Spicy Asian Noodles #Vegan

This super-quick meal is another great summer dish!  The cook time is minimal, so you're not going to heat up your kitchen.  I love the lightness of this meal in the summer!  Delicious served with an Asian cucmber salad.  

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Summer Cooking - Easy Refried Bean Tostadas

During the summer, I often take a lot more shortcuts with my cooking than I would normally.  


For this dish, I started with a can of refried beans, but you could always cook your own!  I typically get the spicy fat free kind, always be sure to check the ingredients label - some have lard in them.

I heated them and added tomatoes (16 ounces) and a handful of shredded carrots.  

I also sauteed some mushrooms in some chipolte sauce to add to the top.  

Put cheese on top of tortilla and heat in toaster oven until cheese is melted and tortilla is crispy.

Top with the beans and the mushrooms.  Top with lettuce as well if you have it! 

Enjoy your quick and easy meal!

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MMMM
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Just Another Meatless Monday
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Meatless Monday - Pierogis with Tomatoes

When it's summer, my meals lean towards quick and easy.  This meal took leftovers and added something new for a delicious dinner that came together in minutes!


I started off with some Mrs. T's Potato, Spinach, and Feta Pierogies.  This was my something new!

I gave them a quick saute in some extra virgin olive oil until they were lightly browned.  


Then I added my leftovers - cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and herbs soaked on oil.  I halved the tomatoes and threw them in the pan with the pierogies after they were browned.  I then sliced one round of mozzarella and laid it over the top - I didn't want too much since there was already feta in there!

What a light, delicious dinner!  

What are some of your easy summer meals?  

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MMMM
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Just Another Meatless Monday
my meatless mondays
Hearth and Soul
Tasty Tuesday - FTLOB

Mexican Pasta Salad

It's summertime!  So if you're like me, you're eating a lot of food that travels well these days.  We often eat at the park, beach, or a friend's house during the summer.  Even when it's at a friend's house, food may be sitting out for a while, so you want to make sure it's not something that will go bad!  This is a fast and easy pasta salad that you can take with you and it can stand the heat!

Mexican Pasta Salad

Salad:

• 1 box (13 oz) garden pasta 
• 1 C California Black olives, chopped
• ½ Vidalia onion, chopped
• ½ cucumber, chopped
• 1 (16 oz) can black beans
• 1 (16 oz) can diced tomatoes with chilis (can also use fresh tomatoes and a jalapeno)
• Handful of cilantro, chopped

Dressing:

• 2 T extra virgin olive oil
• 2 T salsa
• 2 T Jake’s California Chipolte Magic Dry Rub (or other dry rub of your choice)
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tsp lime juice

Bake pasta according to package directions.  Run under cold water to stop the cooking. 

Add the remaining ingredients. 

Add dressing, toss well. 

Top with feta or cheddar cheese, if desired.


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Indian Sloppy Joes

This recipe was born out of wanting to make another recipe and not having most of the ingredients, but I have to say, it turned out better than I would have ever imagined!  This is good on a nice big roll, on top of a baked potato, wrapped up in a tortilla, or just by itself!  I think it would make a great dip as well.  It is really addictive, thank goodness it’s really healthy!

One of those tastes better than it looks recipes!

Indian Sloppy Joes

• 1 C brown lentils
• 3 C water
• 4 Asian eggplants (the long slender ones), chopped
• ½ tsp garam marsala (optional)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp EVOO
• 1 tsp ginger, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2-3 tsp good quality curry powder
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes (more if you like it spicy)
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• ¼ tsp smoked paprika
• 16 oz crushed tomatoes in sauce
• Handful of matchstick carrots
• Salt to taste

1. Put the first four ingredients in a pressure cooker (I used my Instant Pot ) and cook for 20 minutes.  If you don’t have a pressure cooker, bring the water to a boil add the lentils and eggplant, cooking until soft, about 20 minutes.  Add water as necessary.
2. Once the lentils and eggplant are cooked, mash (I used a potato masher).
3. Put  oil in bottom of wok or other large pan.  Once it is hot, add the onions, cooking until browned, about 5 minutes. 
4. Add the spices and cook 2 more minutes.
5. Add the tomatoes and carrots.  Continue cooking for about 5 minutes.
6. Add the bean mixture from the pressure cooker and cook 15 more minutes on low.  

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MMMM
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Just Another Meatless Monday
my meatless mondays
Hearth and Soul
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Tropical Traditions Coconut Cream - A Review and a Giveaway!

