For Alysa

This recipe is dedicated to my friend Alysa who reads this blog. Friends... you may be interested to know that she is the author of a delightful book blog! Find that HERE. She often blogs about children's books and I know we are all on the look out for good ones!

The reason this post is dedicated to her is because it uses dry beans which I know she has an abundance of and wants to use! When we made this last night and really liked it, I wanted to share it with her and I know that she reads this blog. This one's for you friend!

Slow Cooker Garden Vegetable Sauce with Chickpeas (From America's Test Kitchen)

2 tbsp olive oil
3 onions, minced (I did one whole and it was great!)
2 carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise and cubed (I did 4 carrots. just 2? They must have been large!)
8 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup flour
2 cups veggie broth
2 cups water
1 1/4 cups dry chickpeas, picked over and rinsed
2 bay leaves (Alysa, if you need some I have a ton! Beachy's sells them for super cheap!)
1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cubed
2 tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
6 oz baby spinach (6 cups)
salt and pepper
parmesan cheese- optional
Short Pasta to serve over (we used a whole grain penne. It was great! The picture has it over regular bow tie pasta. I wish they made a whole grain bow tie! I also think this would be good over rice)

Cook onion, carrots, garlic and red p flakes in oil till onions are soft. Stir in flour and cook 1 min. Slowly stir in 1 cup of the veg broth to thicken, avoiding lumps. Transfer to slow cooker. Stir water, chickpeas, remaining broth and bay leaves into slow cooker. Cover and cook until chickpeas are tender (9-11 hrs. on low, 5-7 on high). Stir in zucchini, cover and cook on high until tender (15-20 min). Discard bay leaves. Stir in tomatoes and spinach and let sit till heated through and spinach wilts (5 min). Stir in salt and pepper before serving. Serve over cooked pasta with parmesan if desired.

Hope your week is off to a good start ladies!

Slow Cooker Ratatouille

Guys! I made my own recipe today! It wasn't as beautiful as my fancy ratatouille, but the flavor was very nearly the exact same. And you know what? I have decided I am not in a 'fancy ratatouille' phase of life. I am in a 'slow cooker ratatouille' phase of life. And I am coming to terms with that!

Ashlee's Slow Cooker Ratatouille

4 small zucchini or summer squash or both, chopped in bite size pieces (cubes not circles)
1 large eggplant, chopped a bit larger than the squash (skin on)
1-2 bell peppers (red, orange or yellow work best!), seeded and diced
6 -7 cloves garlic, smooshed and minced
1/2-1 whole onion, chopped fine
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes with juices
1 (6oz) can italian style tomato paste
salt, pepper, italian seasoning and red pepper flakes to taste
a squeeze of agave or a bit of sugar (2 tsp?)

Crusty bread, or cooked brown rice, or couscous to serve with or as a base to put the ratatouille atop. (We did ours over brown rice which was good, but I was thinking this would make a good sandwich with toasted garlic crostini and some mozzarella!)

Sour cream to serve with (The french would find me sacrilegious I'm sure for putting sour cream on ratatouille, but I don't care! We like it! Corey likes his without though, and the baby had his without too.)

Cook until the veggies are mushy but not disintegrated.

That's it! Pretty easy, and it made the house smell so good. I am a ratatouille addict! And I am so glad the whole family likes it too. Even the baby thought it was delish!

Falafel

My friend made this for us when Truman was born. It's a new family favorite!

Falafel

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons tahini
1 egg
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 clove minced garlic
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup flour (I use whole wheat, it works fine)
2 tablespoons chopped onion
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
olive oil

For Serving: Pita Bread, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion and Yogurt Sauce (recipe follows)

Pulse chickpeas in processor until mostly smooth but still chunky. Stir in remaining ingredients except olive oil. Form into patties, cook in oiled pan over med/high heat 3 minutes each side. Drain on towels if necessary. Serve in halved pitas with l,o,t, and sauce.

