Vegan Chili

Hi there!

So, it has been awhile since we have actually posted a recipe, and I thought I would share an easy autumn recipe with everyone. I honestly don't usually measure or even keep track of what I put in my recipes most of the time, so this is somewhat estimated. I do believe that cooking should be fun and you should adjust things according to your own taste, which is definitely what I always do. It usually turns out great unless it involves baking, which should have slightly more science than creativity.

Anyways, one of my favorite fall meals is chili! So here is a recipe for chili that I made recently. I was craving chili and decided to make some even though I didn't have all of the ingredients that I usually use. I was happy with the outcome and hope that you will be too! Please feel free to mix things up and let us know what you think of the recipe :)

1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 can of black beans, rinsed
1 can of kidney beans, rinsed
1 can of pink beans, rinsed
1/3 cup of sliced sun-dried tomatoes
1/3 cup of TVP
1 cup or more of water
1 tablespoon of chopped scallions
1/2 teaspoon of dill
2 tablespoons of amino acids
2 tablespoons of red wine
1 cup of cooked quinoa

Heat a large pot on medium-high. Add about half an inch of water to the pot along with the carrots and scallions. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the TVP, aminos and dill. Add some more water if needed. There should still be some moisture, so as to avoid anything sticking to the bottom of the pot. Stir in the wine and let cook on medium heat for about five minutes. Be sure to stir and add small amounts of water if necessary. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, quinoa & beans. Cook on low to medium heat for another 10 minutes. Serve hot with your choice of toppings! We enjoyed ours with avocado, Daiya Havarti, and vegan sour cream.

Enjoy and let us know what you think if you get a chance to try out the recipe! We hope to add some more recipes soon including our classic chili recipe and some tasty quinoa burgers that we had last night!

Nicole

Engagement Spot

So, I had no idea where I was going to propose at but once we were at The Rock of Dunamase I knew that it was the spot. We didn't realize until after we got back to Connecticut that our engagement spot was in the movie Leap Year. Not a bad movie, but seeing the spot in person made us much more appreciative of the actual area. While you see the video, you will see some Celtic crosses (not there in real life), there is a second level to the strucutre (not really there in real life), a train station (not there at all), and a lake (that's really just countryside fields and not a lake).

Past Months...

It has been a long time since we have posted anything - far too long. We have been cooking and traveling and eating a lot of food... too much food. In the time that it has been since we last posted we celebrated my birthday and Nicole's birthday. Both of which we spent in Rhode Island finding vegan treats along the way. It is definitely not the last time that we will be going there and enjoying tasty food. Another exciting thing that transpired was our trip to Ireland (in April). While there we visited the Rock of Dunamse.

And we got engaged! Up until this point I was not sure where I was going to propose at. I was carrying the ring around with me while we traversed Dublin and took sunrise walk in a cemetery. Once we were here though I knew that it was the right spot. We walked all the way up to the top and saw magnificent views of the countryside. It was a very special and very exciting day. I was glad to have this trip with my future wife and am excited for many more.

Hopefully we will be a little more active in the coming months with posts and news wedding goings on.

Cauliflower Puree and Steaks

 Tonight we decided to put a little more effort into dinner than we usually do. We made cauliflower steaks with a cauliflower puree and purple mashed potatoes. This was a surprisingly filling and delicious dinner. The cauliflower puree wasn't completely smooth but it had a great texture to it. As for the potatoes, who doesn't love naturally colored produce? The potatoes came out a nice deep blueish-purple, and when lemon juice is added to the top it becomes a vibrant pink. (Picture to come).

Ingredients

1 large head of cauliflower

1 teaspoon olive oil

½ cup original almond milk

2 ounces pepper-jack shredded Daiya cheese

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes

1.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.     Remove any excess lower leaves from the head of the cauliflower and cut in half.

3.     Cut about ¾ of an inch slices of cauliflower from each half of the head. We were able to get two cauliflower steaks out of one head.

4.     In a pan on medium heat add 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Cook each steak for about 3 minutes on each side and place on a baking sheet.

5.      Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until fork tender, flipping after about 10 minutes.

6.     Cover the top of the steaks with Nutritional Yeast Flake and Avocado sauce and set oven to broil. Leave in oven until the edges of the cauliflower are golden brown.

7.     While the cauliflower is baking, cut the remainder of the head into smaller pieces and boil until tender.

8.     Strain the cauliflower and add to a food processor.

9.     Add ½ cup original almond milk and blend together until smooth.

10.  Transfer to a bowl and stir in 2 ounces of pepper-jack Daiya (or more if you wish) and 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes.

Nutritional Yeast Flake and Avocado Sauce

Ingredients

1 avocado

¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes

2 tablespoons maple barbeque sauce

1 teaspoons hot sauce

1 teaspoons liquid aminos

½ cup water

1.     Slice avocado in half, remove seed and cube the fruit of the avocado.

2.     Add all ingredients to a food processor (if your avocado is ripe enough like ours was you could just use a blender bottle that you would normally make a protein shake in). Blend or shake your mixture until you have a smooth consistency and enjoy.

Purple Mashed Potatoes

1 pound purple fingerling potatoes

2 tablespoons vegan butter

½ cup original almond milk

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1.     Boil potatoes until tender.

2.     Drain potatoes and mash with a potato masher.

3.     Add butter and continue mashing while potatoes are still warm.

4.     Stir in almond milk and salt.

5.     This step is optional, but after you have plated your mashed potatoes you can add some lemon juice to the top. This not only adds a surprising flavor, but it also changes the purple color to a vibrant pink.

Vegan cheesy cookies

Vegan cheesy cookies

1 cup white beans
1 cup corn meal
1 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup water
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon chipotle
1/4 tsp tumeric
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together.

Roll the mixture into little balls, about half inch balls would be great. Place on to a non-stick cookie sheet, flatten slightly, and bake for 10 minutes. The dough should yield about 36 cookies depending on the size.

Let cool for a few minutes and ten enjoy!