Potatoes and Black Bean Taco with SWISS CHARD PESTO

The Swiss Chard pesto is in CAPS because ...well...it's amazing!  Forgot my leftovers at my parents and debating to take the hour trip to go get them amazing! 

I don't recall how I happened upon this recipe but I sure am glad I did.  I've been saving it for a day when I would have the time to cook a meal at my parents.  My dad is growing swiss chard in his garden this year and I needed an excuse to use it.  Seriously I can't say it enough, it's really good!  The taste is unexpected, refreshing, with a hint of spice.  What else can I say to make you run out and make this? 

I made a few adjustments to the original with what I had on hand.  See below my adapted version.  I'm sure the original is just as amazing if not better. 

Swiss Chard Pesto:

1 Bnnch of swiss chard washed/cut into chunks
1 handful of chopped frozen pasilla chili (I normally go for a spicier pepper like the recipe calls for but I didn't have any on hand)
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 Tbs. Tapatio Hot Sauce
1/4 cup walnuts
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

For the Tacos:

1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 (to 2 depending on the size) regular potato, cut into a medium dice
1 (14.5 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tsp cumin, divided
2 tsp chili powder, divided
1/2 tsp garlic salt
Tortillas of choice (I used the kind you have to cook on the stove)
lime and cilantro for garnish
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
*Optional: Diced avocado.  I would have used if I had one

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 400*
2.  On a baking sheet mix the potatoes, olive oil, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp chili powder, and salt/pepper.  Bake for 30 minutes.
3.  Meanwhile make your pesto.  Throw all of the ingredients into a food processor, minus the olive oil.  Get the motor running (tell me you just sang that in your head...you know you can't resist!) and add the olive oil in a steady stream until a pesto is made.  I have a small food processor so I had to do mine in steps.  I didn't add all of the ingredients right away.  I mixed a little, mixed it around with my spoon so everything was at the bottom again, then added to it. 
4.  Heat your black beans, remaining cumin and chili powder along with garlic salt.  Heat until cooked through (about 5 minutes). 
5.  Cook/heat your tortillas
6.  Assemble:  Start with a tortilla, spread with beans, potatoes, pesto, chopped cilantro and fresh squeezed lime to taste.  I used at least 2 Tablespoons of pesto per tortilla.  The more the better. 

Y'all be coming back to thank me for sharing this awesome recipe with you later...I guarantee it!

I know I don't need a disclaimer (but God knows I'm full of them these days) but please forgive me if I'm sparse in my posts.  Without going into details I have a ton of stuff going on in my life right now that has my body and brain exhausted at the end of the day.  I'm sure I'll be back to normal soon so bare with me!  I do promise not to keep any awesome recipes from you (like this one). 

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!

White Bean Galore

When I made the gumbo last week I was originally going to add white beans.  I started cooking a bag of dried white beans and by the time I realized the gumbo didn't need beans they were already half way through cooking.  After that I knew what I would be eating for awhile. 

There is a restaraunt by me that sells white bean and artichoke bean dip with olive tapenade.  Its super yummy!  I knew one day when I had an abundance of white beans that this is exactly what I was going to do with them.  I found plenty of recipes online for artichoke white bean dip.  Some call for cheese, which is easily left out.  I found this recipe from the Sprout and Pea blog.  I made a few adjustments to it based on what I had.  Kalamata olives are my favorite so I went with a kalamata olive tapenade to top it off.  I found this recipe from My Life as a Mrs. Blog.  Both came out great.   

The spread is good on top of crackers or toasty bread.  I even came up with a yummy sandwich.  I spread vegan butter on two slices of bread.  Heat a panini press, George Foreman Grill, or pan on the stove top.  Put butter side down on the grill.  Spread the one slice of the bread with the white bean/artichoke dip, top with the kalamata olive tapenade.  Add a slice of vegan cheese and spinach.  Top with the second piece of bread.  And Grill.  Delicioius!  Those lovely onion rings next to the sammy came from a recipe I found on pinterest.  They were super easy to make.   My only advice is when you dip the onion rings in the batter lightly shake the rings to get excess batter off.  Then when you dip in the bread crumbs lightly dip once on each side.  This will help keep the bread crumbs from getting clumpy. 

