Leftovers

A little side note if you have leftovers from your stuffed peppers....


So the day after we made the stuffed poblanos, we had some of the stuffing for the peppers left over (in my case, it was the cheese filling, the black beans, the tomatoes, AND the sauce).

We had some flour tortillas in the fridge, so I put some cheese filling, tomatoes, and black beans in the tortilla, rolled it up, and secured it in the middle with a toothpick to make sure it stayed together. Then I browned each side of the tortilla in a pan with a bit of olive oil over medium heat and VOILA!

Vegetarian Taquitos!
 

This took care of all our leftovers, and we ate them dipped in the leftover sauce with a side of our leftover refried beans. They were really yummy.

Gluten-Free Vegetarian Over-Stuffed Poblano Peppers

First, I just want to say that the recipe I'm about to present to you is freakin' D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S !
 When my palate calls for something, I try to give it what it wants, and I am happy to declare this endeavor a success. I hope ya'll think so too.

Second, although this recipe isn't vegan, it easily could be. Just leave out the cheese and replace it with more of the other fillings and you'll be good to go. I'm confident that it will be just as delicious as the original recipe.

It is slightly more labor intensive, however, so if you're looking to try this one out, I recommend dedicating a leisurely evening to it.

All right, let's get to it!

What You'll Need 

-As many poblano peppers as you have people!

-8 oz. monterey jack cheese

For the cheese filling:

-8 oz. (1 block) of neufchatel cheese (this is basically the lowfat version of cream cheese and can be found in the same section of the grocery store)
-1 cup of ricotta cheese (whole fat or skim, whichever you prefer)
-1/2 tsp. ancho chile powder
-1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
-1/2 tsp. paprika
-2 tsp. chili powder
-1/4 tsp. black pepper
-a pinch of salt

-15 oz. can of black beans
-15 oz. can of petite diced tomatoes (with or without green chilies)


For The Sauce:

-1/2 cup of olive oil
-2 tbsp. corn flour
-1/4 cup chili powder
-8 oz. can of tomato sauce
-1 1/2 cup water
-1/4 tsp. ground cumin
-1/4 tsp. garlic powder
-1/4 tsp. onion powder
Salt to taste


Ready?

First, set your oven to broil and preheat it to 400 degrees. 
Lay your poblano peppers out on a cookie sheet and cut a small slit in each pepper just to prevent explosions (I'm not sure if exploding peppers is actually a possibility, but I always like to err on the side of caution!).

Set your oven rack toward the top of the oven and put the peppers in. Cook them for about 10 minutes or until the skin starts to bubble. Then flip them over and let the other side cook.
When they're done, they should look about like this:

 

While the peppers are cooking, mix up your neufchatel and ricotta cheese filling in a bowl and scoop it into a zip lock bag with the tip cut off. Then, leave it out while you prepare the rest of the ingredients so that it's not too cold and stiff to pipe.

 

Now, time to make the sauce! 

Put your olive oil into a large sauce pan and heat it over medium heat. Once it's hot, add in your chili powder and corn flour and stir constantly until it's cooked (the chili powder will start to look brown instead of red). Then, add in your cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, tomato sauce, and water. Cook this over medium heat until the sauce is thicker (about 10 minutes).

Now that everything is ready to be assembled, pull your peppers out of the oven and set the oven to bake at 400 degrees, and transfer your peppers to a casserole dish.

Starting with your original slit, make a T incision in the peppers so that you can scoop out all of the seeds. I very much recommend either wearing gloves for this part or using a spoon (otherwise subconscious actions like rubbing your eyes can turn into a very uncomfortable choice). The seeds of a pepper house most of the spice, so if you don't want much of a burn, make sure to get all of the seeds out. If, on the other hand, you want to sweat a little, by all means leave some of them in. 

Next, pipe in your cheese mixture. If you're not at all adept at piping, you're definitely welcome to spread it in with a knife or a spoon. It doesn't matter what it looks like - it will still taste just as good!

Spoon in your black beans and tomatoes. 

Close the sides of your peppers as best as you can (if you stuff them as much as I did, they won't close completely, and that's just fine) and spoon about half of your sauce over the top. 

Finally, grate some monterey jack cheese over the top and put it in the oven to bake until the cheese is melted and slightly browned (about 20 minutes).

When they're done, they should look like this!

I served each pepper with a side of corn tortillas, extra sauce, vegetarian refried beans, and my leftover black beans and tomatoes with sauteed green pepper thrown in for good measure.

May you whole-heartedly enjoy the product of my whim, and may you leave your plate with a happy stomach and clear sinuses!


=o)


-

Vegetarian Chicken-LESS Pot Pie

Sorry I haven't blogged lately!

We were all sick for a few weeks, and the last thing you want to do when you're sick is think of something new to make for dinner and document it every step of the way.
No, if you're me, all you want for dinner when you're sick in the winter is a big pile of mashed potatoes and a generous helping of green bean casserole. 
But, we all pretty much know how to make those things.

So for something you might not know how to make, I present to you Chicken-Less Pot Pie!

I started making this dish a couple of years ago, and it's become a staple for our family every winter. But since Douglas and I have become vegetarians, I've had the tweak the recipe a little to replace all the meat-oriented ingredients. After having devoured the last batch, I believe I have perfected my new and improved vegetarian recipe. It's super warm and comforting for those cold,  snowy days.


What You'll Need

1/4 cup (half a stick) of butter       
Approximately 1/2 cup of flour
8 oz. heavy cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup (or if you prefer, cream of something else)
1 cup vegetable stock
4 small cans of veggies or 2 regular cans (I use carrots, peas, corn, and green beans)
1 box of pre-made pie crust
salt to taste
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. Italian seasoning





The very first thing you'll want to do is preheat your oven as directed on the pie crust box and lay out one of the crusts in a casserole dish to get it baking. I always do a preliminary bake on the bottom crust of the pot pie before I put the filling in so that it doesn't turn out doughy. You just want to get a slight golden color on the bottom crust and then pull it out to be filled.

While the bottom crust is baking, start the pot pie filling. 

In a large sauce pan, melt the butter over medium low heat.

 

Once the butter is melted, slowly whisk in the flour until it forms a thick "paste". You may need slightly more or slightly less. It should look about like this:

Then, whisk in the heavy cream, can of cream of mushroom (do not add any milk! just the can of soup will do), and the vegetable broth. Add your seasonings.

 

Turn the burner up to medium heat and bring this mixture to a slight boil. Then, add in your vegetables. You can use a frozen vegetable blend for this instead if you want to, and I have before - it will just need to cook longer in order to thaw the vegetables (it would probably take about 2 cups of vegetables).

Once everything is hot, fill your casserole dish! 

Then, cover it with the remaining pie crust and put it back in the oven to bake until the top crust is cooked to your liking. 

Witness Douglas' food-style handy work!

And finally, enjoy! You may want to let the pot pie sit for a few minutes to let the filling cool down and thicken back up. Or, if you're like me, ignore all of that and scoop it into your bowl with a spoon.  =o)

Yum!!

Doug's Gluten-Free Vegan Patatas Bravas with Greek Yogurt Sauce

These potatoes are not traditional patatas bravas, as they are generally made with a tomato-based sauce. And rather than sticking to common Spanish spices, Doug's potatoes include a popular Indian spice, garam massala. Nevertheless, they are delicious! They can be pretty spicy though, so if you're sensitive to spice, you may want to omit certain ingredients to tone the heat down a little.

What You'll Need
4-5 small potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch squares
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp. chili oil (omit and replace with olive oil if you don't like it spicy)
1/2 tsp. chili flakes (omit these as well if you want mild potatoes)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp garam massala powder
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
Black pepper and salt to taste

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees

Peel the potatoes and chop them into 1-inch squares. It doesn't have to be perfect, but you want them small enough so that they'll cook through fairly quickly.

