Vegan lettuce wraps

Have I mentioned that husband and I are going vegan? Sort of. And more! Vegan without any processed foods. It'll be good.
Day 1: for lunch I had spaghetti squash (found on the blog!)
Dinner was great.

I melded a number of lettuce wrap recipes because we aren't eating tofu, either. So here's what I used:
2 carrots
1/2 onion
1 celery stalk
I garlic clove
1 jalapeño
2 cups of black beans
2 cups cooked brown basmati rice
About 4T tamari (or soy sauce)
2t kosher salt
1 cup roasted cashews
Chop the veggies and sauté in 1T coconut oil. Once they're about the texture you want, add the beans, rice, tamari, and salt. Heat until most liquid is cooked off, add cashews, and serve with lettuce leaves and sliced avocado. We used green leaf. For the leftovers we'll use romaine.

It was a hit!
(it only looks like he's grimacing. He's actually smiling with a mouth full of food.)

the PW asian-inspired flank steak

here's to trying new meals and sticking to the menu plan! This is actually from LAST week, but it's worth the post. I followed the pioneer woman's flank steak recipe with asian-inspired marinade. here it is, but remember that i am not the best at measuring.

• 1/2 cup Soy Sauce
• 1/2 cup Cooking Sherry
• 3 Tablespoons Honey
• 2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
• 2 Tablespoons (heaping) Minced Ginger
• 3 cloves (to 5 Cloves) Minced Garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 whole Flank Steak

put everything but the steak in a shallow dish and mix well. add the flank steak, turning a few times to cover completely. i marinated it for about 3 hours, flipping it over at 1.5 hours.



i wish i'd flattened it a little in the middle. i think my steak was very thick because i had to cook it longer than she suggested (3.5-4 minutes per side? more like 5-6 minutes per side). also since i don't have a grill or grill plate, i did it in a skillet. next time i'd use the electric griddle at least. i chose not to make her "controversial optional sauce" with it (boiling the strained, leftover marinade with some water until it thickens some) only because i forgot to and dumped it down the drain. not because i'm concerned about any contamination at all.



served with steamed green beans and white rice! yes, i'd have loved to have asparagus and brown rice. but we use what we have when we're budgeting.

vegan chocolate cake

so i was searching for a chocolate cake recipe that used applesauce instead of oil. i've heard about doing this but never tried it myself, so i was looking forward to it. it's actually harder than you'd think to search for this! i accidentally ran across a vegan recipe, which ended up being a lifesaver because i didn't realize we were out of eggs. you can find the recipe for it here, i won't reinvent the wheel. you can check out the details there, and trust me-- you'll want to. it's the best chocolate cake i've ever had. it's dense, but not heavy. it's sweet but not overbearing. and so moist (even two days later!) that it doesn't need icing.

not that i didn't add something. i made a chocolate glaze for it (found here), topped with some strawberries that had soaked in some sugar (for strawberry shortcake from a family dinner), and added a little bit of redi whip. yum yum.

what's that label? healthy? that's right. under 250 calories for this here amazing dessert. and worth double that in taste. for reals.

using what you have

have you been to the kraft recipes site? it's super convenient when you're sitting on your lunch break wondering what you're going to do with the chicken that is thawing, and hoping you can use at least one of the five cans of black beans you have in your pantry. but really, who has five cans of black beans? it's one of those items i buy all the time (like canned tomatoes) but don't use often (unlike canned tomatoes). all you do is input what ingredients you have, and it brings up some recipe options.

so, i went to the site and it gave me this great idea for a mexican chicken dish over rice.

i cooked two chicken breasts that i'd cut into bite-size pieces, and added about half of a diced onion. when it's all done, i added a can of rinsed black beans, a cup of salsa (or, if you're low on salsa, some salsa mixed with the leftover rotel that's in your fridge), and about a cup of frozen corn (or a can of corn, drained. i didn't have a can).

serve over rice (which was cooking in your rice cooker the whole time you were cooking the chicken), and be prepared to enjoy a delicious supper! i like mine a little spicier, so i added some red pepper flakes. but really, other than that, i didn't add any seasonings at all. the rotel/salsa mix had just what it needed. oh, and the chicken was marinated, but i don't think that made much of a difference.

eggplant stir fry

a great thing about this week? i've been cooking with tons of ingredients i'd have not tried if it wasn't for the little "challenge" going on over here.

today, it was eggplant.

all you do is cut up beef, heat it on a higher heat just until it's cooked through to your liking.



then, cut up vegetables-- i chose eggplant, red pepper, and broccoli. lots of color!-- and added them to the pan for a few minutes to cook.

no soy sauce, since this week we're staying away from soy-things. so i used a splash of low-sodium beef broth, and lots of ginger. it was perfect! toss together, and serve over brown rice.



yumm-o!

two bean vegetarian chili

i hesitate to actually call this dish "chili", except for the spices that i used. i don't generally use cumin in soups and stews, or else this could be considered a soup. of course, the amount of beans in it definitely earns it the designation of chili, right?
best part about this meal? besides the fact that i could eat it every day for the rest of my life?
there's a measly 400 calories in one generous serving!
add 1 tablespoon of light sour cream, and you've reached a whopping 420 calories.
yumm-o.

i'll do this one the old fashioned way...

1 onion, chopped
most of a butternut squash, chopped into 1/2" squares
red pepper, chopped
garlic cloves, or garlic paste
red pepper flakes
1 cup water, separated
two cans of beans. whichever you like. i used red and pinto.
a can of stewed tomatoes
spices-- cumin, italian seasonings, cilantro-- whatever you like.



in a dutch oven, or large pot, heat some oil. add the onion and saute about 5 minutes.



add the butternut squash, red pepper, and 1/2 cup of water. also red pepper flakes, garlic, and any spices you choose to add. simmer for about 7 minutes.



add the beans and the stewed tomatoes, using the spoon to break apart the tomatoes a little bit. add the other 1/2 cup of water, then simmer, partially covered, for 15-20 minutes, until it thickens a little bit.



serve as is, or garnish with fresh cilantro and a lime wedge. or, a small dollop of light sour cream.