I still had a ton of white beans left and I found yet another recipe on Pinterest.  I left out the cheese of course.  It was good but needed a lot of seasoning.  I even took a tablespoon or so of the olive tapenade and mixed it in with the soup and it was surprisingly delicious.  It was a good hot soup for a cold winters day.    

I didn't take any pictures but I also made a white bean chili.  Here is the link for the recipe.  It was a quick and easy chili when you need something in a rush.  Thought I'd share for those who need aquick chili recipe. 

That is all for now.  Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!

Vegetarian Okra Gumbo

Hello Blog world!!  So much has happened in the last few months I don't even know where to start.  My last post in November before Thanksgiving was like the calm before the storm.  My life has been some what of a whirl wind these past few months and life is finally settling down.  Some good and some bad whirl wind. 

I'll try to catch everyone up on the goingson in my life without boring you with too many details. My husband, parents and Bella took a road trip for Thanksgiving up to Utah to visit my Uncle, Aunt and Cousin.  It was a great trip.  In the scheme of things they are the closest relatives by far and we don't see them often enough.  After that we can home for just a few short weeks and the incomprehensible happened, my grandmother passed away.  She was an AMAZING woman who has created such a legacy.  She's one of those people that I naively thought would be here forever.  Her passing was hard on all of us, but we all gathered back home in New Orleans to celebrate her life and enjoy the memories she left behind.  I'm so grateful I was able to go home.  Staying at her house was like a blanket.  It was comfortable and warm with not only her memories but the family that gathered there. 

After returning home we had just a week before Christmas.  My head was still spinning with everything that had just happened, but I was able to gather my bearings and get ready for Christmas.  Baking cookies for work, white elephant gift exchange party, finishing last minute christmas gift purchases, while still working full time.  In the meantime my sister from Austin flew in and stayed for two weeks.  It was (like always) so nice to have her around.  Meg if you're reading COME HOME!!  :)  Christmas and New Years came and went full of family time, taking trips, cooking, watching movies, the works!  Needless to say it was quite a crazy end of the year and start to 2012.  We've already attended one birthday party (for my awesome sister in law I may add!) and one to go.  I have a feeling this year is going to fly by.  My resolution to hold onto every day.  Enjoy the hear and now without wishing for time to speed up. 

I know I know...I've written a novel already and I haven't even gotten to the recipe!  So my mom found me some delicous fresh okra at the farmers market.  I never find okra in the super market or even at farmers market for that reason so I was very excited to have some fresh!!  I HAD to make a gumbo.  There really wasn't a choice.  To save on time my parents use a Richard's Cajun Roux that comes from a jar.  A side cajun lesson.  Richard in Richard's Cajun Roux is pronounced REE-SHAUD.  Roux is the base of the gumbo.  We typically make it by hand but it was already getting late so I went the lazy route.  Roux can take hours to make.  You have to cook oil and flour over the stove and constantly stir until it gets really dark.  If you stop stirring it will burn.  It's not very difficult, just a time consuming process.  So if you are like me and looking for a short cut this is the way to go.  Only problem is not all of you will be able to buy it in the store.  We typically pick ours up when we're back in New Orleans.  You may be able to find it in some specialties stores like World Market or the speciaility aisle of your grocer.  If you can't buy it in the store you can always make it by hand.  Enlist a friend to help stir.  The outcome will be WELL worth it.  If you've never eaten gumbo you haven't lived yet.  :) 

Another tip about the roux.  The oil settles at the top.  The easiest way is to dump everything into a bowl and stir until you get a uniform consistency like above.  You won't use the whole jar for one batch (unless you're feeding an army) so just spoon it back in the left overs.  Below is the recipe I came up with based on our families tradition, my past attempts and many online recipes that I made into my own.  Feel free to search out there for other variations.  There are plenty out there, but this is my favorite. 

