Potato and Leek Soup

My super sweet hubby surprised me with a copy of Alicia Silverstone's new book The Kind Diet.  I think it had some kind of peanut butter dessert recipe he was hoping he would get...  It gave me some inspiration.  I have not had alot of that lately as you can see from looking at the date of my last post.  So I went to the local grocery store and bought some leeks.  Leeks are new to me.  So after looking at many recipes on the internet pretty much the only recipe I found was Potato and Leek Soup.  Super easy and I LOVE potatoes! By the way I found that I really like the leeks to so I will definitely look for other recipes for leeks.  Probably in a tofu quiche.  So this is what I did...

2 russett potatoes peeled and diced into 1/2 in cubes
1 onion diced
2 leeks sliced thin (white and white/green parts)
4 garlic cloves
4 c veg broth
1 c soymilk
1 tbsp vegan butter
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot over med heat saute the onion and leeks (about 5 min.)  Add garlic,veg broth and potatoes and cook until potatoes are soft.  (about 20 min)  add butter and soymilk, salt and pepper.   Use an immersion blender to blend soup until it is still a little bit chunky.  Done and delicious!

Enchiladas Verdes (Vegan)

After many attempts, I might have perfected my vegan enchiladas.  First I make a homemade tomatilla sauce. Totally worth the effort.  I haven't found any canned green enchilada sauce that even come close.  I got this recipe from a good friend of mine that lived in Chiapas.  She made the sauce, but used it for something else(with meat).  I switched up the recipe a little and I really like it because it has alot of flavor, unlike canned green sauces which seem bland to me.  The filling is adapted from Fat Free Vegan's "cheese sauce" recipe.  


Enchiladas Verdes
Ingredients:
20 corn tortillas
1/2 onion, chopped
1 zuchini, diced 1/2 in cubes
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch spinach, chopped
1 portabella mushroom, chopped 1/2 in. cubes
1 bag monterey jack soy cheese


Cheezy Sauce:
1/2 cup extra-firm silken tofu
1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 tbsp. tahini
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. white pepper
2 tsp. corn starch

Sauté the onions, zuchini,and portabella in a non-stick skillet until the mushrooms begin to exude their juices. Add the garlic and sauté for one more minute.

Add the spinach, and sauté until it is wilted and tender. Add the cheezy sauce and cook, stirring, until thickened. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. Remove from the heat.  It needs to cool off so it is easier to work with when you are rolling your enchiladas.  
After your sauces are cooled, pour about 1/2 cup of tomatillo sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 in. pan.  Heat up the tortillas a little in the microwave so they are softened and easier to work with.  OR if you are not worried about fat then you can heat them up in a little oil.  Pour in 2 tbsp. of cheezy sauce filling and roll up.  You should have 18-20 enchiladas from this recipe.  Then pour more tomatillo sauce over all your enchiladas.  Top with the bag of soy monterrey jack cheese and put into oven for 25 min.  Take out of the oven and let them "rest" for 5-10 min before serving.

Tomatillo Sauce

 Ingredients:

1 lb. tomatillos

2 zuchini, cubed

1 bunch cilantro

1/2 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic

1/2 c veg broth

salt

Just throw everything into a blender or food processor and then pour in a pan on the stove and let simmer for 30 min.

Roasted Vegetables

I wanted to make an easy dinner so I grabbed all the veggies in the produce drawer and a couple of red potatoes.  Chopped them up and stuck them in the oven.  When my hubby walked in the house he said, "Something smells good!"  I think the Pampered Chef stoneware helped...




Ingredients:
1 large portabella mushroom
1 large zuchini,
1 med. eggplant
2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes
1 bunch asparagus, woody ends removed
1 small red onion, chopped 3/4 in. pieces
1 small white onion, chopped 3/4 in. pieces
3 red potatoes, cubed
4 tbsp. olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp dried parsley


 Preheat oven to 425.  Cut the eggplant and portabella mushroom into pieces approximately 3/4-inch.  Zucchini are quartered lengthwise and sliced.also 3/4 in. pieces.  Cherry tomatoes are left whole.

Spray an extra-large baking dish with olive oil and add all vegetables. Toss them with the parsley,olive oil,  and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spray the top lightly with olive oil and place in the oven. Put potatoes and onions in the oven first.  Let them cook for 15 min, take out of the oven and stir. Then add the other dish of veggies to the oven.   Bake for 20 minutes and stir. Bake for about 20 more minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. (If you are using Pampered Chef stoneware you don't have to stir every 10 minutes, only if using a glass or metal pan.)  Cook until vegetable are tender but not dried out.  You could try combining the veggies and potatoes all in one dish.  The reason I didn't was because I knew the potatoes would take longer and I didn't want to over cook my vegetables.  Mushy asparagus grosses me out.  I wish I had yellow squash when I made this.  

My husband really did like this and I am planning on making it again soon.

Nopalitos

I stopped by the local grocery store a few days ago and picked up a bag of nopalitos.  They have ladies there in the store cleaning and dicing the cactus pads daily.  Lucky me!  Some people are put off by the sliminess of them but I think they are delicious!  They make a delicious and healthy side dish for a Mexican meal. They have Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium and Iron.

