Vegan Quinoa Chili

I simply love this dish and we eat year round - even in the hot summer time!  Why? Because it is fairly simple to make and makes a ton! I always have plenty left over for lunches the next day and then can freeze a good portion for a later dinner. So it saves me time in the long run. My kids eat it too.  They like theirs topped with cheese and I'm definitely ok with that.

Here is What You Need:

1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed

1 cup water

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 large carrot, peeled and chopped (I forgot this in the pictures but it does add a nice bit to the chili)

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 medium zucchini, chopped

2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 ounce) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

3 (15 ounce) cans diced tomatoes

1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce

2-3 tablespoons chili powder, depending on your taste (we used 1 because I can't tolerate it!)

1 tablespoon ground cumin

Salt and black pepper, to taste

Optional:  1 jalapeno pepper, diced

Here's What You Do:

1.  Prep your quinoa by combining with the water in a medium sauce pan and cooking over medium heat until the water is absorbed. This takes about 12-15 minutes. Set aside.

2.  In a large pot (very large), heat your olive oil over high heat. Then add in your onions and cook until translucent (about 5 minutes).  Stir in your garlic, jalapenos (if using), carrots, celery, peppers and zucchini.  Cook all of these until the veggies are nice and tender which takes about 10 minutes or so.

3.  Now add in your black beans, your kidney beans, tomatoes, and tomatoes sauce.  Stir in the quinoa you cooked previously. 

4.  Add in your seasonings and then simmer on low for about 30 minutes.

Sweet Potato Paradise Casserole

I have been wanting to try this for a while and finally decided this week was the time to jump in and give it a whirl.  You know, it is one of those recipes I found online but kept putting it off. Well put it off no more! This thing was amazing.

Let me preface - it takes some work up front but it is one of those dishes that you can prep while your kiddos eat lunch (and watch cartoons - am I the only one who does that?). Then you can just pop it in the oven at 5:00 and be ready for dinner.  So it does take some prepping but the outcome is delicious.

Chickpea Salad Sandwich

Here is a quick little sandwich idea for you.  Sometimes Pinterest gets the best of me and I find all kinds of interesting recipes to try. This recipe just really jumped out at me as something easy I could make for lunch that would give me some variety too.  So I went for it and I liked it - even more than I thought I would. I love to fix this and have it in mini whole wheat pita with a fresh salad.  It doesn't take more than 5 or so minutes to make but gives you a lunch straight out of a deli!

Here's What You Need:

-  15 ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed

-  spoonful of capers (optional)

I love adding these in - give it an extra kick!

-  2 stalks celery chopped

-  1/2 medium onion chopped

-  big spoonful of vegan mayonnaise (if you are trying to keep it vegan - if not use normal!)

I love this stuff!!!

Here's What You Do:

1.  Mash the beans first (I use a potato masher to do it!)

2.  Add in capers and mayo. If using a processor pulse these with the beans. Otherwise just stir it in!

I added in some green peas we had in the fridge! That is the beauty of this, you can really mix it up.

3.  Stir in the celery and onion

4.  Serve on top of your bread of choice and top with mustard, lettuce or your favorite sandwich toppers

I seriously love to whip this up on a Sunday after church for me and the hubs!  Let me know what you think.  If you are going vegan or mostly vegan, this is a great substitute for your standard chicken salad sandwich when you just crave that comfort food!

Vegan Blondie Brownie

I hesitate to put the word vegan in the title because I don't want any skeptics.  These things are GOOD - really good. How do I know? I had my father in law try "a brownie" and he liked them. After that I told him they were made from chickpeas and he still ate several more. So trust me when I say, these things are good! So good in fact that I made them again today because I just HAD to have them. And yes, I HAD to have them.  This is actually a quick recipe and I plan on making them often simply because my kids think they are cookies but they are so clean and healthy they can eat them all day and I don't care!

Please please please give it a try - you won't be disappointed.  

Sorry for the lack of pictures - I had a sick kid and couldn't take pictures while prepping but I really wanted to get this recipe to ya!

Here's What You Need:

- 1 can garbanzo beans (rinsed and drained!)

- 3/4 tsp baking powder

- 1/8 tsp baking soda

- level 1/4 tsp salt

- 3/4 cup brown sugar

- 2 tsp vanilla extract

- 1/4 cup quick oats

- 1/4 cup peanut butter

- 1/2 cup chocolate chips 

Here's What You Do:

- Preheat oven to 350

- Blend all the ingredients (except chips) until very smooth in a good food processor (not a blender)

- Mix in chips and scoop into a greased 8x8 pan and sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top

- Bake for about 30 minutes

 (they will look a little under cooked when you take them out but they firm as they cool and you don't want them to get hard!)

Please let me know what you think of these. Try them! Be brave!  You will like them - I promise.  

Don't forget our challenge. This thing is awesome! 21 Days to focus on nutrition, clean eating, and how to live a healthy balanced life style.  Comment here for more info!! 

Original recipe here:  http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/05/18/chocolate-chip-blondies-and-theyre-good-for-you/  

Check out her blog - awesome good stuff there!

Slow Cooker Cornbread Casserole (did you say it was vegan?)

I love when I try a new recipe and it ACTUALLY WORKS. This was one of those times.  I do crock pot meals on Tuesday and Thursdays because I teach a class at our YMCA and get home late. This is the only way to stay sane at dinner time. I walk in the door from the gym and dinner is ready - perfection.  However, I felt like our crock pot meals were on repeat so I decided to venture out and try a new one. I'll be honest, on the way home I thought - if it is nasty we will order pizza.  But no need because it was just right.

Vegan Crockpot Quinoa Chili

I made this chili the other night as part of my Crockpot Tuesdays.  I really liked HOW EASY it was - I mean super simple. The only problem for me was it was too spicy. I have zero tolerance for spice (my hubby said it wasn't spicy at all).  Either way, I cut the spice down to half from the original recipe and I still had to add a lot of ranch to get it down.  So I will do this again but will let hubby spice his own afterwards. The recipe made a ton so we have had it for left overs for several days (love it when that happens!)

The original recipe called for chicken but I turned this into a vegan style dish.

Warm You Up Pumpkin Soup

I will start this post by telling you I do not have a lot of pictures and I promise to take more next time I make this dish.  Honestly? I thought we were going to hate it so there wouldn't be a need to document pictures for a blog post. This is a recipe that has been sitting on my pinterest "to-make" list for a while, but decided to give it a shot this week because we had an extra can of pumpkin.

I was SO SO wrong.  This soup was delicious.  It was tasty, it was easy to make, and super cheap. I figure we probably spent $5 on the whole thing. I will say that the kids did not eat it just because soup is a hard thing for them to handle right now but I will definitely be making this again for the hubby and me!

Quick and Easy Quesadilla Recipe

This quick recipe is a staple in our house. It is easy to make, versatile, and pretty cheap too.  I whipped this up last night and figured I better get this recipe up on the blog for you guys.

Yum Yum Yum!

So here goes. I changed this up a lot to fit our needs so I took out chili powder and such.  If you want a spicier dish, check out the original recipe at the bottom of the post.

What you need:

1.  1 15 ounce can of pinto beans - drained and rinsed

2.  2 C frozen corn

3.  1 C salsa (we use mild)

4.  1 small onion chopped

5.  1/2 cup veggie broth or water

6.  1/3 teaspoon cumin

7.  1/3 teaspoon ground turmeric

8.  Tortillas, ranch, guacamole, cheese (all optional ways to eat this delicious treat!)

Black Bean Burgers with Tortilla Breading

A friend sent me this recipe and we love it.  It makes hearty, flavorful burgers.  The prep time is longer than the burger found here, but the result is a thicker, better burger. So if short on time, the other burgers are a quick fix. But these burgers stand the test of heartiness.  

 Here is what you need:

Breading Ingredients 

• 2 15 ounce cans black beans
• 6 tablespoons of salsa
• 6 tablespoons of onions finely diced
• 3/4 cup of red peppers finely diced
• 3 tablespoons of cilantro chopped
• 1 1/2 cups of plain dry breadcrumbs
• 1 large clove garlic minced
• 1/4 cup poblano peppers (I didn't do that because of spices with kids)
• 1/2 tsp hot sauce (I didn't do that either)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• For the tortilla chip breading mix 1 1/2 cups of tortilla chips crushed and 1 tsp ground cumin

Here is what you do:

All mashed up and ready to form!

• Drain and rinse the beans in cold water. 
• Add drained beans and all other ingredients except for tortilla chip breading into a mixing bowl. 
• Blend well by mashing some of the beans to form a thick mixture.
• We formed 7 patties but the original recipe called for 6.
• Roll the patties into the tortilla mixture.
• Heat skillet and saute the patties in just enough oil to brown cakes and heat through!  
• Serve with fresh salsa!

All browned up and ready to eat!

Let me know what you think about these guys. We really like them. They fill us up in a healthy clean way. I love the flavor and the little bit of crunch we get!  Tonight we served on whole wheat buns with sweet potato fries and steamed veggies.  Try them - remember what I say!  Action.Changes.Things!

Love ya!

Freezer Friendly: Homemade Crockpot Chili

Hi there :) Missed you guys! But, do tell.  How much are you loving the easy and delicious recipes from Team ACT?  I tell you what... I am SO glad she is a part of my team! In honor of Fall being Just . Around. The. Corner - let's get some chili cooking!  Set it - forget it - and enjoy it after a long day. I've tried many crockpot recipes for chili.  Some have been better than others, but this one has been my favorite so far.  And it makes a LOT.   I had plenty to serve for dinner to 4 adults and have enough to freeze for later.  We LOVE LOVE LOVED it served over baked potatoes with some cheese sprinkled on top.  This recipe was also the first in which I made my own homemade chili seasoning.  The recipe I found and used was delicious and had a little kick.  The best part about making your own is being able to control the amount and type of ingredients - I used less salt and more hot peppers for the kick.  YUM.

Cheap Crock Pot Beans and Rice

People have commented to me that we eat a lot of beans and rice...they would be right.  We eat beans and rice a ton around our home because they are healthy, filling, versatile, easy, and CHEAP. That's right - we are penny pinchers and beans help us with our budgeting.  So here is yet another of our favorite beans and rice recipes.  I can prep this meal in less than 5 minutes (literally).  No chopping is involved. The most you will do is open a few cans.  

Here is what you need:

1 15 oz can black beans (rinsed and drained)

1 15 oz can pinto beans (rinsed and drained)

1 C of rice (I use brown rice - not the quick cook kind)

1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes

1 tbls olive oil

1/4 tsp salt (depends on your tastes - we use this or less but you can definitely do more!)

1 tsp Italian seasons (I was out last night so I used 1 tsp of thyme but any Italian seasoning will be good)

1/2 - 1 tsp garlic powder

2 C vegetable broth

If you compare my ingredients to the original you'll see some differences. Those are there because I didn't have what she used and decided I liked my substitutions. You can definitely play around with this and see how you like it. My ingredients picture doesn't include the veggie broth and tomatoes because I forgot them!  Sorry!!!

Weekly Staple Casserole

I want to share one of my all time favorite casseroles with you.  It is a vegan casserole and it is WONDERFUL. Now, this would be one that you could share with your "on the fence" carnivorous family members. It is tasty, filling, and versatile.  My two favorite things about it?  It's fast and it's cheap. I timed it last night, I was able to do the prep work in 5 minutes. I finished putting it together before my 1 year old could even finish his snack - GO ME!  

