Baked BBQ Beans

I made this yesterday, but my laptop (Apple, at that) had a hard disk crash on Friday. V has ordered a new hard disk and is hoping to be able to fix it himself. In the meantime, I have to use the desktop to type my recipes. I know - the horror!! This is the reason I did not post last night.
This recipe started off as one from Vegan Soul Kitchen. The recipe in the book calls for Black Eyed Peas and involves using dried peas, cooking it with Kombu (sea weed). I try to cook batches of dried beans, so when it is time to use it, there are some ready beans. I had saved some BEP from my Jamaican Veggie Patties recipe and was all set to use it in the recipe. All day, something in the fridge smelled rotten and we were not able to figure out what it was - you know the rest, don't you. Yes, I opened the container of the BEP and it was rotten. I usually freeze the beans I cook, but figured I was going to use this soon, so did not freeze it. My bad.
So I modified the recipe and used canned black and kidney beans. As I was starting to make the BBQ sauce, I made some modifications there too - sherry vinegar for red wine vinegar; 1 T lime juince isntead of 2 and soy sauce in place of tamari. It is just what I had on hand. Also, instead of crumbled Tempeh, I used some of the 'morning star grillers'. V does our grocery shopping and I had written Boca/Morning Star Burgers on one list and he came back with multiple packets of these grillers, so I wanted to use them today.
The photo is not too great either. I was on the phone with my cousin as I was taking the photo and was really hungry, so a quick photo and we started to eat. I got this Le Creuset pan from V's aunt. It was great - I cooked on the stove top and then put it in the oven. I need to start using it more!

Baked BBQ Beans






Ingredients

1 can Kidney Beans
1 can Black Beans
3 T Olive Oil
1 Onion, diced
1 Green Pepper, diced
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
2 T Sherry Vinegar
1 T Lime Juice
1/2 C Soy Sauce
1 C Tomato Sauce (I used marinara :)
1 Chipotle Chilli in Adobo sauce, minced
1/4 C Agave Nectar
1 T Cumin (ground)
1 t Thyme (dried)
Pinch of Cayenne
1 C Water
1 C Morning Star Grillers

Preheat Oven to 350.
Heat Olive Oil in Pan, Add Onions and Saute for 5 minutes or till onions are brown. Add Green Peppers and Garlic, cook for 5-7 more minutes.

For the BBQ sauce, combine vinegar, lime juice, soy sauce, tomatoe sauce, chipotle chilli, agave nectar, cumin, cayenne, thyme and 1 cup of water in a blender and purree till smooth.

Add beans, morning star grillers and BBQ sauce to the Onion-Green Pepper mix and Stir well.
Bake uncovered for 2 hours.

I served this over Quinoa for a hearty dinner!!

Spicy Sweet Potato and Corn Chowder; Another Pancake

I am not sure why I am still stuck on hot foods in this heat but they seem to last longer around here so I will keep making them. I adapted Scrumptious Corn Chowder to make my own sweet and spicy version. I used a really big sweet potato instead of a red potato since I have been enjoying them lately. I did not have any red peppers so I used one chopped roasted red pepper (jarred) and some of my favorite chipotles in adobo (probably about 2 TB). This is really more of a potato soup than a corn chowder in my opinion but I think you could make it thicker my adding mashed potato flakes or boiling another white potato and adding it to the blender with the corn mixture. We like it so I usually just make the consistency as suggested. I used soy milk and Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy. I often add more chipotle tabasco at the end. I guess I really like that smoky flavor!!!

Donna let me borrow Vegan with a Vengeance so I tried the Pancakes recipe which I feel like I have made before. They tasted good but were very thin. I used whole wheat flour which may have made then too dense. Oops.

Side note: I totally plan to make that Carrot Cake from 101 cookbooks that was in the email today/yesterday. I am thinking I will use some egg replacer and soy yogurt. I have a bunch of dates in the fridge (oddly-had a craving!) and at least two rotting bananas so it was perfect timing!

Smoothies and Pasta

After we run or take the dogs out for a walk, I tend to make a smoothie when we come home - especially in the warm weather. Today, V had a smoothie with bananas, protein powder, strawberries, blueberries, light soy milk, orange juice and agave nectar. Mine did not have the agave nectar. Based on Em's suggestion, I added a handful of spinach to my smoothie. It did not change the taste too much, just a little. I liked it, but the photo was not appetizing. So the photo is only of the spinach-less smoothie!






















For lunch, I put together a quick pasta. Today was a beautiful day here and we ate in the deck! We did not want a hot meal, so I put together this pasta quickly. I change it around by adding herbs, different vegetables (when the tomatoes are out, I add tomatoes, or sun-dried tomatoes and artichokes instead). Sometimes, I add chick peas instead of the vegan meatballs. The sauce that I use changes too. If I was not vegan, I would add fresh mozzarella to it too. Here is what it contained today -

1 bunch, Asparagus
1 cup, Peas
2 cups, Pasta cooked
2 cups, Vegan meatballs
2 T, Pesto
2 T, pine nuts
2 t, Olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Coat asparagus with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 40 minutes
In the meantime, cook pasta.
Mix all the ingredients including the asparagus. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Enjoy.

Jamaican Vegetables and Sweet Potatoes

I made two more dishes from Bryant Terry's Vegan Soul Kitchen. I made a couple of changes but not much. I made the Jamaican Veggie Patties without the Patties. So I just made the filling and served it over quinoa. To add some more protein, I added black-eyed peas to the mix. It was a little too spicy for me - I added too much red pepper flakes and cayenne powder. Have to be careful next time (and there will be a next time!)
On the side, I made Roasted Sweet Potato Purree with Coconut Milk. It was YUMMY. V would have preferred it if it was not purreed. He just wanted the roasted sweet potatoes without the coconut milk. But, I still loved it :)

Black Bean Soups

I mentioned before that I had used a recipe for black bean soup in the past that I liked and I found the link today. It is called Black Bean Vegetable Soup from allrecipes.com. When I make it I add an extra can of black beans and I use the Muir Glen Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes. I often skip the step in which you are supposed to puree one can of beans with the tomatoes. I like chunks in my soup!


Today I am trying Southwestern Black Bean Soup since I wanted to use my crockpot (it is cold and rainy here today) and I had a bag of dried black beans to use up. I used two 14.5 ounce cans of diced tomatoes since it was unclear what size cans to use. I also added about 1 TB of chipotle chili instead of the red pepper flakes since I had about that much left over in the fridge. This soup will probably be spicy! Oh, and I also added 1 TB of bouillon mix since I find it makes my soups taste better. There was far too much liquid for my crockpot so I removed about 2 cups of the liquid and saved in case I need to add it later. I will let you know how it tastes later tonight!OK, verdict is in. It took a little over 6 hours to cook at high in the crockpot but the beans did finally get soft. I put the immersion blender into it for a few spins after it was fully cooked to help thicken it up a bit. This soup was definitley NOT spicy. It was actually a little blah. I added approximately 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (necessary!) into the soup and then we mixed some salsa and Smoked Chipotle Tabasco into each serving. After those additons the soup was great. I made some plain polenta to have on the side since we love it!

Pigs in a blanket, fiesta salad, chocolate cake

I did not make all of this today. We were actually out at a party but I realize that I have been taking pictures and forgetting to blog so I am playing catch up now! I did make the cake tonight since M did not want to eat any of the treats at the party since he is so disciplined. I thought he needed a treat since I had both a brownie and a cookie.


Pigs in a Blanket
The pigs in a blanket are made from the Pigs Are Safe in the Barn recipe from vegweb.com. I used corn flour instead of cornmeal since last time I tried these it was too crumbly. I used SmartDogs since they are very low calorie yet have 9 grams of protein. I remember thinking they were awful the first time I tried them but they have grown on me over time and now I eat them quite often when I need something quick and easy.

Fiesta Black Bean Salad
This is a cold salad that I have made so many times and I always love it. I found the recipe online years ago but I was unable to find it to add a link so I will write out the recipe for you. The picture is not fabulous but it generally looks very brightly colored and festive if you bring to a party. I often make this and then just some plain polenta when I need to bring an appetizer. They go together well and this salad can be served at room temperature wihtout any problems. M uses it as a burrito/quesadilla filling with some brown rice and salsa since it takes good heated also.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups corn kernels (I usually just use frozen but I have used canned and fresh also. In the picture, I used Trader Joe's Frozen Roasted Corn)
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced (or any color pepper, I used green and red this time)
• 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 tsp chili powder
• 2 TB olive oil
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 TB balsamic vinegar
• 2 TB lemon juice
• 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
• black pepper to taste

Toss corn, onion, red pepper, and beans. Stir in chili powder and allow to sit at room temperature.
Whisk together olive oil, garlic powder, vinegar, lemon juice and pour over vegetables.
Stir in cilantro and seaon with black pepper.
Chill 2 hours before serving. (I never actually do this!)

Chocolate Cake
Last, but not least, chocolate cake for my husband. D and I had lots of sweets at the party so we just licked the spoons (it needed to be done, right?).
I used this Easy Vegan Chocolate Cake recipe and made this Chocolate Frosting. I would say the "frosting" was more like a glaze or an icing but it taste good so no complaints. It was easier than having to spread. It just sort of dripped down nicely. The other frostings that I looked up required a cup of margarine or similar heavily fatty ingredients. This one just needed a few TB of oil.

Have a great weekend! I am off this week so maybe I will be cooking more. We shall see.

Asparagus Stir Fry

I have been busy in the kitchen this morning. I made the trail mix bars that both Em and I tried before. Mine was sweeter today, but also goo-eier (is that a word). I made some as cookies that stayed together better. The rest I poured in a pan to turn into bars. They are mushy, but yummy.

I also made the vegan cupcakes. They are in the oven, we'll see how it turns out. I also am planning to try the glaze and take it over to a friend's for dinner. I am seriously in trouble with all the baking that I am doing. Need to be careful about what I eat.


For lunch, I made Asparagus Stir Fry from 101cookbooks.
It turned out very yummy. I did not have basil/mint, so I used cilantro instead. I also added some Seitan because we had extra. I ate mine over some white rice and when V eats lunch, he plans to use noodles! I liked the bright green of the vegetables and red pepper flakes in the wok, so I added a photo of the preparation too, although the photo does not do it justice!!