I just saute them with onion, garlic,  zuchini,  jalapeno and tomato. I forgot to take the picture before we ate, so this is what was left...

Stirfry... My Way

After making Fat Free Vegan's Ginger Garlic Bok Choy, I decided to add some more veggies to it and make it into some type of Oriental stirfry.  I am not sure if it is Korean or Chinese or what.  All I know is that my meat-eating husband really liked it.  It was absolutely delicious!  On a side note, I only post dishes here if he gives them a thumbs up.  This is a nice dish to make when you have friends over.  Get them to help out by washing  and chopping the vegetables.  The prep is the most time-consuming part of this meal.  It is easy to sit and eat.  Just put it in a bowls over short-grained brown rice.  

Ingredients:



4 baby bok choy (about 1 pounds)

1 zuchini, chopped 1/2 in. pieces

extra firm tofu, baked

1/2 bunch aspargus, chopped 1/2 in. pieces, tough ends snapped off

1 portabella mushroom, chopped 1/2 in. pieces

1 small can bamboo shoots

1 can baby corn

4 green onions, chopped 1/2 pieces
1 tablespoon garlic paste
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. dark sesame oil
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. rice wine or sherry (optional)

 Prepare the baby bok choy by washing it well and chopping it into bite-sized pieces. Chop all other vegetables. Splash a little of the water into a wok or deep skillet, heat, and throw in the chopped vegetables.   Sauté for about 3 minutes and then add the cubed tofu, ginger and garlic.  Cook until bok choy is bright green, the mushrooms have exuded their juices and the zuchini is still slightly crisp.  Try not to over cook.  Some people prefer Napa cabbage.  It has a lighter flavor and texture than baby bok choy, but I feel like baby bok choy holds up better in a stir fry.  I prefer my vegetables on the crispy side rather than the mushy side.

Make sure you add some kochu chang.  That is the secret ingredient.  It adds a kick to this dish.  You can get it at a good Oriental Food store.  We have to travel and hour to get it, but it is definitely worth the drive.

Yummy Polenta Lasagna

This is a version of Susan V's Polenta Lasagna with Portabellas and Kale. This is sooo delicious! My husband loves it. It goes great with a mixed greens salad (Italian vinagrette) and garlic bread. When I make this he never misses the meat! This is NOT a Mexican dish but we love it so much I wanted to share it...


1 18-ounce package prepared polenta
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 zuchini, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 large portabella mushroom, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch spinach, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 teaspoon dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
Cheese sauce (below)
1 jar marinara sauce (The BEST is Seeds of Change Tuscan Tomato and Garlic, but it is expensive and difficult to find.)

2 tbsp. cracked red pepper
1 bag vegan mozzarella cheeze
"Cheese" sauce:
1/2 cup extra-firm silken tofu
1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 tbsp. tahini
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp Italian Spice
2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
1/8 tsp. white pepper
2 tsp. corn starch

Preheat oven to 375° F. Spray the bottom and sides of a 8x8-inch baking dish with non-stick spray and set aside.

Place the cheese sauce ingredients into a blender or food processor and puree until completely smooth. Set aside.

Sauté the onions and portabellas in a non-stick skillet until the mushrooms begin to exude their juices. Add the garlic and zuchini and sauté for one more minute.

Add the spinach, basil, and 1/4 cup water or veg. broth. Sauté until the spinach is wilted and tender and the water has evaporated. Add the cheese sauce and cracked red pepper and cook, stirring, until thickened. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. Remove from the heat.

Cut the polenta into 1/4-inch thick slices. Line the bottom of the baking dish with half of the slices, overlapping slightly if possible. Spread 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce over the polenta, and then spread the spinach mixture over the sauce. Top with the remaining polenta. Spread the remaining marinara sauce over the top and sprinkle with vegan cheeze.

Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 or 10 minutes before serving.
Serves 6.

Tofu Bulgur Salad

This is a version of a recipe we found in Muscle Chow. (my husband's favorite cookbook) This is very filling. I took a serving of it for lunch one day and ate it with a plum and was full for 4 hours!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1 c bulgur wheat

2 roma tomatoes chopped

1 bunch fresh cilantro chopped

juice of 1-2 lemons

1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed

3 tsp EVOO

1/2 onion chopped

1 yellow bell pepper chopped

1 pkg extra firm tofu drained and pressed (cubed)

1 tsp salt

1 avocado, chopped

In a large bowl, combine the water and bulgur wheat. Stir and cover for 30 min or until bulgur has soaked up the water. Add the tomatoes, cilantro, lemon juice, 2 tsp of EVOO, half of the onion and bell pepper. toss well. In a skillet, heat to medium and add the tofu. Brown the tofu, turning occasionally. Add the remaining onion and bell pepper. Add the tofu mixture to Bulgur wheat. gently fold together with avocado. Refrigerate for 3 hrs before serving for flavors to blend. Tastes better the next day!!! Serves 6. Around 219 calories and 10 g protein per serving.