Black Bean and Pumpkin Chili (Vegan!)

1 large onion chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 sweet yellow pepper chopped
1 can diced green chilies
3 garlic cloves, minced.
3 tblsp olive oil
3 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
3 cans black beans drained
1 large can pumpkin - 30 oz size
2 cans diced tomatoes
3 tsp chili powder
2 cans pinto beans
2 cans white beans (you can use kidney beans if you want)
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt

you really can add more stuff if you want
sautee onion, garlic, pepper and celery til tender
mix everything together and put in crock pot for 4-5 hours.

Kind of an Asian "Pasta Salad"

so this one i started out trying to make Pad Thai but had nothing in the house so ended up with this...definitely not disappointed though:D
I have had this warm and just out of the refrigerator and it's good either way.

what you'll need:
*one box of brown rice spiral pasta
*half of a fresh lime
*3 tablespoons Bragg's Liquid Amino Acid (article will be posted) or gluten free soy sauce
*1 teaspoon pink salt
*1 teaspoons chili powder
*1/4 teaspoon red cayenne pepper
*1/2 teaspoon cumin
*olive oil
*2 teaspoons minced garlic
*1 teaspoon ginger powder
*1/2 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
*1/2 cup edamame beans (fresh or frozen)
*about half of a block of extra firm tofu, cut in small cubes
*1 cup of shredded kale
*1 cup of fresh spinach leaves
*2 large pieces of celery, cut into small pieces
*basil

to begin:

prepare the pasta according to box instructions. then drain and rinse with cool water. set aside.

in a large frying pan or wok saute the garlic and ginger with approx. 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil for 30 sec. Add the kale and spinach and allow the leaves to shrink. next add the tofu and saute until the tofu just starts to turn golden. add the peas, edamame and celery and stir a little, then cover for 3-5 minutes.

while the dish is covered over medium heat, mix in a small bowl the bragg's (or soy) sauce, the lime juice, pink salt, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and cumin.

check the heated ingredients and stir. if everything looks cooked and ready, turn off the heat or keep on for another minute.

combine in a large bowl the veggies and tofu and pasta. pour the soy sauce mixture on top and mix well. sprinkle some basil on top and mix again.
either serve it warm or refrigerate it for later!

hope you enjoy:)
you are loved.

A Lunch of Sweet Potato, Onion, Pineapple and Tempeh

More Vegan Recipes!
This one was SUPER good and can be served either by itself, with some rice, over rice noodles, or over a salad. Really good flavors though:D

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
*1 teaspoon salt (I used pink salt...and I will have a blog about why you should use it too!)
*1 teaspoon chili powder
*1/2 teaspoon cumin
*1/4 teaspoon cayenne
*2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch chunks
*2 medium onions, peeled and cut into 1 - 2 inch long strips
*1 - 1 1/2 cups pineapple chunks
*2/3 block of tempeh cut into 1/2 inch cubes
*1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
*olive oil

START YOUR OVENS...375!
you will need two baking sheets, each with a piece of wax paper covering.
in a small dish, mix the salt, chili powder, cumin and cayenne well.
in a bowl, toss the sweet potato chunks with approx. 3 tablespoons olive oil (that isn't exact science...I just drizzled some in and tossed the potatoes until they were evenly coated).
sprinkle the spices in a little at a time and toss the potatoes so the spices spread evenly. Depending on the amount of 'kick' you want, you could use all the spice or half or 3/4 of what you made...personal preference. For me, about 2/3 was just right.
spread the potatoes evenly across one of the baking sheets and set aside.
in either the same bowl rinsed out, or another bowl, toss the onion slices and tempeh with some olive oil and the garlic. spread the onion and tempeh evenly across the other baking sheet.
on top of the onion and tempeh, evenly distribute the pineapple.
place both sheets in the oven, either the potatoes on the upper wrack and onion on the lower wrack, or side by side.
bake for 30-40 minutes or until sweet potatoes are soft.
serve with the onions, tempeh and pineapple over the potatoes.
make sure your first bite had all of the different flavors on it!

hope you enjoy:)
you are loved.

Hummus Sandwich

Hooray for the many ideas my new vegan cookbook has given me!
This one was inspired by a homemade hummus wrap from the book but I improvised with what I had in my house.
Super delicious and it is one of those meals you just feel healthy eating haha

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
*2 slices of gluten-free bread (I used Ezekial with sesame seeds)
*about 1/4 cup hummus, prepared or homemade (recipe to follow soon)
*cucumber sliced thin
*broccoli sprouts
*two romaine lettuce leaves
*2 slices of almond pepperjack vegan cheese

START YOUR TOASTER OVENS
toast the bread until starting to brown and then add the slices of cheese, one on each piece of bread.
then simply add the cucumbers, hummus, sprouts, and lettuce and its done!
I bet tomato would be a great thing to add too but we didn't have any in the house.
Also, I want to try and make a hummus sandwich with caramelized onion and peppers sometime...sounds delicious, right?
I will let ya know when I make it :D
but for now...

HOPE YOU ENJOY:)
you are loved.

Dirty Rice

For Christmas Santa gave me the most amazing vegan cookbook ever! I started putting post it notes on pages as soon as I opened it and the first recipe I wanted to try was this version of dirty rice.
I tweeked it a bit and added beans for a little contrast.
The book is inspiring so many ideas and cannot wait to post ore amazing recipes!

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
*2 cups rice (brown or white...i used brown)
*1/4 - 1/2 cup pinto beans
*1/4 - 1/2 cup black beans
*olive oil
*1-2 diced onions
*1 bell pepper diced(any color but I used orange because I had it on hand)
*2 stalks diced celery
*2 tsp. minced garlic
*1 tsp. ground cumin
*1/2 tsp. oregano
*1 tsp. dry mustard
*1/2 tsp. thyme
*1/2 tsp. cayenne
*1 tsp. paprika
*salt


START:by preparing your rice...whether it is microwavable, stove top, boil in a bag, etc.

NEXT: heat about 3 tablespoons oil and the garlic in a large frying pan over medium heat for about 1 minute. then add the onion, bell pepper and celery.
when the onions start to brown, add the black and pinto beans and mix for about 2 minutes.

add in the rice, a little bit at a time, so all ingredients combine. finally add all the spices and stir the mixture so spices are evenly distributed.

cover the pan and let it sit over low-medium heat for about five minutes and then check.
Mine was done pretty fast but depending on how done you want the rice you can wait longer.
I had this with some veggies and was completely content but I bet you could add chicken or fish or tempeh and it would be delicious:D

HOPE YOU ENJOY:-)
you are loved.

A Delicious Lunch of Veggies and Tempeh

So I hadn't been to the store in a while so when I went I decided to just shop sales and came up with some random ingredients but made a delicious meal!

what you'll need:
*black-eyed peas
*broccoli
*one yam or sweet potato (I used a yam just because that's what I had in the house)
*about a third of a block of tempeh
*onion sprouts/ broccoli sprouts (I used both- but you can choose one)
*olive oil
*garlic
*italian herbs
*basil

start: by steaming the yam/potato on the stove until it is slightly soft. in a large frying pan, heat the olive oil (approx. 2 tbsp) and garlic (a lot).
add broccoli and tempeh(cut into cubes or strips) to the olive oil and garlic and cover for about 2 minutes.
drain the yam and add the cubed yam to the frying pan. also add the peas and sprouts. sprinkle italian herbs, basil, and drizzle olive oil over all the ingredients. stir frequently and occasionally cover for about 5-8 minutes.
then you're done! it's super filling but really delicious:)

hope you enjoy:)
you are loved.

Teriyaki Veggies and Fish

I have had this for lunch the past two days and I am thoroughly enjoying it!
I was in the mood for Japanese one day and made this sort of mock Japanese thing and it turned out pretty delicious!

what you'll need:
*a piece of fish (I used cod one day and salmon one...your preference really)
*broccoli (as much as you want)
*sweet potato fries (they come in bags at Trader Joe's and I used about 1/3 of it)
*carrots (optional)
*teriyaki sauce
*olive oil
*garlic powder
*red cayenne pepper powder
*tobasco (or hot sauce)
*lemon juice
*onion powder
*sesame seeds (optional)

start your george foreman grill! (or just grill lol)
begin by coating the fish in olive oil and lemon juice. then sprinkle garlic and onion powder all over it and set aside until the grill is ready.
start preparing your vegetables and put the fish on the grill when it is ready. Mine usually take about 2-3 minutes on each side.

in a medium-large pan, heat about 2 tbs. olive oil over medium heat. add all the vegetables to the pan.
drizzle about 3 tbs. teriyaki over the vegetables (more or less according to taste). stir over high heat.
mix the vegetables then add the garlic powder, red cayenne pepper, and hot sauce (I would say use your best judgment on amounts of the spicy ingredients... i like mine really hot but you can use less).
stir all the vegetables again and then sprinkle the sesame seeds on. continue to mix the vegetables over high heat until the fish is done.

I like to place all the vegetables in a bowl then put pieces of the fish on top.
I'm sure this combination would be good with some brown rice as well.

hope you enjoy:-)
you are loved.

Cod Seaweed Wrap

so I was really in the mood for some type of sushi thing but too lazy to go out and get sushi or to make it myself (i will post a blog soon about how to make your own amazing sushi!)
so i came up with this which is still delicious and completely beneficial for blood type O and quick to make.

start your george foreman grill! (or pan fry)
what you'll need:
*cod (desired amount-i used one fillet)
*broccoli sprouts
*three seaweed sheets
*teriyaki sauce
*thai curry sauce (i used yellow but there are other kinds)
*red cayenne
*onion powder
*brown rice
*soy sauce (if you want to dip)

prepare the brown rice by steaming desired amount on the stove.

start by coating the fish in teriyaki then drizzle over the curry sauce. set the fish on the grill or pan fry and sprinkle on cayenne pepper and onion powder.

prepare the seaweed by dampening it so it sticks. what I usually do is take a plate and put water on it so it covers the plate as a thin layer. then i place the seaweed down on it for a few seconds then flip it. set the seaweed flat on a dry plate and place broccoli sprouts in the center of each seaweed sheet.

when the fish is done, break it apart into smaller pieces and divide evenly between the seaweed sheets. place the fish on top of the sprouts. finally, top with rice (as much as you want- just be sure you can wrap the seaweed around it!)

fold in two opposite ends then roll like a mini burrito. let it sit for just a minute so the seaweed sticks together.

and you're done! you can dip it in soy sauce if you want more flavor...and I'm sure wasabi wouldn't hurt. but I thought the fish had enough flavor so i ate it plain:-)

hope you enjoy:-)
you are loved.