Yogurt Sauce: (I find we only need half of this recipe)

2 cups plain yogurt
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1 tablespoons cumin
Salt and Pepper to taste

mix together :)

We find this recipe totally crave-able. Love it.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Jambalaya

Thought you all might like another sweet potato recipe since 'tis the season for cheap ones!

Jambalaya:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large sweet potato peeled and cubed (about 2 1/2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced
14 oz. veggie broth
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
3/4 cup white rice (I know... "Boo! Hiss!" right? But it can't be helped, and it's so yummy!)
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

Toppings:
sliced green onions
chopped grape or cherry tomatoes

Heat oil in skillet. Cook Sweet Potato and Garlic until it starts to brown (2-3 min). Stir in broth, sauce, and pepper. Stir in rice. Boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 min. Stir in beans. Cover and simmer an additional 8-10 min. Top with onions and tomatoes when serving.

Two Easy Snacky/Mealy Ideas

Okay, these recipes both have cheese, but I think you could easily take it out if that is your preference.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Quesedillas

- Shred a peeled sweet potato. Saute it with a bit of olive oil, and some diced onion. Mix it with black beans and a little (seriously, it doesn't take much) shredded cheese. Use as filling between whole wheat tortillas to make some delicious quesedillas! Yummm! And so filling! Corey is particularly a huge fan. And I think black beans and sweet potatoes go together like peanut butter and jelly!

Homemade Hot Pockets

-Steam Broccoli Florets. Place in a bowl and run a knife through them to break them up nicely. Toss with some shredded cheese of choice (I do a sharp or pungently flavored cheese like parmesan to make a little go a long way) and white beans. Wrap up in whole wheat tortillas like a burrito. Place on lightly oiled baking sheet (lightly oiled so the tortilla will seal into a "pocket.") and bake at 400 degrees 10-12 min. I think I will enjoy experimenting with fillings for this!

Enjoy!

An Easy 2 for 1

Hi girls! I know it's been a while since I've posted anything on the blog lately. I found another win last night with my husband and thought I would share. This recipe comes from melomeals.blogspot.com. It's a really cool blog from a woman who lives as a vegan for $3.33 a day, (this budget is for herself only). You can also follow her on facebook at Vegan for $3.33 a Day. I've found some really great recipes on her site so far. This recipe is a quick and easy veggie burger base, (and admittedly I haven't tried it as such) that can be made into meat(less)balls. Click here to see her original post and directions.

Veggie burger base:

3 c hot beans

2 c old fashioned oats

1 envelope onion soup mix

Hot bean liquid if needed to bring the mixture together

Combine, (I gave it a few pulses in the food processor) form into patties and cook in a frying pan.

This is where I need to admit that before I read the recipe a few times I thought that hot meant spicy. I thought she meant to use like chili beans or something. No, she means like a fresh batch of hot (temperature wise) beans right out of the pot. I'm sure you're all smarter than me, but just in case. ;)

For the meat(less)balls:

1/2 recipe of the burger base

1/2 t oregano

1 t garlic powder

pinch ground fennel

1/4 t sage

1 t balsamic vinegar

pepper

Combine. Form into balls and microwave for 10 minutes. They should be hard; they are intended to reconstitute in your sauce. Simmer in your sauce and enjoy! (These will soak up your sauce quite a bit. You may want to make it more saucy than usual?)

I didn't have any fennel, used the whole batch of burger base and doubled everything but the garlic powder. For me a little of that goes a long way.

The whole reason I tried these: first, my husband used to love when I cooked a roast with onion soup mix. I wanted to give him a familiar flavor while trying something new. This really helps him when trying meat alternatives like this. (If you don't want to use a prepackaged and processed mix there are ideas in the original post and comments for substitutes.) Second, I don't have a working oven right now so a veggie burger base that can be cooked in a pan and meatballs that can be cooked in the microwave were a big win for me. In fact she says that these won't taste as good baked. They'll be too dry.

