Tag Archives: bell peppers

Jun 02 2012
42 Comments
Herbs, Raw, Salads

Sleepwalk Southwest Bean & Rice Salad

Southwest SaladMy kitchen mojo has been a little spotty lately so my weekly menus have been stacked with meals I can prepare without needing much time or brain power.  Right now I need to be able to sleepwalk through dinner prep.

But even a detailed shopping list isn’t a guarantee that dinner will turn out as planned.  About an hour before this salad was due to hit the table, I realized that I’d somehow made it home from the grocery store without buying all of the necessary ingredients – despite the fact that they had been written (somewhat eligibly, it’s true) right there on the list.  So, using the base ingredients that I had on hand, I completely switched around the flavors of the original recipe  and traveled from Southeast Asia to South of the Border.

Southwest Bean & Rice Salad
Serves 4-6

Salad:
2 14 oz. cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1 medium green, red, yellow or orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup cooked and cooled brown rice
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 avocado, peeled and chopped, optional

Dressing:
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup red wine or apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. Bragg Liquid Aminos
1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp. chipotle in adobo sauce
dash Chipotle Tabasco
salt & pepper to taste

Combine the dressing ingredients in a big bowl and whisk to combine. Add all of the remaining ingredients, except for the avocado, and stir gently to combine. Let sit for a while so that the flavors can get acquainted.

To serve, top with chopped avocado.

Southwest Salad Aerial Shot

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Apr 04 2012
55 Comments
Salads, Sandwiches, Side Dishes, Tofu

Tofu Salad Sandwiches with Roasted Bell Pepper & Olive Salad

Tofu Salad SangiesSomewhere and at some time I vowed never to include a tofu salad recipe on my blog.  I lied.  Actually, it’s more accurate to say that at the time that I said that, I couldn’t foresee wanting to include a tofu salad recipe.  Tofu salad.  Blah.  After all, one of my favorite all-time sandwiches was egg salad.  Specifically my mom’s egg salad which had the exact right ration of creaminess to tanginess (and, incidentally, we were a Hellman’s household as opposed to a Miracle Whip household).  How could I expect to replicate that with tofu?  But, times have changed.  After conquering scrambled tofu, it seemed right to explore tofu salad.  Mom’s recipe was the inspiration.

Tofu Salad Sandwiches
Serves 4

Tofu Salad IngredientsTofu Salad:
14 oz. package firm or extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
1/2 cup Vegenaise
1/4 tsp. dried dill
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. red onion, chopped
1 tbsp. sweet pickle relish
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 cup green olives, chopped
2 tbsp. pepperoncini, chopped
pinch turmeric
pinch garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste

4 Whole Wheat Pita Breads
lettuce, tomato, sprouts, avocado…the works

Slice the tofu block in half.  For one half cut into 1/4″ slices lengthwise, then into 1/4″ pieces width-wise – so you have small cubes.  Put the cubes in a large mixing bowl.  Now, crumble the other half of the tofu block into the bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir gently to combine.

When ready to serve, slice the pitas in half and lay in with the tofu salad and toppings.  Serve alongside a big scoop of Roasted Bell Pepper & Olive Salad.

Roasted Bell Pepper & Olive Salad
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1-2 tbsp. Bragg Liquid Aminos
ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, sliced
1-2 tbsp. parsley, chopped
salt and black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425F.  In a medium-sized baking dish, combine the vegetable broth, pepper and Liquid Aminos.  Add the bell peppers, onion and garlic and stir.  Bake in the oven, stirring frequently, until peppers and onions are tender.  Add more vegetable broth and Liquid Aminos as needed – you want this to be a little bit juicy.

Remove pan from the oven and stir in the olives and parsley.  I like to serve this at room temperature.

