1-15oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed, mashed
1 red onion, diced
1 Anaheim chile, diced
8oz button mushrooms, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Spice Mix:
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon chipotle powder
1 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Heath the oil in a medium saute pan. Add the peppers and onions to the pan; cook for 5-7 minutes until they begin to soften. Add the mushrooms and garlic; cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the spice mix to combine. Stir in the chickpeas and vinegar, cover and turn to low; cook 5 minutes. Serve on tortillas or atop a salad with the tahini sauce (recipe below).
Tahini Sauce:
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons tahini
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup canola oil
pinch of cayenne
Place everything in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
I am a huge fan of chili and as soon as the air is crisp you better believe there is a pot (or two) of chili cooking up in my kitchen. That being said I have a few favorite recipes that I have perfected over the years but I am always working on altering them a bit and creating new ones. This recipe is similar to ones that I have made before however this time I added bulgur and aduzki beans (I would have normally made it with black beans but they are on my can’t eat list right now do to breastfeeding). This was as hit with both my husband and our friend Laura and is easily now one of my favorite chili recipes.
15 oz can adzuki or black beans, drained and rinsed.
1/2 cup bulgur
2 cups vegetable broth
Preheat oven to 400F. Toss squash with olive oil, spread on sheet pan and place in the oven to roast for 30 minutes.
Heat oil in medium heavy bottom pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and pepper; cook until soft and lightly browned. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Stir in chili powders, cumin, and Italian seasoning. Stir in tomatoes with juice and beans. Add bulgur and broth. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low, cover with lid and simmer for 20 minutes. Season to taste with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Stir squash into chili. Simmer covered over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
This weekend was one of those weekends where I just didn’t want to do anything but relax on the couch. Unfortunately I have responsibilities and a husband who gets stir crazy if he stays home for too long so only about 60% of my time was spent lounging.
On Saturday morning I made my first attempt at organizing our office/spare room which used to be my office/elliptical room. Now that we have (finally) gotten rid of the non-functioning elliptical we have tons of space to organize the office and make it into the perfect space for me to work and to practice yoga. I love having a little quiet hideaway to get my work done, I’m so much more productive. After a cleaning sesh Hubz convinced me to head downtown to look for new shoes and hit up the farmers market. Finding new shoes was a bust since nice vegan shoes and boots are very limited in Burlington, we’re hopping our trips to Philly and NYC will be more fruitful.
We stopped into the farmers market in search of a vegan cupcake however all they had this week was chocolate-mint, not quite what we were looking for so instead we headed to one of our favorite eateries Zabby & Elf’s Stone Soup. I was really in the mood for a nice cup of chili which came with two hunk of nice bread and the Hubz decided to go with the hot bar and a hunk of my bread. Everything was so warm and delicious, perfect for a fall day.
The remainder of Saturday was spent running errands and then home to do a short yoga session, lounge and catch up on Dexter.
Sunday came and along with it a time change, this totally screwed my day up. I was all ready to head out the door to pick up groceries when Neil pointed out at that it wasn’t 8am but rather 7am! We waited around for a bit and then headed out to pick up our groceries for the week which included lots of root veggies, squash, Brussels Sprouts and green beans. Any idea what I might be making this week??
After grocery shopping we headed home and I decided to just relax for awhile because I wasn’t feeling great, a little bit of an upset stomach- I blame all the gluten I ate on Saturday. I was supposed to do a 5-Miler yesterday but after waiting out to see how I was feeling I ultimately decided I just wasn’t up for it so the Hubz and I went for a 2.3 mile walk before dinner. When we got back he changed into his running gear and went for a run and I made dinner: Black Bean & Butternut Squash Burritos with Chipotle-Cashew Sauce and a green salad.
Chipotle-Cashew Sauce:
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 small onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 dried chipotle pepper
1 15oz can whole tomatoes, with juices
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon cumin powder
3 tablespoons cashew pieces
salt and pepper to taste
Heat the oil in a small pan over med-high heat. Add the onions and cook for 3-5 minutes until translucent. Stir in the garlic cloves and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes, water and chipotle pepper; bring to a simmer then cover and reduce heat. Cook for 10 minutes on low. Stir in the cumin and cashew pieces and cook uncovered for 5 minutes. Transfer everything to a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Return to the pan and season with salt and pepper to taste.
The Hubz and I enjoyed a dinner of grilled almond butter and bee-free honee with a side of veggies and hummus so this morning we woke up with nothing for lunches. I did a little pantry shopping and found refried black beans which I thought would make the perfect burger. In the fridge I found red cabbage and carrots for slaw and that is how Black Bean Burgers & Chipotle-Lime Slaw came to be lunch (and breakfast).
Black Bean Burgers
Yields 4-6 servings
1 (15oz) can of refried black beans (I like Bearitos)
1t olive oil
1 small yellow onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup rolled oats
1T shoyu, tamari or soy sauce
1t paprika
2t cumin
2t chili powder
1/2t salt
1/4t pepper
dash of hot sauce
Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper.
Place the refried beans in a medium bowl. In a small sauce pan heat the oil over medium-high. Add the onion and saute for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and saute 1 more minute. Add to the beans along with the remaining ingredients.
Mash all the ingredients together until evenly combined.
Form the mixture into 6-8 patties and place on the lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping half way through.
Chipotle-Lime Slaw
Yields 4 servings
3 cups red cabbage, shredded
1/2 cup carrots, sliced
Slaw Dressing:
3T reduced fat vegenaise
1T lime juice
1t red wine vinegar
1/2t chipotle chili powder
1/4t garlic powder
1/4t salt
1/4t pepper
Whisk the slaw dressing together. Taste for salt and pepper.
Place the cabbage and carrots in a bowl and toss with the slaw dressing.
1 (28oz) can peeled whole tomatoes with their juices
1/2 cup frozen corn
salt and pepper, to taste
Ingredients minus the beans- they were draining in the sink
In a large heavy bottom pot heat the oil over medium high heat. Add in the onion and saute for 5-7 minutes until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the spice and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the coffee, soy sauce, cacao powder and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the chipotles and tomatoes with their juice; bring up to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Stir in the corn and cover and cook 15 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper.