Pantry Clean Out Night 2

Tonight's menu was fairly simple, we weren't too hungry after our workout. Also, when you read this and think "That is a lot of food!" please know that more than half of this recipe was made into freezer-ready meals for us to eat on-the-go. We aren't the biggest fatties in the world...

Quinoa, Tofu & Pepper Flautas
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 block Italian flavored tofu (it's what we had, don't judge)
3 jalapeno pepper
1 orange bell pepper
1/2 purple onion
10 flour tortillas, fajita size
2 bay leaves
1 Tbl Mexican oregano
1/2 Tbl paprika
1 tsp fajita seasoning
1 Tbl olive oil

Olive oil spray for casserole dish

Preheat oven to 425.

1. Mince peppers and onions, saute in the oil with the bay leaves and oregano for 3-4 minutes. 
2. Combine in a large bowl with cooked quinoa and tofu. 
3. Add paprika and fajita seasoning. 
4. Spray casserole dish with olive oil spray. Spoon about 1/8 cup of filling into flour tortilla. Roll up and place in casserole dish. 
5. You can top these with enchilada sauce if wanted, I chose to top them with salsa and green chile. Either or nothing at all would be perfectly fine.
6. Cook for 25 minutes, or until warm throughout.

Cleaning Out the Pantry!

Tonight started another one of my cleaning kicks. I'm tired of having a super full pantry, but still going to the grocery store every few weeks. I am going to see how many meals we can get out of our stocked pantry without having to bring home groceries.

Night One:
Spaghetti with fresh mushroom, onion and tomato sauce
Crusty bread
Leftover Vegan Andouille Sausage
Cooked lamb's quarters with green chille

We had a ton of spaghetti sauce leftover, so I pizza in our future! Mmmm

Vegan Andouille Sausage

This is a recipe I found in one of the numerous vegan cookbooks I have, Quick and Easy Vegan Celebrations. It is one of my new favorite books, and is packed with some of the greatest vegan conversions I have ever seen.
I tried out this sausage recipe, and I am certain that this will be a mainstay in our house for a long time to come.

Dry ingredients:
1 cup Vital Wheat Gluten
1/2 cup soy flour (I substituted with whole wheat)
2 Tbl nutritional yeast
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried thyme

Wet ingredients:
1/2 cup water
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbl Bragg's liquid aminos
1 Tbl tahini
1/4 cup ketchup
2 Tbl extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbl vegan Worcestershire sauce
3/4 tsp hickory liquid smoke

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Whisk the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl. Mix the wet ingredients in with the dry until it forms a dough. Break into four balls, and roll each ball into a 6 inch log. Wrap very tightly in aluminum foil and twist the ends. Put into a steamer pot and steam for 40 minutes, covered. Let cool, keep refrigerated until eating.

Green Chile Chickpea Gumbo (of sorts)

I was cleaning out our refrigerator/pantry tonight to come up with dinner...and put together an awesome dinner that Alan said "Write down that recipe!" because he enjoyed it so much.

I kind of followed my standard way I fix chilli and gumbo, so it ended up a bit like both.
I hope you try it. I hope you enjoy. Be warned that Alan and I eat things fairly spicy. You may want to tone down the spices for your own.

Green Chile Chickpea Gumbo
2 Tbl Earth Balance margarine
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbl dried, crushed green chiles
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp garlic salt

1 yellow onion, diced
2 orange bell peppers, diced
1 cup brewed coffee
5 Roma tomatoes, diced
2 can chickpeas, drained
1 cup broccoli florets 
2 links Field Roast vegan Chipotle sausage, sliced into bite sized rounds
4 cups cooked rice of your choice (I used brown Basmati rice)

1. Melt butter in a large pot on medium high heat .
2. Add spices and saute for 2 minutes.
3. Add onion and bell pepper, saute 3-4 minutes.
4. Add chickpeas, broccoli and coffee. Let simmer 5 minutes.
5. Add remaining ingredients and cook for 5 minutes.

Yield: 7-8 servings

I ate mine spooned onto raw cabbage leaves, which I highly recommend!

Mmm soup...

I had some vegetables that needed to be eaten soon, and when I have that conundrum, I always end up doing the same thing with them: make soup. I love soup so, so much, and thankfully so does Alan. I had seen different variations of Kale & White Bean Soup recipes online, so last night I finally made my own version of it. It was so delicious.

Kale, Carrot & White Bean Soup
4 cups kale, chopped
4-5 large carrots, chopped
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5 oz.) can Great Northern (Cannelini) beans
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (32 oz.) box of low sodium vegetable stock
2 potatoes, diced
1/2 Tablespoon crushed green chiles
1/2 Tablespoon Italian blend seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-2 Tablespoons olive oil

1) Heat oil in soup pot on medium-high heat, add onions and saute for 3-4 minutes.
2) Add the garlic and seasonings, saute for 2 more minutes.
3) Add vegetable stock, carrots, and potatoes, bring to a boil.
4) Let simmer for 10-12 minutes until vegetables are cooked through.
5) Add beans and kale, continue to simmer until kale has wilted (about 5 minutes).

Yield: About 6 bowls (like how specific that is? haha)