Spinach and Black Bean Bowl with Guacamole

I moved into a new apartment this week. I’m much closer to a grocery store and I can easily walk to get to it. There are a lot of reasons why it’s convenient to have a grocery store nearby but access to ripe avocados might be the best reason. Avocados have such a short window of time when they are usable so it’s great to be able to grab one whenever I’m in the mood. Guacamole goes perfectly with this spinach bowl by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. I am still cooking my way through one of her cookbooks and this has been one of my favorite finds so far!

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion sliced thin
• 3/4 tsp salt plus a pinch
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 8 ozs baby spinach (about 6 cups)
• 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

Directions:

1. Preheat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Saute the sliced onion for five minutes in the oil with a pinch of salt. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds.

3. Mix in the tomato, cumin, and remaining salt.

4. Add the white wine and change the heat to high until it boils. Reduce heat and simmer while tossing in spinach a handful at a time until all spinach has been cooked down.

5. Add the black beans and cook for an additional two minutes.

6. Serve over white rice and top with fresh guacamole.

Source: Isa Does It by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

Once A Month Cooking: Vegan Black Bean Burritos

Burritos are my favorite way of experimenting with once a month cooking. I love the Amy’s brand burritos that you can heat up for a quick lunch. However, I know I can make plenty of burritos at home that are a little cheaper and a little less processed. I was drawn to this particular recipe because of the cream cheese. The original recipe calls for regular cream cheese but I figured it would still turn out well with a quick swap for some vegan cream cheese. I’m not sure I’ve ever had cream cheese in a burrito before but it tasted great and holds up well to freezing. The cilantro even held up perfectly when I froze and unfroze these which was another gamble. I loved having some homemade burritos ready in the freezer for healthy, protein-rich lunches. These last up to a month in the freezer so make plenty at a time and you’ll be set for lunch.

Ingredients:

• 4 (10 inch burrito-size) flour tortillas
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp jalapeno pepper, minced
• 1 can (15 ounce) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 ounces vegan cream cheese
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1. Heat vegetable oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, red bell pepper, garlic, and jalapeno. Cook until onion is translucent.

2. Add black beans to skillet and cook for an additional 3 minutes.

3. Mix cream cheese into skillet and blend together thoroughly. Cook for 2 more minutes while stirring.

4. Remove skillet from heat and mix in the cilantro.

5. Evenly divide the mixture into the center of all four tortillas. Wrap tortilla up burrito-style (YouTube has some tutorials if your burrito wrapping skills need a refresher) and serve immediately or freeze for later.

To freeze: Wrap each burrito tightly in foil. Place all burritos into a plastic freezer bag and leave in freezer for up to a month.

To reheat: Remove burrito from freezer and unwrap the foil. Wrap frozen burrito loosely in a paper towel and heat in the microwave for 1 minute (more or less time depending on your microwave) on one side. Flip the burrito onto its opposite side and heat for 1 more minute.

Yields: 4 burritos

Source: Delicious Black Bean Burritos

Broccoli & Chickpea Bites

I love having fried food around but I also want to feel like I am eating something slightly healthy. I’ve made falafel quite a few times in the past but wanted to add a little broccoli in to the mix for health and flavor reasons. I added these bites into salads, pastas and stir-fried veggie dishes. Pretty much every meal this week ended up with a couple of these mixed in. They are versatile and delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 onion, quartered
• 1 medium broccoli crown, cut into bite-size pieces
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Process the chickpeas, onion, broccoli and garlic in a food processor until well-blended and smooth. Add the coriander, cumin, salt and pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil. Process again to mix in seasonings.

2. Place mixture in a large bowl and cover. Refrigerate for two hours.

3. Mix in the baking soda and flour with the mixture.

4. Mold chickpea/broccoli dough into Tbsp-sized balls. Flatten them out slightly and set out on paper towels.

5. Heat oil on stove over medium-high heat until small bubbles appear.

6. Carefully cook dough in the oil for roughly 5 minutes on each side until lightly browned. Place them back on paper towels to dry when done cooking.

Yields: 24 broccoli and chickpea bites

Adapted from: All-Recipes.com

Thai Tofu Scramble and Avocado

American breakfast is not traditionally vegan-friendly. Eggs are often a huge part of breakfast whether the meal includes scrambled eggs, an omelet, muffins or an egg sandwich. Eggs are also very difficult to replicate. However, tofu scramble can come pretty close to scrambled eggs. Of course, throwing in a few veggies and seasoning makes the dish even better than simple scrambled eggs. This was my first time adding some Thai flavoring to my basic tofu scramble recipe and it was delicious.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp red curry paste
• 1 tsp Thai chili garlic paste
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 block tofu, drained and pressed, crumbled into bite-sized pieces
• 1 tsp onion powder
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 avocado chopped into bite-sized pieces

Directions:

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet or heavy wok over medium-high heat. Add the red curry paste, Thai chili garlic paste, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Bring ingredients to a boil and reduce heat to low so that the sauce is simmering.

2. Saute the onion, bell pepper, garlic and tofu in the sauce until onions are translucent.

3. Season with onion powder, salt and pepper and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes.

4. Top the dish with fresh avocado.

Yields 2-3 servings.

Farewell Summer Salad

I can’t believe it is almost October. Soon I’ll be waking up in the dark, running in the snow, and eating frozen corn. The frozen corn part probably hurts the most. I’ve had corn at almost every meal this summer and this may be my last “fresh Indiana corn” dish for a while. I have to make it count!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 of an avocado
• 10 grape tomatoes
• 1/2 cup of cooked corn kernals
• 1/2 cup of cooked chickpeas
• 1/4 cup of chopped white onion
• Juice from 1/4 of a medium-sized lemon and 1/4 of a medium-sized lime
• 1 Tbsp of your favorite balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing (I love Annie’s Natural)
• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cut avocado and grape tomatoes into bite-size pieces. Combine all ingredients and coat thoroughly with juices, dressing, and salt & pepper.

Yields: 1 serving