Speedy Pantry Vegan Chili

 

I needed a quick meal for a busy evening and this chili really could not be simpler.  While I have many a good chili recipe chock full of ingredients and simmered slowly on the stove top for hours, this speedy version is actually full of flavor and protein and short on chopping and ingredients. 

I think the key is using the fresh salsa (I like Jack's Garden Fresh Brand usually found in the produce department alongside the hummus and dips because it contains all your fresh veggies, onions and herbs that add a lot of flavor to this dish with zero effort beyond opening the container.

Simply, open (and drain) a 19 oz can of black beans, a can of brown beans in tomato sauce, a 16 oz tub of Jack's Salsa (or other fresh variety) and stir into your pot.  Re-hydrate 3/4 of a cup TVP by covering it with hot water from the kettle and letting it sit for about 10 minutes; drain adding it to your pot with your beans and salsa.  Stir in 2 Tablespoons of chili powder and simmer for about 15 minutes.  That's it. 

Feel free to substitute the TVP for cooked, diced sweet potato, or veggie ground round, a leftover crumbled veggie burger or more beans.  

Keep it simple and serve as is or top with grated cheese, shredded lettuce, sour cream/yogurt, avocados.  Whatever you fancy.  Open up Halloween size bags of crushed Doritos and spoon on top to make "walking tacos".  We kept it simple and ate with some toast.

This really was surprisingly flavorful for such a short ingredient list and minimal prep time.

Lemon Lavender Scones

The initial goal of this blog began as an experiment to see if I could take a few decent pictures, figure out how to upload them to my computer, and write something that was remotely interesting to even one other person besides myself.  

I attempted to improve both my writing 'skills' and my amateur photography 'skills' and to fuel my desire for some sort of creative outlet.

 Over 100 posts later and a very lengthy absence, I think the blog has morphed into more of a digital placeholder to collect my recipes somewhere other than my recipe file of random papers that are becoming difficult to read both because of the condition of the paper itself and because of my advancing need for visual magnification!

I think at this point I'm cool with the outcome of this project as it is with perhaps the ongoing hope that, at some point in time, my kids might refer here to find instructions to prepare their favourite things (for me) or for someone else they love and that I will be able to preserve any information I might forget over time and need to source myself!  

So today I am posting this lemon, lavender scone recipe because they are delicious, I make them a lot, and I want to secure their immortality in my recipe archive.

Gather: 

2 cups of all purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of baking soda

pinch of salt

1 lemon zested and juiced

3/4 cup of milk (soured with 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice)

1/2 cup cold, grated butter

a pinch of culinary lavender

1/2 cup of fresh blueberries

a generous grating of lemon zest

Glaze:

icing sugar and reserved lemon juice

Do it:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Zest and juice one whole lemon and set both the lemon zest and juice aside (separately).

Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved lemon juice to your 3/4 milk stir and set aside.

Mix the first five dry ingredients.  Sprinkle in your lemon zest and lavender.  Stir to combine.  Grate 1/2 cup of cold butter into your dry ingredients and stir with a fork or pastry cutter to combine.  The addition of cold butter is the key to fluffy scones.  Do not use room temperature or melted butter or the finished product will not rise nicely.

Add your soured milk to the above mixture and fold the ingredients to combine.  Gently stir in the blueberries.

Pat the dough into an 8 inch circle and cut into 8 wedges.  Transfer the wedges to a parchment-lined baking sheet an inch or 2 apart and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15 minutes, or until starting to turn golden around the edges.  If you do not plan to glaze, you can brush the tops of the scones with milk or cream and sprinkle with course sugar before baking.

Remove from the oven and cool slightly.  

Mix enough reserved lemon juice with icing sugar to form a thick paste.  Spoon as generously as you like on the pastry when it is still warm.  

Share with your mom (who may have forgotten how to make these) or with a special someone you love who will undoubtedly feel very special after tasting your glazed, pastry offering.

These scones are actually pretty versatile.  Once you get the basic recipe down pat, you can experiment a bit and add other fruit - fresh, frozen or dry.  You can make a savoury version with some herbs and a handful of sharp cheese, and maybe some hot peppers or olives or sun-dried tomatoes.

Honey-Almond Energy Bars

Winter is finally here!  The sun is shining and snow is on the ground.  I have been looking for a good reason to both come out of my blog hibernation and to make these Honey Almond Energy bars, originally posted hereAfter some brisk shoveling, today is the day!

