Tag Archives: Cooking

Wild Rice and Veggie Chowder

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Yes, I am back so soon with another chowder.  It’s so cold at night though; thick, creamy soup and chowder are so fitting!

This particular chowder came about to help clients.  Something I teach is that you should not cook for just one meal.  Rather, when cooking you should keep in mind things that could be used again for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, etc.  This can help you in several ways:

  • Cut down on time preparing meals {already have grains, beans, etc ready}
  • Prevent you from grabbing something unhealthy due to lack of time
  • Cooking in bulk can cut down on costs
  • Allows you to get creative
  • Cooking at home is almost always healthier!

Over the weekend I made a big pot of Wild Rice.  I made it with the intention {and love, gotta have love in your cooking} of it being used for multiple meals.  We had several vegetable stir fries and a tofu scramble, all with a big scoop of the wild rice.  Since I was down to the last cup and half/2 cups, I decided to make a hearty chowder.  It was a great way to use up the rest of the rice and try a different recipe!  The rice may now be gone, but the chowder made about 6 servings, enough for dinner and couple lunches for both me and Erik.

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Wild Rice and Veggie Chowder:

  • 2 tbsp vegan buttery spread
  • 2 medium onions diced
  • 3 carrots diced
  • 3 celery stocks diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3/4 cup flour (can use GF blend, I did)
  • 1 head of cauliflower, chopped
  • 3 small red potatoes, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 4 cups low sodium broth
  • 1 can organic corn, rinsed
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 can low-fat coconut milk
  • 1 cup almond milk (or any non dairy milk)
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • dash of nutmeg
  • 1 1/2 – 2 cups wild rice (use rice if you have it made, or make more and use it for other quick meals)

1.  If you don’t have rice made, make rice first.  Follow directions on bag, box, etc.

2.  In a large pot, boil water, 1/4-1/2 full (enough to cover cauliflower and potatoes).  When water is boiling, add potatoes and cauliflower.  Boil for about 8-10 minutes.

3.  While veggies are boiling, in a medium pan, heat “butter” on medium.  Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic.  Saute for about 10 minutes.  Season with a little salt & pepper.

4.  Drain and rinse potatoes and cauliflower.  Bring back to stove, add broth and water, bring to a boil.  When boiling, add sautéed veggies, corn, and rice.  Stir in spices.  Turn heat to low and let continue cooking for at least 20  minutes.

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*Do you make food for more than one meal?  I urge you to keep this in mind next time you cook!

Have a blessed day!

Green Bean Casserole

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Hi all!

As promised, I am back with another Thanksgiving side dish post.  I may be one of the few who like this one, but the green bean casserole has always been a favorite of mine.  Even when I did eat meat and dairy, I always had a tendency to skip meat and go for the veggie dishes and the mashed potatoes.  Go figure!

I decided to lighten and freshen up the classic recipe.  Yep, that means no canned, processed mushroom cream or fried onion topping.  I assure though, if you are one of the few who enjoys this side, you will love this one version!  Oh, and for what’s it worth, my sweet little mom said it is better than the old recipe ;-)

Green Bean Casserole:

