Burrito/Taco filling

Sorry I don't have a picture. I'll try to remember to put one on the next time I make this. This is the basic recipe I use to make my burrito filling at home. Its based off of another recipe I found online. I adapted it a bit, because I didn't really care for the original, but I like the concept of the vegan bean taco filling.

Unfortunately when I adapted this recipe, I didn't write down the measurements. And each time I make it and fail to measure what I put in. It does manage to come out pretty good each time though. The measurements listed below are just a guess, so please adjust seasonings to your tastes. This filling should be thick, but spreadable. You don't want it to leak out of the burrito shell or squirt out the back side when you bite into it.

I'm not very good at making up recipes, so go easy on me with your comments if you don't like it or have suggestions.

Black Bean Taco Filling

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 bell pepper, diced
2 (14.5 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed, drained, and mashed
1-2 teaspoon salt
1-2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2-1 C salsa or water (optional)

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion and pepper; cook until tender. Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Stir in mashed beans, spices and salsa or water. Mixture should have a thick, spreadable consistency without being too gloppy. Cover, and cook until heated through.

To serve, spread on a tortilla and top with favorite toppings.

Eggplant Parm

So, here is another vegetarian recipe. This is one of our favorites, because the eggplant is baked, not breaded and fried. Most of the time I double the veggies and layer it more like lasagna.

2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 small eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
1 tablespoon grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 medium tomato, thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh mozzarella cheese


Combine oil and garlic; brush over both sides of eggplant slices. Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes; turn. Bake 5 minutes longer or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Place half of the eggplant in a greased 1-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with half of the basil and Parmesan cheese. Arrange tomato slices over top; sprinkle with remaining basil and Parmesan. layer with half of the mozzarella cheese and the remaining eggplant; top with remaining mozzarella. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake 5 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted.

Bow Tie Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes, Capers, and Basil

This is ridiculously easy and a perfect weeknight dinner. Literally, you can be eating in 15 minutes. We have this in our house probably once a week.

Its from Cooking Light.

YIELD: 4 servings (serving size: 2 cups)

4 cups hot cooked bow tie pasta
4 cups halved cherry tomatoes (about 2 pints)
1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped pitted niçoise olives
2 tablespoons capers
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
Red wine vinegar (optional)


Combine first 10 ingredients in a large bowl, and toss well. Sprinkle vinegar over each serving, if desired.

Roasted Artichoke Salad

Whenever I make this, my husband looks at it and says "It might choke Arty, but its not going to choke Stimey!". Its from the Little Rascals. Don't ask me. He thinks its a funny artichoke joke.

This recipe is from Ina Garten. I have included my own modifications to it however. At this moment I am boycotting Ina Garten, because she refused to grant a dying kid his wish to cook with her - twice! (very uncool, Ina). But since I found this recipe a while ago, and I've made some of my own modifications, I continue to use it. Just no new Ina Garten recipes.

When I make this, I usually just throw it together without measuring, so the ingredients for the salad are just a guess. Its great anyway, you can modify as you like. I've also made this without roasted the artichokes and its great. Goes together so much quicker if you don't have to roast them. Serve it with a side of pasta or baguette.

Roasted Artichoke Salad

2 bags frozen artichoke hearts
2 T capers, drained
2 T black olives, sliced
2 roasted red peppers, chopped (jarred is fine)
1/4 C red onion, coarsely chopped
2 T fresh parsley,
1/2 pint

Vinaigrette
1 shallot, minced
1-2 T lemon juice
1 t dijon mustard
3 T white wine vinegar
1/4 C basil leaves
Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350. Toss the artichokes in olive oil, a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper. Spread the artichokes onto a sheet pan and spread out into 1 layer; roast in the oven for 20 minutes, stirring occassionally.

Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette. Place the minced shallot, lemon juice, mustard, vinegar, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of pepper in the bowl of a food processor and process for 5 seconds. Add the basil leaves and process into a green puree. With the processor running, slowly pour olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube until the ingredients are finely pureed and it has the consistency of dressing. Set aside.

Place the roasted artichoke hearts in a bowl and toss with enough vinaigrette to moisten. Add the capers, red peppers, red onion, parsley and tomatoes and toss gently. Let stand for 30 minutes for the flavors to blend. Serve at room temperature.

Marinara Sauce

I never used to make good spaghetti sauce. That is until I found this recipe. Its super simple, goes together quickly and there are some successful variations that follow. And chances are good you already have all the ingredients in your pantry. Next time I try this I'm going to use the fresh tomatoes I got in my CSA box.

Its from Veganomicon, one of my favorite cookbooks.

Marinara Sauce
Makes about 5 cups

2 t olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 t dried thyme
1/4 t dried oregano
1/2 t salt
several pinches freshly ground black pepper

Preheat a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the oil and garlic, and saute for about a minute, until fragrant. Do not let it burn. Add the remaining ingredients, cover, and raise the heat a bit to bring it to a simmer. Simmer for about 15 mins, stirring occasionally.

Variations:
Roasted Red Pepper:
Add a chopped roasted redpepper along with the tomaotes. Blend the sauce when done cooking if you like.

Mushroom:
Increase the oil to 1 tablespoon and saute 1 cup of thinly sliced mushroom before ading the garlic.

Roasted Garlic:
Decrease the minced garlic to 2 teaspoons. Add a whole bulb of peeled roasted garlic to the sauce halfway through the cooking process. Blend the sauce when done cooking.

Olive:
Add 1/2 cup of chopped black olives to the sauce about hlafway through the cooking process.

Carmelized onion:
Increase the oil to 1 tablespoon. Sweat 1 cup of finely chopped white or yellow onions for about 15 minutes. To sweat, keep the heat low and cover, stirring every few minutes, the onions should not brown. Uncover and cook for 15 more minutes at higher heat until browned and carmelized. Proceed with the recipe.

Ratatoullie AND Vegan Ranch Dressing

What to do with all this eggplant? I did make a ratatoullie last year and like it. My neighbor Becky always brags on her recipe so I just had to try it. Luckily, she did not suspect I would share it with the WHOLE WORLD. The one difference between the recipe I tried and Ms. Becky's was that her recipe grilled the veggies. Or roasted. I roasted at 400 for like 30 minutes. Maybe more. Maybe less. I can't remember.



Once the veggies are roasted, you pour over a vinegrette and then add it to the pasta. It was delicious! So glad I tried this recipe.

Dressing

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 garlic cloves, pressed

2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt


Vegetables and Pasta

5 plum tomatoes, cut lengthwise

1 medium eggplant (1.5 pounds), cut into 1/2 inch slices

1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch slices

1 large green peppers, stemmed, seeded and quartered

1 large sweet onion, cut into 1/2 inch slices

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley

1 pound uncooked penne or rigatoni pasta

grated fresh parmesan cheese


For dressing, combine vinegar, garlic, oregano, and salt. Set aside.

Cook pasta according to package.

Prepare grill for cooking over medium heat. Prepare vegetables and brush with oil.

Grill onion 10-12 minutes and tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, and pepper 6-8 minutes, uncovered.

Remove vegetables from grill and vut into bite-sized pieces. Place vegetables in large bowl and drizzle with dressing. Serve over pasta and top with grated cheese and parsley.

Yes, there is parm cheese on my picture. It was BOGO at the BILO and I am a weak, weak, human being.

So, now for this vegan dressing. Now, it didn't taste like a ranch dressing, but it was still a good dressing and very creamy. The soaked, raw, cashews really do a lot. I get my raw cashews at Trader Joe's. More dressings to come!



Raw Ranch Dressing (Yields ~3/4 c)

1/2 cup cashews, soaked for at least two hours
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. dried thyme
¼ tsp dried oregano
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp fresh dill
2 tbsp fresh parsley

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender (or regular blender, that is what I used)

Refrigerator Pickles

I really don't like pickles. The thought of them makes me gag. If I were paid to eat just one pickle, I don't think I could do it. Okay, so I might force myself to choke one down if the prize was big enough - Yes, shamefully, I can be bribed. Nick loves pickles, and since we had so many cucumbers from our CSA box, I whipped a bunch of these. No pickle smell, no cooking required. They keep well.

Refrigerator Pickles
9 cups thinly sliced cucumbers (skins on)
1 cup sliced thin strips green pepper
1 cup sliced thin onion
1 teaspoon celery seed
2 Tablespoons kosher salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup white vinegar

Wash cucumbrs, leave peel on and slice thin. Add green peppers, onion and celery seed.

Combine sugar, salt, and vinegar and stir until completely dissolved. Pour over cucumber mixture. Put in glass jars or tupperware, cover.
Store in refrigerator.