Gather:
1 cup of rolled oats
1/4 cup each roasted sunflower seeds and chopped, roasted almonds





1 tablespoon each flax seeds and roasted sesame seeds ( I used black)
I cup whole-grain, puffed, unsweetened  cereal

1/3 cup each chopped apricots, raisins, and dried cranberries
1/4 cup of natural peanut butter or other natural nut butter
1/4 cup plus a tablespoon of honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
a pinch of salt



Do it:

Toast oats on stove top until fragrant, but careful not to burn!  Set aside.
Chop nuts and dried fruit and add to a bowl with the oats, puffed cereal, and seeds.
In a small sauce pan, mix natural peanut butter, honey, vanilla, brown sugar, and salt over medium heat, stirring for about 4 minutes constantly so as not to burn (turn the heat down slightly if it is bubbling too rapidly).
Combine the wet and dry ingredients, mixing quickly before patting into an 8x8 square pan lined with parchment and greased with coconut oil.  Ensure bars are tightly pressed into the pan.
Refrigerate to harden.
Pull parchment edges to lift bars from pan, cut and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

I'm fairly certain any substitutions in equal amounts of nuts and or seeds and dried fruits would be just fine, the key being to chop well and keep the ratios the same in order that your bars will hold together and cut well.

Likely the honey could be replaced with brown rice syrup, maple syrup... possibly molasses, but I have not tested any of those ideas to be certain.  My bars held together very well and cut into neat squares that did not crumble.

These bars came together quite quickly and make a really good, cost-effective version of their store-bought counterparts.
I have tried many granola bar or energy bar recipes and this one from has one of the best results by far.  I will definitely make again.

Simple Stir-fry Sauce

A simple stir-fry sauce is handy to
have in your pocket for a quick meal using any combination of veggies, protein, and garnishes you have on hand.

I usually tackle stir-fry with a simple method:

1. cook the starch first--rice, soba noodles, rice or egg noodles, leaving it covered warm in the pot
2. saute and set aside your protein--chicken, pork, shrimp, beef, or tofu
3. saute your veggies and ...
4. reintroduce everything into your pan, adding your sauce and a splash of broth until thickened and heated through

Tonight I found some Lap Cheong in the freezer (affectionately known as "Meat Treasure" in our house as it is a sweet, salty, almost candied meat that can be found nestled inside traditional sticky rice, which is a family favourite at dim sum and a childhood comfort food for my husband; I decided to cook it for a treat.

I tucked the sausage into the pot of brown Basmati rice I made. Basically when your rice is tender, your sausage will be cooked, and you can slice it and garnish your stir-fry with whatever makes it past the cutting board!

I sauteed a bag of Man's Rainbow Salad with sliced onions, sweet peppers, and mushrooms, threw in some left-over roast chicken (but cubed tofu tastes great here too!), and when everything was heated through, I added my stir--fry sauce and a splash of veggie broth.

Stir-fry sauce:

4 Tablespoons of maple syrup
6 Tablespoons of soy sauce
6 teaspoons of sesame oil
3 cloves of minced or grated garlic
a generous tablespoon of grated ginger root
1 tablespoon of chili-garlic hot sauce
1 to 2 tablespoons of cornstarch (depending on how thick you like your sauce)

Whisk all the ingredients and add to your pan once your veggies are tender-crisp.  I usually add a splash of veggie broth or water to increase the sauciness a bit.  Depending on how many veggies and how much protein you have in your pan, you may not need all of your sauce.

Dinner prep simplified by using pre-cut veggies and left-over roast meat; elevated by the sausage, green onions, and roasted black sesame seed garnishes.

Veggie Burgers: Don't Be Afraid To Catch Feels

Food often provides a restorative, creative outlet for me, and this morning, amidst a storm cloud of "stuff" mixed in with a busy night ahead and a beautiful sunny day that makes me feel like eating healthy, I am "cooking my feelings today" (#IloveyouRandalPearson andIcookmyfeelstoo).

My goal was not to create something that mimicks a hamburger (because let's face it, you don't eat veggie burgers because they taste like Big Macs!), but to create a patty that holds together, is crispy on the outside, is healthy, and tastes delicious.

I typically bake my veggie burgers in the oven, but tried these in the Actifry.  The result was a nicely-browned, firm patty.

Gather:
1/2 cup TVP
1/2 cup veggie broth
TBSP each soy sauce, olive oil and maple syrup
Large minced onion
5 cloves of garlic grated,
2 cups of Mann's rainbow salad, pulsed course
1 16 oz can black beans drained, dry and pulsed course



1 large egg
A handful each of sharp cheese and green onion
A tsp each, Italian seasoning blend, garlic powder, onion powder and a generous grind of sriracha salt and/or any others seasonings you like
1/4  to 1/2 cup of almond flour, ground oats or leftover cooked grains

Do It:
Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil and add the tvp, broth, soy sauce, maple syrup, and spices, blending until reconstituted; dump into a big mixing bowl.
Pulse the Mann's; toss into the mixing bowl.
Pulse the beans and toss them into the bowl with a handful of sharp cheese, the almond flour, green onion, and egg.
Form the mixture into patties on a parchment-lined baking sheet; chilling/freezing before baking can be helpful to obtain a patty that holds together well.
Brush the patties with oil and bake in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes (flipping half way) or until nicely browned OR for 20 minutes in the Actifry (remove paddle), flipping gently after 15 minutes and cooking for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the desired doneness has been reached.

