Crock Pot Barley Vegetable Soup

It's snowing outside right now and this just looked like the perfect fix. It's simmering in the kitchen as I type this and smells waaaayy yummy!

1 cup medium pearl barley
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. fennel seed
9-oz. pkg. baby carrots
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 cups frozen corn
2 cups frozen green beans
1/4 tsp. salt (optional)
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 (14 oz). cans vegetable broth
4 cups water
14-oz. can diced tomatoes with herbs, undrained

Place all ingredients except tomatoes in a 5-6 quart crockpot in the order given. Do not stir. Cover crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir soup and add tomatoes. Cover crockpot and cook for 10-15 minutes longer until soup is hot.

Remove bay leaf before serving.

10 servings

Sweet Potatoes and Greens

I have been procrastinating about making this dish for a couple of weeks. I found it in the People magazine of all things! My sister came over for a visit today and she dove in and helped me with the prep (which was pretty pathetically minimal at best) and we created this masterpiece! We just couldn't get enough of it. The whole dish was wiped out tonight!

2 or 3 large sweet potatoes
2 bunches of greens (chard, kale or collards)
2 cloves of garlic, minced (I used like 4)
juice of half of 1 lemon
1 tsp. honey
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
salt and pepper
1/4 T. olive or vegetable oil (we added a little sesame oil for fun)

Peel and cut sweet potatoes into bite-size pieces. (The size of the pieces is less important than making them uniform).

Heat half the oil in pan over medium heat and add potatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until just brown on all sides and soft. (About 12-15 minutes, depending on size. If the potatoes become very dark before they are soft, reduce heat.) When they are cooked, add spices and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

While the potatoes are cooking, wash the greens (do not dry), remove stems and cut leaves into small pieces. Heat remaining oil over medium heat, add the garlic and cook for a minute before adding greens. Stir often and cook until tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Combine potatoes, honey and lemon juice with the greens, stir and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Black Bean Enchiladas with Warm Salsa Verde

The twins and I whipped this together in no time flat. It was pretty fun working together in the kitchen with them. What's more? Yeah, it was pretty frickin awesome!

Enchiladas:
8 soft corn tortillas (we used like 10-11)
1 recipe black bean filling
1 recipe warm salsa verde
10-1/2 oz. grated vegan Mexican cheeses

Black bean filling:
1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small white onion
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 15-oz. cans black beans, drained but not rinsed (whoops, we drained ours, it was great regardless)
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 Tbs. tomato paste
Coarse salt to taste

Warm Salsa Verde:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 small white onion, grated or minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 14-oz can vegetable stock
1 tsp. ground cumin
coarse salt to taste
1 ripe avacado
Chopped fresh oregano leaves from 1 or 2 stems (optional)

Directions:
1. To make enchiladas: Wrap tortillas in aluminum foil, and heat in oven at 275F until fillings and sauce are ready.
2. To make black bean filling: heat oil in large skillet, and add garlic. Grate onion into pan with a hand grater (I just threw mine in the food processor). Add jalapeno. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add beans, and mash with back of a fork. Stir in cumin and tomato paste, and season with salt.
3. To make warm salsa verde: Place tomatillos in a food processor, and pulse to a coarsely ground paste.
4. Heat garlic in oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. When garlic begins to sizzle, grate onion with a hand grater directly into pan (um, food processor again for me). Add jalapeno. Heat onion and jalapeno through for 1-2 iminutes, and add ground tomatillos. Simmer tomatillos with onion for 5 minutes. Add stock and seasonings.
5. Halve avocado with skin on by cutting in and down to the pit all around avocado. Separate avacado halves, and scoop out pit with a large spoon. Scoop flesh out of skins and into pot. Mash with back of a fork. Stir avocado into sauce to thicken it (at this point, I put it all in the Vitamix and blended it). Return sauce to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to warm until enchiladas are assembled.
6. Preheat broiler
7. Scoop some sauce onto bottom of a casserole dish or shallow serving platter. To make an enchilada, place 1-2 scoops of filling down center of a tortilla, and roll. Place filled tortillas seam side down into sauce on platter or casserole. Line up tortillas, one next to another, and top with remaining sauce and grated cheeses. Melt cheeses under broiler and serve immediately with warm salsa verde. (I just poured the salsa verde over the enchiladas and then put the cheese over the top and broiled it - it was pretty fantastic and easier).

