Tag Archives: vegetarian

slow cooker season is upon us

Posted in soup, vegetarian by

This past Sunday it was rainy and gray and gloomy out so I decided to bust out my Crock-Pot and make some chili. 

I do not discriminate against different types of chili.  I like traditional beef chili, Texas style with steak, white turkey chili– they’re all good in my book.  However, the chili recipe I fall back on time and time again is actually of the vegetarian variety.

It involves not one, not two, no not even three, but four types of beans.  It’s very hardy and packed with protein so much so that you do not even think about missing any sort of meat.

The original recipe called for couscous to be added during the last few minutes of cooking but I didn’t have any so I substituted quinoa instead and I really like what it did.  It made it thicker, added some color, (I had red and white quinoa on hand) and added to the non-meat meatiness of it.  So if you haven’t already broken out your slow cooker this season, now’s the time!

Vegetarian Chili (adapted slightly from Robin Miller’s recipe found at www.foodnetwork.com)

  • 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 4 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (15-ounce) can white (cannellini) beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup frozen baby lima beans or regular lima beans
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 tablespoons dried Mexican oregano or regular oregano
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 cup quinoa
  • 1/2 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a slow cooker, combine all ingredients but the quinoa, shredded cheese and salt and pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.

Five to 10 minutes before serving (depending on temperature of slow cooker) add quinoa, cover and cook, until quinoa is tender. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper.

Just before serving, top each serving with shredded cheese.

taco tuesday

Posted in vegan, vegetarian by

I love me some lentils.  I don’t think I had ever even eaten lentils until I was in college and discovered that I liked the vegetarian version of my dorm cafeteria’s shepherd’s pie more than the meat version.  Lentils are super hearty and I hear they are good for you too.  Bonus!

 I’ve done a bit of experimenting with brown and red lentils and recently bought some French lentils which are green in color.  I don’t discriminate against lentils based on color.  They’re all equally good in my eyes.

I must admit, the dish I am about to share with you was not prepared by me but rather by a visiting friend and I immediately deemed it blog-worthy so took photos and asked for the recipe.  (Clearly I was so hungry that I rushed the photo-taking part…  Forgive me.)

 My friend made tacos out of lentils.  Tacos!  Who doesn’t like tacos??  The lentil tacos were so full of flavor and so hearty that I definitely didn’t regret the fact that they were meatless.  In fact, I celebrated that they were meatless.  Even though I love things like bacon and a nice roasted chicken I rarely prepare meat at home so I have a decent repertoire of vegetarian main dishes and this recipe will no doubt be added to it.  I suggest you do the same!

Apologies for the sparse posts lately.  I am in the midst of moving and thus not cooking/baking so much these days since all of my stuff is in boxes and my fridge looks like a total bachelor’s with nothing much apart from condiments in it.  But I will be settled into my new place soon and promise to return to more regular posts in the very near future!

Lentil Tacos (recipe found at www.runnersworld.com)

1 cup onions, diced
1/4 cup celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup brown lentils, dry (note: I had French and red lentils on hand and used a combination and it worked just fine)
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup water or vegetable broth
3 tablespoons dried black currants or raisins, minced
1 cup salsa, plus additional for topping
8 6-inch corn tortillas
shredded lettuce
chopped tomatoes
shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

In a large frying pan over medium heat, sautée onions, celery, and garlic in the olive oil for five minutes or until vegetables are soft. Stir in the lentils, chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Cook for one minute. Add the broth and raisins. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender (add more water or broth as needed). Remove the lid and cook an additional 10 minutes (until lentils are thick), stirring often. Fold in the salsa. Wrap the tortillas in a damp white cotton towel and microwave on high for one minute. Spoon the lentil mixture among the tortillas. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese.
Serves four.