Pile high with whatever toppings you love -- fresh lettuce, sprouts, tomatoes, red onion caramalized mushrooms or onions, roasted veggies, goat cheese-- whatever!  Serve on traditional hamburger buns, or grilled portobello mushrooms or crumble in a grain bowls with some greens and roasted vegetables.

Dress and plate that burger and "storm cloud be gone!" (or at the very least, a little less stormy) with the delicious and comforting distraction of food cooked with purpose!  Even better if cooked for or shared with someone you love!  For any fellow curious-information-nerds, a brief read here provides abundant inspiration to cook it out in case this recipe did not inspire you to do that already.

Falafel Collides with Potato Latkes!

It has been awhile since I have made the time to record any of the delicious food we are eating.

These days I find myself looking for things I can freeze and send home with the oldest, grown-and-flown member of the family at university that does not require too much effort for her to prepare and provides even marginally more nutrition than a bowl of Ramen noodles or a box of KD!

 This recipe fits the bill and is too good not to share!

I came across a post for something called "Kartoffelpuffer-Crispy Potato Tahini Patties" here and was intrigued.

I have since learned it is a delicious fusion between German, Morrocan, Arab, and Israeli cooking, vegan, gluten-free and delicious mounds of potatoey goodness!

We ate the patties alongside a fresh salad but I think they would taste great wrapped in pita with lettuce, red onions, tomatoes, and a drizzle of tahini, or drizzled with some tzatziki sauce or garlic yogurt sauce.

I also intend to try these for breakfast topped with a poached egg, avocado, and tomato!

The patties are baked, not fried, and have a nice, crispy exterior without deep frying.  I changed the recipe a fair bit to suit our tastes and ingredients, as follows:

Gather:
A generous 6 cups of grated russet potatoes (next time I'll throw in some sweet potato, too) rinsed and squeezed of all excess moisture
A generous cup of grated carrot
A large handful of chopped green onion
A 1/4 cup of chopped, fresh parsley
6 large cloves of garlic, grated
1 teaspoon each of garlic powder, tumeric, and onion powder
2 teaspoons of cumin
A generous sprinkle of dried chili peppers
Course, ground black pepper
3/4 of a cup of tahini paste (or more if needed to hold it all together)

Do it:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
Place 1/2 cup portions of the mixture, flattened and evenly spaced on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
Flip the patties and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes more until golden and crispy.
Serve warm and enjoy!

Beef Slaw Bowl

We have been eating a lot of
"dinner-in-a-bowl"-type meals lately.

Tonight I had some ground beef and a meal that needed preparing, but not a lot of inspiration.  My Google search led me down a rabbit hole of recipe ideas for something called "crack slaw."  Interest peeked!

This is my version of what appears to be a protein-rich, delicious slaw of beef, cabbage, and garlicky-ginger goodness that we served over spinach and alongside some roasted sweet potatoes.

This was so delicious and quick to make. Sadly, no leftovers, but I'm guessing it reheats well and might even taste good cold.

Gather:
1lb ground beef
Medium red onion, sliced thinly
2-4 large cloves of garlic, chopped
A generous knob of ginger root, grated
1 tablespoon each of chili-garlic hot sauce, onion powder, and garlic powder
2 tablespoons each of maple syrup and sesame oil
3 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 (397g bag) of coleslaw
(this saved some prep-time chopping--feel free to sub in an equal amount of chopped cabbage and shredded carrot)

Do It:
Brown the beef, onions, and garlic together in a skillet.  I had just enough fat from the beef to saute the onion and garlic and did not need to add or drain any fat from the pan.

Once the beef is starting to brown, add everything else to the skillet and saute until the cabbage is soft and the mixture is fragrant.

Line a bowl with a handful of fresh, chopped spinach, spoon your meat on top, and surround with roasted sweet potatoes.  The greens start to wilt a bit underneath the warm slaw.

Other similar recipes subbed in ground pork or leftover shredded pork for the beef and added green onion for more of an "egg roll-in-a-bowl"-type of a dish, which also sounds delicious. (Perhaps served with a handful of thin rice noodles and greens?)