  • 2 bags of green beans (most stores have them bagged now for the holidays)
  • 1 yellow onion, sliced thinly
  • 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1 tbsp fresh chopped thyme
  • About 15oz cups sliced crimini mushrooms (come in 6 oz crates, I used 2 1/2)
  • 1 1/4 cup organic vegetable broth
  • 1 cup vegan “sour cream”
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • salt & pepper
  1. Pre-heat oven to 400.
  2. In a large skillet (I used a cast iron that I baked the casserole in too) heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil on low heat.  Add sliced onion and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Coat onions then cover to caramelize, stir occasionally.  Should be about 20 minutes
  3. In a large pot, fill 1/2 to 3/4 way full of water then bring to a boil.  Add beans and cook for about 5-7 minutes.  Drain and rinse.  Put to side.
  4. In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs and thyme.  Put aside
  5. Remove onions when done and place to side.  Heat 2 tablespoons vegan “butter” in same skillet on medium heat.  Add mushrooms and hefty pinch of salt and pepper.  Coat evenly and cook until tender and juicy, about 8-10 minutes.  Remove and place to side.
  6. Add “sour cream” and water to skillet (no need to clean it).  Stir until combined.  Add flour and stir slowly until no lumps remain.  Add broth.  combine.  Add mushroom and half the onions.
  7. Let mixture heat up to a boil then turn heat off
  8. If using skillet to bake casserole in, pour green beans on top of mushroom mixture.  Carefully mix, coating all the beans.  Top with remaining onions, bread crumbs, and optional vegan Parmesan *
  9. If using a baking dish, pour mushroom mixture over green beans in large bowl.  Mix and combine well.  Pour into large baking dish.  Top with remaining onions, bread crumbs, and optional vegan Parmesan *
  10. Bake for about 25 minutes, until crumbs are lightly browned.  Cool slightly, serve and enjoy!!!

A quick vegan Parmesan substitute I make is to combine 1/2 cup chopped walnuts and 1/2 cup nutritional yeast with a dash of salt in a food processor.  Pulse until walnuts are finely chopped.  Sprinkle on before and after baking!

Veggie Burger with a Kick

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I have been on somewhat of a mission to make a delicious veggie burger for some time now.  While I do love my black bean burger, I needed something with more kick last night.  I used more breadcrumbs, which made them more durable, and completely changed the spices, creating just the kick and flavor I was looking to get.  Topped with some fresh avocado, lettuce, and tomato, oh my!!  Even the boy said he would rather eat these than a meat burger!!

Spicy Veggie Burger

You will need:

  • 2 flax eggs – 2 tablespoons ground flax mixed with 1/2 cup warm water – set aside to gel
  • 1/3 cup chopped onion
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 3/4 cup oat flour
  • 1 cup bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro
  • 1 can (15oz) organic black beans, drained, rinsed, and almost all mashed
  • 1 cup organic corn
  • 1 small jalapeno, seeds removed, finely diced
  • 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
  • 1 tablespoon tahini
  • 1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • Whatever toppings to go on top!

 

To make the Veggie Burgers:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350
  2. Mix the ground flax and warm water.  Set aside
  3. On medium heat, saute onions and garlic for several minutes
  4. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients, adding a little olive oil to help combine
  5. If you have time, refrigerate for a half hour (not necessary though)
  6. Form into patties (I got 7 from this batch) and set on greased baking sheet
  7. Bake for 15 minutes then remove and flip.  Bake for another 15-18  minutes.
  8. Prepare burger anyway you like, serve, and enjoy!

*The patties are pretty sturdy and could be grilled on a BBQ.  You could also cook them on the stove using medium heat and cook for about 7 minutes on both sides.

 

Rosemary Flatbread

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Hi Hi!!

How is everyone’s Hump Day treating them?!  Good I hope :-)

I totally scored some super juicy, flavorful sungold and cherry tomatoes the other day at the farmers market.  We munched on a bunch over the weekend, but still had a good amount come the new week.  Since the majority of my cooking is based around using up whatever produce I have lying around from the garden or farmers market (I sometimes go a little nutzzzz at the farmers market), I decided to top a flatbread with excess veggies.

I can say it was easy to make since i kind of cheated by using a Trader Joe’s pre-made dough.  Seriously though, sometimes I just don’t have the time/energy to do it all from scratch.  Sue me ;-) (but not really, that wouldn’t be fun). However, if you feel so inclined, a couple of from scratch dough recipes are HERE and HERE. 

