Vegan Frijoles Charros

One day I'll get around to soaking dried beans overnight and cooking them for hours, but that's not today.  There's never enough time.  So I figured out a way to cheat use canned pinto beans while still developing a sauce for them to bathe in.  Very flavorful and so easy!  

Bonus: you can puree them or mash with a fork and you've got healthier refried beans or add a little extra broth or some salsa, puree and you've got yourself a dip.  I just love taking one recipe and morphing it into several different dishes.

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Makes about 2 - 1 cup servings

Ingredients

Cooking spray or oil
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup green pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp chopped jalapeno (optional)
1/2 cup diced tomato
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp chipotle powder (spicy) or smoked paprika (mild)
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Method

Heat a lightly oiled, high-sided skillet over low-medium then add onion, pepper, garlic, and jalapeno with dash of salt.  Cook 5 minutes being careful not to let the garlic get brown.  Stir in tomato, cumin, chipotle or paprika, vinegar and let it cook for a minute, then stir in broth.  Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.

Transfer mixture from the pan to a blender or food processor and puree.  Add back to the pan, season with salt and pepper to taste, and stir in the beans.  Let them cook over low heat for 5 minutes, then serve.

 

 

Summer Strawberry & Avocado Salad with Basil Dressing

I must confess I often roll my eyes when I see salad with fruit in it on a menu.  It's definitely not one of my favorite food combinations.  However, I love pairing avocado with fruit so I thought I'd give strawberries a shot.  Normally I try everything in sandwich form but I this time I thought I'd get some mache lettuce (pronounced "mosh"), throw in some toasted nuts, and top with some leftover basil cashew cream sauce that I use on pasta.  Turns out it doubles as a salad dressing and basil goes so well with strawberries.  If just making it as a dressing, I simplify it a bit, cutting out the onion and sauteeing. 

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Ingredients

Lemon basil cashew cream dressing (makes about 1 cup)
2 garlic cloves
1/3 cup cashews soaked overnight
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 - 1/3 cup vegetable broth, water from cashews or plain water
1 handful of basil leaves (or more to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste

Mache lettuce (or spring greens)
Sliced strawberries
Sliced avocado
Slivered almonds, toasted (also good with toasted pine nuts or pepitas which are roasted pumpkin seeds)

Method

Add dressing ingredients to a blender and puree.  Simply plate your salad ingredients and pour dressing over it.

BBQ Tempeh Sandwich with Coleslaw & Avocado

 

Can it just be summer already!?  The days are getting longer, the flip flops have had a couple outings, and baseball is here but I'm done with wearing a coat to the games.  So yea, I've been daydreaming about all things summer and it shows with what I've been craving.  

 

This is the first of many summer recipes that I'll be cooking up.  The marriage of a smokey barbecue sauce and a tangy coleslaw is simply divine.  Add in the avocado, put it between bread, and it's heaven!  It's important to get a stellar barbecue sauce and if you're vegan, read the ingredients.  Some have worcestershire sauce in them and therefore can have anchovies (yes, many worcestershire sauces have anchovies).  Some BBQ sauces also have honey so heads up for those who may avoid that as well.  I love Stubb's or Trader Joe's Kansas City Style Barbecue Sauce, which is pretty kickass.  Check out it's 5 out 5 stars  review on this site loaded with reviews of barbecue sauces. 

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Makes 2 sandwiches

Ingredients

Tempeh
1/2 package of tempeh, sliced
Barbecue sauce

Coleslaw
2 Tbsp unsweetened almond or soy milk
2 tsp distilled white vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp vegan mayo, such as Earth Balance or Vegenaise
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp grated onion
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups shredded or chopped cabbage
1 small carrot, grated

Slice bread or roll
Avocado, mashed


Method

Place sliced tempeh in a shallow tupperware or dish.  Slather on the barbecue sauce with a brush (a small spatula or spoon will work) getting it all nice and coated. Let it sit in the fridge for an hour.

While it's marinating, make your slaw.  This is also best if it has a little time to sit.  Mix your almond milk, vinegar and lemon juice in a bowl.  Give it a stir and let it sit for a 5 minutes.  Now whisk in your mayo, sugar, onion, salt and pepper.  Make any adjustments to suit your taste.  Add cabbage and carrot and toss to thoroughly coat.  Set in the fridge.

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.  Take tempeh slices and lay on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silpat.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, flip pieces and bake another 10-12 minutes depending on how thin the tempeh is sliced and how crispy you want it. 

Take some mashed avocado and spread on one or both slices of bread.  My favorite way to assemble is bread w/ avocado, tempeh, spread on a little extra barbecue sauce, coleslaw, bread w/ avocado.  Dig in!

 

Crispy Tofu Tacos

 

Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner so it couldn't be a better time for perfecting some of those Mexican inspired recipes, of course done vegan and healthy.  When I teach cooking classes people always ask me for tips on cooking tofu.  I think getting the right texture is the biggest challenge when cooking with tofu.  In this recipe I've used one of my secret weapons, the vacuum packed tofu that's already been pressed.  Not the kind in water that you have to drain and press yourself.  This way you cut out a step and the tofu already has that firm texture.  You definitely wouldn't a watery, mushy mesh of tofu in your tacos. Yuck.

 

 I love the House Foods Vacuum Packed Tofu, and the Cutlet is great too because it also has a "skin" on it, as well as great texture. And bonus - they're CERTIFIED ORGANIC and NON-GMO CERTIFIED. So, so important when buying soy products. You can read more about GMO's (Genetically Modified Organisms) on the Non-GMO Project site.

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Makes 4 tacos

Ingredients

1 Tbsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp chipotle powder or cayenne (optional)
2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 8oz. package vacuum packed tofu such as House Foods (not the kind in water)
1/4 cup diced onion (or add 1/2 tsp onion powder to spices)
4 crispy taco shells, warmed in the oven

Fixins: Avocado (mashed with a pinch of salt), pico de gallo, shredded lettuce, hot sauce

Method

Mix spices in a bowl, then add soy sauce.  Crumble tofu into the bowl and mix with a fork to further break up tofu and thoroughly coat with spices. 

Heat a skillet sprayed with cooking spray or lightly coated with oil.  Add tofu and onion.  Cook over medium-heat, stirring a few times, for about 5-8 minutes.  Spoon into tacos shells and pile on the fixins!

 



No-Bake Lemon Coconut Bars

 

I love lemon anything and I love coconut anything.  And I love the two together .  One of my all-time favorite desserts is the lemon coconut bundt cake in my Veganomicon cookbook but unfortunately I can't eat cake everyday. Since I've been experimenting with making my own version of Lara Bars, I had to do one of my favorite flavor combinations.  Oh boy, it did not disappoint.  I feel way less guilty about devouring these little treats that are raw, vegan, whole food ingredients, with no sugar added.  

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Makes about 20 1-2 inch squares

Ingredients

1 cup raw cashews
2 cups dried dates, pitted
3/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
Zest of one lemon
2 tsp lemon juice
Pinch of salt

Method

Note: If your dates aren't very soft, soak them in hot water for 10 minutes or until softened.

Blend cashews in a food processor until it's just beginning to turn from a powder to a nut butter.  This will take a few minutes so be patient.  Now add your dates and process until it all comes together.  This could also take a few minutes.  Scrape down the sides if needed.  Now add remaining ingredients pulse several times until all incorporated. 

Remove and place on parchment paper.  Press into a square or rectangle and place another sheet of parchment on top.  Optional: use a cast iron skillet to flatten the top.  Chill in the refrigerator for about an hour, then cut into squares.  Store in the refrigerator.