Spicy Tofu Lettuce Wraps

We had this for dinner tonight. The twins snarfed every bite and went back for more. I didn't put in the extra chili sauce because the hoisin sauce was spicy enough for them. Skip would have preferred the more spicier version, I'm sure. Anyway, I scored this yummy recipe from my Vegetarian Times magazine.

Filling:
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
1 Tbs. minced lemongrass
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. extra-firm tofu, crumbled
1 8-oz. can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
4 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
4 Tbs. hoisin sauce
1-2 tsp. vegetarian chile sauce
16 butter lettuce leaves

Garnishes:
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
1/2 cup finely chopped peanuts
Hoisin and chile sauces

1. To make Filling: Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, ginger, lemongrass, and garlic, and cook 7-10 minutes, or until onions are soft and beginning to brown. Add tofu and water chestnuts, breaking tofu into small crumbles; cook 4 minutes, or until heated through. Stir in soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and chile sauce. Transfer to a serving bowl.

2. Place lettuce leaves on platter, and set out garnishes in small serving bowls. Let guests wrap tofu mixture in lettuce leaves, and top with their choice of garnishes.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie - Sugar Free!!

I found this pie recipe online and adapted it to accomodate my need to eliminate sugar from my life. Since I've just joined Weight Watchers (again) I calculated the points value and came up with 3-1/2 points per serving (based on each pie yielding 8 servings).

1 (16 oz) can plain pumpkin
1/4 cup blended tofu (measure after blending)
1 teaspoon stevia
1 Tablespoon molasses
2 Tb. flour
1/8 tsp. salt
2-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 tsp. allspice
3/4 tsp. cloves
1-1/2 cup evaporated soymilk (recipe follows)
2 9" pie crusts, regular dish (this is a big deal because I got deep dish and the filling got lost inside the pie crust)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Mix ingredients in order given, mix well
pour into shells and bake at 425 for 15 minutes
Reduce heat to 350 and continue to bake for another 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted int he center of pie comes out clean (I don't know about this because my knife certainly DID NOT come out clean but when the pie cooled it was perfect)

EVAPORATED SOYMILK

4 cups soymilk (I used vanilla soy)

Heat soymilk in a large pot over medium high heat. Bring to a low boil and allow to cook, stirring constantly, until reduced to 1-1/2 cups

Moo Shu Tofu

We had this for dinner tonight and it was pretty fabulous. Jacob had three helpings! Even Skip had seconds (yeah, he doesn't really dig eating vegan foods). I added some kale for extra color.

2 tsp. vegetable oil
12 oz. extra firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cups packaged coleslaw mix
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1-1/2 cups sweet red peppers, sliced
1 cup scallions, sliced
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. minced ginger root
2 Tbsp soy sauce
10 medium flour tortillas, taco size
Hoisin sauce

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add tofu and cook over high heat, 5 minutes, turning occasionally until golden. Remove to a plate.

Heat remaining teaspoon oil in skillet. Add coleslaw mix, mushrooms, and pepper and stir-fry over high heat, 5 minutes, until crisp-tender. Add scallions, garlic and ginger and stir-fry 1 minute until fragrant.

Remove skillet from heat and stir in soy sauce.

To serve, heat tortillas (I wrapped them in foil and left them in a warm oven while I prepared the rest of the meal). Spread each tortilla with about 2 teaspoons of hoisin sauce and top each with about 1/2 cup of the tofu mixture. Roll up and fold in 1 end of tortilla to seal in mixture.

Note: This is a Weight Watcher recipe and is 6 points per serving (5 servings total).

Tofu Kale Stir-Fry

This is what I was making when my man came home tonight. He wasn't that interested but I served him up a plate nonetheless. He didn't say much but his plate was cleaned. I really liked it.

1-2 Tbs. oil
1 block extra firm tofu, frozen, thawed, pressed, cubed
1 bunch kale, deveined and ripped into small pieces
1/2 tsp. chili flakes
1/4+ ginger powder (I used fresh ginger, grated)
2 Tbs. low sodium tamari
2 pinches Stevia (or 2 tsp sugar if you're a rebel)

Heat the oil on high in a well seasoned wok or large non-stick pan. Add tofu carefully, avoiding hot angry oil splatters. Use a wooden spoon to move the tofu around, until it begins to color.

Add kale, chili flakes, and ginger. Cook well, stirring and scraping bits off the bottom, until tofu is golden and kale is getting brown carmelized spots on it. Add tamari and sweetener, stir well for a few moments, serve immediately with fresh ground pepper over the top.