{Fresh Veggies}

Back to the flatbread making.  I used the following, but really, use whatever veggies you want:

  • a few tablespoons of olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons  fresh, chopped rosemary
  • 1/2 cup onion, cut in long pieces
  • 1 cup largely chopped white mushrooms
  • 1 cup halved sungold and cherry tomatoes
  • 1 cup spinach
  • salt
  1. Pre-heat over to 450
  2. Chop/cut all veggies
  3. On a floured surface, roll/gently pull dough out to a rectangle.  Mine came out to about 12×6
  4. On a greased baking sheet, cook bread for 12 minutes, until dough is pretty cooked through, and crisp.
  5. While dough is cooking, heat olive oil in a saucepan on medium heat.  Add rosemary; stirring occasionally for about 4-5 minutes.  Remove from heat.
  6. In another pan, heat a little oil (I used Coconut) on medium.  Add onions and allow to cook for about 10 minutes.  Until tender.   About 3/4 of the way through, add the mushrooms.  Add a little salt at the end.
  7. After dough is removed, rosemary oil heated, and onions/mushrooms cooked, coat flatbread with rosemary infused oil.  Make sure to spread the rosemary evenly.  Sprinkle top with a little sea salt. Top with spinach, onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes.
  8. Place back in oven and cook for another 10 minutes.  (plus or minus a few minutes depending on oven)

 

Enjoy!!

Serve as a starter, alone, or along side a fresh arugula salad.

What veggies would you put on top?

Maple Glazed Salmon

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Oh man.  Summer is really getting heated.  I swear, summer in Southern California doesn’t really start until August.  That’s when that outdoor heater is on 24-7.  Can’t sleep heat.  Ugh, but I actually love it.  It’s weird.  But seriously, I really love hot weather.

I’m just not a big fan of cooking in heat.  It needs to be quick and easy.  And fresh.  I rarely eat fish, but a couple of times a month I give in and cook some up.  The last few times I have cooked salmon, and cooked it the same way.  This recipe changed the standard rosemary and lemon way up nicely.

All you need is:

  • Salmon – I cooked for two people, we had .60 pound
  • 1/4 cup organic maple syrup
  • 1/8 cup soy sauce
  • 1/8 tsp chili powder
  • 1/8 tsp paprika
  • salt & pepper
  1. Preheat oven to 500
  2. On medium heat, heat syrup and soy sauce for a few minutes.  Add spices and continue cooking for several minutes.  About 8-10 minutes total.  Remove from heat.
  3. Rub a few pinches of salt and pepper on fish
  4. Cook fish for 4 minutes.
  5. Remove.  Generously brush fish with sauce.  Put back and cook for another 4 minutes
  6. Remove fish and coat again with sauce.  Continue cooking for another 4-6 minutes.

Remove and Enjoy!!

What are your favorite easy summer meals?

Top with some fresh salsa over a bed of greens.  Enjoy your weekends!  I’m ready to waste away mine at the beach :-)

Summer Squash Bake

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Remember my little trip to my brothers farm?  Well since I was such a hard little worker ;-) , he sent me home a HUGE box of produce, mostly consisting of squash.  It’s a good thing I LOOOOVE squash, because I have been eating it for about a week!  Since our tomato plants have been off-the-hook this season, I decided to try a baked dish with the two.  Topped with a vegan “cheese”, it was DE-lish!

You will need:

  • Several Squash – I used a mix of green and yellow – 3 small green zucchini and 3 small round yellow squash
  • About 2 cups sliced tomatoes – I used about 10 ranging from very small to 2 medium
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil (or as much as necessary to evenly coat veggies)
  • 1 tablespoon basil
  • salt & pepper

For “cheese” topping you will need:

  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • teaspoon coconut oil
  • salt

First prepare the “cheese”.  Heat the coconut oil and toast the walnuts for a few minutes.  In a food processor, combine the walnuts, nutritional yeast, and a few pinches of salt. Pulse until well combines and crumbly.  I doubled the recipe but had a good amount leftover.

Pre-heat over to 350.  Thinly slice all the veggies, about 1/4 inch thick.  In a bowl, toss veggies, olive oil, basil, and a few pinches of salt and pepper.  Spread veggies out in a baking dish, slightly overlapping.  Bake for 20 minutes, remove and top with “cheese” mixture.  Bake for another 10-12 minutes.  Remove, serve, and enjoy!!

Do you love squash as much as I do?  How do you usually prepare it?

Black Bean Burgers

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I was heading over to a friend’s house the other day for a BBQ and was told there was only going to be chicken and carne asada.  I’m use to these situations now (no vegan friendly options) so I usually just bring over something easy to make for myself.  I was low on time so I popped into Trader Joes and grabbed a veggie burger to grill.  TERRIBLE choice.  I love veggie/bean burgers, but they have to be fresh.  I have yet to taste a descent store-bought one.  They just taste like cardboard.

So now I’m on a little mission to make some good vegan burgers.  My first attempt several weeks ago was a fail.  Last night however, was much tastier >>and actually held together, ha<<.  It even got the approval of my meat-eating man…approval meaning he ate two!!

You will Need:

  • 1 Tablespoon ground flax mixed with 3 tablespoons of warm water
  • 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 (15 oz ounce) can organic, no salt added black beans, drained
  • 1/2 cup plus rolled oats
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 can of organic corn, drained

Black Bean Burgers:

  • Pre-heat oven to 400 and grease wire oven rack.  Place over baking sheet.
  • Mix the ground flax and water.  Set aside.
  • In a food processor, pulse onion, jalapeno, and garlic, about 8 times.
  • Add black beans, oats, cumin, Worcestershire sauce, peppers, salt and flax mix.  Pulse about 10 times, stopping to hand mix it up and scrape down sides.  Should look like chunky bean dip.
  • Move to bowl and hand mix in breadcrumbs and corn.
  • Refrigerate for about 20 minutes (good time to get toppings prepared)
  • Roll bean mixture into patties, should form about 6.
  • Place on wire rack and cook for about 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.
  • Place between buns, wrapped in lettuce, however you like it.  Top with veggie yummies, avocado, tomato, lettuce, onion…Enjoy

These burgers offer good protein from the beans and are loaded with fiber from the corn, oats, and flax.

What’s your favorite thing to grill?

Avocado Fries

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Wowzer!  It has been busy busy in my hood!! I have hadly even had time to think about posting.  A camping trip, wine tasting trip, and too many weeknight plans have been keeping me a little strapped for free time.  Things are winding down now, leaving me more time to come up with some fun and yummy posts!

I was looking through Sunset magazine and saw this recipe.  Since I’m not one for fried foods, I decided baked avocado fries would be a much better idea.  I thought I had done almost everything with avocados…the standard guacamole, plain, salted, hair masks, etc, but these “fries” might be one of my new favorite ways to enjoy one of faaaavorite foods.  Rich, creamy, and crunchy…perfection!

All you need is:

  • 2 ripe avocados – halved then sliced into wedges
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • a few pinches of salt and pepper
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk, or any non-dairy milk
  • 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
  • 1 tablespoon melted vegan “butter” – I use Earth Balance
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/4 tsp pepper

As a dip, I made a spicy vegan garlic aioli.  It’s super easy, but use anything you like, or enjoy them plain!

For the aioli, you need:

  • 3/4 cup vegeniase – I use the soy free version from Follow Your Heart.
  • 2 minced garlic cloves
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tablespoon Sriracha – Add less or more, depending on how spicy you like it!

Assembly Line

1.  Mix all the ingredients for spicy aioli dip in bowl.  Cover and refrigerate until serving.

2.  Preheat oven to 450 F.  Grease a wire rack oven baking sheet.  If you don’t have a wire rack, foil the baking sheet, grease, and flip slices halfway through baking.

3.  In 3 small separate bowls, prepare assembly line for “fries”.  In bowl one, mix flour with a few salt and pepper pinches.  In bowl two, pour the non-dairy milk.  In bowl three, combine bread crumbs, butter, salt, paprika, and pepper.

4.  One by one, dip avocado slices in flour, dust off excess.  Then dip in milk.  Then roll in bread crumbs.  Place on baking sheet.  Repeat.  It will get messy, but it’s fun!!  Bake in oven for 20 minutes.  Remove, cool for about 5 minutes and serve with yummy dip.  Enjoy!

Kale and Mixed Bean Soup

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It’s not very often I find a vegetable or fruit I don’t like.  I’m lucky, the list is short.  Blueberries are on the list, and strawberries only came off the list a couple of years ago.  It’s weird, I know.  Kale was on the list too.  I just couldn’t get into it.  The only way that green monster produce was getting into my diet was by way of juicing.  And that’s only because when juiced with other things, I don’t taste it’s in there.  It wasn’t me kale, it was you.  I know you are so nutritious, help fight cancers, high in Antioxidants, and really help detoxify the body, but I don’t know that you will be a go to veggie for me…

Well, that mindset changed recently.  Yep, kale is being cooked with in this house!  No longer being masked in juices, it’s now being celebrated as a main ingredient.  Not sure if my mind is playing tricks on me, but I’m just going along with it.  Kale is so good for the body, and I am happy that my body decided to come around to it.  

This soup felt super hearty, packed with nutritious veggies and beans.  It was easy to make and I had plenty of leftovers for lunch and dinner then next couple days.  

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What you’ll need:

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary
  • 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • a few stocks of celery chopped
  • 4 cups of packed kale, stemmed and chopped
  • 1 can black beans, organic and low sodium
  • 1 can cannellini beans, organic
  • 1 large tomato, diced
  • 1 quart of vegetable broth, low sodium
  • salt and pepper

In a large pot on medium heat olive oil.  Cook onion and garlic until softened, about 5 minute.  Add rosemary and a few pinches of salt.  Toss in carrots and celery, cook until almost tender, about ten minutes.  Add kale, mixing until kale cooks down, about 7 minutes.  Once kale is cooked down but not completely wilted, add in beans and tomato.  Mix well.  Add quart of vegetable broth and several pinches of salt and pepper, mix and let cook on medium heat for another ten minutes.  Reduce heat and let simmer until ready to serve.

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Enjoy!!

xo – Gigi

Zucchini Patties

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I LOVE zucchini!  It’s not joke.  L-O-V-E.  If you have ever lived with me or just been around me long enough, you could have witnessed me eating zucchini maybe twice a day for weeks straight.  I use to be pretty basic with it though.  Cut into small rounds, tossed with a little salt and olive oil, then baked for several minutes.  Recently though, I have been trying to get a little more creative and make them into a more substantial meal.

Meet my Zucchini Patties!  I use to make these when I ate dairy, so I had to mess around for a bit before I could get the right mixture for the patties to hold and not be too runny.  While they may not look particularly appetizing, I think they are quite tasty.  They past the family taste test.  No leftovers.  And packed full of veggies and fiber via flax!  And they were easy to make!  Did I sell you yet?

What you’ll need:

  • Zucchini, shredded, about 2-3 cups –> I shredded 4 small zucchini…VERY important to wrap in paper towel after shredding to soak up some of the water, soak as much as you can
  • 1/2 onion chopped
  • 1 red or green bell pepper, chopped
  • 3/4 cup of bread crumbs, i used Italian seasoned breadcrumbs –> if you have some extra slices around, grind in a food processor
  • 1/4 cup of unbleached whole wheat flour
  • 2 TBSP ground flax-seed
  • 1 small jalapeno, chopped –> my patties were spicy so lessen or omit if you don’t like some kick!
  • 1/2 cup of “cheese” –> I use Daiya cheddar, next time I will try the mozzarella though
  • 1 “egg” –> I mixed 1TBSP oil, 2 TBSP water, 2tbsp baking powder
  • Salt & Pepper
    *add any other chopped veggies you think you mix well!

Mix all the ingredients well in large bowl.  Heat medium or large pan with oil over medium heat.  Spoon rounds into pan, about a small pancake size.  allow to cook several minutes on each side.  Remove from heat and enjoy!  I placed our patties over sautéed spinach.  Topped over tomato slices or beside a fresh salad would also be a nice way to serve.  Makes about 6-9 patties depending on size