Sunday, February 20, 2011

Veggie Meatloaf

1 medium sized onion, shredded or chopped
2 medium carrots, shredded
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 teas. dried basil
1 teas. dried oregano
2 tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
1 tbsp. red win vinegar
1 1/2 cup cooked lentils (I used French, any variety would do)
1 1/2 cup cooked grain (I used buckwheat, brown rice would be good, too)

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a loaf pan or Baker’s Edge pan.

In the bowl of a food processor, add the onions, carrots, sunflower seeds and olive oil. Process for 30 sec-1 minute, until it resembles a chunky paste. Add the herbs, soy sauce and vinegar and combine. Add lentils and grain to the processor and process until ingredients just come together, scraping down the bowl as needed. If there are still some discernible lentils, that’s fine, but overall it should be thick and paste-like. Hmm… paste-like doesn’t sound very appetizing.

Moving on, spread the loaf into the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes (closer to 40 for the loaf pan), depending on type of pan. The top of the loaf should brown and get a little crusty on the edges There should still be a little mush-factor if you gently push down on the top of the loaf, as it will continue to firm up as it cools.

Makes 6-7 servings, depending on how much you feel like sharing.

Vegan Chili


1 bell pepper-any color diced
1/2 onion diced
3 cloves of garlic minced
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 can of black beans or pinto
1 can of kidney beans
1 28 oz can of stewed tomatoes
1/4 cup of vegetable broth
1 tbsp of cumin
2 tbsp chili powered
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
small dash of cayenne pepper and crushed red pepper if you like it spicier
I used a tbsp of thyme and fresh basil though it didn't call for it I just wanted to use it
1/2 cup of TVP-textured vegetable protein-gives the chili a hearty texture like beef this is optional though add with 1/2 cup water.

Saute bell pepper, onion and garlic on medium heat with olive oil.
Add the tomatoes, spices and vegetable broth-2 minutes
Add the beans and simmer for up to 1 hour but can be 20 minutes if you are pressed for time
When you have 10 minutes left, add TVP and water.

It seems like a lot of ingredients but I had them all in my cupboard expect for the TVP which was $3.

Nutrition Facts:
One serving provides approximately:
Calories: 334, Calories from Fat: 54
Total Fat: 6.0g, 9%, Saturated Fat: 0.9g, 4%
Cholesterol: 0mg, 0%
Sodium: 260mg, 11%
Total Carbohydrates: 55.4g, 18%
Dietary Fiber: 15.5g, 62%
Sugars: 5.9g
Protein: 18.7g
Vitamin A 49%, Vitamin C 107%, Calcium 11%, Iron 35%, Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Chickpea Curry


Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh ginger root, finely chopped
6 whole cloves
2 (2 inch) sticks cinnamon, crushed: (use regular cinnamon. 1/2 tsp per stick.)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
salt to taste
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 (15 ounce) cans garbanzo beans
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro ( i skipped this)

Directions

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, and fry onions until tender.
Stir in garlic, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, salt, cayenne, and turmeric. Cook for 1 minute over medium heat, stirring constantly. Mix in garbanzo beans and their liquid. Continue to cook and stir until all ingredients are well blended and heated through. Remove from heat. Stir in cilantro just before serving, reserving 1 tablespoon for garnis


*** I doubled the spices because it was bland, except for the cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Salt to taste. This is spicy so you might want to halve the cayenne if Liv is going to be eating it too.I also let it cook for about 20 minutes. 8 servings though it didn't seem like that much.