Vegan Tortilla Soup
vegetable oil spray (nonstick)
4 cups onion (chopped)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp ground cumin 3
4 tsp chili powder
4 cups vegetable broth
4 tbsps fresh cilantro (chopped)
corn tortillas (cut into 1/2 inch wide strips)
1 1/2 cups tomatoes (chopped)
2/3 cup black beans (canned, rinsed drained) (I also added a can of garbanzo beans)
2/3 cup zucchini (chopped) (I used corn since it is what I had on hand)
1 1/2 tbsps jalapeno chilies (minced seeded)
1. Spray large nonstick saucepan with vegetable oil spray. Add onion and garlic; cover and cook over medium-low heat until almost tender, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, cumin and chili powder. Add broth and 2 tablespoons cilantro; bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until flavors blend, about 15 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to simmer before continuing.)
2. Add tortillas, tomatoes, beans, zucchini and jalapeño to soup. Cover; simmer until zucchini is tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro.
** Picture and recipe shared from VeganEats’ facebook page.
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Engine 2 Stuffed Shells
1 onion, chopped
1 small head of garlic, all cloves chopped or pressed
8 ounces of mushrooms, sliced
1 head of broccoli, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 can corn, rinsed and drained
1 package silken lite tofu
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp oregano
1tsp basil
1 tsp rosemary
1 jar of past sauce
Cook all veggies in a pan, then add spices and crumbled tofu. Cook pasta shells and spoon in the filling. Place in a baking pan with sauce covering the bottom. Bake at 350o for 15-20 minutes (longer if the filling is cold). Let cool until warm, serve and enjoy!
** This recipe was shared by the Engine 2 Diet (firefighters in Austin) from their facebook page.
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Southwest Quinoa
2 cups water
1 cup quiona
¾ cup prepared salsa (you choose the heat)
¼ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro (it does make a difference)
1 cup diced tomato (fresh is best rather than canned)
1 cup cooked black beans (I use 1 small can - rinsed)
½ cup corn kernels (I use 1 small can of mexicorn – not rinsed)
1-2 avocados sliced for garnish
1 tsp fresh lime juice (optional)
1 cup plain yogurt (I use coconut plain or vanilla yogurt)
Bring water and quinoa to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Turn heat off and leave the covered saucepan on the burner for another 6 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Add salsa, chili powder, coriander and cumin to quinoa and mix well. Mix in cilantro, tomato, beans and corn, stirring until all ingredients are evenly blended. In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt and lime juice. Spoon quinoa mixture into individual serving dishes and spoon a dollop of lime yogurt on top. Garnish with avocado slices. Eat and enjoy!
Source: “Quinoa, The Everyday Superfood” by Patricia Green & Carolyn Hemming
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Vegan Banana Bread
I found several recipes online and ended up with the below recipe. When I first tried this recipe I made two - one with white flour and one with wheat...and I'm telling you now, use wheat flour! It made such a difference. This bread should taste yummy, cozy, and hearty (rather than light & fluffy). You could also add other ingredients such as various nuts and berries to make it more satisfying. Good for breakfast, snack, or whenever else it calls your name. Hope you like! Feedback welcome.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
½ cup of vegan butter (I use earth balance – not to be confused with smart balance)
½ cup of brown sugar (trust me, this makes a difference)
2 tbsp flax meal (mixed w/ 6tbsp of warm water) = 2 eggs
3 very ripe bananas, mashed well
1 tsp vanilla extract
¾ cup of walnuts or pecans (optional)
½ cup of dried fruit like cranberry, cherry, apricot, etc. (optional)
METHOD
Preheat oven to 350. Spray loaf pan with nonstick oil spray.
Prepare flax egg replacer as follows. In a small bowl, add 2 tbsp of flax meal to 6 tbsp of warm water and mix with a small whisk. Set aside for about 5 minutes. Once the flax mixture starts to congeal a little and get gooey it is ready to use. (Helpful Tip: 1 tbsp of flax meal + 3 tbsp of warm water = 1 egg)
In a medium bowl mix the dry ingredients.
In a large bowl cream the vegan butter and brown sugar. Stir in the flax egg replacer and then stir in the mashed bananas and vanilla.
Add dry ingredients (including nuts & fruit if using) to wet ingredients and mix to combine. It is important NOT to over-mix because over mixing will make for a low risen banana bread that is dense rather than lighter and tastier (I guess I might have mixed too much when I made mine, but it was still soooo good!).
Pour into the loaf pan and bake for 60 to 65 minutes. Banana bread is ready when a thin knife inserted into the middle of the bread comes out clean.
Let the bread cool for about 10 minutes in its pan before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool for thirty minutes.
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more to be added...