This was the easiest veggie burger recipe I've tried and it was SO good. The flavor was spot on, they were a good chewy texture for my husband and they really added a heartiness to our dinner. She does have several other veggie burger recipes, so if this one doesn't look to be to your fancy, browse around her site. I'm sure you'll find something you like.

Another fun site I found recently is chefchloe.com. Chef Chloe won the Food Network's Cupcake Wars with vegan cupcakes. Pretty cool, huh?! Her site has a blog, recipes, etc. Anyway, I tried her Panang Curry last week and it was also a hit with the husband. (I left out the tofu and added more veggies; peas, carrots and the like.) It was a really good compromise for us because I actually hate curry, but the flavor in this one was a little more subdued and balanced out by everything else. He got curry and I didn't have to choke it down. ;)

Anyway I hope you're all doing well! Happy Holidays!! Can you believe it's November already?!

Better Shepherd's Pie

I posted a Shepherd's Pie a while back. It was okay, but I found this recipe and absolutely love it! I have been searching and searching for a good one because S. P. was one of my favorites growing up. I'm so glad I have something similar, but much more healthy, now!

Shepherd's Pie

Garlic Mashed Potatoes (6-8 russets, boil, drain, mash with "butter," rice milk, parsley, salt/pepper, & either roasted garlic cloves or garlic powder)
2 Large Carrots, Sliced
1 (16 oz) Package frozen mixed veggies
olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes, drained lightly
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
garlic powder, oregano, basil, chili powder, and a bit of agave - to taste
Paprika

Make the mashed potatoes- and meanwhile... Cook the carrots and mixed veggies. Set veggies aside. Cook onion in a bit of olive oil. Add beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce and spices. Add veggies (drained of excess liquid). Cook until flavors can meld- about 3 min. Place in bottom of a prepared 9x13 pan and top with dollops of garlic mashed potatoes. Smooth out and sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 375 for 20 min.

Yumm!

Poor Irish Hash

I don't know what it is about me and cabbage lately. Shay, when you said that you had never eaten cabbage until recently I could totally relate. It never appeared in our house growing up except in KFC coleslaw. Anyhow, I am discovering it is one of my favorite veggies. I love it in soup, salads, and main dishes alike. This recipe is one of my faves. Eat it and feel like a poor irishman. Fun! Don't worry, you'll enjoy it because it's not the ONLY thing you eat :)

Irish Hash

2 tablespoons olive oil, more for drizzling
5-6 medium red or yukon gold potatoes, diced really small
1/3 cup chopped onion
thyme
1 can white beans- great northern or canellinni, drained and rinsed
1/4 head of large cabbage, very thinly sliced (I do it in chunks so it ends up being 2 inch long thin slices)
salt and pepper

Heat oil to med high in large non-stick pot (mine isn't non stick, but we manage). Cook potatoes 5 min. browning all sides. Add onions and thyme. Cook some more. Keep scraping and tossing. Stir in cabbage and stir until starting to wilt adding more olive oil if necessary. Add beans, salt and pepper. Keep a stirrin' and a scrapin'. When all heated through and cabbage is wilty-ish but not dead remove and serve.

Paella

A very successful dinner last night! I was a bit worried about all the different flavors, but they actually went really, really well together. The whole family had more than one helping and there were smiles and compliments all around. It's a keeper for sure! I was actually thinking it would be a good recipe to make with guests over.

I got it from Betty Crocker's Easy Everyday Vegetarian Cookbook.

Paella

1 cup uncooked brown rice
1 pound of asparagus, cut in 2 inch pieces
3 cups fresh broccoli florets
2 teaspoons olive oil (I omitted this and it was fine)
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
2 small zucchinis, chopped in bite size chunks
1 med. onion, chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon tumeric
2 large tomatoes, chopped
2 cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
10 oz. frozen peas, thawed and drained

Cook rice as directed on package. Set aside and keep warm. Heat some water in a large pot (all of those veggies will NOT fit in a skillet- go for a soup pot!) Add asparagus and broccoli- steam about 4 min, and drain any excess water. Add oil to pan if using, add pepper, zucchini, onion, salt and tumeric. Cook about 5 min more. Stir in remaining ingredients including rice. Heat through and serve.

