Vegetable Korma with Pearl Couscous

This is one of those dishes I made a bunch of times and changed the spice ratio then forgot what I did then had to redo it again and again... ahh the results were delicious but not quite right! Then I had curry that was 'eh' so once I found a good curry that made all the difference too! But this, I believe, is the right ratio tho! But hey, feel free to change it to your liking :)

I used pearl couscous but you can do rice, quinoa or whatever you prefer.

Special equipment: Blender or food processor 
Level of difficulty: Baby on the hip is A-OK! Can you say so easy its silly?!
  
Takes 30min or so and will serve about 4 people

• 3 cups of pearl couscous
• 1 can diced tomatoes (I like the one with jalapenos in it, adds a kick), drained
• 1 small white onion, cut into chunks
• 3 Tbs. minced fresh ginger (or powered)
• 2 Tbs. vegetable oil
• 3 tsp. curry powder
• 2 tsp. ground cardamom
• 4 Tbs. golden raisins
• 3-4 cups frozen mixed vegetables, such as green beans, cauliflower, carrots, lima beans, and zucchini
• 1 7-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained 
• 1 can coconut milk

1. Cook couscous according to package directions.
2. Puree tomatoes, onion, and ginger to in food processor or blender.
3. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add curry and cardamom, and cook 30 seconds, or until fragrant, stirring constantly. Add tomato puree and raisins. Simmer 2 minutes, or until sauce thickens slightly.
4. Stir in frozen vegetables; chickpeas, if using; and coconut milk. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 6 to 7 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Serve over couscous. 

Moving

Sorry everyone I have fallen off the bandwagon with posting! We closed on our new house this week so our lives have been consumed by that! 

But I promise to get back to posting soon :)

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut butter Pie (yes its vegan)

This pie will bring out the toddler in you. "No I don't want to share!" "This is mine!" "Mom! She looked at me eating!"   You get the point.

It is delicious and SIMPLE! And of course as everything is on here... VEGAN.  But the other great thing is that those 'nay-saying-anti-vegan-food-eating' friends you still have will be forced to eat their words when they try this. Ready?

Special equipment: Blender or food processor
Level of difficulty: Super easy! The kids can help and the baby on the hip will be delighted to stick their fingers in the peanut butter mix.

10oz Chocolate chips (or chocolate of your choice)
12oz silken tofu drained
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup almond or other non dairy milk
1 tsp agave nectar (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 9-inch graham cracker crust

1. Melt chocolate chips in bowl in the microwave half power for 30 sec, stir, repeat until all the chocolate is melted smooth.
2.Combine all the rest of your ingredients (not the crust of course) into the blender or food processor and process until smooth, stirring occasionally. Pour mixture into crust. Refrigerate at least 2hrs before devouring.

Mexican Quinoa Bake

 

 This is fast, easy, and filling! Protein packed too! As a vegan/vegetarian people are so concerned about the all important PROTEIN. That is probably the question I get asked most, "where do you get your protein from?" I want to say to the person scarfing down the 15oz steak "where do you get your vegetables from?" Silly I know... But this recipe will make the hearty meat eating person say "YUM!" and "This is protein filled?"  Enjoy!

Special Equipment:  Food processor or grater
Level of difficulty: Easy, one pan, one bowl, one saute pan. Baby on the hip or at your feet is a ok.
Serves: 8-10 | Time to prepare: 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 medium-large sweet potatoes, shredded
• 2 cans organic black beans rinsed and drained
• 1 cup quinoa (uncooked)
• 3/4 cup fresh corn
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 4-6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 cups salsa
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 1/2 cups vegan cheese (any kind will work)
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon garlic salt

Directions

1)	Preheat oven to 350 F.
2)	Cook quinoa according to directions. While that’s going, shred or chop your sweet potatoes, and sauté your garlic and onions until onions are translucent (about 5-7 minutes). Set cooked quinoa aside.
3)	Put your sweet potatoes, corn, onion, garlic, cilantro, beans, a cup of cheese, and quinoa in a large bowl. Add in spices and salt. Stir to mix.
4)	Spray a 9x13 glass dish with cooking spray. Add in quinoa/bean/sweet potato mixture and pat down with your hands. Spread with a layer of salsa and sprinkle a bit more cheese, if desired. Bake for about 30 minutes or until heated through.
5)	Serve with more salsa and top with fresh cilantro.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas with Avocado Cream sauce

These were tasty, filling and relatively easy. I have made another kind of sweet potato enchiladas but these require less time on your feet and more time enjoying them with your family. It calls for 5 tortillas but I was able to make 8 so choose how filling you want each to be and you may make more! 