1-1 1/2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 Medium Onion chopped
3-4 Stalks of Celery chopped
1-2 Green or Red Bell Peppers (or a mixture of both)
3-4 Cloves of garlic minced
Approximately 14-15 fresh okra pods (I used about half of what is shown above)
1 can of diced tomatoes with the juice (I used a onion/garlic mix, but you can use regular, with green chili's, whatever you have on hand)
1 teaspoon of cajun seasoning.  Start here and add more if desired, I usually add a little more
A few dashs of Louisiana hot sauce.  Crystal is my favorite. 
Salt/Pepper to taste
A few dashes of cayenne pepper
6 Tablespoons of pre-made roux
*or heat 3 T of Oil and 3 T of Flour over medium heat to make a roux.  Constantly stir until it is a dark brown in color.  Be careful not to burn it! 
4 Cups of water
White or Brown rice

Directions:
1.  Start cooking rice depending on how many people you are feeding.
2.  If using a pre-made roux start here, if making from scratch start making the roux now in a separate pot (directions above).  Heat olive oil in a large pot, add onion, celery, bell peppers, and garlic.  Saute until the veggies are soft and onions translucent. 
3.  Slice okra, discard stem and end.  Add to pot with the other veggies along with the can of tomatoes (with juice), and spices.  Saute until the okra is soft, not mushy just soft. 
4.  Add roux and water to the pot.  Stir everything together until the roux is completely dissolved in the water.  Continue to cook for about 20 minutes or so on simmer.  Your rice should be done by now. 
5.  In each individual bowl put a little bit of rice a lot of gumbo, top with salt if needed, a few dashes of hot sauce and file (e with an accent, pronounced FEE-LAY). 

TIP:  The roux tasted a little burnt when I first made it. If you add a little water and make sure it's well seasoned with salt and cajun seasoning it should remidy that.  I think the batch of roux I got was a little darker than normal.

Sorry for the long post.  My life is hopefully settling down and maybe I'll get a chance to come back to regular blogging. 

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!

Cajun White Bean and Okra Stew

I call this Cajun White Bean and Okra Stew.  It's really just a twist to my age old black eyed pea recipe and needed a much cooler name.  I was hungry for something hearty, filling, and warm to go with the cold weather.  I was out of black eyed peas so I went with white beans and it turned out great!

1 Can of white beans
1/2 white onion chopped
3 cloves of garlic minced
2 stalks of celery thinly sliced
1 tomato chopped (you can add more or leave this out.  I had one tomato that needed to be used so I through it in)
Frozen Okra  I threw in a few handfuls, add to taste
approximately 2-3 tablespoons of Zatarain's bean seasoning
a few shakes of cajun seasoning (I use slap ya mama)
A dash of cayenne pepper
**optional:
A few tablespoons (to taste) of nutritinoal yeast
Add a few drops of hot sauce to each bowl (I like Louisiana Hot Sauce for this)
1 cup of brown rice

Directions:
1.  Start cooking your rice in a rice cooker
2.  Heat a little bit of oil in a pot.  Add the onions, garlic and celery and heat until the onions are translucent. 
3.  Add in the tomato, okra and can of beans.  Do not rinse the beans.  Fill the empty can with water and add that to the pot.  Depending on how "soupy" you want it you can add more or less water at this time. 
4.  Add in all seasoning.  Simmer on medium-low until the rice is done cooking.  Serve on top of rice with added hot sauce or vegan parmesan. 


This recipe is easily adaptable to what you have.  Bell pepper and/or a spicy peper is a nice addition as well.  You can use vegan butter instead of the oil.  Melt that and add in a few tablespoons of flour to make a roux.  That will make a nice thick "stew" that is more of a gumbo.  You can substitue the tomato for a can of diced tomatoes.  You might want to add less water depending on your taste.  Have fun with it! 

I hope you enjoyed! 

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!

HALLLLOOOWEEENN: Vampire Bite Red Velvet Cupcakes

If you remember from last year my department at work throws a "party" for halloween.  We all make yummy halloween inspired treats for the whole office.  I work downtown and our office is a part of a trick or treat for kids.  So in the afternoon a bunch of the cutest kids around come by trick or treating for candy.  So we all dress up in our costumes and hand out candy.  We still have to work but it makes for a fun filled day. 

