Quinoa Enchilada Casserole.

Made my old standby today which actually I haven't made in a while. Find the recipe here. This time I used spinach, chipotle pinto beans and El Pato jalapeno salsa/tomato sauce for the sauce. And if you're wondering what the orange topping is, it's Vegenaise mixed with a bit of salsa and lime juice.


Excuse the messy plate. This was my second helping topped with avocado.

Black Bean "Chilaquiles". Sort Of.

A bag of fresh tortilla chips from my local latin market gave me the inspiration to throw this together. I didn't have any vegan cheese so I made a creamy sauce made from plain soymilk, onions, garlic, pureed dried chilies and nutritional yeast. I layered the chips with the sauce, black beans cooked in a zesty tomato sauce and corn kernels and baked in the oven for 20 minutes. Came out tasty!


With a dollop of Vegenaise on top. Yummeh.

Casserole Sunday.

I'm in serious need of comforting this weekend so I made my old standby. Yummy quinoa/pinto bean/broccoli slaw/tofurky sausage filling inside tortillas doused in chipotle tomato sauce and a Vegenaise drizzle. Recipe here. Change up the veggies like I did if you wish.


Served with steamed broccoli.

Chilaquiles Casserole and Coffee-Cinnamon Tea Cake

I was craving mexican food this week and waited patiently to make this today. It's loosely based off this recipe. I made my own red sauce (recipe below), added an extra can of black beans, substituted chopped spinach for zucchini and used Daiya vegan cheddar. It turned out really yummy and satisfied my craving.

Red Sauce for Chilaquiles Casserole

Soak 5-6 dried chili peppers in hot tap water for about 20 minutes. I used a combination of anaheim and pasilla.

In a blender combine these ingredients and puree until smooth:
1 14oz. can diced tomatoes
soaked chili peppers and about 1 cup of the soaking liquid (you may add more if sauce is too thick)
2 cloves garlic
small handful of cilantro
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
salt to taste
pinch of sugar


Yum.


I also made a cake today. I used kittee's vanilla cake recipe but used brewed coffee for the liquid part of the batter instead of water. I also added a bit of cinnamon. The coffee flavor didn't come out as much. If I had coffee extract or espresso powder, it would have been better but still this is very good, especially with tea.

Quinoa-Beans and Greens Tortilla Casserole

You've seen this thing a million times on my blog. Instead of burrito style I made it casserole style with layered pieces of tortilla between the filling of quinoa, kale, beans and sauce.


Recipe here.

Chilaquiles Casserole

I was so impressed with the chilaquiles that I made the other day, I wanted to do it again but this time make much more of it. Because I like food in casserole form, I decided to try it that way and bulk it up with more tortilla chips, more sauce and corn kernels. It was so delicious and something that would be an easy weeknight meal. I know that I used a lot of canned stuff here so please feel free to use fresh ingredients if available. I needed dinner quick on the table tonight and I didn't have any fresh produce so I had to resort to my pantry.


We were such in a rush to eat that I forgot to take a photo when it came out of the oven! So here it is after being dug into several times. It doesn't look that bad actually.

Chilaquiles Casserole

2 TB olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 28oz. can diced tomatoes
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1 15oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15oz. can sweet corn, drained and rinsed
tortilla chips
2 cups vegan cheese (I used the cheddar style Daiya vegan cheese)

1. Saute onions, garlic and green pepper in olive oil until soft.
2. Add tomatoes and spices. Bring to a boil and then simmer on Low for about 10-15 minutes.
3. Spray a medium baking dish with oil. Spread a small amount of tomato sauce on the bottom of the dish. Spread a layer of tortilla chips. Add half the beans and half the corn evenly over the chips. Ladle half the sauce and sprinkle half of the cheese. Repeat with another layer of chips-beans-corn-tomato sauce. Save the other half of the cheese for the end.
4. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.
5. Remove foil, turn oven up to 400 degrees F. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top, return to oven and bake uncovered for 5 more minutes or until cheese melts.
6. Serve with avocado chunks and a dollop of Vegenaise or vegan sour cream.

It's all Greek to me.

I went to the library a few days ago and checked out a Greek cookbook called "The Olive and The Caper". It's not a vegetarian book but there are so many appealing vegetarian recipes in it that I wanted to try out this weekend. I should say that my interest in Greece and greek cooking has been sparked up again because of a suspense novel that I'm reading that takes place in this magical place. (The book is My Brother Michael by Mary Stewart by the way.)


First up, Eggplant and Yogurt Dip. I swapped greek yogurt for plain unsweetened soy yogurt. It's a beautiful mixture of eggplant pulp, yogurt, garlic, red onions and salty black olives. This was amazing. I'm definitely going to make this for parties.