Yummm!

Shepard's Pie

Shay, I thought your meat and potato man might like this. I got the original recipe from Betty Crocker's Easy Everyday Vegetarian which I checked out of the library this week. I tweaked it, and thought it was better :) So that's what I'm posting :)
Easy Shepard's Pie

2 cups chunky salsa
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen green beans (not in original recipe)
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 can pinto or kidney beans, drained and rinsed (original recipe calls for 2 cans kidney beans... I used pinto because it's what I had, but will stick with it I think)
Mashed Potatoes (I had one large russet potato with about 6 small/med red potatoes- I peeled the russet but left skins on for the red. Boiled till tender, mashed with small amount of trans fat free margarine, rice milk, and smidge of salt and pepper- the original recipe calls for boxed potatoes- yuck! I love the taste of the slightly sweeter red potatoes, and I left the skins on for the added nutrition)

In a covered skillet cook salsa, corn, green beans, carrot and beans until carrots are tender stirring occasionally. (I added a tablespoonish of water). Place in casserole pan, top with mashed potatoes. Cover. Bake at 375 about 5 min until bubbly.

Not a terribly impressive meal, but we thought it was tasty :)

A Recipe and an Update

I'll start with the recipe in case you don't care to read on. ;) This comes from Dr. Fuhrman's book Disease Proof Your Child: Feeding kids right.

Mild Bean Chutney
1 c diced tomatoes
1 c shredded green cabbage
1 c shredded carrots
1 c diced green peppers
1/2 lemon
1/2 c diced red onions
1 c frozen corn, defrosted
1 c chickpeas
1 c frozen green peas, defrosted
1 t cumin
1 T wine vinegar
1 t Mrs. Dash
1 t garlic powder
1 c kidney beans
1 c black beans

Add the tomatoes to a small covered pot and steam the shredded cabbage, carrots and green peppers for only 5 minutes on the lowest flame possible in the pot. Stir in juice of 1/2 lemon and the onions, corn, peas, spices, and beans. Serve cold on top of shredded lettuce.

Will I get kicked out of the club if I admit I served it all warmed through on brown rice? And, I used canned beans, so I didn't want to waste the bit leftover after a cup. So it made a ton. But it was good. My kids all ate it without a fight, and even though I could tell Brandon didn't love it, he did say it was good and he would eat it again. And I do think the leftovers will be lovely cold on a salad today.

Now for the update......for anyone who's dying to hear about the new Vitamix. I LOVE IT!!!! I wish I could have taken a picture of my green smoothie for you this morning but my camera is dead. It was good; a splash of OJ, banana, a blend of frozen strawberries, peaches, mango and pineapple, spinach, flaxseed, and spirulina. We also had a little homemade granola with almond milk, (which Andrew said looked like dog food, but he still ate). The vitamix has made it so easy to eat things raw that we otherwise would have a hard time with in much quantity. It's definitely kick starting us into eating lots of veggies. Plus it can do all sorts of things like make nut butters and is an awesome food processor.

So our new lifestyle is consisting of lots of green smoothies and veggie juices, salads, and dinners like Dr. F's posted above. And making Em's raw treats. I feel so great! I finally have some energy coming back, and the best part? I feel so full! Even though I don't feel guilty about Emily's treats, I have one and I'm good. There's no internal fight to stop. And when I went to Walmart last night to stock up on more fruit, I walked right past the doughnuts and the Easter candy and thought, "Nah....not hungry." It feels great not to feel so "weak" in that area. My skin has cleared right up again as well. And I LOVE almond milk. MMMMMM......tasty. Even Paige has come to like having salad with me. The boys still prefer veggies and dip, but I'm sneaking enough greens in their smoothies that it's okay. I even had one chalk full of broccoli the other day and they thought it was so cool. Drank it right up. I'm hoping to move ever closer to being raw....but for now I feel like we're doing pretty well. No more dairy! YAY!!! That was huge for us. Next up will be learning to sprout grains, and dehydrate things. Do you do that Emily?

