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!

Easy Go-To Soup

This is probably our quickest, easiest, cheapest, go-to yummy soup.

Savory Bean and Spinach Soup

1 (32oz) box of veggie broth
1 cup water
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
4 large carrots, sliced
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 (1lb/16oz) bag frozen spinach
garlic powder, onion powder, basil and pepper to taste

Bring to boil. Simmer, covered, until carrots are cooked through.

Sweet Potato Drop Biscuits

You can buy 5 lb bags of sweet potatoes at a store in town for $0.49. Pretty sweet!

Here's a recipe we made with some sweet-potato-goodness last night:

Sweet Potato Drop Biscuits:

1 cup mashed sweet potatoes
3 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (I substituted honey, it was fine)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup whole wheat or whole grain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, or pumpkin pie spice (I used cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves)
1/2 teaspoon salt (I thought it was too much!)
2-3 tablespoons cold water as needed

Preheat 400. Mix wet. Mix dry. Mix together (don't overdo it!). Add water if necessary 1 T at a time and gently knead until it holds together (should be pretty wet). Drop in spoonfuls and bake 12-15 min. (I found it took longer to bake).

We had this with VEG HEAD CHILI. Yumm!

Slow Cooker Mexican Minestrone

2 cans black beans, d and r
2 cans mexican style stewed tomatoes
28 oz. veg broth
1 can corn, drained
1 can chickpeas, drained
2 cups diced red skinned potatoes
2 cups frozen green beans
1 large carrot, sliced
1 cup salsa
cumin, chili powder, and pepper to taste

Yumm!

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.

Fresh Corn, Cabbage and Black Bean Salad

Shay posted her favorite salad so I thought I'd post one of mine :) Plus we had it for dinner last night and I remembered how much I LOVE it. Like LOVE it. It's beautiful with all the different colors and tastes so light and fresh- perfect for summer!

Fresh Corn, Cabbage, and Black Bean Salad

3 large ears of corn, husked (ladies- do the fresh- don't get a can. I only make this in the summer)
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups shredded red cabbage (I just thinly slice)
1 large tomato, diced
1/2 cup minced red onion (optional)

Boil corn 3 minutes. Drain, and when cool enough to handle, cut corn off of the cob into large bowl. Brown nuts over med-low heat 2-4 min. Add to bowl. Whisk oil, juice, cilantro, S and P in small bowl. Add beans, cabbage, tomato and onion (if using) to corn and nuts. Pour sauce over. Chill for a while and serve.

Ashlee Notes: The original recipe only calls for 2 cups shredded cabbage. We think it needs way more. I adjust the lime juice accordingly and just do what tastes good to us. Another addition we love: Sliced Jalapeno - the kind that comes in a jar- pickled? I think? Anyway we like a splash of the juice in it, and Corey likes to put a few of the slices in his.

If anyone tries this, please let me know! This is my current favorite salad!

Barley and Veggie Soup

This comes from my cousin, Jamie's friend.  I wanted to post it so I could find it again easily.  This one is a keeper!  Jamie served it to me for lunch the other day and I loved it, so I had to make it again for dinner tonight.  Both Jamie and I did not add the milk at the end and it was still deelish.  

Barley & Veggie Soup

2 TBSP butter

1 large onion

½ Cup oat flour

4 Cup chicken stock

3 cloves garlic, minced

4-6 carrots, diced

½ large cauliflower, diced

1 head broccoli, diced

1 Cup water

1 Cup barley (soaked overnight)

1 tsp  basil

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

½ cup milk

Saute butter & onion in pan. Add flour and stir until it browns up. Slowly add 2 cups chicken stock while stirring. Allow to thicken before adding additional cups of stock. Add remaining vegetables, soaked barley, & spices. Simmer on low for 15-40 minutes (gets better with time). Stir in ½ cup milk about 10 minutes before you are ready to 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!

Hearty Green Smoothie

I just made this Hearty Green Smoothie this morning and I thought it was great.  I liked that it is a little more well rounded than my usual green smoothie in the morning.  It has spinach, a carrot, oats, almonds, a banana and an apple.  I thought it was much better colder, but maybe that's a personal preference.  I'll probably do frozen fruit next time so it's cold enough right when I make it, but for now, I just made a big batch and put it in the refrigerator.  Enjoy!

Here's a bad cell phone pic of mine, but there's a much better one on their site.  It really is green, not radioactive yellow. :)

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 :)

Burton Kale

Hey friendies... I was just wondering how many of you have greens on the side, and how you like to eat them? I am trying to serve a dark leafy green with every dinner. We try and vary the greens, and have a few favorites. Broccoli and Brussel Sprouts are easy go-to's, but we have been trying to branch out. Kale is the newest member of our family. I buy it at Walmart in this HUGIE HUGE bag, and it is already cut and washed which makes it easy. It seems to last well, and price wise totally comparable to buying a bunch, sometimes cheaper. This is our favorite way to eat it:

Burton Kale

Olive Oil
Tons of Kale- washed and chopped
Veggie Broth
Red Wine Vinegar
Italian Blend Mrs. Dash

I put about a tablespoon of the oil in, and heat it up. Next goes in the Kale - as much as I can stuff in the pan. Then I pour a bit of broth and vinegar over the greens, and season with Mrs. Dash. I put a lid on to steam it down a bit. I stir occasionally until it is the cook-edness that we like.

