

• 1/4 cup raw cashews, soaked for an hour at least
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tsp mild vinegar
• 1/2 of a small sweet onion
• 2 T dehydrated onion flakes

Now, put all ingredients in a blender and whip them up! Try to get most of the bits of cashew all ground up–this isn’t easy, so give it some time. When it’s done, just pop in the fridge to cool down. Makes a ton–at least a cup. I only used about 1 T to top these burritos–er–chimis, so now I don’t know what to do with the rest of it. The cashews make it a little bit diet unfriendly, but it’s worth it. I mean, you’re probably only putting about two or three extra grams of fat on there. Don’t sweat it! You need to eat fat to live! TO LIVE.

So, yay! Thanks again for the awesome dinner, Happy Herbivore!

Tamale Pie

Guess what, you guys! I got a new cookbook! I bought The Happy Herbivore, and so far I’m digging it. This the first meal I’ve made from the book, but I’ll be making another one tomorrow night, and I’m interested to see how it comes out.

This recipe for Tamale Casserole reminded me of a family dish we used to make called Tamale Pie. And while this dish bears little resemblance to the meat and cheese-filled heart-attack-inducing disaster that tasty item was, I loved it. I did make a few substitutions, which ended up with me having six portions instead of the recipe’s original four. Not really a problem, since this kind of casserole almost always tastes better the second day!

So here’s what I did:

1. Instead of jarred salsa, I made my own, probably about a cup and a half
2. I used 2 cups of beans instead of half a cup
3. I added 2 cups of cooked bulgur (though you could use any sort of meaty grain you like)
4. I added a small can of diced green chilies (because my husband loves them)
5. I added 8 oz of tomato sauce (so that things wouldn’t get dry–they didn’t!)

I really liked my substitutions, because of their enhanced nutritional profile (hello, protein!) and that they bulked this up enough that I didn’t need to divide the cornbread topping. And the cornbread? HELLO. Delicious. I am always skeptical about making applesauce baked goods, but this worked. It didn’t rise much, but I think that’s because I went the extra cornmeal route, since this would be a very corny topping.

Also, serve with Tapatio. You’re welcome.

 

Impossible Dinner

I call this dinner Impossible because it does not seem like any of it could possibly go together. Or have a theme. Or some sort of ethnic origin. The flavors here are so strange to me, yet, yet…it works. How could mushrooms and jalapeños go together? Am I just short-sighted on this one? And cherry tomatoes? And you serve it with beans? Um, okay.

I guess it’s the coriander seed that links it all together. There’s coriander in the Unrefried Beans, and in the tomatoes and mushrooms. And I deviated from the original recipe in Appetite for Reduction (which is what the earlier link sorta leads you to) by tossing in corn. I did that for two reasons: 1. Half of my mushrooms had gone bad, 2. I needed a little more protein in this dish. It works, so you can try it, too, if you like. Also, I think the recipe might be a little off, since it doesn’t actually tell you what stage to put the lime juice in. So, I just left it out. I didn’t want to chop and juice a lime tonight anyway. I think if I put a little green chili hot sauce on it, I wouldn’t even miss the lime at all.

I do loooooove this bean recipe, though. I don’t even like to mash them up very much, it gives you more of that texas beans n’ sauce dealy that I love so much. I don’t know that this combo will become a staple in our household, but it’s always nice to eat outside the box.

 

Anasazi Bowl!

I love Anasazi beans. I know I’ve mentioned that before, but it needs to be said again. GREATEST BEAN EVER. I also didn’t realize that you don’t need to soak them–which makes sense, because I do soak them, and they cook in half the time of normal beans. They are like pinto beans, but better, with a stronger flavor and a very tender texture. I can’t get enough of these beans! And luckily they are sold in stores where I live, but they are completely worth ordering online, just to try them. I sort of want to do a road trip out to Dove Creek, Colorado, for some bean tourism.

So this bowl features the best beans in the world, but it also has brown rice, crispy summer squash (slice thin, spray with oil, bake at 425 for 30 mins), and homemade salsa.

Do you love homemade salsa? Me, too. Here’s how I make mine:

Homemade Salsa (makes about 2 cups):

• 4 ripe plum tomatoes, chopped in half
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled & smashed
• 1/2 cup sweet onion
• 1 jalapeño, seeded
• juice of one lime
• 1/4 tsp salt (to taste)
• 1/4 cup loosely packed cilantro

Put all the ingredients in your food processor, and pulse it a few times. Not too much! You still want it to be a little chunky. If you don’t have a processor or blender, that’s fine, just chop everything up as small as you can, and mix it together in a bowl. It’ll taste the same, but the consistency won’t be as saucy. Don’t worry! Also, let your salsa chill out in the fridge for a while for the best flavor.

I was thinking of other items that would be good in this bowl: corn, marinated carrots & jalapeños, jicama and sweet potatoes all come to mind.  And most definitely a little avocado. We’ve had really bad luck with avocados lately, so I didn’t feel like spending $2 to see if we’d get something tasty or some gray-black mush. Ew!

I like it this way, though, with squash and beans just like the Anasazi would have eaten it! Though consuming dinner in a cliff-dwelling you carved yourself might make it taste even better.

Pizza! Pizza!

Here is the pizza that an incorrect recipe built. But it was so great! My husband, in general, wants to eat pizza every night, usually from Papa Murphy’s. Vegan tip: You can totally eat Papa Murphy’s normal pizza, just ask for no cheese. That s*** is vegan! However, I would rather make pizza at home, because I am crazy, and possibly because I am a control freak.

Anyway, you know something great is going on in your house when it actually smells like a pizzeria. And Vegan with a Vengeance taught me how to make the perfect pizza sauce, where before I was just slapping pasta sauce on a pizza and wondering why it tasted wrong. Pizza sauce must be simple to be good. Also, garlic. Lots and lots of garlic helps everything come together.

But this here is just your normal veggie pizza: olives, onions, white beans, garlic, mushrooms & daiya mozzarella cheese. I love daiya! They are by far my favorite fake cheese, though, to be fair, I haven’t tried a whole lot of fake cheese, because it’s so…fake. And because lots of it seems to still contain some trace milk ingredients. Hello? What is the point in that? Let’s rise up against veggie slices! Are you with me?

Anyway, long story short (er–sort of), make pizza at home!