One of my favorite foods is Thai food! Over the past few years I’ve started cooking it more and more often. One of the biggest problems I face when cooking Thai food is coconut milk. Most recipes call for it, but few use a full can. This has always been a problem for me. Sure I could freeze the leftovers, but they usually end up getting pushed to the back of the freezer and sitting there until they finally get tossed. I could use coconut extract, but I always felt that I would lose some of the “essence” of the coconut milk that way.

Well, I discovered that Tropical Traditions has a great solution to my problem! They sell Coconut Cream Concentrate, which is certified organic whole coconut meat in concentrated form. Just 1 teaspoon of this cream mixed with 6-8 oz water gives you coconut milk, or you can use it alone as a non-dairy creamer for your coffee or as an addition to your morning smoothie! I’m thinking I may use it in ice cream recipes that call for heavy cream! 


I tried it out in this recipe for Lower Fat Thai Peanut Sauce – I added a little bit more water to mine, because I was having mine over salad greens and wanted it to mix easily. I also cooked my tofu in a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, water and chili garlic sauce (1 T each). If you’re new to cooking tofu – don’t forget to press it before putting the marinade on! It will soak up a lot more that way.

The coconut cream worked great in this recipe – I went ahead and put in a full teaspoon, since I like the rich coconut flavor. It’s such a great deal when you compare it to the cost of coconut milk as well – it usually runs from $1.50-2.50 a can, and I’m pretty sure this one jar is going to last me well over a year! No more realizing I don’t have any coconut milk at the last minute or having to use all that room in the pantry to store the cans.


BUY IT: You can buy Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil here. It's currently on sale!


WIN IT: One lucky winner will win their own 32 oz bottle of coconut cream!  Open to US and Canada

Contest ends July 5th at midnight EST

Don't forget to check out my other giveaways here!

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Chocolate Banana Bread

Have you ever heard of Xylitol?  Me neither, until the friendly people over at Emerald Forest asked me if I would be willing to try it out in a recipe.  I'm not a fan of artificial sweetners, but xylitol is all natural - they make theirs with North American Birch.  To me, it tasted just like sugar, but it has 40% fewer calories and 75% fewer carbs.  What a great sugar substitute for people who can't have sugar or who are looking to cut back on calories!

I made a chocolate banana bread with mine, and it turned out delicious!  Sorry I don't have a picture : (.  It got eaten too quickly!

Chocolate Banana Bread

3 mashed bananas

3/4 cup xylitol

2 T ground flax combined with 6 T water (or 2 eggs)

½ cup butter, melted

1 ¾ cups flour

¼ cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325.  Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a loaf pan.

In a large mixing bowl whisk all ingredients together.  

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.  

Bake for about an hour, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

**I received xylitol for free in order to try it in a recipe.  I was under no obligation to post about it, and all opinions expressed are 100% my own.  

Vegan Buffalo Wings

This past year I've been working on getting rid of the processed foods that I use and replacing them with whole foods.  I realize that those frozen veggie patties, while convenient, are not that good for me and very expensive!  

Slowly I've been replacing my freezer items with homemade alternatives.  I love having items that can just be grabbed out of the freezer for a quick meal!  One thing that I've been hanging onto, however, is Morningstar's Buffalo Wings.  I just wasn't sure I could reproduce it!  After seeing several vegetarian recipes online, I decided to attempt a vegan version.  I'm so glad I did!  These are so delicious!

   

The texture isn't the same as the frozen version, but the taste is even better.  This makes a very wet mixture - that's okay.  As long as they'll hold together enough to get them on the baking sheet, they should firm up with cooking.  And the more buffalo sauce cooked in there the better in my opinion!  

Vegan Buffalo Wings

3 C (2 15 oz cans) Garbanzos or Peas

1/2 cup oats (process half in small grinder)

3/4 cup vital wheat gluten ( I use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Flour)

1/2 cup whole grain unseasoned bread crumbs

1/2 - 3/4 cup buffalo sauce

2 garlic cloves

1/2 cup onion, chopped

Directions

Drain and rinse the beans, mash in a mixing bowl. Can leave a few half beans for texture but no whole beans. Add all other ingredients and mix with fork and then knead with hands until firm and uniform.  You may need to add more vital wheat gluten or breadcrumbs.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Divide into patties or smaller “wings”.
Bake at 375 on a Silpat (or baking sheet sprayed well with oil) until firm and heated through, about 45 minutes. Turn once during cooking.


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MMMM
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Tropical Traditions Coconut Peanut Butter - A Review and a Giveaway!

My daughter loves peanut butter – I think for her it’s one of the major food groups!  A lot of peanut butters have a LOT of ingredients other than just peanuts.  Not Tropical Traditions!  Theirs is made of peanuts and coconut, that’s all.  The peanuts are 100 % organic, and the coconut is unsweetened.  I love the flavor the coconut adds to the peanut butter, the flavors go together so well!  My daughter is still on the fence about it, but I think she’ll come around. 

