Jamie Oliver's "Pukkolla" Muesli + Enchilada Style Burritos Again!

No need to cook this delicious breakfast! I got this muesli recipe from Jamie Oliver's cookbook "The Naked Chef Takes Off" and I adapted it to be vegan by subbing rice milk for the cow's milk. It only required stirring up the dry ingredients (oats, bran, dried fruit, nuts) the night before, portioning out a bowl, adding grated apple, rice milk and storing in the fridge. Next day I added more rice milk, some banana, cinnamon and I had myself a nutritious breakfast. Try it, you'll like it. Today it worked very well for me because after a long dog walk in the sun, I wanted a cool breakfast, not a hot one. The recipe happens to be posted online here. (I didn't have dates so I used both dark and sultana raisins in mine!)


I enjoyed my breakfast on the patio in the backyard. Was wonderful...


Buster relaxing after a long walk.



I was craving a burrito and lately when it comes to burritos, I've been turning to this "enchilada style" quinoa/bean/veg burrito every time! I do change up the veg or beans depending what's on hand. Today I had spinach and pinto beans. These always come out good. I'm much happier to use quinoa instead of rice as it has a better nutritional content. It's got protein, fiber, iron AND calcium! The topping I used today was tomato sauce flavored with chipotle chili powder and a vegenaise/lime juice drizzle on top. I really like the creaminess of it which reminds me of sour cream. Recipe for burritos here. Feel free to change up the veggies or use a different style of bean.


Here's the filling of quinoa, pintos, spinach and tomatoes. I used canned tomatoes that I accidentally forgot to drain the juice from so this was a little more wet than normal. But still very good.


Oh yeah.

Using up what's in your kitchen!

I had this plan to make pizzas this weekend with some vegan mozzarella that I bought but I didn't have any of the other ingredients that I needed like pizza dough and the right veggies for toppings (I was in the mood for red onions, green peppers, olives and pineapple). I am trying to save money by not going to the market every other day for stuff so I opened up my fridge and pantry and perused my stock. I had quinoa. I had black beans. I had canned tomatoes. I had fresh kale. I had fresh mushrooms. I had flour tortillas. "Burritos!" I said.

Pantry staples used:
1 can black beans
1 can diced tomatoes
tomato sauce
quinoa
flour tortillas

Other vegetables/fruits/misc. ingredients etc:
kale
onion
garlic
mushrooms
vegan mozzarella
vegenaise
lemon

Ingredients I had to purchase: none

So here they are, wet burritos (aka "enchilada style" burritos) with a delicious quinoa, black bean and kale filling, topped with tomato sauce, a bit of the vegan mozzarella and drizzled with lemon spiked vegenaise. I based the recipe off of the burrito recipe I posted on my blog several months ago. Find it here.


Looks like enchiladas and they smelled like pizza!


Insides.


I got this cookbook recently and it looks really good. There are a variety of vegetarian recipes from Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria that I can't wait to try.


I made a Tunisian Boisson aux Fraises, a refreshing strawberry drink flavored with lemon, orange flower water and sugar.

Mini Wet Burritos

I visited my aunt today and she had made two trays of chicken and shrimp enchiladas to take home for my husband and parents. They looked really tasty when she pulled them out of the oven and I wanted some! On the way home, I started concocting an enchilada recipe in my head with the ingredients I already had at home. I only had soft taco size flour tortillas at home so actually I made mini wet burritos because enchiladas are made with corn tortillas, not flour. Inside is a mixture of quinoa, black beans, tomatoes, green peppers, corn and mexican spices. The sauce is just tomato sauce mixed with cumin and chipotle chile powder. I also drizzled some vegenaise mixed with ketchup and lime juice on top to make it festive. These were really delicious and perfect with fresh guacamole!


I only ate one of these. Very filling.

Here's the recipe for those interested:

Quinoa, Black Bean and Corn Burritos

Filling:
2 TB olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. taco seasoning or just plain chili powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1 14oz. can diced tomatoes, drained with juice reserved
1 14oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups water
3/4 cups quinoa
1 cup frozen corn, thawed in microwave
salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:
1 8oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chipotle chili powder
pinch of cayenne

Drizzle:
1/4 cup vegenaise
a squirt of ketchup
a squirt of lime juice

6 soft taco size flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat olive oil in a medium sized pot and saute onion, bell pepper and garlic until they are soft. Stir in the cumin, taco seasoning and oregano and then add the drained tomatoes, black beans, water and quinoa. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to medium low and cover. Let simmer for 20 minutes or until quinoa is tender. Add thawed corn and mix into the quinoa mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
Prepare sauce:
Mix the can of tomato sauce and the reserved tomato juice in a bowl. Season with 1/2 tsp cumin and 1/2 tsp. chipotle chili powder. Add a pinch of cayenne and stir until combined. Prepare drizzle by combining vegenaise, ketchup and lime juice in another small bowl.
Prepare burritos:
Spread a little bit of sauce in the bottom of a baking dish. Fill a tortilla with about 1/2 cup of the quinoa mixture. Roll the tortilla closed and place seam side down in the baking dish. Proceed with the rest of the tortillas. Pour remaining sauce on top of all the burritos. Drizzle with vegenaise/lime juice mixture. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.

Superbowl Foods.

Went to my little bro's house for a Superbowl party. We set up a build-your-own taco/burrito bar which worked out brilliantly. I didn't take many pics as I was too busy preparing as well as eating but this is what I got...


My famous Spinach-Artichoke dip. Oh yes. Find the recipe posted here.


Along with normal salsa, I also made corn salsa for the taco bar.


My burrito filled with baked tofu strips (can't really see them!), chipotle black beans, cilantro-lime rice, guac, corn salsa, tomato salsa, grilled onions/peppers and lettuce. Whew! It was definitely over-filled. And delicious.


I never forget dessert! Mini chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream, chocolate ganache and topped with flaked coconut and rainbow and chocolate sprinkles.

So this is it with the pigging out. I am so stuffed and uncomfortably so. I am actually glad I'm doing a detox diet starting tomorrow. Will get back to you tomorrow on that!

Cheap Eats: Breakfast Burrito and Channa Masala

Today's eats are good examples of using a few cheap ingredients to create a tasty yet satisfying meal. In these tough economic times, a trip to the grocery store can be really depressing. Prices have gone up for just about everything. Luckily there are a few staples that are very affordable and will be of so much use to your bargain meal repertoire. Today was a good example of using everyday vegetarian staples such as tofu (around $1.29 per carton), potatoes ($2 for a 5lb. bag) and beans (in this case, chickpeas. I get mine at the 99cents only store for .99 cents for a large 28oz. can).


For lunch I made a breakfast burrito with some scrambled tofu and onions, potatoes and a delicious sauce which was simply a mixture of ketchup and mayo! I only used 1/4 of the tofu block, so I have 3/4 of it left to use for another recipe. Oh, and I got a pack of flour tortillas for .99 cents too!


Dinner was a simple potato and chickpea curry, otherwise known as 'Channa Masala'. I make this all the time and it is best served on top of hot, steaming jasmine or basmati rice. I always use this recipe. I only used half a can of the chickpeas, so I was able to save the rest to put on top of my lunch salad tomorrow.

Chipotle Black Bean Burrito

We're watching the Dodger game on tv. Go Dodgers! My boyfriend is #30. (just kidding. but god, he's cute!) My husband was going to order a pizza and asked me if I wanted a veggie with no cheese. I declined. I was in the mood for a burrito. I would have rather gone out to Chipotle to get one but because I'm short of funds, I had to make my own. Luckily I had all the ingredients on hand.


I like to add this stuff to canned black beans to give them that smoky flavor.


Black beans simmering with a shot of chipotle powder and some ground cumin. Mmm...


Sauteed some peppers and onions. Burned them a little...


Homemade pico de gallo and jasmine rice skimpily dressed with lime juice and a few shreds of cilantro.


Assembly. I'm usually a big fan of white flour tortillas but I only had the whole grain variety this time. Boo. Well, at least I'm getting my fiber.


Yump. Don't worry, I poured all kinds of hot sauce in there!