Spread the potatoes out on a cookie sheet and season them with as much salt and black pepper as you prefer. Salt will emphasize the flavor of the other spices, and the back pepper will add a some mild heat.

Cover the cookie sheet with foil and bake them for 15 to 18 minutes. Then, remove the foil and cook the potatoes further until they are tender and starting to brown. This will give them a bit of a crust.

While the potatoes are cooking, add your oils and spices to a small sautee pan and heat them over medium-low heat (save the lemon juice until the very end).

Once the potatoes are done cooking, put them into a large bowl.

Add in the hot oil and toss it together with the potatoes and the lemon juice.

Finally, eat them! Or, serve them with a refreshing Greek Yogurt dip to cool your mouth down.

What You'll Need
1 cup Greek Yogurt

1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste








Simply pour your yogurt into a small bowl and add the seasonings in no particular order.

This sauce is not only great served with the potatoes above, but it is also a great condiment for falafel and veggie gyros. The same night we made the potatoes, we also had veggie gyros, and it was the most amazing thing I had eaten since the last time I ate something amazing!

If you're feelin' some veggie gyros, the directions are simple. 

Sautee any vegetables of your choice in a pan with olive oil, salt, and pepper over medium heat (we used zucchini, onions, green peppers, and mushrooms). Once they are cooked to the tenderness you prefer, place them atop any flat bread (naan, pita, or otherwise... we used tandoori naan), add a few halved cherry tomatoes, and top with yogurt sauce and a bit of feta cheese if you like.

Amazing! Kind of wish I had some right about now.

How To Do It

It's been said that the most common question vegetarians get asked is "What do you eat?"
I can tell you from experience that it's probably true, and the answer is definitely: EVERYTHING!

Nearly everything I used to love to eat, I still eat. Sometimes it just takes a little tweaking. I really think that the food I eat now is more delicious and more satisfying (not to mention better for me) than when I ate meat. 

Having been on the other side of the fence, I can definitely understand the concern some people have at the thought of eliminating meat from their diet. I used to love a medium rare hunk of steak just as much as the next guy, and my motto - when it came to meat-eating, anyway - was the age old adage "for every animal you don't eat, I'm going to eat three!" Yeah, I think a lot of us have been there. From a health standpoint, as long as you eat a variety of foods (which you should do anyway), you'll be fine. This article provides some good info.

I can't say for sure exactly what it was that made me reconsider my diet. I think it was really the combination of a lot of little stuff. As is true for most things in life, the first step is always the hardest. Change of any kind is never easy. I am a serious condiment lover, so the real challenge for me was finding a way to redirect my love of things like barbecue sauce and hot sauce onto a different food source. 

The easiest way to introduce yourself or anyone else to vegetarianism or flexitarianism (eating vegetarian a few times a week) is to start with foods that lend themselves very easily to meatlessness: stir-fries, pastas, and casseroles. If you feel like you're missing some bulk, mushrooms are a really great way to add a meaty factor to a dish. They hold up well during the cooking process, and they will absorb pretty much any flavor, so they're really versatile. They're also good for your prostate (and if you don't have a prostate, you can just pretend)!

Soy foods can also be a good meat replacement, but the trick is to stay away from over-processed soy (actually, it doesn't hurt to stay away from over-processed foods in general). I'm not a huge fan of fake meat, although I do enjoy the occasional Boca burger. Soy in its simplest forms - edamame, tofu, tempeh - is, according to Alton Brown, nutritionally equivalent to meat. It offers the same proteins as beef or chicken without all the fat and cholesterol.

One of the greatest things about being a vegetarian is that once you truly cultivate your love of all things produce, you can happily eat as many vegetables as you want without having to worry about gaining weight!

Whether going full-time or part-time with vegetarianism, it is definitely a journey. Reading labels, discovering new items and methods, and choosing raw foods may seem like a pain at first, but it becomes really rewarding to know exactly what you're eating and how those foods benefit your body...all while being kind to animals and the planet.