Oh and by the way.....if you can afford it, spirulina is SO COOL. No more B12 worries!

Emily, I'm so glad you're posting again....I'm trying all your stuff. I wished I lived closer to you so I could learn from you. Maybe I'd have done all of this a lot sooner. :) My husband is especially appreciating the treats. He thought "raw food" meant that he'd be gnawing on carrots and cabbage all day.....and that everything would taste like cardboard.

Thanks for all your support ladies! It's good to have friends like you. ;)

Three-Bean Chowder

Another recipe from 101 More Things to do With a Slow Cooker.  I use whatever beans I have in the house, but the refried beans makes the soup a little thicker and less "watery".  It's a good way to get more beans into your diet.

1 can (16 oz.) kidney beans
1 can (16 oz.) fat-free refried beans
1 can (15 oz.) black beans
1 can (14 oz.) vegetable broth
1 can (14.5 oz) diced stewed tomatoes, with liquid
1 medium onion, chopped (or 1/2 cup dried minced onion can be substituted)
3/4 cup chunky salsa
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cumin

Combine all ingredients in greased slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low heat 6-8 hours.

Vegetable Spaghetti Sauce

This is a hit at our house!  It makes a very hearty, thick and chunky veggie spaghetti sauce.  We had a ton of it left over one day and made a homemade wheat pizza crust and just spread the sauce on the top, no cheese, and baked it and it was so good, Jocelyn ate only the sauce and vegetables and left the crust.  This recipe is from 101 More Things to do With a Slow Cooker.  You just have to love anything that starts out looking like this in the pot, right?

1 large onion, chopped
8-10 baby carrots, cut in thirds
2 cans (4 oz.) mushroom pieces, drained (or one 8 oz. package of fresh mushrooms
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cans (14.5 oz. each) diced Italian tomatoes, with liquid
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
1 can (6 oz.) Italian-style tomato paste
2 tsp. sugar (I did agave)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. italian seasoning

Combine all ingredients in greased slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low heat 6-8 hours.  Stir well and serve over hot cooked spaghetti or other pasta.

Flaky Vegetable Pot Pie

This is from The Vegatarian Meat and Potatoes Cookbook

1 potato diced (I used one sweet potato and one Russet Potato)
Diced Onion
Diced Carrots
Frozen Peas (thawed)
Broccoli
[and any other veggies you want to include, this is a good recipe to use whatever you have in your fridge.]

Crust
I have a crust recipe, but it was much easier for me to use pre-made pie crust, so thats what I did.  If you don't have a good pie crust recipe, and want one, I have a tried and true one that is quite easy.

Preheat oven to 350*, lightly oil a casserole dish.

[Cook filling, I just steamed my veggies and softened my potatoes.  Don't steam all the way since they will be cooking quite a bit in the oven.  I just wanted to make sure that they would get done all the way, so I steamed them a bit before hand.  I bet it would work just putting them in raw too though, hmmmm, maybe I should have tried that before I posted this!  :D]

place filling inside pie crust, fold over and press edges with a fork.  Also press top of the pie crust with the fork too, to allow air to vent through.

Bake until heated through and the crust is browned.  40 - 45 mins

[If you want to use the least amount of pie crust possible, you can put in bake-able bowls and just cover the top with the pie crust.]

We really liked this.  It is a nice home-style recipe and it is nice to just throw in any veggies that you have that need to be used as well.  It's very versatile.