This year I made vampire bite red velvet cupcakes.  The idea came from my coworker.  They turned out great!!  I've made the red velvet cupcakes before (if you remember from my dinner with friends).  You can find the recipe here from Kathryn Lovett's Blog.  I follow the recipe exact, except I didn't need to use 3 T of red food coloring, more like 1 to 1 1/2 T.  I made the icing from the recipe as well and added a little more powdered sugar so it was a bit thicker.  After the cupcakes were baked, cooled and frosted I stuck a thick toothpick (the kind that looks more like a fork with two prongs) in to make two "bite" marks.  I took just a little bit of the frosting and added some red food coloring to make it red.  Then took the toothpick and frosted a little line under the bite mark to look like blood.  They were amazingly easy and soo delicious.  My coworkers didn't even realize they were vegan and my family loved them! 

I also made the roasted red pepper and artichoke dip that I usually make for the holidays.  It's one of my all time favorites and everyone always raves about it.  I should have doubled the recipe because it was almost gone before we even had lunch!  You can find the recipe here from food.com.  I follow it exactly.  Other than the chips I served with this dish (they were shaped like pumpinks, bats and ghosts) this dish wasn't really halloween inspired, but rather matched my costume.  I was a 50s housewife.  The corningware and crochet pot holder fit the bill.  Here's me in my costume.  Not the best photo, I wasn't even looking at the camera.  LOL.  You can't tell but I even have victory rolls in my hair.  I wish I could wear this look everyday! 

I know I'm a few days late, but I hope everyone enjoyed their halloween.  I'm trying to get my office to do a themed halloween next year.  Yay!  Till next time! 

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!

Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese

I'M BACK!!!!  I know I'm sorry (you've heard me say a million times) for being MIA, but I honestly haven't had much mojo.  I was cooking either things I've posted before, or things not worth posting.  You know sometimes you just get in a funk and mine has lasted longer than I'd like.  But I swear I'm back in the groove!  I feel inspired and rejuvinated!  If anyone hasn't heard or it or tried it out yet I encourage you to check out http://www.pinterest.com/.  It is an AMAZING sight for you to "pin" things that you find on the web.  It's kind of hard to explain but if your someone who is constantly "favoriting" (yes I just made that a word) sites that you like or want to come back to then Pinterest is the place for you.  But let me forwarn you its 100% addicting.  Side affects are hours of countless hours in front of the computer.  By the time you look at the clock you will have lost a whole day!  Said from experience.  You can find my boards and I at http://pinterest.com/amateurvegnchef/. 

Now onto the good stuff..FOOOODD!!!  Fall weather was a little slow this year (I must have been on the good side of the Gods) but it's finally in full swing and freezing outside.  The other day I was in the mood for some down home comfort food.  I couldn't get tomato soup and grilled cheese out of my brain.  It was perfect and hit the spot. 

For the grilled cheese (one of the easiest things to make by the way) I started with a great bread.  I used two different breads for two different occasions both were amazing.  The first is sprouted whole grain wheat bread with flax seed by Alvarado St. Bakery.  It's tasty, and amazing for you and only 50 calories per slice!  Pretty amazing.  The second is Dave's Killer Bread.  OMG.  If you haven't seen it or tried it....look for it and try it!!!  It's great!  I used the Good Seed, with heavenly texture and saintly flavor.  It has 4 grams of fiber, 6 grams of protein and 610mg of omega 3's.  It's organic and only has amazing ingredients.  If you see it try his sinaroll.  It's to die for.  For the cheese I used my go to Daiya Pepperjack Shreds. As any normal grilled cheese butter the bread, heat a skillet and grill with the cheese.  I went pretty simple but there are soooo many variations to take your grilled cheese to the next level.  You can add veggies like tomato slices, roasted bell pepper, red onion...the possibilities are endless. 

I also wanted to mention a new product I've tried that I think will blow you all away.  It's Tofutti brand american cheese slices.  It's like the typical slice cheese in the little plastic wrapping.  It tastes sooo amazing.  Rich is convinced that it's real cheese in vegan wrapping (obviously not true, but a test to how amazing it is).  It's sooo perfect for sandwichs!  I love Daiya but sometimes the shreds get messy when I'm trying to put it on a sandwich.  You can even use the slices for the grilled cheese.  They melt amazing!  So check it out next time your at the store! 