Next, "Russian" Salad. Green beans, carrots, potatoes, in a lemon-caper mayonnaise (vegan mayo of course!). It's supposed to also have lima beans and peas but I left them out. Very good and creamy.


For the main dish I made Gigantes which are big beans in a tomato based sauce. We're supposed to use authentic greek big beans here but large lima beans are a popular replacement. I didn't really use the recipe from the book but instead adapted this recipe I found online. The beans are baked with diced tomatoes, onions, garlic, celery, dill, oregano and olive oil. I replaced the honey with a bit of sugar and left out the carrots. They baked up beautifully (though a little mushy) but were so tasty both warm and at room temp.


Closeup of the tender buttery beans. The dill flavor shined through just the way I had hoped.


My plate with a side of pita for dipping!


To go with the Mediterranean theme, dessert was orange blossom cake with fig yogurt sauce. I used kittee's basic vanilla cake recipe and subbed a little orange juice and orange blossom for some of the water. For the sauce, I just whisked a few spoonfuls of fig jam into plain soy yogurt.


The cake was moist and sweet with orange blossom notes. The yogurt sauce took it to another level. So many beautiful flavors!

Sunday Casserole & Oat Bran Muffins

I like to make a casserole on Sundays; something that I throw in a baking dish and pop in the oven while I go about my household duties. If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that this casserole of quinoa bean burritos is my old standby. Instead of serving them as a burrito, I just cut into the casserole and served up little squares of layered tortilla, quinoa, spinach, red peppers, corn and beans. The topping is Daiya cheese with a vegenaise/lemon juice/chili powder drizzle. The drizzle made the Daiya get all melty and cheezy.


Just out of the oven. Look at that topping!


Mmm.

Later in the day I made oat bran muffins with a recipe I found in The Vegan Family Cookbook. I haven't had a proper bran muffin since before I went vegan and what I remember was that they were dark brown, sweet, sticky and full of raisins. While good and wholesome, these muffins were not that. So I'm asking my fellow vegans, can you point me to a recipe for a bran muffin that I described? I need to go through my cookbooks...

Pancake Breakfast & Iraqi Eggplant Casserole

This morning we had pancakes (Vegan w/ a Vengeance recipe) and veggie sausages. The sausages are Lightlife's Gimme Lean ground veggie sausage which I shaped into little links. They were perfect with the fluffy pancakes and maple syrup!


Not the most photogenic dish... This is the eggplant casserole recipe from my Iraqi cookbook "Delights from the Garden of Eden". It has eggplant, onions, peppers, garlic and chickpeas in a savory tomato sauce. The recipe called for too much liquid I think so it was still a little watery at the end but I didn't mind that much. Next time I make this I'll decrease the liquid a bit.


Casserole served on top of couscous with a garlicky yogurt sauce, pita and arugula and cucumber salad. So delicious!

Rice Casserole

Another warm and comforting casserole for a chilly day. I've made this before. It's the "Potato and Chickpea Curry with Rice" recipe from Vegetarian Times. It's so easy to throw a bunch of things in a dutch oven or covered casserole and bake for an hour. I made 1/3 of the recipe and added green beans and eggplant to my casserole and served it with sauteed garlicky kale. I should have doubled the amount of eggplant in it because they shrunk to almost nothing! But still, this was really yummy.

Giving Thanks.

Over the years on Thanksgiving, my whole family gets together at an aunt's house to celebrate together and eat together. It's usually a gigantic Thai-American potluck and boy, can our family eat! Our family parties last all day and into the night with non-stop eating. It's quite amazing and makes me laugh when I think about it. I won't be partaking this year at the family party because my mom has to work all day today. We decided to have a small dinner tonight for the 5 of us here at home (me, husband, brother, mom and dad). I'll miss seeing my many many cousins but I know that christmas is just around the corner and I will most likely see them at the holiday shindig in December. I'm so grateful to have such a large family who all enjoy being in each other's company and always want the best for each other. I can't imagine not having them in my life. I am thankful for so many things in my life, number one being my family.

So as this is a food bog, on to the food!


I made this Tofu Dinner Loaf last year as well. It's wonderful and bakes up firm and sliceable. I love it with orange herb gravy. Recipe here.


My plate: tofu loaf with orange herb gravy, stuffing (I used the vegetarian stuff in a box, not homemade sorry!), green bean casserole, glazed dijon carrots and mashed potatoes and cranberry/mandarin sauce. All very simple recipes that took no time at all!


The best part of the meal is dessert I think! Here is my favorite vegan pumpkin pie with a spelt crust.


A slice served with maple sweetened cashew cream!!!!! Recipe is here. This cream is unbelievable! I used rice milk instead of the water in the recipe and a little more maple syrup than usual. So freaking creamy and delicious!!!


