Nicole

Very Veggie Vegetarian Chili

March 6, 2013 Nicole

I am not a huge fan of chili but I decide to give vegetarian chili a chance. To say it’s different is an understatement. Different doesn’t mean bad, but when you are accustom to meat it’s an adjustment.

I loved all the veggies in it. To say this chili is healthy is an understatement. I actually made all of the beans myself without using canned ones but canned will prove to be easier. I just had these in the freezer and wanted to use them.

Homemade beans are ridiculously easy to make especially when you are talking about just making them like the ones in the cans. No spices and not much work. Soak a bag of dry beans for 12 hours, drain add to a pot of water and cook until tender. No spices or anything just like what you get in the cans. I can get the equal amount of 3 cans of beans out of 1 bag. Basically it’s 33 cents a can or less for me. I love that. I freeze them in freezer bags adding 15.oz of the beans to eat bag then topping with the extra juice then I freeze them. It’s super simple and healthier than eating them out of a can, and cheaper!!

In the end I actually liked this chili but it reminded me more of a hearty soup or stew verses a chili. Although it tastes like chili in the chili powder sense it doesn’t in the real chili sense.

If you like the flavor of chili and you love veggies this chili is for you!! This would be incredible used as the chili in a Frito Pie, and also great as chili cheese enchiladas.

Ingredients:

2-28oz cans of diced tomatoes (do not discard juice)
10.oz fresh mushrooms diced
1 can of beans kidney beans
1 can great northern beans
2 cup of frozen corn
3 stalks of celery diced
2 bell peppers, diced
3 carrots, diced
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1-1/2 tablespoons of cumin
2-3 tablespoons chili powder
¼ tsp. or red chili flakes
1 tbsp. or more kosher salt

Directions:

To a large pot add onion and sauté for about 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add all of the spices and cook stirring for about 30 seconds.
Add bell peppers, carrots and celery and cook for about 5 minutes, or until they just start to soften. Add tomatoes and their juice and bring to a simmer. Once the chili begins to simmer, reduce the heat to medium low. You want the chili to be at a low simmer with the lid off.
Continue to cook the chili, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Add beans, mushrooms and corn and let the chili return to a simmer. Cook for 5 more minutes or until the corn and beans have heated through.
Serve on its own or topped with one (or all!) of the delicious toppings.

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Recipes

Creamy Sesame Balsamic Salad Dressing

February 28, 2013 Nicole

This salad dressing is very impressive! It’s actually my first try at using balsamic vinegar. I hear so many people talk about it all the time, but I didn’t really know what all the hype was all about. Although I don’t get the hype it definitely makes this dressing delicious. It’s easy to make which always gives a recipe high marks in my book and it’s not expensive either!

I found the original recipe online, but I made a lot of changes to it. People complained about it having too much of a vinegar flavor so when I made it I used half the amount of vinegar and to me it was still a little rough on the tongue so I decided to take it down a little with some honey and that seemed to do the trick!

If you are looking for a homemade salad dressing that has a nice balsamic flavor this dressing is the one for you! I think it would be fantastic to marinade chicken breast in!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup tahini (Sesame paste)
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup water

Directions:

Add ingredients to a blender, and then blend for 30 seconds. Refrigerate until needed. If dressing is too thick after refrigeration add more water.

Number of Servings: 8 (2 tbsp. per serving)

Nutritional Information:

77 calories per serving
7 carbs
5 grams of fat
2 protein
6 sugar

*Nutritional information found on http://www.myfitnesspal.com this information will vary based on the brand of products you use.*

Original Recipe Source

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Recipes

Mushroom and Rice Casserole

February 23, 2013 Nicole

This is a really great recipe that is simple and delicious! It’s very mild flavored so you won’t want to serve anything with it that has too much pep or it will make this recipe look bland.

It’s easy and would be great made on a week night when time is already short, at least it is in our house. We never have enough time during the week so I am always looking for easy recipes.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. olive oil if desired
6oz chopped onion
2 oz. bell pepper
16 oz. canned mushroom
2/3 cup long grain white rice
½ cup white wine
2 cup vegetable broth
4 cloves roasted garlic (Garlic Roasted Instructions)

Directions:

If you desire to use olive oil to sauté your vegetables heat it until in a saucepan over medium heat; add mushrooms, bell pepper, and onion until tender, if you do not desire to use oil you will want to use a nonstick pan and as your vegetables are beginning to brown a tablespoon of water occasionally to help them along and to prevent them from burning and sticking cook about 5-8 minutes.
Add in vegetable broth, white wine, rice, and roasted garlic. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, 14 to 16 minutes.

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Recipes

Tiny Garlic Potatoes

February 22, 2013 Nicole

I found these cute little potatoes at Trader Joe’s called Teeny Tiny Potatoes. I thought they were so cute that I had to buy them, but then I couldn’t decide how to make them. I did a search online and found a Trader Joe’s own recipe for Teeny Tiny Potatoes.

These potatoes are delicious and the recipe is fantastic. I am in love with these little beauties! They are so good! I can’t wait to go back to Trader Joe’s and get more! So good!!

Ingredients:

1 pound TJ’s Teeny Tiny Potatoes
4 cloves TJ’s Peeled Garlic (or more, if you like)
Sea Salt, freshly ground, to taste
Black Peppercorn, freshly ground, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°.
Wrap garlic in a piece of foil with 1 tbsp of olive oil and roast in the oven until soft; about 30 minutes. At the same time, place potatoes on a baking sheet and into the oven – bake until tender, about 30 minutes.
Remove garlic from oven, mash and mix with remainder of olive oil; place in a mixing dish and set aside.
Remove potatoes from oven and add to bowl and gently toss with mashed garlic mixture. Toss salt and pepper over potatoes to taste. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Serves: 3 – 4

Original Recipe Source

Recipes

Strawberry Green Tea

February 20, 2013 Nicole

I have been working hard to incorporate as many fruits, vegetables, and green tea in our diets as possible. Green tea as so many wonderful benefits that it’s hard to ignore it. I have been on a major smoothie kick and read someplace that you could use green tea in place of milk, yogurt and so on in a smoothie.

I was getting a little hungry a few days ago in between lunch and dinner, but I didn’t want to eat anything too heavy or anything at all in truth. I decided to make a strawberry green tea smoothie.

Wow I have no idea what made me to come up with this idea but I am sure happy I did. This drink is ubber refreshing and delicious. It’s something I can see myself drinking all summer long. Healthy and Yummy!

Ingredients: