Tostada Potato

I would like to use Christmas as my excuse for not posting very often this week, but I like to do things in advance, so my Christmas chores have all been done for well over a week. The truth is that I've been  depressed about the loss of my sweet little Schroeder and I haven't been cooking very much. We've been getting lots of takeout and watching too much tv. (I'll let you in on a little secret here - being a person who does things in advance, I do a lot of my blog posting ahead of time, so the posts about the cookie swap, tempeh piccata and curry were all done last weekend before Schroeder passed away.) But someone said something about baked potatoes on a show we were watched a few days ago, and Dennis and I immediately started craving potatoes. There's just something so warm and comforting about them. It was time to go into the kitchen and cook something.

Of course, I couldn't make just a plain ol' baked potato. I had to load it with stuff. Once I was done cooking it, I realized it was a tostada of sorts, but on a potato instead of a tortilla. A potada, if you will. First the potatoes were baked. While it was baking, I chopped red and green bell peppers, mushrooms and onions and sautéed them until everything was soft. Once the potatoes were baked, I cut them open and put a little Earth Balance on them. I topped them with the veggie mixture and Daiya cheese, and put them in the oven to let the cheese melt. I then topped dolloped on vegan sour cream and diced avocado. This was amazingly delicious, warm and comforting and it was very, very filling. I couldn't finish the whole thing!


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Vegetarian Slow Cooker

The people at Ten Speed Press were kind enough to send me a copy of The Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Lynn Alley. I was quite excited to find it in my mailbox, but disappointment set in once I remembered that I didn't own a slow cooker. Dennis solved that problem by buying me one for Valentine's Day. Most girls like getting flowers and chocolates for Valentine's Day, but I really like kitchen gadgets! (Last year he gave me a Vitamix!)

I had a really busy day yesterday and I knew it would be difficult to find time to make a good meal for dinner, so I decided to take the slow cooker on it's maiden voyage. I made Potato Artichoke Stew, which was super easy. The recipe called for a tomato sauce recipe from the book, which I didn't have time to make, so I used canned tomatoes. I cut all of the veggies up the night before, turned the slow cooker on in the morning before work, and dinner was magically ready when I came home! The meal was very tasty and I can't wait to try more recipes from the cookbook!

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Chili Night!

Chili's always a good, easy to make one pot meal. I'm incapable of making a small portion of chili, so Dennis and I always end up eating it for weeks. I've had people ask for my recipe, but the truth is that I don't really have one - I just throw lots of stuff in a pot. I usually use a large can of diced tomatoes and a large can of tomato sauce and I add a can each of pinto, kidney and black beans. To that I add chopped zucchini and summer squash, chopped onions and a variety of peppers, including some spicy ones. I use chili powder and cumin to taste to spice it up. I usually add a cup of tvp, but I left it out this time, since it's soy. I let the chili simmer for a while - usually a few hours - before we eat it.

I usually make cheesy double cornbread to go alongside my chili, but since I'm avoiding corn, I decided to make chickpea socca bread again. I got a little experimental with it this time and added a chopped chili pepper and a little nutritional yeast, which worked perfectly with the chili.

Not only was this meal delicious, it was extremely nutritious. The chili is packed with lots of healthy veggies and beans. Beans are a great way to add high-quality, plant-based protein to your diet. They are high in iron, B vitamins, calcium and fiber and are low in fat. So make some chili and don't feel guilty when you go back for a second helping!


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Collard Greens with Rice and Black Eyed Peas

This is a recipe from my friend Donna that I altered slightly. I chopped up half of an onion and sautéed it for a a few minutes and then added chopped collard greens. Then I added Trader Joe's Brown Rice Medley, vegetable broth and a can of diced tomatoes and let it all simmer together. Once the rice was almost cooked, I added a can of black eyed peas. This meal is nice and warming and is the perfect comfort food for a cold winter's evening!


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White Bean Mushroom Leek Quiche

I occasionally make a delicious tofu spinach mushroom quiche using a recipe from 101 Cookbooks, but since tofu (and spinach) is off the menu for now, I thought I'd have to go without it for a while. But I was wrong! I was quite happy to find a soy-free quiche in Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Vegan Brunch. The recipe uses cannellini beans and walnuts as a base and the quiche is made with mushrooms and leeks. Instead of walnuts, I used raw cashews that I had soaked overnight. You wold think that a quiche would be difficult to make and consume too much time, and you'd be wrong. The recipe was easy to follow. Most of the time spent on this dish was either in chopping veggies or waiting for the quiche to cook in the oven.

The base of the quiche was smooth and creamy ,and the mushrooms and leeks made it quite yummy. Dennis liked it so much he had two helpings! I plan on making this again and playing with different fillings.

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Comfort Food

With this crazy elimination diet, you might think that everything I'm eating is green and super healthy. Yes, I am eating lots of green, healthy food, but sometimes a girl needs something warm and comforting. Enter the Mac Daddy.

This recipe is from Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. The basic Mac Daddy is macaroni and tofu covered in a cheesy sauce made with nutritional yeast and I've made it a few times in the past. There are several variations on the Mac Daddy though, and one uses mashed chickpeas instead of tofu. Others involve adding various veggies. So I decided to try out the variations. I made rice pasta macaroni which tastes almost identical to wheat pasta. I mashed up some chickpeas and then added broccoli to mix. The result was a warm and comforting meal that pleased both my taste buds and my tummy!