To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
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My good friend, Edi Verdugo, joins me for this two-parter to make his family’s recipes. The green salsa will be in part 2. Consider making vegan nachos using the rice, beans & salsa.
Click the link below to watch.
Vegan Mexican Pinto Beans (for the Instant Pot)
INGREDIENTS
3 cups dry pinto beans
9 cups water
1 large onion – ends cut off & peeled but still whole
1-2 TBS garlic salt (to taste)
S & P to taste
DIRECTIONS
Put everything in the instant pot & cook on manual for 45 minutes.
The beans will look watery but they are supposed to be. Season to taste.
Vegan Mexican Rice
INGREDIENTS
1-2 TBS olive oil
1 1/2 cups long grain rice
1 (7 3/4) ounce can hot tomato sauce
1 TBS bouillon
DIRECTIONS
Toast the rice in the olive oil until it becomes fragrant & looks a bit golden. Do not overcook it.
Add the rest of the ingredients & cook rice according to package directions.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
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OK – this episode features the awesome Neil Hamburger, local comedian, song man, magician & lounge act. Neil happens to be vegan & so I invited him to make tamales on my channel. Tamales have always intimidated me & I have never attempted making them myself. Don’t let the length of this episode frighten you. It is not long because it was hard to make tamales but because Neil is a fascinating conversationalist.
Click the image below to watch us make tamales from scratch, discuss vermin-infested chili factories, Greek cheese & serial killer yard sale finds, Tiffany Amber Thiessen – and more!
Vegan Tamales
This will make about 8-12 tamales – depending on how large you make them. Depending on how fat they are – you might have extra stuffing ingredients.
INGREDIENTS
1 large package of corn husks (get more than you need because lots of them will be too small or torn) – soaked in warm water for an hour
4 cups masa flour
1 cup corn grits
6 cups vegan stock
1 package of soyrizo or other vegan chorizo – minced (optional)
Heat a little olive oil in a saute pan. Add the mushrooms, cumin & chili powder & saute until soft. Mix in the garlic & saute another minute or so. S&P to taste. Set aside to cool.
for the beans
Drain the beans. In a stock pan, heat them & stir in the bay leaf, garlic powder & chili powder. Set aside to cool.
for the tamales
In a large bowl, mash 2/3 of the butter & then smoosh in a cup of masa flour. Add 1 cup of stock & combine. Add the remaining 3 cups of masa & 3 cups of stock – one cup of each at a time – alternating. ! cup masa – one cup stock. Combine. Repeat. When all four cups of masa & stock are blended with the butter, add the rest of the butter & the cup of grits and the can of green chilies. Combine – only using as much stock as you need to keep it in a cookie dough consistency. It should not be soupy.
To assemble the tamales – find a large & untorn husk and put it on the counter – small side on the bottom – wide at the top. (The video will show this far better than I can explain in words.) Then, put a small handful of masa in it. Pat it flat & add a small amount of whatever fillings you like in any combination you prefer. Again – watch the video to see Neil expertly assemble a few of these. Then – fold the bottom up – folding the masa from the bottom over some filling. Fold the sides in pressing the masa over the filling from the sides. Basically, create a veggie-stuffed masa Twinkie, then fold the bottom of the husk up, fold one side in & then the other. If they are overstuffed & squirting out the top, simply double wrap them but put the open end on the bottom so the bottom fold encloses the opening. Video shows this clearly. Then 0 you can move on & make the rest or use a strip of husk (or kitchen twine) to tie them shut. Repeat until all the masa is gone.
Neil steamed his tamales in his electric steamer for 65 minutes. I steamed mine in an Instant Pot for 45 minutes. I steamed mine upright. I used a little terra cotta pot to keep mine upright. Neil steamed his flat.
Now – you can let them cool & freeze them for the future or eat them immediately – garnished as you like. See? Not hard at all!
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
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So – this weekend, I entered a Chili Cook-off! There were only two vegan entries of the 14 adults competing & it was meat chilis that won the chili titles but I won for best presentation. Check it out!
Click the image below to watch this on my Youtube channel.
It was a lot of fun & it raised money for the Downtown Women’s Shelter. Kids competed, too!
Homemade Chili Powder
2 TBS smoked paprika
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Mix & store in a jar.
Cirque Du Macabre Vegan Chili
Serves a fuckton!