If you live in a hot climate like mine, the peanut butter will be a little on the runny side.  Or, you can keep it in the fridge and just remember to take it out well before using so it isn’t too hard to spread. 

Little Miss and I both enjoyed these yummy No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies! 

No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

• ¾ C sugar
• ¼ C TT Virgin Coconut Oil (or butter)
• ¼ C milk
• 3 T cocoa powder
• ¼ C TT Coconut Peanut Butter
• 1 ½ C oats
• ¼ C coconut flakes
• 1 tsp vanilla

1. Add first four ingredients to a saucepan and bring to a boil. 
2. In the meantime, pour the remaining ingredients into another bowl. 
3. After the mixture boils for one minute, remove from heat and pour into the bowl with the other ingredients. 
4. Mix well and then drop onto parchment paper or a nonstick cooking mat, allow to cool.  If it’s warm where you are, you may need to pop them into the fridge or freezer. 

Want to try out Tropical Traditions coconut peanut butter for yourself?

BUY IT:  You can buy Tropical Traditions Coconut Peanut Butter here.  When you check out, choose referred by a friend and use referral code 6967300 to get a free Virgin Coconut Oil book with over 85 recipes!  

Congratulations to the winner - comment #90!

Jena said...90

I tweeted about the giveaway!
(@suhodgepodge)

Don't forget to check out my other giveaways here!

**Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.  All opinions expressed are 100% my own. 

Mexicali Black-Eyed Pea Patties

These patties are some of the best things I've made in a while - I thought they were great!  I served them on a tortilla with a spicy sour cream, spinach, and sprouts.  They were very easy to put together as well!  If you're looking for something with some spice and fresh flavors, give them a try.  

     Mexicali Black-Eyed Pea Patties

• 1 ½ C Black-Eyed Peas
• ¼ C diced onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• ¾ C bell pepper, chopped (I used a yellow one)
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 2 tsp chipotle peppers in adobe sauce
• ¼ C pancake batter
• ¼ C bread crumbs
• 1 tsp cumin
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp salt

1. Mash black eyed peas, leaving some of the peas intact.
2. In the meantime, sauté the onion, garlic, ginger, and bell pepper in a little EVOO. 
3. Add the sautéed veggies to the black-eyed peas mixture and mix. 
4. Add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.
5. Chill mixture for one hour, and then form patties.
6. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Patties can also be frozen to heat later.  

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MMMM
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Just Another Meatless Monday
my meatless mondays
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Polenta Two Ways

Recently I decided I wanted to make something with polenta.  I had a ton of grits, and I’m not a big grits person, so I thought polenta would be a great way to use them up.  I found this recipe and decided to use it, adding some Italian seasoning and sun dried tomatoes.  It turned out pretty good, even better with this wonderful Italian topping.

Recipe One:  Italian Sauce

• One 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• One onion, chopped
• One red pepper
• One can artichoke hearts, drained
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
• 1-2  veggie sausage, sliced
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

1. Sauté onions and garlic in a little olive oil for about 5 minutes. 
2. Add mushrooms and red pepper flakes, sauté five more minutes. 
3. Add tomatoes, artichokes, and sausage.  Bring to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes. 
4. Serve on top of the polenta. 
5. This makes a great pizza topping as well!

However, after the first evening it wasn’t quite as tasty.  I sliced the polenta and warmed it up on a skillet, but it still wasn’t the same as the first time, since the polenta lost that crunchy/creamy texture.  I decided I needed to do something entirely different with the rest of the polenta, and came up with this second great recipe!

Mexican Polenta

• One onion
• 2 Cloves Garlic
• One can refried beans (I used low fat with jalapeno’s) – be sure to check the label and make sure there is no lard!
• One can green enchilada sauce
• Leftover polenta, or a tube of store-bought. 
• Mexican Cheese (about ½ cup)

1. Sauté onions and garlic in a little EVOO.  After 5-10 minutes, add the can of refried beans and ½ of the enchilada sauce.  Heat until sauce is bubbling.
2. Slice the polenta into ½ inch thick slices and lay down in a 8x8 glass pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. 
3. Top with the bean mixture.  Pour the remaining enchilada sauce on top, and cover with cheese. 
4. Bake at 350 until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

There really is polenta under this creamy topping - you just can't see it!

This was SOOO delicious!  I thought the Mexican flavors went perfectly with the polenta, plus the creaminess of the topping was a great contrast to the heftiness of the polenta.  And it was so quick and easy to put together!  I’m sure you could make the beans and sauce yourself and make it much healthier, I was just short on time.  

