Food, Feminism, & life

Black Bean Taco “Cupcakes”

I had a serious crunchy food craving yesterday & decided to finally take a look through the Emily Bites main course cupcake recipes that everyone raves about. Her original Taco Cupcakes inspired my version. Mine is vegetarian because I didn’t feel like eating ground beef last night. Skipping the beef & loading them up with black beans saved 2 PP per Cupcake! I ate two right out of the oven & they were incredible. Thanks for the idea, Emily!

The secret ingredients that made these so delicious were Cheeze Whiz & Trader Joe’s corn salsa. I always have a jar of that salsa in my fridge & it really brightens up meals. It’s sweet with a slight kick to it & is perfect against spicy salsa. I suggest going out & getting a jar, but if you don’t have a Trader Joe’s near you just sub in sub frozen corn kernels.

Black Bean Taco “Cupcakes”

Servings: 4 ● Points Plus: 4

Ingredients:

• 16 wonton wrappers
• 1 can black beans with jalapenos, drained
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 packet of taco seasoning
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 onion, diced
• 8 TB fat free refried beans
• 8 TB shredded Weight Watchers Mexican cheese
• 8 tsp Cheeze Whiz (yummmmmmm)
• 8 TB Trader Joe’s corn salsa
• Your favorite salsa (about 8 TB) - I used Trader Joe’s

Directions:

1) Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a cupcake tin with non-stick spray & press a wonton wrapper into 8 cupcake holes.

2) Saute the onion in a pan. When soft add the black beans & garlic. Toss until the black beans are warm. Add 1/4 cup water and the taco seasoning, toss & turn off the heat.

3) In the cupcake tin, layer the following on top of the wonton wrapper:

• 1 TB refried beans
• 1 tsp Cheeze Whiz
• 1 TB corn salsa
• Second wonton wrapper (really push this down)
• 1.5 TB black bean mixture
• 1 TB regular salsa
• 1 TB shredded cheese

4) Bake at 375 degrees for 18 minutes. Let cool & remove cupcakes from tin. Top with your favorite taco toppings!

Cheese Stuffed Shells

Everyone has their own stuffed shells recipe, but this is mine. I very seldom get a craving for a stuffed pasta, but when the craving hits it has to happen. These are cheesy & baked until bubbly & come out perfect. They’re also so easy to prepare. You can prepare them ahead of time & pop them in the oven when you get home, or take about 20 minutes to prepare them when you get home from work.

Stuffed Shells

Servings: 4 (3 shells each) ● Points Plus:9

Ingredients:

• 12 large pasta shells (make 14-16 because some will break)
• 15 oz ricotta cheese
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese + 1/4 cup for topping
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• Handful parsley, chopped
• 1 egg
• 1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce

Directions:

1) Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Boil the shells in a large pot of water with a little olive oil added to the water. This will stop them from sticking together as much.

2) While they’re boiling, combine the ricotta cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, garlic, salt, pepper, parsley, & egg in a bowl. Stir together.

3) Drain the shells. Pour a little marinara sauce on the bottom of a baking pan. Stuff each shell with about 2-3 TB of filling & line the baking pan with them.

4) Pour the rest of the marinara sauce over the shells & sprinkle the 1/4 cup of grated parmesan over them. Bake for 25 minutes & serve immediately.

VeganMoFo: Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili

Mmmmm chili. Nothing is better on a cold night than a bowl of thick & hearty chili, especially when it’s meatless & loaded with good-for-you ingredients. I serve mine with some jalapeno corn bread, or with plenty of tortilla chips to use as forks. It’s comfort food at it’s max. If you load up your slow cooker on a Sunday morning your house will smell amazing all day while you relax & do whatever it is you do on Sundays (nap, watch football, read, clean).

If possible, don’t skip the chipotle pepper in this! It gives the chili a smoky background & a bit of added heat. This chili is slightly sweet at first taste, but the heat hits later. Don’t touch the pepper with your hands & you’ll be okay.

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili

Servings: 6 ● Points Plus: 6 (chili only - about 1 1/2 cups)

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into 1” cubes
• 15 oz black beans
• 15 oz dark kidney beans
• 15 oz chickpeas
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 28 oz crushed tomatoes
• 15 oz diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1 TB cumin
• 2 TB Mexican chili powder
• 3 tsp paprika
• 1 TB brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo, pepper chopped + 1 TB sauce

Directions:

1) Place all ingredients into your slow cooker, toss together.

2) Cook on low 7-8 hours. Give it a stir every now & then for a quick second. You can skip the stirring if you’re making this while you’re at work.

*If you have a large slow cooker you can toss some corn bread batter right on top of the chili & let it cook all day at the same time. You’ll have moist corn bread & hearty chili ready at the end of the day.

Vegan MoFo: Taquitos! Black bean, corn, & roasted veggies.

These are the result of having leftover veggies, a bottle of good enchilada sauce, and my favorite corn salsa in my fridge. The enchilada sauce is from Trader Joe’s & so is the salsa. I was confused because the enchilada sauce said “chicken style base,” and I assumed that meant chickens. Turns out it’s a seasoning base that would be used for chickens, not actual chicken derivatives. An email back from them confirmed this (a very quick email I should add).

This was part of the email: “The ‘chicken-style’ base that is used is just
spice blend that would be commonly used on chicken, but does not contain
any chicken itself.  We hope this is helpful.”

Thanks, Trader Joe’s!

You can really put whatever you want in these, but the sweetness of the corn salsa + the hint of spice from the enchilada sauce really did it for me.

Taquitos! Black bean, corn, & roasted veggies

Servings: 4 ● Points Plus: 5

Ingredients:

• 8 corn tortillas
• 1/2 cup black beans, cooked or canned
• 1/2 cup enchilada sauce
• 1/2 cup corn salsa (about 1 TB per taquito)
• 1/2 cup Daiya shredded cheese
• Roasted veggies - I used butternut squash, mushrooms, and onions

Directions:

1) Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees, line a baking tray with aluminum foil & spray with non-stick spray. Roast veggies if you need to.

2) Heat 2 corn tortillas at a time for about 15 seconds. If you don’t heat them then they will crack as you roll them. Layer the bottom third of each with 1 TB enchilada sauce, 1 TB corn salsa, some black beans, veggies, and about 1 TB of Daiya shreds. Roll & place seam side down on the baking tray.

3) Repeat with all 8 corn tortillas & bake on the bottom oven rack for 16 minutes, flipping halfway through.

*If you fill them too much don’t worry. They’ll still be crunch but you might need a fork & knife when you eat them. I forgot to spray my pan with non-stick spray so mine ended up needing to be cut up to eat.

Vegan MoFo 10: Crunchy Cheezy Casserole

I have been craving a creamy & cheesy casserole for days. Yesterday was the perfect day to make one, especially since I needed a big bowl of comfort food to eat while catching up on Private Practice. I had no idea how this was going to come out because I kinda made it up as I went along, but it came out exactly how I wanted it to. Next time you want a creamy casserole with a crunchy top you should make this.

Crunchy Cheezy Casserole

Servings: 6 ● Points Plus: 7

Ingredients:

• 2 cups unsweetened soy milk
• 3 TB Light Smart Balance
• 2 TB flour
• 3 TB nutritional yeast
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 cup Daiya shreds (I used pepper jack)
• 1 bag frozen broccoli & cauliflower
• 1 bag frozen carrot slices
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions:

1) Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees & cook the rice.

2) Melt the Smart Balance in a sauce pan. Once melted whisk in the flour to form a blonde roux. Slowly whisk in the soy milk & bring to a boil then simmer. When it begins to bubble add the salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika. Whisk in the nutritional yeast & Daiya. Let simmer a few minutes, whisking every once in a while.

3) Place the brown rice on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish & pour the frozen vegetables on top. Pour the cheeze sauce over the vegetables & toss everything together with the sauce. You don’t want layers. You want a creamy mix of everything.

4) Pour the panko bread crumbs over the top & bake on the middle rack of your oven for 30 minutes. If you want, season the panko crumbs with a little salt, pepper, and garlic before using them.

VeganMofo 5: Cheezy Autumn Empanadas

This was my first shot at using Daiya. My mind was blown. It was so good that I don’t even know if I’ll miss real cheese, and I’m obsessed with cheese.