INGREDIENTS
1 TBS olive oil
2 each – Anaheim, Pasilla & Jalapeno peppers (I used 3 large jalapeno peppers)
2 small sweet potatoes – peeled & cubed
3 ears of unshucked corn or 2 (15 oz) cans of corn kernels
2 celery stalks – chopped
1 large onion (I used 1/2 white & 1/2 sweet onions) – diced
2 red bell peppers
1 TBS chili powder (recipe for homemade is above)
28oz can crushed or diced tomatoes (I used San Marzano)
2 TBS hoisin or BBQ sauce
2 TBS chipotle in adobo – minced
2 TBS vegan bouillon (I used vegan beef bouillon)
1 (4oz) can hot diced jalapenos (optional)
1 (4oz) can mild diced chilis
5 (15oz) cans of beans (I used a mixture of chili beans, light red kidney beans & black beans)
3 lbs vegan ground beef
8-10 large vegan sausages (Beyond Meat are the best)
I charred all the peppers (Anaheim, Pasilla, red bell & jalapeno) on a grill until the skins were black. I did the same with the corn. I put the peppers in a closed container to cool & then peeled & seeded them under cold water. I shucked the corn. You need not roast the peppers & corn but it adds a lovely smokiness. Cool & chop. Cut the grilled corn from the cobs.
I cooked the sausages on an outdoor grill. Cook yours as you please. Cool & chop.
Heat the olive oil in an Instant Pot or on the stove. Saute the onions & celery until soft. Add the chili powder & saute a minute. Add the ground beef & brown it.
If using a slow cooker, transfer the meat from the stove to it.
Now – add everything else or as much as fits in your slow cooker of Instant pot (minding the maximum capacity line). If it all cannot fit – leave out a few cans of beans.
Slow cooker – cook on high for 4 hours. Add remaining beans – if they fit – & heat through.
Instant Pot – pressure cook for 45 minutes. Add any beans you have left & stir to heat them through.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
Click the image above to watch the video. I had a head of purple cabbage in my fridge that was the size of a basketball. I decided to add half of it to some leftover rice to accomplish two things: not waste all the cabbage & to extend the quantity of rice with some guiltless & vibrant cabbage. I am very happy with the result both in color & the crunch the cabbage adds to the texture. I recommend it very highly.
Purple Cabbage Fried Rice
INGREDIENTS
(I used a tad more cabbage than rice but the ratio is up to you.)
2 cups cooked rice
2 cups chopped purple cabbage
1/2 onion – diced
1 cup grated or slivered carrots
1-5 cloves garlic – chopped
2 or more TBS fresh minced ginger
1 TBS sesame (or other) oil
DIRECTIONS
Heat the oil in a large wok or saute pan. Add the onions, & cabbage & saute until they begin to soften. Add the carrots, rice & ginger & stir to combine & warm through. Add the garlic and saute another minute or two. Serve.
Vegan Spicy Lemongrass & Ginger Beef
Serves 2 very well (this is HALF the recipe I made in the video)
INGREDIENTS
2 or 3 stalks of lemongrass – cut into 3″ lengths & smashed with the handle of a knife (to bruise them & release the flavor. The cooked lemongrass is inedible so pick around it in the finished dish.) . Or – use the juice of 1/2 lemon.
8+ ounces seitan (or other meat replacement like – Beyond Meat Chicken or Gardein beef or pork products)
3 dry red chilies (optional – they are quite spicy) – crumbled a bit
2 TBS dark soy sauce (it gives the seitan that dark & beefy color)
1 TBS liquid aminos (or soy sauce or tamari)
1 TBS shao xing rice wine
2 TBS brown sugar
Potential garnished: sliced red or green jalapeno peppers, basil or mint or cilantro leaves
DIRECTIONS
Heat the oil in a wok or large pan & add the dry red chilies – if using. Add the lemongrass & saute a minute or two. Add the green beans & saute on high heat until they begin to sear a bit.
Add the remaining ingredients. Add about 1/4 cup water to aid in steaming the beans a bit & create some sauce. Heat through – until the sauce thickens. Serve with rice.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
Click the image above to watch the video.
I love Indian food. I always have. I also love cooking with dry beans & lentils because they are so inexpensive & yield many servings for pennies per serving. The only issue with Indian recipes is acquiring the exotic spices – which can be expensive if you do not buy them from an Indian market. Ethnic markets are always the best place to buy spices because each will typically carry all you need for recipes from that area of the world and at greatly reduced prices. If you do not live in an area with much diversity – Amazon is wonderful. You can typically omit a few spices from most recipes with little loss of flavor but it is really satisfying to be as authentically true to a regional recipe as possible. With Thai food, for example, getting fresh kaffir lime leaves & Thai basil makes an enormous difference. You just open the packages of these things and are transported to your favorite Thai restaurant. Indian food has a few staples that are hrd to get around – garam masala, for example. But it is stuff like cardamom & fenugreek (methi) that add authenticity. Fenugreek is an herb – pictured below – both fresh & dried. It also comes in seed form & as a powder and it is ubiquitous in Indian recipes in one form or another. It might be a good idea to research a few Indian recipes & stock up on the critical spices sif you want to experiment with this wonderful cuisine. HERE is a list of the most used spices – garam masala being the most commonly used and that list omitted the kasoori (or kasuri) methi (dry fenugreek leaves) and I would add that to your list as well as amchoor (mango powder).
I made a version of mahkani in July – seen above – my Spicy Vegan Dal Makhani (Beluga or Black Lentils) for the Slow Cooker. That dish used beluga lentils & is not as authentic as today’s recipe. In today’s recipe I used whole black lentils (also called urad dal or black gram) and red kidney beans (rajma). I not only soaked these beans overnight but I also cooked them in my slow cooker for 5 hours on high AND left them overnight to let the flavors meld. I recommend this (though it is not necessary) to let the beans really soften & the flavors blend – so – if you are making this dish it takes two days before you are eating it. Again, you definitely could eat it after the 5 hours but like many stew-type dishes – it gets better over time. The good news is – there is no prep cooking for this dish so, except for cutting up an onion & 2 peppers – the slow cooker does all the work (except the smoking process – explained below). The lentils & beans I used are below – dry – and as they looked after soaking them – separately – overnight. As you can see – they changed color considerably. This dish is traditionally very rich using varied amounts of butter & heavy cream. I used only 2 TBS of vegan butter & 1/2 cup vegan sour cream – so this dish is not quite so heavy.
As to smoking your dal makhani – it is VERY easy & I recommend it very highly. It just requires a chunk of a natural charcoal & a small metal bowl. You simply heat the coal over a burner until it is red hot, place it in a metal bowl & drizzle olive oil on it & place it atop your dal & put the lid on the slow cooker. In ten minutes – you will have authentically, smoky goodness! (The photo of the smoking charcoal is from my Smoked & Spicy Indian Eggplant Curry (Vegan – Vegetarian) – seen below.)
Vegan Smoked Dal Makhani Punjabi-Style (Black Gram/Urad Dal & Rajma) –
Serves 6+ with rice
INGREDIENTS
1 cup dry black urad dal – soaked overnight
1/2 cup dry red kidney beans – soaked overnight
1 onion – diced
2 serrano (or jalapeno) peppers – seeded & diced
2 TBS vegan butter (or coconut or olive oil)
4 cups water (or vegetable stock)
1 cup tomato puree
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 TBS garam masala
1/2 tsp amchoor
2 TBS dry methi leaves
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp chili powder
3 green cardamom pods
1 TBS fresh or jarred ginger (I used jarred)
4 garlic cloves – minced
1/2 cup vegan sour cream
Steamed rice
GARNISH – more sour cream, cilantro or fresh fenugreek leaves
DIRECTIONS
Soak the beans overnight. Drain & rinse.
INSTANT POT
Heat the oil or butter using the saute setting – saute the onion & peppers until soft. Put everything else in & cook, sealed, on manual for 35 minutes.
SLOWCOOKER
Put everything except the sour cream into a slow cooker & cook on high for at least 5 hours – maybe more. If you are going for the overnight uber-cooking (as I did) – leave it covered overnight. I left my cooker off as there was nothing in there that would spoil but – if you are not comfortable with that – add some water & leave it on warm overnight.
STOVE TOP
Heat the oil or butter and saute the onion & peppers in a large stock pot until soft. Put everything else in & bring to a boil. Reduce heat & simmer until the beans are tender – 30 minutes or so.
Either way – the next step is the smoking (which you can skip but I recommend trying it because it is amazing. Heat the coal over a burner until it is red hot, place it in a metal bowl & drizzle olive oil on it & place it atop your dal & put the lid on the slow cooker or Instant Pot or pan. In ten minutes – you will have authentically, smoky goodness!
Now – stir in the sour cream. If it is too thin – add water or vegan milk to thin it. If it is too thin – cook it on high with the lid off until it thickens. Mashing some of the dal with a wooden spoon or pureeing with an immersion blender gives an even creamier result.