Be sure to check out the post below this one for a chance to get extra entries into an upcoming contest I'll have - I'm giving away an Instant Pot - rice cooker, pressure cooker, steamer, and more!

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MMMM
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Just Another Meatless Monday
my meatless mondays
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Spring Rolls - Meatless Monday

Spring rolls are one of my favorite foods, but for some reason I thought that they must be incredibly difficult to make.  Then one day I saw a post on Mi Chiamo Candace talking about how easy they were to make, and I knew I had to try making them myself!  She was right, they are very simple!

First I cooked my rice noodles.  I then tossed them with a touch of sesame oil and some random fresh herbs I bought at the Asian grocery store.

I then assembled the other ingredients I was using.  I used avocado, broccoli slaw, and the rice noodle mixture in mine, but the possibilities are endless!  I think some red peppers would be lovely, or some thinly sliced strawberries!

After assembling your ingredients, get your rice paper ready and a shallow bowl of warm water.  My bowl was a little smaller than the rice paper, which made things a little difficult.  Next time I'm getting the smaller size of rice paper because I think it will be a lot easier!

Now you're ready to roll - quickly swipe the rice paper through the water, then lay it down and put your ingredients in.  I put mine down on rice paper, and since this was my first time I didn't worry too much about making things pretty.

Then you just roll it up like a burrito! As soon as the rice paper touches itself it will stick.  Roll as tightly as you can - I'm still getting this part down!

Your spring rolls are ready for dipping!  I just used some Hoison, Bragg's, and  Sriracha for my dipping sauce.  You could also make a peanut sauce or sweet chili sauce.

I stored all the leftover fillings in small bowls, and made new spring rolls every day until I ran out of filling. This worked better than making the rolls all at once, because as they dry out the rice paper can get tough.  When only making one or two rolls, I just ran the rice paper under the faucet quickly.

Little Miss joined in on the fun with her own bowl of water and rice paper!

I hope this inspires you to try making your own spring rolls!

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MMMM
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Just Another Meatless Monday
my meatless mondays
Hearth and Soul

Leftover Makeover

Since I'm often only cooking for me, I end up with a lot of leftovers.  Fortunately for me I love eating leftovers, but sometimes it's good to do something new with what you have.  I had a little rice and a few black beans left over from various things.

Mix them up with some rotel tomatoes and cumin and you have a great tostada topping!  I also put some broccoli slaw on there to add some greenness to it.  Next time I'll probably add a jalapeno too - it didn't have the spice kick I thought it would!

Another great simple meal this week!

Meatless Monday - Sometimes Simple is Good!

We've had a really busy weekend here.  Dinner party on Saturday, and the Mardi Gras parade on Sunday.
So today I imagine I'll be eating pretty simple foods.  This is an incredibly easy dish to make, and it's also healthy and good!

Simple Asian Stir Fry

Saute some broccoli slaw in a little sesame oil.  Serve over rice (I used red rice), and top with a little of your favorite sauce - I used a miso teriyaki.

Super easy and fast!  Especially if you're already cooking the rice for something else.

Happy Monday!  I hope you'll join our blog hop today!

Vegetarian King Ranch Casserole - Meatless Monday

I had never heard of King Ranch casserole until I saw this post on Chez Cayenne.  I thought the flavors sounded delicious, so I decided to make it myself.  This casserole, reminiscent of enchiladas, consists of beans, fresh peppers and mushrooms, and a delicious creamy sauce.  I'm not kidding, this was one of the best sauces I've had in a really long time!

Her recipe calls for veggie chicken or seitan; I used tofu instead.  I sliced the tofu (9 oz) into cubes, splashed some Bragg's on it, and baked it in the oven at about 350 until it got crispy around the edges, turning once during cooking.  In the interest of using up things I had on hand, I used 12 ounces of oniony salsa left over from a party instead of an onion and a can of rotel.

I also used sour cream and a Mexican cheese rather than using the vegan versions, although I'm sure it would be easy enough to use those as well.  I didn't use roasted red peppers because I couldn't get the jar open (embarrassing, I know).  I think next time I'll just add some fresh red peppers in with the poblano.  For small white beans I used cream peas since I had some in the freezer that needed using.

 
These are the mushrooms and the poblano.  Don't they look delicious?  This was my first time cooking with a poblano - it's a really mild pepper, and easy to work with.

This is the cream sauce.  It has some sour cream and cheese in it, but really not that bad for you overall.  And the taste is HEAVENLY!

The finished product - it was so delicious!

This is linked to Hearth and Soul and My Meatless Mondays