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Friday, February 22, 2008

Mild Veggie Burritos

I decided that I wanted to go a little more low-key with the seasonings in this burrito. It was a success, and all the veggies work good together.

Mild Veggie Burritos:

1 c. cooked brown rice
1 regular pkg. baby spinach, washed and chopped
1 green pepper, sliced
1 onion, sliced
2 tsp. garlic, minced (0r 2 cloves)
1 avocado, mashed
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained slightly
1 (16 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
dash of cayenne pepper
1 Tb. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
Sea salt, to taste


1. Cook rice according to package directions, then set aside.

2. Once rice is done, saute the green pepper, onion, garlic, and spinach in a little oil. Add the mixture to the rice (make sure the rice is nice and fluffy. If you have any excess water, drain it first), then add the mashed avocado, tomatoes, black beans, and seasonings. 

3. Heat the mixture through and let simmer about 10 minutes. Serve inside warmed tortilla shells.


I bet these would make good enchiladas. Also, what I did was fill about six of them, place them in a casserole dish, and bake them at 350 for about 20 minutes. I then put them in freezer-proof bags and froze them for later.

30-Minute Vegan Black Bean Enchiladas

I suppose you could add vegan cheese to this if you'd like, but I don't think it's necessary. Of course, I couldn't find any vegan cheese around this town if my life depended on it! Although, if you happened to have some daiya, you could sprinkle it on top before baking to get it melty.


30-Minute Vegan Black Bean Enchiladas:
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of original Ro-tel tomatoes, undrained
1 pkg. enchilada seasoning (check the ingredients to make sure it's vegan)

1/3 c. water
1/3 c. instant brown rice
1/2 med. onion, chopped
1 tsp. garlic, minced (about 2 cloves)
6 vegan tortillas

1 small can enchilada sauce (check ingredients)


1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Meanwhile, saute the onion and garlic in a non-stick saucepan with a little oil until soft, about five minutes.

2. Add the black beans, Ro-tel, enchilada seasoning, rice, and water (judge the water, you just need to make sure there's enough to cook the rice). Simmer for at least 5 minutes or until the rice is done.


3. Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spay. Fill each tortilla with the bean mixture and place them seam-side down (it works best if the tortilla shells are slightly warm). Pour enchilada sauce over the top and you can put on any leftover bean mix you have too.

4. Cover and bake about 20 minutes or until heated through.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Springjam 4

All us hippies love our music! It's time for Springjam 4! Come, and let's celebrate Earthday at Camp Zoe!



http://www.campzoe.com/springjam.html

Tropical Pancakes

There ain't nothin' better than homemade pancakes and real maple syrup. These are slightly heavy, and I cover the pan when I cook them. To make them thinner, add more soy milk, pineapple juice, or water.


Tropical Pancakes:
1 c. whole-wheat pastry flour (have to use pastry, regular whole-wheat don't work)
2 tsp. baking powder
2 Tb. dessicated coconut, unsweetened
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
a few shakes cardamom
1/8 tsp. sea salt
1 c. vanilla soymilk
1 Tb. canned pineapple juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ripe banana, sliced (I like the cooked chunks in this particular recipe).

In a large bowl, add the flour and baking powder. Add the coconut, cinnamon, cardamom, and sea salt. Add the soymilk and vanilla and stir through, until it starts to come together. Add the banana slices and finish stirring.


Heat a lightly oiled skillet over medium-high then lower heat to medium-low before you start to make the pancakes. Scoop the batter onto the skillet and cover the pan. Let cook for a few minutes, until bubbles have formed in the center and the edges are dry. Flip pancake, cover, and let finish cooking on the other side. Once done, place on a plate and repeat process with the remaining batter.


Makes around 4 pancakes that are 200 calories each.


 

Pizza Dough

I love homemade pizza. Especially when it's cruelty-free!


Basic Pizza Dough:
1 c. warm water
1 Tb. vegan sugar
2 and 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
1 and 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 and 1/2 c. unbleached white flour
1 tsp. sea salt
3 Tb. olive oil


1. Pour warm water (like the temperature of a really nice shower) and sugar in a bowl. Stir to dissolve. Add the yeast and let it stand about five minutes. It should get really foamy. If after five minutes it's not foamy, the means that the water was too hot or too cold. Dump it out and start over. This will help save you headaches later when your dough doesn't rise!

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine flours and salt. Make a little well in the center of the flour and add the olive oil and yeast mixture. Use a wooden spoon to stir the ingredients until the make a ball. 

3. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it a few minutes until it's smooth. Shape in into a ball and place in an oiled bowl . Cover and let it rise in a warm place for an hour.

4. When the dough is finished rising, knead lightly for a minute or two more and then divide the dough into two pieces. Shape each piece into a ball, then roll each piece into a 12-inch round. Place the flattened round onto a lightly oiled pan and then top with ingredients.

5. Bake about 15-20 minutes in a 450-degree oven.  

Makes 2, 12-inch pizza crusts that are 800 calories each (about 100 calories a slice [dough only]).



Now it's time for my favorite pizza toppings:

Baby spinach, chopped
Yellow peppers, chopped
Mushrooms, sliced
Sweet onion, diced
Tomatoes, diced

Spicy Vegan Black Bean Stew

I've officially decided that I REALLY like to cook!

Anyway, this is pretty good. My beans weren't as soft as I liked them cause I got impatient (I used dry), but that was my only complaint. I really don't know how I made it so damn spicy (I've been trying to eat bland food lately), but it's still pretty much amazing. I also had to resist the urge to add tomatoes to it (cause my frugal butt was saving them for another meal!). Next time I'd like to use a sort of chipotle adobo seasoning.




Spicy Vegan Black Bean Stew
2 c. cooked black beans (or 1 can)
1 green pepper, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 jalapeno, diced
1/2 c. cooked carrots (I used canned cause I'm lazy)
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. cayenne (maybe that made it hot, lol!)
1/4 tsp. oregano
1 vegan bouillon cube
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 Tb. lemon juice
Sea salt to taste
Vegetable broth/water (as needed, for your desired thickness)

Mix together everything at let simmer for half an hour. Take out bay leaves before serving. Good with a tortilla on the side.

Italian Vegetable Stew

I'm a cook. It's what I do. I'm constantly creating recipes and testing them out on people. This here is one of my creations, Italian Vegetable Stew. It's nice and thick and best served with bread!


I basically just used up the veggies still left in my fridge. That's why there's only half an onion and a quarter of cabbage. I also grated my carrots. Not sure why. Maybe I was a little... (rhymes with "why"). Lol. Anywho, the salt and pepper are to taste and the other unmeasured spices are probably in the 1/2 to 1 tsp. range. I didn't really measure them. I personally like my cabbage to be really soft AND I use brown rice, so that's why I cook it for so long.

Italian Vegetable Stew:

2 medium carrots, grated
1/4 head of green cabbage, cored and sliced thin
1/2 med. onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 Tb. olive oil
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can asparagus, drained
1/4 c. mixed lentils (I used Bob's Vegi soup mix)
1/4 c. brown rice
1 Tb. garlic powder
1 Tb. parsley
6 c. water
1 vegan vegetable bouillion cube
Sea salt
Basil
Thyme
Oregano
White pepper


1. Rinse and pick through rice and lentils. Place in soup pot and set aside. 

2. Saute garlic and onion in olive oil until tender. Add to lentil/rice mix. 

3. Add water and spices to soup pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add bouillion cube and stir. Combine additional vegetables to the soup and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour.


Serves 6-ish.