Garnish with a dollop of sour cream & serve with rice.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
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OK. Another SUPER DUPER easy one!!! The first time I made it, I just threw this shit into a two serving slow cooker, hiked for two hours (that recipe is HERE) – and came back to this really spicy & really yummy dish! This recipe now is for the stove top. While Szechuan dishes are often very greasy – this has only one TBS of sesame oil in the whole thing. None of the ingredients are particularly exotic & if you find one in the list you don’t have because it is too exotic for your local stores – blow it off.
These dry red chilies are kind of important for flavor but I expect most big grocery stores will carry them. If not – sub out with crushed red pepper in a quantity that suits your tolerance for heat.
Stove top – this can be ready in 10 minutes.
Click the image below to watch the video.
Spicy Vegan Szechuan Chickpeas
serves 2 with rice
INGREDIENTS
2 (15 oz) cans of chickpeas
2 TBS hoisin sauce
2 TBS chili paste (chili garlic sauce or sambal oelek or sriracha)
2 TBS balsamic vinegar
1 TBS sesame oil
5 TBS low sodium soy sauce (or tamari)
1 TBS ginger – minced or grated
4 garlic cloves – minced
2 TBS Chinese rice cooking wine (not vinegar) or dry sherry
1/4 cup water
5-10 dry red chilies (halved or quartered) – THIS IS A LOT – so – use way less if you are not heat tolerant – the seeds are hot so discard if you hate spice. I used 15 peppers in this – seeds & all – hence EXTRA spicy. PS – you do not EAT these peppers once the dish is cooked. Use crushed red pepper (to taste) if you cannot find these.
1 tsp Chinese Five Spice
1 tsp anise pepper (or Szechuan pepper – they are the same thing)
1 TBS cornstarch
PEANUTS as garnish
Scallions – sliced
DIRECTIONS
Heat everything except the chickpeas & garnishes in deep pan. Whick to blend. Add the chickpeas & heat on high until the sauce thickens. Stir in the peanuts.
Serve over rice with sliced scallions. REMEMBER – do NOT eat those dry red peppers. I mean you can – but it is not advised.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
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Click the image above to watch the video.
These are as easy as putting everything into a slow cooker & walking away. I did not even pre-soak the beans. You could speed this process up either by using canned beans or soaking dry beans overnight or quick soaking them or cooking them on a higher setting – or by doing it stove top. These are mildly spicy & mildly citrusy. You could ratchet either of those flavors up or down – according to your preferences.
Vegan Spicy Citrus Black Beans (Instant Pot, Slow Cooker or Stove Top)
Feeds 6 with rice
INGREDIENTS
1 lb dry black beans
5 cups water or stock (1 cup only if using drained, canned beans)
Juice of 2 limes
juice of 1 large lemon
juice of 1 large orange
6 garlic cloves – minced
2 (or more or less) chipotle chilies in adobo – minced
1 onions – diced
3 serrano (or jalapeno) peppers – minced (or to taste)
Put it all in a slow cooker on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. Cook uncovered longer if they are too wet – add water if they are too dry. If they seem too runny – maybe puree a small amount of the beans & return them to the pan.
STOVE TOP
Put everything in a very large stock pot & bring to a boil & simmer until the beans are tender (90 minutes or more or until the beans are tender). Boil longer if they are too watery. Add water if they get too thick. If they seem too runny – maybe puree a small amount of the beans & return them to the pan.
INSTANT POT
Put it all into the Instant Pot & cook on manual for 25 minutes. Drain in a colander if they are too wet. Add water if they get too dry. If they seem too runny – maybe puree a small amount of the beans & return them to the pan.
All of these methods will go much faster with beans soaked overnight and, in the case of canned beans, the only times required is maybe an hour to let the flavors meld.
Garnish with cilantro & serve with rice. Maybe squeeze a bit of lemon, lime or orange juice onto the beans.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
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Click the image above to watch the video.
My friend, Katie, turned me on to kitchari. Apparently, you can eat it – JUST IT – for 1-7 days straight & it calms your digestive tract & detoxes you system but with the added benefit of feeling like decadent comfort food. Also – mung beans are dirt cheap. (Articles on the subject are linked at the bottom of this post). This recipe makes about 7 quarts which is a fuckton so – unless you are feeding a lot of people or want to freeze some – consider reducing the recipe.
I used an Instant Pot to make mine but this can be done in a slow cooker or stove top. I really recommend Instant Pots, though, because they steam, pressure cook, slow cook, cook rice, cook cakes, saute, cook eggs & clean windows. I got my huge one HERE for just over $100 & I am VERY happy with it. I can now get rid of several other appliances.
***NOTE – I soaked my beans on the counter overnight & in the fridge a second night but this is not necessary. If you want to move more quickly – boil some water, add your beans & let them soak for an hour.
Ayurveda Kitchari – Vegan Mung Bean Stew
Caters a party so be ready for a lot
INGREDIENTS
3 cups mung beans (I used half whole green & half split green – as seen above) – soaked (see ***NOTE above)
1-2 TBS coconut oil or olive oil
1 onion – chopped
6 garlic cloves – chopped
1 TBS turmeric
1 TBS ground cumin
1 TBS (or more – to taste) salt (I used pink Himalayan)
1 TBS ground mustard
1 TBS ground coriander
1 TBS ground pepper
1 TBS ground fenugreek (optional)
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1 (15 oz) can coconut milk (I used lite)
6 TBS minced ginger
1 cup cilantro
Vegetables are optional. Use any you prefer but I added:
5 small turnips – diced
5 small golden beets – diced
1 large sweet potato – diced
5 oz baby kale
1 tomato – diced
6 cups water
2 cups basmati (or other long grain white rice)
(If you are making your rice separate from the stew, as I did, it is nice to add a tsp cumin SEEDS & 6 green cardamom pods to it as it cooks but that is not necessary.)
GARNISH – coconut butter, cilantro, crushed red pepper
DIRECTIONS
Quick soak your beans (see note above) if you did not soak them overnight or for 2 days, as I did.)
Traditionally, the rice is cooked in the same pot with everything else. My Instant Pot was not large enough so I cooked it separately. This is your call – or maybe your pot size will determine your choice but it does not matter much either way.
Rinse the rice. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a very large pot (or your Instant Pot – my pot is 8 Quarts) and soften. Add the garlic & spices & stir to combine.
If you are using a slow cooker, transfer the onions & spices to it. Everything else is the same no matter whether you are slow cooking, Instant Pot cooking or going stove top. Only the cooking time will vary.
Now, add everything else to the pot. If your pot is easily deep enough to hold the rice, too, add that. If you are cooking the rice in the same pot – add 4 additional cups of water to the 6 cups used if you are cooking the rice separately (assuming your rice directions ask for 2 cups water per 1 cup rice. Adjust accordingly if your rice has different directions). Or – just cook the rice separately as the package directs. If you are making your rice separate from the stew, as I did, it is nice to add 1 tsp cumin SEEDS & 6 green cardamom pods to it as it cooks but that is not necessary.
Slow cooker – cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
Stove top – bring to a boil uncovered for 5 minutes. Reduced heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes or more or until everything is tender.
Instant Pot – seal & cook manually for 10 minutes.
If it is to thick, thin it with extra water. If it is too thin, let is simmer, uncovered, for a while longer.
Serve with rice (if you cooked it separately) and garnish with coconut butter (burns fat & lowers cholesterol) and lots of cilantro & maybe some crushed red pepper.
Here are some articles for more info on kitchari & using it to detox:
Hoppin’ John is a traditional southern dish, typically served on New Years Day to bring a prosperous new year. Here is WIKIPEDIA’S explanation. I didn’t add peas to mine but you certainly can & I love the idea of serving each bowl with a coin beneath it to ramp up the good fortune.
This is CRAZY easy to make & tastier than you might guess. I made these in my Instant Pot with dried beans but these can be done very quickly on your stove top with canned beans or with dry beans in a slow cooker.
Click the image above to watch the video.
Vegan New Years Day Spicy Hoppin’ John
Serves 4 very well
INGREDIENTS
1 lb dried black eyed peas (or 2 lbs canned – drained & rinsed – if you are going stove top)
1 medium onion – diced
3-6 garlic cloves – diced
4 celery stalks – diced
1 red bell pepper – diced
1 4oz can diced green chilies or jalapenos (optional)
2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo – diced (more or less – to your taste)
1 TBS ground cumin
1 TBS olive oil
4 cups vegetable stock
S&P to taste
GARNISH OPTIONS:
Diced tomatoes
Scallions – sliced
Fresh Italian parsley – chopped
Fresh cilantro – chopped
Red onion – diced
Avocado – sliced
Tabasco, Crystal (or other hot sauce)
COINS (Pennies – silver dollars? Your call) – for placement under each serving dish
Cooked rice
DIRECTIONS
Cook your rice according to the package instructions.