This picture shows you about all you have to have to make it.  There is an optional guacamole topping not pictured that would require one avacado and less than 1 tablespoon mayo. This could easily be fixed for about $5.00 altogether. Do I have your attention yet?!?

The original recipe (link at the bottom) calls for more spice than I use. Confession:  I have a very sensitive tongue and can't handle too much spice.  So you will see that I take it down a lot in the recipes. Plus, I'm fixing for two small ones who also are very sensitive to bold spicy flavors.  Check out the original recipe if you want more of a kick!

Got 5 minutes? Here is what you need:

1 C brown rice

1 8oz can tomato sauce

1 15 ounce can kidney beans

3 C of vegetable broth

1.5 tsp of cumin

1 tsp of salt (I actually use less than that- probably more like 1/2 tsp)

1/4 tsp of garlic powder

Here is what you do:

1..Dump it all in a 9x13 baking dish

2.  Cover TIGHTLY with aluminum foil

3.  Stick it in the oven at 350 for 90 minutes.

4.  Go outside and play with your kids!  Dinner will be ready soon!

This is the casserole before baking - it will seem very runny

Done and ready to go!

I like to make a home made guacamole sauce for the topping.  Just mash up one avocado and put in light mayo (or vegan mayo substitute) to taste. I use about one tablespoon.  My kids like to top theirs with either ranch dressing or cheese.  This is awesome paired with watermelon or a nice fresh salad.  I also steam some bag broccoli or something of the sort for my kids. We seriously eat this one night a week and we never have leftovers.

Try it and let me know what you think!

http://www.eatliverun.com/dinner-on-the-cheap-rice-bean-casserole-with-guacamole/

Slow and Steady - Black Bean Burger

So here is the deal with plant based eating (I like to say that instead of vegan - the word vegan scares people!), I think easing in is best.  You know, kind of a "slow and steady" mentality?  Now some people can dive right in, throw everything away that isn't plant based and be just fine, but the idea of committing to something like that scared me. So, my husband and I approached it as more of a "slow and steady" thing.  For instance, we started with just replacing one night a week with a plant based menu.  Then it became two and it grew from there but it was just dinner.  Then I started working on snacks for us that would healthy (which is when I discovered Vegan Shakeology - AMAZING, gave me tons of energy).  Then I finally started working on our lunches. Our commitment to plant based eating evolved and that was a great way to do it for us. When we were just looking for an easy week night meal, I discovered Black Bean Burgers.  Now if you are trying to convince your very carnivorous husband to start eating a plant based diet, I wouldn't start with these little beauties.  They are delicious but if a person is thinking that is going to taste like the Burger King burger, we have troubles. However, if you are a plant based fan already - try these puppies out.  We love them and eat them at least once a week at our house.  I timed it tonight - took me exactly 5 minutes prep time. You read right - FIVE MINUTES.  Then they cook for 15 minutes.  We serve them with sweet potatoes or frozen sweet potato fries and fruit. So let me tell you how easy this is. You will need: 1 15 ounce can black beans 1/3 cup quick cook oats 1 tablespoon of mustard 2 tablespoons of ketchup sprinkle in some garlic or onion powder Here is what ya do! Rinse and drain the beans and then mash them in a bowl (you don't want them pureed, still should be able to see pieces). Add in oats, ketchup, mustard, and spices Stir together and form into four patties. Bake at 400 for 7 minutes on a greased or lined cookie sheet.  Then flip and bake 7 more minutes until crispy. We find that we really like this when we pile the bun high with pickles, spinach or kale, ketchup, mustard, and anything else can find (avocado slices, even salsa!) They are so versatile and easy. Now, bare with me because I need to work on learning to take pictures while cooking and actually take a nice picture after cooking, but here is my burger ready to go!  What a sad little picture of a great meal.  I burnt the buns - whoops!  But seriously, I will take better pictures. Try this for yourself.  Its good!  I promise!! Recipe taken from http://happyherbivore.com/recipe/quick-black-bean-burger/