Gluten-Free Vegetarian Tortilla Casserole

I had a craving for this dish one night and I knew exactly what I wanted. But I couldn't find a recipe anywhere, so I just made it up! It's relatively inexpensive, and it's great served with a side of vegetarian refried beans.

What You Will Need
3 medium green bell peppers
3-4 medium poblano peppers
Corn tortillas
Tortilla chips
Leftover Beans N' Rice
(or 1 can of black beans)
Mexican cheese mix to cover the top of the casserole

For the sauce:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream (you can use milk instead, but it curdles very easily and may require corn starch or four to thicken)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 pound monterey jack cheese
Cumin (1 tsp)
Paprika (1 tsp)
Chili Powder (1 tsp)
Cayenne Pepper to taste
Black Pepper
Salt


Chop the bell peppers and poblano peppers into short strips and add them into a sautee pan with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Salt and Pepper them and cook them over medium heat until they are browned and tender.

While the peppers are cooking, start the sour cream sauce. In a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat, mix together the heavy cream and sour cream. Add in the seasonings and heat slowly, but do not bring it to a boil. Once the cream is warm, add in the monterey jack cheese (either shredded or a few chunks at a time) and stir together until the cheese is fully melted.

Once your peppers are browned and tender, you're ready to start layering your casserole!

 

 In your casserole dish, place a small amount of sour cream sauce (about 1/4 of a cup) just to keep the tortillas from sticking. Tear your corn tortillas into quarters and layer them in the bottom of the casserole dish. Then, place a layer of peppers (about half the pan) on top of the tortillas, spread in some of the Beans N' Rice sauce (or black beans), and lightly cover it with sour cream sauce. Continue making layers until you're out of peppers.

Once you're done layering the casserole, cover the top with a handful of crushed tortilla chips, a bit of sour cream sauce, and a mexican cheese blend.

Bake it at 350 until the cheese on top is melted, about 20 minutes.

Then, serve it with refried beans and eat it!

Joy's Gluten-Free Vegan Beans N' Rice

I got the idea for this dish while watching the Food Network, except their version had pork products and some other unnecessaries, so I figured this meat-free version out on my own. It's a great cold weather meal because it has the comfort factor, but you can really eat it any time. To me, it's kind of a member of the chili family.

What You Will Need
1 medium sweet onion

1 medium green bell pepper       
2 cans of red kidney beans
1 can of black beans
4 cups of vegetable stock
Cayenne Pepper (a pinch, or if you like it spicy, more than a pinch)
Paprika (1 tbsp.)
Cumin (2 tbsp)
Chili Powder (2 tbsp)
Oregano (2 tbsp)
Black Pepper (1 tsp.)
Salt to taste

Brown rice or any rice of your choice



To start, heat about 2 tbsp. of olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Dice your onion and green pepper and add them into your hot olive oil. Season them lightly with salt and pepper and let them cook until they are soft and slightly browned.

Next, add in the 4 cups of vegetable stock and all of the seasonings. Add in the three cans of beans, but don't drain them, as the liquid in the can helps to thicken the finished product.

Bring everything to a boil and let it reduce for about 30 minutes.

After the 30 minutes has passed, reduce the heat to low. At this point, you'll want to mash about 1/4 of the beans to further thicken the mixture. I used to do it with a fork, but having discovered the wonders of the hand blender, that is now my preferred method. You could also put the beans into a blender or food processor and then add them back into the rest of the sauce.

Stir everything until the mashed beans are incorporated and the mixture is thicker. If you want it thicker still, you can bring it back up to a boil and reduce it further, but the beans should have the consistency of a thick gravy.

Finally, serve it over the rice of your choice and enjoy! We typically use long grain brown rice and just cook it plain in our rice cooker, but you can by all means use whatever kind of rice you prefer. Just follow the directions on the bag or box and eat it along side your Beans N' Rice.

And if you have left-overs, they can be used in tomorrow night's dinner: Tortilla Casserole!