Anywhooooo... I would love any suggestions of how you do greens at your house. We do salads and stuff, but I don't like some of these heartier greens like Kale in salad. Too much for my teeth... and while my boys are awesome salad eaters, they won't do it either. Any ideas would be appreciated :)

One Success and One Failure

Let's go with the failure first... get that out of the way... This morning Aly and I decided to make zucchini bread. Yummm! But I wanted to incorporate all of our new goals so I couldn't use our standard recipe. I started by finding a no-sugar recipe HERE. Then I thought... okay how can fat-free-veganize it?!? So I used applesauce instead of oil, and a combo of baking powder/water for the eggs. IT WAS DISGUSTING! Like... WOW. So, so gross. Bummer!

Now here is my success story: Chocolate Pudding! Original Recipe HERE. It was quite tasty indeed. I doubled it with just a few adjustments... not too many... and it worked out great. Aly and I loved licking the spatula this morning, and I can't wait to serve it to the whole fam after dinner. It is chilling in the fridge right now in darling little ceramic bowls that are the perfect size! I have had these bowls forEVER, and never had a use for them. Now I do! The thing I am most excited about: Jack will eat it, I'm positive, and that is good because he has NOT liked avacados in normal form- on top of mexican recipes and whatnot- but I know he needs those good-for-you-fats! Okay enough chatter. Here's the recipe:

Vegan Chocolate-Avacado Pudding
(2 servings)

In a blender blend thoroughly:

1 peeled and pitted avacado
3 heaping tablespoons raw cacao (I used normal cocoa powder because I had it on hand)
1/3 cup agave nectar (I think this must TOTALLY depend on avacado size. Mine were medium and I got away with less... plus also, since I was doubling, I did half agave, half honey... you could definitely taste the honey, but I didn't mind it)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (I used kosher, and again- less)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup water (I was tempted to use almond milk, but it didn't need it, it was VERY creamy)

Serve right away or chill for later :)

I thought her suggestion of using this as a fruit fondu was great. It would go with any kind of berry or banana or kiwi etc. beautifully! If you happen to try this Shay, I hope Jocelyn likes it! Maybe call it something different than pudding?!? To not associate it with the memories of the puddings she didn't like? I'm curious... did YOU like the puddings you made?

Cauliflower Soup

I got this "recipe" from my student who has been doing this Healthy eating switch with me and I thought it was fantastic and super easy.  Thanks, Ellie!

She cooked 1/2 onion, 2 celery stalks, 1 carrot, 1 head cauliflower and 8 cups veggie broth... Cook it in a pot and then blend it! She put some mrs. Dash in it too!  I added potatoes and it was great!  I also did a few green onions instead of half an onion.  I used an immersion blender so I didn't have to transfer it from the pot.

White Corn Tortilla Soup

Had this for dinner last night... yummmmmmmm.

White Corn Tortilla Soup

3 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 1/2 7" corn tortillas, cut into 1" squares
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
2 tablespoons minced white onion (I used yellow, it was fine)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced jalepeno peppers
1 pound white corn kernels (1 lb=16 oz - I could only find it in cans)
1 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes, chopped
1/3 cup tomato paste
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon kosher salt (yes tablespoon- the tomatoes aren't canned and it needs more than normal recipes, although... I didn't do the FULL tablespoon)
1/8 teaspoon white pepper (I had white, but I'm sure black would do)
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 1/2 cups water
32 oz. veggie broth

Garnishes:

Tortilla Chips
Cilantro

In oil, fry tortilla squares over med-high heat until beginning to crisp. Add garlic, onion, and jalepenos. Continue to cook 1-2 more min. Remove from heat. Add 1/2 of the corn, and remaining ingredients except garnishes. Bring to boil. Boil 5 min stirring frequently. Either with a handheld blender, or using a blender in batches- blend until you have a course puree. Return to pot if necessary. Add remaining corn and bring back to a boil being VERY careful not to scorch. Remove from heat and serve with garnishes.

We had ours with sides of refried/salsa beans, and cooked kale. Kale didn't go great with it, but it was sure yummy anyway!

Sweet Broccoli Apple Slaw

Ashlee's Sweet Broccoli Apple Slaw

1 bag (12 oz) Broccoli Slaw or Rainbow Salad
1 large apple, shredded
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
a sprinkling of dried cranberries
Raspberry Pecan Vinaigrette

Toss and eat!

Yummmmmmm. Today broccoli slaw was on a MAJOR sale and so this is what I concocted for my lunch.

From the Broccoli Slaw alone I got:

200% Vit A
360% Vit C
16% Calcium
16% Iron
48% Folate
8 G Fiber
8 G Protein

and all for just 100 calories. Dr F would be proud.

Hope you guys are having a great day!

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

Crunchy Sweet Brussel Sprout Salad

We had this as a side for dinner tonight. YUMMO!!! I was wishing I had brought it for Thanksgiving. It was delish.

Crunchy Sweet Brussel Sprout Salad

1 Pound Fresh Brussel Sprouts
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg
Kosher Salt and Black Pepper
1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts
1/2 Dried Cranberries

Shred Sprouts by removing the core and thinly slicing. Warm oil over med. heat. Add sprouts, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook until bright and slightly wilted (2-3 min). Add walnuts and cranberries and toss to combine. Serve!

For original recipe click HERE. Thank you food network! Hope your Thanksgivings were Wonderful!

--Ashlee