INSTANT POT: Using the saute setting, heat 1 TBS olive oil & saute the onion, celery & bell pepper until soft. Add the garlic & saute one minute. Add the rest of the ingredients & cook, sealed, on the manual setting for 45 minutes.
SLOW COOKER: If you are using dried black eyed peas – bring a pot of water to a rapid boil. Add the black eyed peas & boil for ten minutes. Turn off heat, cover & let stand for an hour. Drain & RINSE WELL.
In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil & saute the garlic, onion, red pepper and celery until the vegetable are soft.
Once your vegetables are sauteed, you simply combine the already partly cooked beans with the vegetables, chipotle, green chilies, cumin, and S&P with 4 cups of veggie stock to your slow cooker. Heat on high for 5 hours.
STOVE TOP:
Use canned beans. Heat 1 TBS olive oil & saute the onion, celery & bell pepper until soft. Add the garlic & saute one minute. Add a cup of vegetable stock and the rest of the ingredients & simmer until heated through & al the flavors meld. Add more stock if the get too dry. Cook on high if they are too watery.
Folded Money Collard Greens
INGREDIENTS
24 oz collard greens – trimmed, chopped & washed
1-2 TBS olive oil
1 large onion – diced
6 (or more) celery stalks – diced
6 garlic cloves – diced
1 TBS crushed red pepper
3 cups veggie stock
1 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
1/4 tsp liquid smoke (optional)
2 tomatoes – diced
Hot sauce as garnish (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Heat olive oil in a pan. Saute the onions & celery until they soften. Add the chopped garlic & crushed red pepper. Saute another 1-2 minutes.
Add the stock and collard greens & smoked paprika, stock. Bring to a boil & then reduce heat to low, cover & simmer – covered – for about 20- 30 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes & liquid smoke. Stir in & let sit on low heat – or removed from heat – for about 30 minutes. Don’t add salt…unless you really like being dehydrated & being unable to remove your rings. Somehow – this is QUITE salty just from the stock.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
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Click the image above to watch the video.
So easy & delicious over rice or my Garlic & Ginger Cauliflower Rice.
Spicy Garlic and Ginger Green Beans
INGREDIENTS
12 oz green beans
1 onion – sliced
1 TBS (more or less – to taste) crushed red pepper
Splash of soy sauce
1-2 TBS coconut oil (or olive oil)
4 garlic cloves – minced
1 TBS ginger – minced
Sesame seeds as garnish
DIRECTIONS
In a very large saute pan (or wok) – heat the oil on high heat. Add the onions, green beans & crushed red pepper. Stir & cook until the green beans are cooked to your desired softness. I like them a bit crunchy & probably cooked them for between 5-8 minutes. At the very end, add the minced garlic & ginger & stir to incorporate. Cook for maybe a minute or two. Garnish with sesame seeds & eat it as a side or over rice. Ymmmmmmm!
The top video there is trailer for my novel. The second is me reading from it a while back – at Vroman’s.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
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Click the image below for a video of this recipe. In it there is an easy & inexpensive recipe, a peek at all my dogs & look at my trip to Chicago to see 90210 The Musical! Complete with a clip from the show! #EmilyValentine
OK – I decided I had to make these for two reasons. 1) Sir Mix-a-lot & his Baby Got Back song. Is there EVER a time when this song doesn’t sound great? For a novelty-sounding song – it really holds up over time. Anyway – one line is “Red beans & rice didn’t miss her.” While that makes it sound like red beans & rice give you a huge ass – this recipe is clean & healthy. I hear this song at the gym rather frequently & it always makes me crave red beans & rice.
2) It has been hot as FUCK this week and these can be made stove-top (or in a crock pot) – minimizing the heat added to my already sweltering kitchen.
I am sitting at my desk in my un-air-conditioned office (the hottest room in my house) – I will simply show what it was like outside before 10AM today:
Yes. That says 100 degrees at 9:58 am. UGH!!!!!!!!
So – I will keep this brief & slink down to my kitchen – the coolest room in my house – for the remainder of the day.
One note – I used two kinds of veggie sausage here but I am not 100% certain either is vegan (though I think they are). Just check the brand you use to be sure – assuming you are vegan.
Also – I browned the two Field Roast links you see there before adding the other ingredients & that was sort of a waste of time because they just got sort of soggy after the stock was added. So – I browned additional sausage:
and set it aside & just added it at the end – sort of like a garnish. That way, it retained it seared qualities. You can do this – or not – your call. Combined – the two varieties of sausage made this a “meatier” dish than it need be but those fake sausages are yummy – so fuck it. I did add a couple of zucchinis to lighten the beans up a bit.