Nut and Fruit Muselix

This is one of my favorite breakfasts. The twins really love it too. You will need a food processor (I use my mini one - it works just perfect) to make this easily. I serve it with rice milk on top. Since I kind of make it out of my head, the measurements are pretty approximate.

Blend together in the food processor:

Almonds (about 1/2 cup)

Sesame Seeds (about 1/4 cup)

1/2 cup dried fruit (apricots, raisins, mango etc.)

Pour into a mixing bowl. Then gently process the following:

Banana

Berries (I usually leave blueberries whole but process others super gently)

Apple or pear

Add to the nut mixture and mix well.

Makes about 4 servings.

Lentil Tacos/Taco Salad

Hopefully this recipe turns out millions times better than the last one I posted (yeah, I deleted it - it was pretty not okay). I'm a super duper taco fan and vegetarian tacos in various creative ways are always intriguing to me.

2 cups lentils, well rinsed
1 pkg. taco seasoning (make sure you get one with no MSG or hydrolyzed protein)
water

Make lentils according to package directions (simmer 45 minutes after bringing to a boil), but instead of just water, add taco seasoning

Make tacos using this yummy mixture in lieu of meat. Fill the tacos with the usual things: lettuce, tomatoes, vegan cheddar cheese, salsa, guacamole etc.

You can also make a scrumptious taco salad by placing tomatoes, vegan cheese, lentil mixture, avacado, salsa and the like on a bed of romaine lettuce. Adding some crumbled chips would make a nice finishing touch.

Cheesy Bean and Cheese Enchiladas

Brandilyn and I found this out there on the web when we were trying to find something to cook that sounded yummy and was dairy free for Dave and I.

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon seasalt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 cups water

1 teaspoon mustard

4 Tablespoons margarine

10 tortillas

2 small cans enchilada sauce

3 cans beans (white kidney, pinto, black), drained

2 medium onions, chopped

1 can olives, chopped

1/4 cup chopped cilantro, 1/2 cup salsa (optional)

In medium-large saucepan, combine flour, nutritional yeast, sea salt and garlic powder. Add water and mix thoroughly. Heat on medium heat until bubbling and thick. Remove from heat and add mustard and margarine. Set aside 1/2 cup of cheese sauce in separate container. Add onion, beans, olives, cilantro and salsa to sauce. Mix it up.

Pour a 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Place a tortilla in pan and cover in enchilada sauce. Spoon in filling. Roll and push to one end of pan. Continue until all tortillas filled. Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce on top and then spread reserved cheese sauce on as last step. Bake at 350 degrees until brown, 30-45 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

Pepita Fettucini with Spinach and Cranberries

Mmmm-mmmm. This was really good tonight for dinner. The twins just snarfed it right up and Jacob went back for seconds. Courtney was surprised that she could enjoy spinach this much, lol.

Serves 4

Approximately 9 oz. whole wheat fettucini
1 cup raw, unsalted pepitas (sunflower seeds)
2 Tbs. oil
1/4 t. red pepper flakes
9 oz spinach leaves
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup maple syrup (the real stuff not the sugary stuff)
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 cup dried cranberries

Begin by bringing a pot of salted water to boil. While the water is heating, run the pepitas around in your food processor until pretty finely chopped. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add spinach. Use tongs to coat the spinach in the hot oil. Add the red pepper flakes, the soy sauce, and maple syrup, and the thyme. Toss in the cranberries and mix everything up really well. Turn heat to low (or just turn it off and cover it until your pasta is cooked.)

Drain pasta and add it to your skillet. Add crushed pepitas and toss well until everything is coated. The noodles should look like they don't have a sauce on them, but they'll taste like they do.

Serve immediately.

Beet, Pear, and Feta Salad

OMSH!! (I'm Mormon so that would mean "Oh My Stinkin Heck!"). This salad was phenomenal!!! I was a little skeptical so I procrastinated for awhile. Skip, who absolutely HATES beets, actually enjoyed quite a generous bowl of it! Beware; you do have to soak the pumpkin seeds ahead of time. So, go ahead, be daring, try it!

4 beets (I peeled them)
3 ripe pears
one head of butter lettuce, washed and dried
1 cup pumpkin seeds, soaked overnight and drained
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
7 oz. feta cheese
optional: mint leaves, chopped
sea salt
freshly ground pepper

Cut beets and pears finely into matchsticks (I grated mine. It was easy and fabulous). Add pumpkin seeds. Drizzle the lemon juice and olive oil over all and toss. Crumble feta on top (and optional mint leaves, chopped). Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve on leaves of butter lettuce. (Optionally, the salad can be served as a wrap inside the lettuce leaves.)