I also made a VERY EASY AND QUICK puff pastry apple tart. Seriously, all you need to do is slice a few apples and toss them in sugar and lay 'em out on a piece of frozen puff pastry and bake! This was yummy as well.


Here's a bonus pic of my baby. He had a "Thanksgiving Day" flavored dog food today to celebrate.

Casserole-ing It.

Hot from the oven, bubbling away...a casserole is a one pan meal that you can dish out on a plate, grab a fork and happily eat in front of the tv. This is what casseroles mean to me. There is something so comforting about them. Not only is it easy and quick to get on the table, but it's economical. It always makes a lot. You can eat it all week if you want. I made my favorite standby: quinoa veggie bean burritos, enchilada style today. I've made this dozens of times and it always gives me the same result. Like warm hugs, this dish will make you feel comforted and cozy inside.


My plate of yumminess with added avocado. In case you're wondering what the orange blobs are on the top photo, it's Vegenaise!

My Old Standby: Quinoa Bean Burritos

You know, I've made these burritos quite a lot in the past few months! I've posted about them here and here and I know I've made them plenty other times without bothering to post. I'd like to call it my old standby. It makes a lot and keeps well for meals throughout the week, or in this case, weekend. I've posted the recipe here. Feel free to change up the beans or veggies. I used red and green bell peppers, zucchini and spinach today because that's what I had in the fridge. I also switched the beans to kidney instead of black. I like to make them "enchilada" style by covering them in a chipotle tomato sauce with vegenaise drizzle. They would also be great with melted vegan cheese on top along with guacamole and dairy free sour cream.

For info about quinoa: http://www.quinoa-recipes.com/Quinoa_Pages/What_Is_Quinoa.html

Tortilla Casserole and Baklava

Tortilla casserole. Black beans, potatoes, zucchini, red bell peppers, onions layered between flour tortilla pieces and doused with homemade enchilada sauce and "cheezy" sauce.


Baklava mmm...recipe from Tables of Lebanon cookbook. So freaking good. It'll send you on a sugar high so watch out!

Dee Da Doo Day...

I'm bored. I know I should be getting to bed early (have to wake up at 6am for jury duty tomorrow!) but I don't feel sleepy. I've been going through old food pictures I took before I started this blog. Some of the yummy dishes I made I almost forgot about! I'd like to share them here with you.


This is Eggplant and Chickpea Kibbeh that I got from a book called "Vegan Planet". This was really good. It has bulgur, tomatoes, eggplant and chickpeas of course. I made a lemony garlic sauce to go with it along with roasted asparagus and boiled potatoes. i have to make this again soon.


Pineapple Tofu. So so awesome. I like to fry up tofu cubes after dipping them in cornstarch and then drowning them in a pineapple sauce. The recipe for the sauce is here.


Oven Herb Roasted Tomato Pasta. Now this looks very plain and almost boring but wow, does it taste good. The recipe is from "The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen".


How did I forget about these Grilled Yuca Tortillas??? Recipe is from Veganomicon. These are so gorgeous. It's mashed up yuca with lime, jalapenos and corn. I've made this a few times with fresh guacamole.


Cashew Coconut Curry Casserole. Wow, I remember this. It was soo rich and so delicious. Recipe is here. It's one of those throw in a baking dish and bake kind of recipes.


Szechuan Noodles. Easy and cheap and yummy. Recipe here.


Sexy Lowfat Vanilla Cupcakes from "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World". This book rocks.

Ok now, off to bed. Good night!

Casserole and Cookies.

Creamy Chickpea Tahini Casserole (the famous recipezaar recipe) with spinach and olives. I love this to bits.


Isa's recipe for chocolate chip cookies. I added coffee flavored chips to mine. The best cookies ever. These were gobbled up in record time!

Potato and Chickpea Curry with Rice

I love lazy cooking, don't you? Any recipe where it requires you to throw a bunch of ingredients in a pot or dish, stick it in the oven and go about your business for an hour is just damned genius isn't it? Today was one of those days. I didn't want to be bothered. All I wanted was to be lazy and lay in front of the tv watching episodes of 'The Vicar of Dibley', but I also wanted a nice, healthy, comfort food dinner at the same time. I got this recipe from a back issue of Vegetarian Times. In it, there is an article about dutch oven cooking with a few accompanying recipes. You can find this recipe online here. I don't have a dutch oven (though I really REALLY want one) so I ended up using a Corningware covered casserole dish. I only made 1/3 of the recipe, as the original quantities serves 8 which is way too much. The only real work I had to do was cut up a potato, 1/2 an onion and 1/2 a zucchini. Not bad at all. I heart casseroles!

I usually don't enjoy Sunday evenings but today is nice. I am able to enjoy a hot comforting dinner and a night of funny tv. Oh and dessert is covered!