Presoaking beans overnight not only cuts down on cooking time by up to 25 percent, it also helps the beans cook evenly without splitting. It’s easy, too (if you remember to do it). Still, we prefer the “power soak” method. Not only is it faster than soaking beans overnight, it also breaks down more of the complex sugars that can make beans hard to digest. The process is simple: Place beans in a pot and cover with water by three inches. Bring to a boil and simmer briskly for two minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for one hour. Drain. Your beans will be ready to use in your favorite recipes.–Kay Chun
Healthy Spicy Vegan Red Beans and Rice
Feeds a lot – 6 or more
INGREDIENTS
Cooked rice ( I used brown basmati)
1 lb dry small red beans (soaked overnight or quick-soaked as outlined above) – try to use small red but kidney will do in a pinch
Olive oil
4 celery stalks – chopped
1-3 chipotle peppers in adobo (I used 3 & these beans were SPICY!) – minced
1/2 large onion – diced
2 zucchinis – cubed (optional)
1-2 jalapeno peppers – seeded & diced (I used two)
4 garlic cloves – minced
1 bell pepper – diced (traditional in the dish – but I didn’t have one & I didn’t miss it)
2 tsp dry thyme
3 bay leaves
1 TBS dry rub (I used that Road Kill stuff above but any rub you like will do)
1-3 tsp Creole seasoning (I used Zatarain’s)
Vegan sausage (I ended up using 6!) – in a quantity you feel suits your taste – sliced
5+ cups vegetable stock
Scallions for garnish
DIRECTIONS
Quick-soak the beans if you did not soak them overnight (instructions are above). The soaking helps to stop the gas beans are famous for giving us.
As I explained above, you might want to brown your sausage & set it aside – and add it at the very end – so it retains its texture better. If texture doesn’t matter to you – just add it with the onions. Or – divvy it up & do a little of both – as I ended up doing.
Cook your rice.
Heat 2-3 TBS olive oil in a LARGE stock pot & saute the sausage until browned & either set it aside or just continue. Some vegan sausage is pretty dry & you might need more olive oil. Add onions, celery, bell pepper (if using), jalapeno & saute til softened a bit. Again – add more olive oil if you think it is getting too dry. Add chipotle, zucchini, dry rub, thyme, Creole seasoning, bay leaves & garlic & stir to incorporate & then add the red beans & 5 cups of stock.
Then bring this all to a boil. Lower the heat & cover & simmer for 2 hours or so – or until the beans are tender. Stir every once in a while & add water if it gets too thick. I added 1-2 cups of water by the time it was all said & done. At some point – when the beans are soft – smash a cup or two with a wooden spoon against the pot – or (as I did) – drop an immersion blender in there & mash a cup or two – so there is a thick broth.
When you are ready to serve, put some rice on each plate, add the red beans & garnish with sausage (if you set some aside) & chopped scallions. A cold beer or two – and you are good to go!
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
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This blog is 5 years old today! And my Youtube channel just hit 1000 subscribers! I am very happy about both milestones.
I have really become obsessed with my slow cooker. Slow cookers – as I have many. The one that I can set to cook for 5 hours & then just keep the food warm is the best because I can set it & go to work & come back 10 hours later to a house that smells delicious & a warm meal waiting for me. If you don’t have a low cooker – I really encourage you to get one. Easy doesn’t get easier than a recipe like this one. Just throw everything in & set the timer for 5 hours & that is it.
I used Beyond Meat vegan chicken because it is, hands down, the best fake chicken on the market. But you could use real chicken or just use chickpeas. Your call.
I used two kinds of saffron:
That Golchin liquid stuff is affordable (under $10) and is GENIUS. If your store doesn’t carry it – buy it on Amazon or something.
The saffron threads are delicate & lovely but very costly. They were part of a gourmet gift box I was given for my birthday – and not usually on my shopping list. Either or both of these work – but I suggest trying to use one – because saffron is such a specific & lovely flavor & adds gorgeous color – but it isn’t really critical for this dish to be a success. So – if you don’t have it, don’t like it, can’t find it – blow it off.
I used dry chickpeas because I am delighted by how cheap they are & I like that they have been processed less & have no added sodium. But – if you want to use canned ones – go ahead! This could be made stove-top easily with canned beans – just don’t add the 4 cups of water.