Update: Mama & Baby Love's Healing Chicken Soup: Freezer Friendly

I forgot to take a picture, but this is definitely worth a mention. I made my 2nd bag a while back of Mama & Baby Love's Healing Chicken Soup I had stashed in the freezer.  This time I made some adjustments and it turned out better than the first time I made it! At the time of cooking, instead of adding uncooked chicken, I added some shredded precooked chicken I already had on hand in the freezer.  I usually pull off the dark meat from a rotisserie chicken and stash it away in the freezer for another day, such as this one!  I also added a can of drained and rinsed cannellini beans.  I cooked this on low for 3 hours. An hour before I wanted to serve it, I broke up sticks (into thirds) of whole wheat linguine pasta - about a fourth of a box.  Cook an additional hour on low. Serve hot. And boy is this a hearty, warm soup for a cold, rainy, miserable, "I don't feel good", or otherwise crummy kinda day ;) And the best part is - all you had to do was pull it out of the freezer and pop it in the crockpot to cook!  I love make ahead meals!!

Mama & Baby Love's Healing Chicken Soup: Freezer Friendly!

We're supposed to get a blizzard tonight.  Yes.  You read that right!  There's just something about the warning of snow that makes me crave soup.  I made this soup from Mama and Baby Love's ecookbook - you can find yours here!  It's the first ecookbook I've ever purchased and I wasn't disappointed.  All of her recipes are freezer friendly and 95% of her recipes are grain-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free.  Annnnnd it's only $9.99.  Totally worth the splurge in my book!

Try this recipe of hers and you'll be hooked.  Although hers called for making it with a whole chicken, I used some cubed frozen chicken breasts I had on hand.  It was hearty, made the house smell heavenly while cooking all afternoon, and most importantly was scrumptious to eat.  Love. 

Mama and Baby Love that is ;)

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder: Pinterest Love ♥

I have been on a freezer cooking frenzy lately.  I've been inspired, thanks to Pinterest.  And I can't advocate enough - one afternoon (or two... with a little one ;)) of cooking has given me enough food to fill my refrigerator's freezer.  We now have meals on the ready - and this month is a crazy one for us!  Follow along - I'll be posting the recipes that are in my freezer.  I hope you can find them useful for the upcoming holiday seasons!

This recipe isn't a freezer meal, but one I found while browsing.  And it was perfect for our first rainy, didn't get out of the 60's kind of day!  I've also read that you can easily adapt this to a crockpot version.  I will be keeping a close eye on this one in the coming months!

Cilantro Lime Chicken: Freezer Friendly

Another great recipe... make one, take one!  We had this one night this past week and I just dropped off the frozen one to sweet family #2 this morning :)  I hope they like it as much as we did!  I'm telling you what - I'm totally into these meals I've been doing lately where I pull out all the ingredients one time and have two meals when I'm done.  Let's talk about that math!  Does 1 = 2?  For sure this time around.  Hope you enjoy this spin on annnooootther chicken dish!

Black Bean and Corn Citrus Salad

Mommy Brain 101.  I swear I used to be able to remember things!  Let me tell you how this recipe began.  Weeelllll... I mixed up two different Black Bean Citrus Salad recipes I saw.  This ended up not being so bad because I made my own version that turned out pretty tasty.  But the funny part was that the recipe called for 1 grapefruit and 2 oranges.  Well, in the grocery store I picked up one big thing I thought was a grapefruit and two smaller ones.  I got home to find they were ALL THREE THE SAME type of orange.  No grapefruit to be had!  I mean really?  Those navel orange must have had different daddies if you know what I mean.  They sure didn't look related!  And I would have bet money that I had picked up a grapefruit because that was the largest orange I'd seen in a while!  Good thing I'm not a betting woman ... I always lose anyway! Haha! This ended up being a delicious treat on a hot night.  I made this light dinner for Father's Day so that DH could enjoy these less than healthy treats.