Slow Cooker Moroccan Stew over Couscous

Combine in Crock Pot and cook on high 4 - 4 and a half hours or more on low:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, diced fine
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground curry powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 med-large carrots, quartered lengthwise and chopped into 2 inch pieces (large julienne)
3 gold yukon or 1 large russet potato, cut in bite size pieces
1 can chickpeas, drained
3/4 cup pitted prunes, chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins
3-4 cups veggie broth

Add during last 30-45 minutes of cooking:

1 red bell pepper, cut to bite size
1 zucchini, cut to bite size

Serve over:

whole wheat couscous

This is a recipe we were introduced to at a Progressive Dinner. I changed it slightly to be completely vegetarian and a little less expensive. It's still kind of an expensive dish, but it makes a lot and it's really good. We splurged this week and made it. I don't think I would have picked this out of a cook book to make, so I'm really glad someone else made it and I just got to try it. My whole family really, really loved it. It was refreshing to have such different flavors for dinner. We sometimes get in a rut and this certainly was unique and tasty.

Original recipe came from THIS cookbook which I think I am going to buy. My friend told me that it has very healthy recipes and a lot are vegetarian- without being PURPOSELY vegetarian. There's not a vegetarian section or anything (I was glad to hear that, I think naturally vegetarian recipes are usually better than the ones that someone created just for the purpose of being vegetarian).

--Ashlee

Chimichangas

Cindy made this for our family and we really liked it!

Chimichangas

Filling:

8 0z chopped cabbage or 1 bag coleslaw mix
15 oz canned corn, drained
15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained (I use more than that)
1-2 cups shredded cheese (optional)
1 cup tomato, chopped (again, I use more)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup chopped green onion (works fine with normal onion if you don't have green on hand - or you could omit completely if you don't like onion)
1 small can diced green chilies
juice from one lime
1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon cumin

8 burrito sized tortillas

Optional Toppings:

Sour Cream
Salsa
Guacamole
Diced Tomatoes
Diced Onion
Sliced Olives
Chopped Avacado

Mix filling ingredients, divide between tortillas, roll to make a chimi, place seamside down in prepared baking dish close together (I usually use a 9x13 and a 9x9) Spray tops with oil. Bake 400 degrees for 20 min. Serve with toppings.

--Ashlee

Tomato Soup

I finally found a tomato soup recipe that I like. I have tried... no joke.. 4 recipes before this... all of which were horrible. I think the difference is that in this one there is more than just tomato. If any of you have a recipe for tomato soup I would LOVE to try it. We liked this one a lot, but if you had a good one you use I would want to know about it!

Tomato Soup - Family Fun

1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Onion, Chopped
3 Stalks of Celery, Chopped
1 Carrot, Chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, Chopped
1 28oz Can Tomatoes with Juice
2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
1 Teaspoon Oregano (I used more)
6 Cups Veggie Broth
2 Teaspoons Sugar
Salt and Pepper
Fresh or Dried Basil
1 Cup Milk (optional)

Melt butter in large pot. Saute onion, celery and carrots until soft. Add garlic and cook 1 more min. Add tomatoes, paste, oregano, broth and sugar. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 min uncovered stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Blend in batches in blender or food processor. Return to pot. Season with Salt, Pepper and Basil. Stir in milk if using.

We used the milk and liked how creamy it was even with just skim.

Sorry to post 2 days in a row! I just made this last night and wanted to share. Katie... Whitney... it's your turn for a recipe I believe!

--Ashlee

An Alternative Snobby Joe

Hey guys! Emily already posted a really yummy snobby joe recipe that uses lentils. I wanted to give you the one we use which uses black beans. I just basically stole Rachel Ray's sauce (and changed a couple of ingredients) and then substituted beans for meat. This is a family favorite at our house:

Ashlee's Snobby Joes

1 tablespoon olive oil
A few slices of onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped (red is best... green will do)
1 tablespoon-ish mustard (I just give it a good squeeze)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons (I like less) steak seasoning blend (we use McCormick Montreal)
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

Heat oil. Saute onion and pepper. Add all other ingredients and simmer for a few minutes.

Eat on Buns with:

Pickle Slices
Tomato Slices
Barbeque Sauce

Yumm.

Random thought: I recently switched from packaged, pre-chopped garlic to fresh. I am loving my new life. Do any of you have an opinion on that?

