Vegetable Puree

 

Ingredients

1 medium onion
1 shallot
6-8 cloves of garlic
4 carrots
2-3 stalks of celery
2 small potatoes or 1 large potato
1 inch cube of fresh ginger (optional)
1/2 cup cabbage
3/4 tbs vegetable/olive oil
1/2 tsp celery salt
3 green onions
6 cups vegetable stock
S&P

How to make Vegetable Puree

This puree is so lovely and warming, no one will believe it is so easy to make.  I love purees because you don't have to worry about chopping as uniformly or cooking each vegetable perfectly.  Instead, you can just throw everything in a pot and let it boil away!

In a large dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat.  Add diced potatoes, carrots, celery, garlic, onions, shallot, ginger, salt and pepper.  Sweat for about 6-8 minutes until vegetables begin to color a bit.  Be sure not to burn the garlic.

Slowly pour in the stock, scraping the bottom of the pan with a spoon to pull up the yummy bits.

Bring to a boil and add in the cabbage, 3/4 of the green onions, and celery salt.  Reduce to a simmer and cook until all of the vegetables are very soft.

Puree with an immersion blender or a food processor in batches until smooth.  Taste and season with more salt and pepper accordingly.

Top bowls with remaining green onions and fresh cracked pepper.  Enjoy!

This is also a great soup for leftovers because nothing gets soggy or discolored.  I usually make it in such large batched because of that!

Taco Night!

Ingredients

Taco "Meat":
1/2 tbs vegetable oil
1 cup Boca Crumbles
about 1/4 packet of taco seasoning
1 small jalapeno, diced (optional)
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 tbs of water

Fixings:
1 tbs torn cilantro leaves
4-6 sliced grape tomatoes
1/2 cup cabbage/lettuce
1-2 green onions
sour cream (optional)
salsa
cheese (optional)
black olives, diced
Taco shells or tortillas, warmed

Avocado Sauce:
1 ripe avocado
1/4 cup milk
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup sour cream

 

How to make Taco Night!

Josh LOVES taco night, and this is a great meal that can be made together.  I usually have him make the "meat" part, and I cut up whatever veggies we are going to use. 

For this recipe, you can really make it your own.  Feel free to use soyrizo instead of crumbles or omit the dairy products for some awesome vegan tacos.  This makes about 7 small tacos, which is just enough to satisfy us both (or 3-4 regular people).

For the crumbles, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the broken up crumbles, onion, and jalapeno.  Saute for about 2 minutes and then add the water and seasoning.  Feel free to add more water if needed.  Cook for about 5 minutes or until heated through.

Assemble the tacos with whatever fixings you are using.  We tend to put the meat on the bottom and spread the sour cream down the sides.

If using the avocado spread, just puree all of the ingredients for this together and put into a squirt bottle.  This will keep for a few days in the fridge.

Enjoy!!

Green and Red Rice Pilaf

Ingredients

1 cup wild rice mix
2 cups vegetable stock or water
2-3 tbs apple cider vinegar
3 green onions, sliced
1/2 lb green beans, trimmed, cut, and steamed
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup cabbage, sliced
Salt and Pepper

 

How to make Green and Red Rice Pilaf

This is a yummy dinner or a hearty side dish that can be served both hot and cold.  The wild rice in the mix tends to turn the other rices a light purple/red color.

In a medium pan, bring rice and stock/water to boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Put the lid on, and cook for about 30 minutes or until tender.  (If using fresh green beans, you can steam them on top of the rice when the rice is about 10 minutes away from being cooked).

When rice is cooked, fluff with a fork and add the beans, cabbage, onions, tomatoes, S&P, and vinegar.  If serving cold, put in refrigerator.

Quinoa with Garlicky Vegetables

 

Ingredients

For the Quinoa:
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1.5 cups vegetable stock
1 pinch red pepper

For the Vegetables:
1 tbs oil
3 cloves garlic
1 shallot
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1 bunch kale, chopped
1/2 cup red cabbage, shredded
1 celery stalk, diced
1 green onion, sliced
a handful of cashews, lightly crushed

How to make Quinoa with Garlicky Vegetables

This is a very healthy dish that will make you feel full and satisfied without feeling heavy.  The crunch of the nuts, cabbage, and celery offer a nice contrast to the soft kale and quinoa.  As always, feel free to add more vegetables!

The recipe as shown also includes many ingredients that help cleanse the liver, which, let's face it, we can all use this time of year.

To prepare the quinoa (the only grain that's a complete protein), begin by rinsing the quinoa in warm water using a fine sieve.  Then, in a medium pot, bring the vegetable stock, quinoa, and red pepper to a gentle boil.  Cover, and reduce to a simmer.  Simmer for about 15 minutes, remove from heat, and let sit for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.

Quinoa is a very forgiving grain, so if you find that you do not have enough liquid, you can add more without ruining it.

For the vegetables:
In a large skillet/saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the minced garlic and shallot and cook for one minute.  Then, add the kale, coating it all in the oil.  Saute for about 2 minutes and then slowly pour in some of the stock. 

Let the kale wilt in the steam.  When the kale is just about done, add the cabbage and the celery.  If needed, add more stock.  Cook for about 4-5 minutes.  (I like my vegetables crunchy, so if you like them soft, feel free to cook longer).

Top the quinoa with the mixture and garnish with the nuts and green onion.  Enjoy!

Enchiladas Verdes

 

Ingredients

5 large flour tortillas
1 cup brown rice
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 cup cabbage
1.5 cups black olives
2 cups enchilada verde sauce
2 tbs oil
1 green chili
1/2 yellow onion
1/2 cup thawed frozen corn
about 8 strips of vegetarian chicken strips
2 green onions
1/2 cup cilantro
2 tsp ground cumin
sour cream

How to make Enchiladas Verdes with olives

This recipe is delicious and worth the extra effort.  If you eat meat, you can use real chicken strips.  If you are vegan, you can omit the sour cream.

The rice:
Drain about 1 cup of juice off of the tomatoes.  (I like to use tomatoes that also have chilies in them).  Add about 1/2 cup of the olive juice and 1/2 cup of water.  This is the stock in which the rice will be cooked.  Add this to the rice and bring to a boil.  Add 1 tsp of cumin, a few leaves of cilantro, and a few slices of the green onion.  Reduce to a simmer and cook until soft.

The green chili mixture:
Heat oil in a small skillet and add diced onions.  Cook for about 1 minute and then add the chicken and most of the diced green chili.  (I like to reserve some of it to top off the enchiladas).  Cook until the chicken had a nice crust and the chilies and onions are soft.  Then, add the corn and cumin and cook until heated.

Enchiladas:
Spread the rice on the tortillas.  Top with some of the chili mixture, 1/5 of the cabbage, olives, cilantro, and green onions.  Spread some sour cream on the tortilla and roll closed.  Place it in an oven safe baking dish.  Repeat this 5 times (or for however many enchiladas you are making).  Top with enchilada sauce, extra olives, green onions, and cilantro.  (You can also top it with cheese, if you like).

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes.  Serve with a dollop of sour cream and salsa.