Vegan Butter Chicken and Chickpeas for the Slow Cooker
Feeds a LOTTA folks – maybe 8-10 with rice
INGREDIENTS
1 lb dry chickpeas (or 4 cans – but if you use canned chickpeas – eliminate the water here)
3 cups water (4 cups if you are gonna leave it for 10 hours – like I did)
9 ox vegan chicken
2 jalapenos (red or green) – seeded & diced
1 onion – diced
4 garlic cloves – chopped
2 TBS ginger – minced
8 oz tomato sauce (I used a homemade arrabbiata)
6 oz tomato paste
14 oz can lite coconut milk
1/2 tsp crushed saffron threads (optional)
3 TBS saffron liquid (optional)
1 TBS garam masala
1 TBS curry powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 TBS turmeric
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
garnish – cilantro, scallions, yogurt (vegan or otherwise), cooked rice
DIRECTIONS
Put everything into a slow cooker & set on high for 5 hours.
If you are using canned chickpeas – do not add water. As you see above – this recipe has lots of gravy (the upper picture is before it cooked & the other is how it looked 10 hours later). If you want it thicker – whisk some cornstarch (2-3 TBS) into a little water & stir it in. It should thicken up. If it is too thick – add water.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
The video for this recipe is up on the Youtube channel. Click the image below to watch & please subscribe!
So – flipping around the internet, I came across a recipe from a blog I love. The blog is Pinch of Yum. I love the blog because the photographs are mercilessly lush & gorgeous. About a year ago, she posted her “life-changing 30 minute masala sauce” and the photos are so great – I just could not get the recipe out of my mind – so – I made it! She offers the recipe for a masala paste & then how to make a sauce from the paste. She served the sauce over her “30-minute vegetarian meatballs.” I did not have the ingredients for the meatballs so I decided to serve my sauce over Gardein beefless tips & chickpeas.
The paste is SUPER easy. You just whip it up in a food processor. The sauce is super easy, too, and she is right! It is delicious! You could serve the sauce over any meat or meatless meat or veggie or even rice or pasta you desire. The paste makes a lot so maybe freeze some.
I did not have onions so I used shallots & scallions. I used two tomatoes & some tomato paste in place of her suggested 1½ cups tomato puree + ½ cup water or broth – just because that was all I had. Worked out great! I recommend you make this sauce & follow her blog. It is really wonderful!
Vegan Life Changing Masala with Beef & Chickpeas
Serves 4 with rice
INGREDIENTS
9 oz vegan beef (or other vegan meat)
1 15-ounce can chickpeas – drained
for the masala paste
2 onions
5 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, crushed
3 tablespoon garam masala
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 tablespoon cumin
1½ teaspoons ground cloves
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
a small pile of of cilantro stems
a fistful of almonds
juice of one lemon
for the masala sauce
1½ cups tomato puree + ½ cup water or broth
1 14-ounce can coconut milk
½ teaspoon salt (taste and adjust)
GARNISH – cooked rice & cilantro
DIRECTIONS
Pulse all the ingredients for the Masala Paste in a food processor until smooth. Put it into a container for storage in the fridge or freezer – reserving only 1/4 cup of the paste for this recipe. The rest is extra!
Heat a drizzle of oil in a skillet. Add 1/4 cup masala paste to the skillet and with a little bit of oil and stir around in the pan until fragrant (3-5 minutes). Add the tomato puree and water and simmer until t’s a rusty-deep-red color – about 5-10 minutes. Add the beef & chickpeas. Add the coconut milk; simmer for 10 minutes or so until thick and creamy. Longer simmer = thicker and better flavor.
Serve over warm rice & garnish with chopped cilantro.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
Black bean brownies? Am I to believe my eyes? Yes & yes! These babies are amazing & nobody would ever guess that they are flourless & made of canned beans. Rich & delicious & packed with protein – even the fussiest kids will chow these babies down.
Click the image below for the video & please subscribe to my channel.
Vegan Black Bean Brownies with Peanut Butter Swirl
INGREDIENTS
1 (15 oz) can black beans – drained & rinsed
2 vegan eggs (use your favorite egg replacer)
3 TBS coconut oil
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips plus extra for topping
1/8 – 1/4 cup peanut butter
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a food processor, blend all the ingredients except the chocolate chips & peanut butter.
Mix in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.
Grease an 8×8 baking pan. Spread the mix in there. Drop some peanut butter on top and – with a skewer or the tip of a knife – swirl the peanut butter. Top with some extra chips & then bake for 20-30 minutes or until the top is dry & the edges are separated from the pan. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes before cutting them. Refrigerating them will facilitate cutting them up.
Delightful-Delicious-Delovely 