Random thought #2: I don't think I'm going to the trouble of adding color etc. on my posts anymore. I'm boring.

Ratatouille's Ratatouille

Last night we were invited to a friends house for a BBQ and guess what?!? They didn't serve meat. She asked if my kids would eat hot dogs... wherein I was obliged to explain our eating habits... and she was nicer than anyone I have ever had to explain it to. Then when we got there she had prepared all these amazing veggie dishes. They were SO good. We had THIS Ratatouille recipe served on top of couscous and topped with a little sour cream (the recipe called for goat cheese but that stuff is gross so she substitued sour cream. It was really good but I would call it optional... Corey had his without). and I told her I MUST have that recipe. I will never make my recipe of Ratatouille again. This one was SO good. Anyway I wanted to share it with ya'll seein' how I love ya so much! I am wondering if she substituted tomato sauce for crushed tomatoes... but I think it would be delish either way. Also I think she just covered with tin foil instead of doing the paper. Whatever. It was great!

Hope you're all having a lovely morning!

PS- I think I am going to have to peruse Smitten Kitchen a bit more... her recipes look great!

Veggie Burgers

Ash has an awesome Black Bean burger recipe that is an Ashlee Original, and it is delicious, I just found a new one that we like a lot too, so I wanted to share.

I found it from Allrecipes, and I am never really sure if it is ok to just copy and paste someone else's hard work, so I am going to link over to it and give credit where credit is due and then put the whole thing on here too...just so we don't have to go jumping from one site to the other.

We really liked this burger. It stayed together really well. We most recently had ours with corn on the cob, seasoned oven fries, and strawberry and raspberry salad. Delicious!

I do have to say one more thing. I have a hard time getting my 'veggie burgers' or 'black bean burgers' to be the right consistency. I really liked the idea of the rice in this recipe to help it stay together a bit. Also, it give it a bit more protein, and there is not a ton in there, but it seemed like just enough to keep it together a tad better.

Recipe from Allrecipes.com
Best of Everything Veggie Burger

1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
1 cup water

2 (16 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained (I found if I let mine dry for a bit, it works better too)
1 green bell pepper, halved and seeded (I used an orange pepper, I loved the added color)
1 onion, quartered
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (I used WAY more mushrooms than this :))
(also, I think that really any veggie that you want to add will work, I have had veggie burgers with corn and other things added as well.)
6 cloves garlic, peeled
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (we omitted the cheese, We normally like to have a slice melted on the bun that we are using)
2 eggs
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon hot sauce (Ok, this is where I always use my own seasoning. I didn't follow this at all. I used a BBQ seasoning rub, and it was delicious! Probably more sodium, but we didn't use a ton of it, and it was really good)
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs, or as needed

Bring the brown rice and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender, and the liquid has been absorbed, 45 to 50 minutes.

Mash black beans in a large bowl with a fork until thick and pasty; set aside.
Place the bell pepper, onion, mushrooms, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor, and chop finely. Stir the bell pepper mixture into the mashed black beans.

Place the brown rice into the black beans and mix. (the original recipe says to food process the cheese and the beans, we didn't do this)

(We like ours chunky. I didn't food process anything, I just chopped everything really fine, and added it into the black beans. I added the rice whole as well.)

Whisk together the eggs, chili powder, cumin, garlic salt, and hot sauce. Stir the egg mixture into the black bean mixture. Stir in the bread crumbs, adding additional bread crumbs as needed until the mixture is sticky and holds together.

Divide into 6 large patties.

To bake the patties: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and lightly oil a baking sheet. Place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side.

We almost always serve our sandwiches or burgers with sliced red onions, red leaf or romaine lettuce, sliced tomato, avocado, sprouts, and mayo and mustard.

So, after reading over the recipe the original way, and the way we did it, that might be the reason I have a hard time having my burgers stay together or be the right consistency, I change things up too much! ha! Ah well, these ones worked really well for us! :D