Now for the tomato soup.  I went pretty simple and easy for this as well.  I based my recipe on that from Fat Free Vegan (follow the link to the recipe).  I made some adjustments.  As you can see I didn't blend the soup so it was smooth.  I wanted a more chunky soup so I just used a potato masher and mashed some of the soup.  I also didn't have a can of crushed tomatoes so I used two cans of chopped tomatoes.  I didn't use her brand of tomatoes just what I had in the cabinet.  I left out the parsley and yogurt because I didn't have any, and didn't think it needed any agave.  It was really tasty.  I loved the roasted flavor from the tomatoes.  It was the perfect soup to dip my grilled cheese in.  This soup is going in the keep file.  :) 

I hope I haven't lost all my readers and you'll come back for more recipes!  To even make up for it I'm posting another blog here in a few minutes so stay tuned!!!  Till next time!

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!

LOTS of goodies!

I have a ton of meals to catch y'all up on!  So get ready for a long post.  I'll try to make it interesting.  Okay I don't really have any interesting stories but lots of photos!!!

Let's start with a review for Yves Vegan Grain Meat in a sweet chili thai sauce.  I saw this at the store and thought it sounded good enough.  I wasn't expecting much out of it as I'm pretty hard to please with this sort of thing.  It was SOOOO good.  I would eat it over and over again.  It was super easy to make and it didn't taste fake or chewy. 

The top photo is how the packaging looks.  It comes with the "meat" separate.  You heat it in some oil until it gets golden brown.  Then you add the sauce packet and cook for a few short seconds so it heats up and gets thick. 

I ate mine with quinoa, green beans and broccoli.  Perfect meal when you need something quick! 

This next recipe I bookmarked awhile ago and kind of forgot about it.  I'm glad I found it because it was delicious.  It's from vegetarian times and you can find the recipe online here.  I followed the recipe except I didn't use coconut flakes, I didn't have any lime juice and I used canned pineapple instead of fresh.  I topped this with quinoa (If you can tell I'm trying to stay away from too much pasta and rice.  I also want to make sure I'm getting enough protein and trying to make sure I have some form in every meal).  It needed some "sauce" so I topped it with sriracha and sweet chili sauce that I have in a jar (if you've never had any you need to..it's kinda of amazing).  It was the perfect spice to add with the sweetness of the pineapple.

You probably won't beleive it but I made this amazing spinach risotto in the microwave with my pasta boat!!!  Well it's not actually a pasta boat it's called pasta n more, but it comes with a recipe book and I figured what the heck let's give it a try.  It was soooo easy and it came out perfect.  Plus I didn't have to sweat over the stove forever to make this!  I made some adjustments from the original recipe, so below is what I did

2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 cup of chopped onions
2 cloves of garlic (more if you'd like), chopped
1 cup of uncooked arborio rice
3 cups of HOT vegetable broth (so make sure to bring it to a slight boil before adding it)
1/4 teaspoon of salt
8 oz fresh spinach
2 small zucchini cut into 1inch pieces
About 1/2 lemon juice
I didn't measure but about a tablespoon of agave nectar
Dried rosemary maybe 1/2 tablespoon
Italian seasoning mabe 1/2 - 1 tablespoon
1/4 cup of vinegar (the original recipe called for 1/2 white wine, I didn't have any so I subbed this)

1.  Combine the olive oil, onion and garlic in the boat pot, place in microwave and cook on HIGH for 3 minutes
2.  Stir in the rice and broth and add salt, lemon juice, agave nectar, rosemary and italian seasoning, cover with the strainer lid and cook on HIGH For 6 minutes
3.  Uncover and stir in vinegar, zucchini, spinach and cook for about 10-15 minutes until the liquid boils off. 
4.  Serve with Parma if desired.  I also made a side of wax beans with similar seasonings as the risotto

Last but not least I had a wonderful spread a few weekends ago at my parents.  My dad BBQd a spicy chicken patty for me.  I cut it up and ate it on a roll with the fixings (lettuce, onion, tomato, pickle and BBQ sauce).  Side of corn with salt and tapatio hot sauce, potatoes with rosemary, and BBQ veggies straight from the grill.  Hopefully this isn't my last summer BBQ this year.  All the halloween decorations at the stores are making me a little depressed. I feel like I was just talking about the being excited for summer and now it's almost gone.

For now that is all...Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!