Special Equipment: Blender, food processor or magic bullet

Level of difficulty: I made this with out the kids around but the only part that is not kid friendly is the veggie chopping part.

For the enchiladas: 
 2 cups of sweet potato, peeled and chopped small
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 red onion chopped
2 large cloves of garlic minced
sea salt and black pepper
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed
2 large handfuls of spinach roughly chopped
2.5 cups of enchilada sauce
1 tablespoon of lime juice
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 - 10 tortilla wraps

For the Avocado Cilantro  Cream Sauce:
 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 med avocado
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a large 3 quart rectangular baking dish.
2. Make the enchiladas.  Place the sweet potato in a medium sauce pan and add enough water to cover. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat to medium high and simmer for 5 - 7 minutes or until fork tender.  Drain and set aside.

3. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat, add the onion and garlic and saute' for about 5 minutes until the onion is translucent.  Season with salt and pepper. 

4. Add the bell pepper, cooked sweet potato, black beans, and spinach.  Raise the heat to medium high and cook for a few minutes more or until the spinach is wilted.

5. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in a quarter of a cup of the enchilada sauce.  The lime juice, chili powder, cumin, and salt. 

6. Spread one cup of the enchilada sauce evenly over the prepared baking dish.  Scoop 3/4 cup of the sweet potato filling onto each tortilla. Roll up the tortillas and put them seam side down on the baking dish. Spread the remaining enchilada sauce over the tortillas.

7. Bake the enchiladas - uncovered for 20 - 25 minutes until the sauce is a deep red color. 

8. Meanwhile, make the avocado cilantro cream sauce. In a food processor or something like it - process the cilantro until minced.  Add the avocado, lime juice, salt, garlic powder and 3 tablespoons of water - processing until creamy. Scrape down as needed. 

9. Serve with the avocado cream sauce on top and enjoy!!

Mommy Lunch

As a mom sometimes things get pushed to the side, hair, make-up, food etc.... Lunch is the worst for me! I have minus 2 seconds to feed the starving children in the house before World War 3 breaks out. Go, Go, Go!!!!  Oh and I have a baby attached to its feeding source too (me) all while this happens. So my getting to eat lunch sometimes is sketchy. 

So what does a mom eat?
Leftovers? If there are any. Peanut butter sandwich? Ugh again!? Veggie Burger? Eh yeah I could but I don't feel like it.  So what do you do?
I was asked recently by another dear mommy friend "What do you eat for lunch?" I had to really think about this one....
One of my favorite quick meals for lunch is Loaded Nachos, they look something like this. 

 

 

Beautiful right??? :) (Thanks Momma Mia)

Instructions:

1. Find nachos

2. Throw on beans, quinoa, rice, avocado, salsa, Diaya vegan cheese, etc... anything you want on there!

3. Eat! 

That is pretty much it :) Its doable right? Try it out and let me know what you think.

 

Chickpea Salad Sandwiches

I was asked recently about good lunch ideas as a busy mom and this was my most recent find :)

This is easy and fast! A great lunch to make and then throw in the fridge for later. I loved it on bread but I'm sure it would be great on pita, crackers or a bed of lettuce.

(Picture from Oh She Glows)

Special Equipment: potato masher

Level of Difficulty: Veggies get chopped up so put the baby on your back or wait till they are occupied for a few minutes.


Ingredients:

• 1 (15-oz) can chickpeas (or 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas)
• 2 stalks chopped celery
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped dill pickle or dill relish
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
• 3 TBSP Vegan mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp minced fresh dill (optional)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp yellow mustard
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• salt and pepper, to taste

What do I do?

1. In a large bowl, mash the chickpeas with the potato masher until you get a flaky texture.

2. Stir in all of the rest of the ingredients till combined. Adjust the salt and peper to your tastes. 

3. EAT!!