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Filling

We are making this for a dessert tonight for a fun party we are doing. If this turns out yucky, I'll delete it off my blog by tomorrow. If it is "to die for" it will still be here.

1-1/2 cup non hydrogenated vegetable shortening
2 cups sugar
2 t. molasses
2 t. vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups pumpkin puree (I use canned to make it simple)
4-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 egg
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. allspice
1/4 t. cinnamon

Cream Cheese Filling Ingredients
1/2 container Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese
2 cups powdered sugar
2 T. Earth Balance

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Cream shortening and sugar together, using a stand mixer if available. You can also do it by hand. Add molasses and vanilla and beat well. Add pumpkin puree and whip until incorporated (don't worry if the fat doesn't mix in completely).

In separate bowl, combine all the remaining ingredients and mix well. Add this dry mix to the wet until all incorporated. It will make a stiff batter.

It is easiest to use an ice cream scoop that has a release lever to drop the dough onto your cookie sheet.

Wet your fingers and gently flatten the dough balls. This will prevent your pies from tipping over by creating a semi-flat surface for them to rest on.

Bake for 10-13 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean, and the tops spring back when pressed in the center.

Remove cookies fromt the cookie sheet as soon as they come out of the oven to prevent over-baking. Cover them with a towel or plastic wrap to keep moisture/steam in, as this will prevent a hard crust from forming. Prepare the filling while your cookies are cooling.

Cream Cheese Filling
Whip ingredients together until smooth. Set aside or refrigerate until use.

Put filling in a zip-loc bag and slice off the corner to pipe the filling into the center. You don't need that much filling per pie. Make sure the sides of the cookies that were touching the cookie sheet are the side that touch the filling.

Make "sandwiches" by putting the filling on one cookie and placing the other cookie over the top.

Traditional whoopie pies are chocolate. These would be awesome with some mini chocolate chips mixed in, or perhaps some melted chocolate drizzled over the top. Store them wrapped in plastic wrap or in an air-tight container to keep them soft.

Salsa Verde Salad

We had this for our big family dinner. My kids just devoured it. They loved it! Me being "me" I chose not to use the corn tortilla strips. It was good nonetheless.

1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
2 cups chopped green cabbage
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, seeded and julienned
1-1/2 cups jicama (peeled and julienned)
1 can (rinsed) or 1-1/2 cups fresh corn kernels
2 avacadoes, diced
1 can black beans, rinsed well
1 can black olives, sliced
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
Corn tortilla strips: cut 8 corn tortillas in long, thin strips, fry in 1/4 cup coconut oil till crisp.

Toss all salad ingredients except tortilla strips. Serve tossed with the entire batch of Salsa Verde Dressing (below). Add tortilla strips right before serving.

Salsa Verde Dressing
Oh my gosh, this dressing is fabulous!!!

3 tomatillos, husked
1/2 cup cilantro
5 T. fresh lime juice
2 t. jalapeno pepper (remove seeds uless you like it HOT!)
1 garlic clove
6 T. olive oil
4 large green onions (entire onion, just the ends cut off)
1/2 t. sea salt
1/2 t. freshly ground pepper

Blend until smooth in BlendTec or Vitamix.

Black Bean Salad

This recipe was sent to me by Cory and Sarah. They just ranted and raved about it. I'm so excited to try it next week for dinner one night.

3 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 bell pepper, chopped (can mix red, yellow and orange)
1 small red onion, chopped
1 big handful fresh parsley, chopped (can use cilantro also)
fresh black pepper
feta cheese to taste

Balsamic vinegarette

1-2 Tbl coarse grain mustard
4 Tbl balsamic vinegar
2-4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 big pinch of sea salt
1 fewgrinds of black pepper
about 4 Tbl olive oil

Make the vinegarette in a large bowl. Throw in everything except the feta cheese. Cover and refrigerate for a least one hour. Serve with feta.

Lisl's Salsa

Here's a recipe that I tried the other night and it was fabulous! Skip, who is a little fussy about his salsa, really enjoyed it and encouraged others to try it! Yup, it was that good. Give it a try!

2 Avacados, cut up
3 Tomatoes, cut up
1 bunce green onions
1 bunch cilantro
1 can shoepeg corn
1 can black eye peas

Dressing:

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic
3/4 t. sea salt
1/8 t. pepper
1 t. cumin

Mix it up and, mmmmm! Grab the corn chips and prepare to be impressed.