Bell Pepper & Olive Salad

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Mar 08 2012
23 Comments
Main Dishes, Quick & Easy, Vegetables

Curried Sweet Potato & Pumpkin Enchiladas

Enchiladas with Salad, CutAn integral part of my food philosophy is that just about anything tastes better wrapped in bread, pastry, crust or tortillas.  So I very cleverly, I thought, had found a solution to streamlining the process of making my own whole grain tortillas.  I purchased a tortilla press.  And not just any tortilla press.  An electric one.  I had visions of perfectly round and flat bread with which to make burritos, enchiladas, wraps and maybe the stray baked chip or two.  The reality is that rolling the dough out by hand and quickly dry-frying them yields better-looking results.  Sigh.  Perhaps I just need some practice/patience – but the tortillas produced from my new gadget were lopsided, uneven and had the occasional “blow out” when pressed too hard on the handle.  (They did taste good, however.)

I wish I could say that the photos here include my homemade tortillas, but they don’t.  Perhaps another time, another post.

Curried Sweet Potato & Pumpkin Enchiladas
Makes ~6 enchiladas

Enchiladas in Pan

Enchiladas:
3 medium-sized sweet potatoes, washed
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp. black mustard seeds
1 onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
2 tbsp. lime juice
1 /2 cup cilantro, chopped
8 oz. seitan, chopped
6+ 8″ whole wheat tortillas
non-dairy sour cream, yogurt or tofu sour cream

Spice mixture:
1 tbsp. fresh grated ginger root
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. turmeric
1/8 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. cardamom
1/8 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 450F and roast the sweet potatoes until soft, about 20-25 minutes.  Allow to cool, then peel and discard the skin.  Place the sweet potatoes in a large bowl and mash until mostly smooth.  Add the pumpkin puree, the cilantro, lime juice and seitan.

Meanwhile, toast the mustard seeds in a dry pan for a couple of minutes.  Add a splash of vegetable broth and saute the onions for 5 minutes.  Stir in the bell peppers and the spice mixture and cook for another 5 minutes or until the peppers are tender.  Add more vegetable broth if the vegetables start to stick.  Add this mixture to the sweet potato mixture and stir to combine.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Line a 9″ x 13″ pan with parchment.  Place a 1/2 cup of sweet potato mixture in the center of a tortilla, then roll up, placing the tortilla seam side down in the pan.  Continue with the remaining tortillas.  Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 15-20 minutes or until heated through.

Serve with non-dairy sour cream or non-dairy yogurt and additional cilantro.

Single Enchilada, Salad

Tagged , , , , , , ,
Nov 17 2011
2 Comments
Main Dishes, Quick & Easy

Mushroom, Black Bean and Corn Tacos

Two Tacos w/ Beer

This is a super-speedy and delicious meal for an evening when you have more hunger than time.  Cooking the vegetables in beer rather than oil not only keeps fat calories at a minimum, it lends a subtle, hoppy flavor to the proceedings.  The ingredients are easy to change up, so use whatever vegetables you like tucked inside a warm tortilla.  While I’ve been known to make whole wheat tortillas, I have a great and true love for Whole Foods’ Red Chile Tortillas, even though they are not whole grain.  Sometimes you have to lighten up, right?  They add a nice zing to whatever they surround.

Mushroom, Black Bean and Corn Tacos
Makes 4 generously-sized tacos

1 8 oz. package cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2+ cup Mexican beer
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
pinch kosher salt
1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn
1 14.5 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
4 red chile tortillas (or your favorite corn or wheat variety)
1 cup salsa fresca (make your own or use store-bought)
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
Chipotle Tabasco
lime wedges

Heat 1/4 cup of beer in a large saucepan and add the mushrooms, onion, garlic and red pepper.  Saute until vegetables are soft – adding more beer as necessary to keep them from sticking to the pan.  Add the oregano, chili powder, cumin and salt and stir.  Add the corn and black beans to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Closeup of TacosWarm the tortillas and divide the mushroom mixture between them, topping with avocado, salsa fresca and plenty of cilantro.  Drizzle with fresh lime juice and Chipotle Tabasco.

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 878 other followers