I’ve had these in my head for a while. Nothing screams fall to me more than a pan of roasted butternut squash & a jar of mango chutney. I’m not really sure why I associate chutney with fall, but I do. The roasted squash is combined with onions, mushrooms, & pepper jack daiya for a crunchy, sweet, spicy, & cheezy empanada. These were so awesome that I almost went back for thirds. 

These were a bit time consuming but so worth it. If you roast the veggies ahead of time then you’ll save about 45 minutes. Store the leftovers in your fridge to eat all week!

Cheezy Autumn Empanadas

Servings: 8 Points ● Plus: 6 each

Ingredients for the dough:

• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp Mexican chili powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 TB kosher salt
• 1/2 cup butter substitute
• 3/4 cup ice cold water (has to be very cold!)

Ingredients for filling:

• Butternut squash, cut into small pieces (about 1”)
• About 2 cups sliced mushrooms
• 1 small yellow onion, thin sliced
• Daiya - Pepper Jack (1 TB per empanada)
• Mango chutney (about 1 TB per empanada)
• 2 TB olive oil
• 2 TB agave nectar

Directions:

1) Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees & chop up all your veggies. Toss the butternut squash & onions with the olive oil & agave nectar and a little salt & pepper. Spread on baking sheets to roast.

2) Using the baking blade in your food processor combine the flour, salt, and spices. Once combined pulse & add the butter in small pieces at a time. Pulse until it resembles a course cornmeal. Add the cold water a little bit at a time until the dough begins to form a ball. Once in a ball remove from food processor & knead about ten times. Refrigerate for at least a half hour.

3) While the dough is chilling, roast the butternut squash & onions at 400 degrees for about 30-40 minutes. The onions should be removed after about 20 minutes. Toss the squash halfway through. Saute the mushrooms in a pan.

4) Once the vegetables are roasted roll out the dough into a thin sheet (you might have to roll out a few thin sheets like I did). Use either a small bowl or large cup to cut out circles. Roll each circle out a little thinner.  

5) To assemble, spread a little chutney on each circle & top with some roasted vegetables and 1 TB of Daiya. Fold the circle over into a half moon & seal with a fork. Line them on a baking sheet, spray with non-stick spray, & sprinkle with some paprika. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes, checking after 15 minutes.

Remove, let cool a bit, & eat while they’re still cheezy!

VeganMofo 2: Soup! All is not lost.

Today was the first day that it truly felt like fall in the last month. As soon as I felt the crisp fall weather when I woke up I knew that soup was going to be on my menu. That’s when I turned to the Creamy Roasted Tomato, Garlic, & Onion Coconut Soup I had saved from Oh She Glows. I thought that vegan eating would make me really miss the creamy soups I love to devour in the fall, but this soup delivered on the creaminess factor. I couldn’t even tell that there was no cream in it. All is not lost (thanks, coconut milk!).

I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to find decent tomatoes since the season just ended, but I lucked out & found great ones. I’m pretty sure this is the last batch of good tomatoes left so I’m glad I got my hands on them.

I planned to follow this recipe exactly as it was written, but I did wind up slightly changing a few things. Here’s what they are:

• I roasted a few heirloom tomatoes with the regular romas. The heirlooms were just too pretty to pass up at the store.
• I used 4 cups of vegetable broth & 1 cup of coconut milk instead up 3 cups broth & 1 can light coconut milk. I only had regular on hand & didn’t want the amount of fat an entire can would be.
• I used my food processor because I don’t own a blender.

Servings: 6 ● Points Plus: 4

Please try this soup. It was just as head spinning as the blog post described.

Pizza Night, Fancy Style.

Don’t those figs look pretty?

I could live on pizza. I’m one of those people who likes fancy thin crust pizzas & those gourmet flatbreads you find in the snobbiest wine bars in Manhattan. I also love a regular NY style slice covered in mushrooms. Oregano is always added on top. Always.

Last night I really wanted a quick & easy dinner, but I didn’t want to order takeout. Making pizza at home is the next best thing.

Here’s what I came up with.

Thin Crust Grilled Pizzas

Servings: 8 ● Points Plus: 5

Ingredients:

Pizza #1:

• 1/2 of Trader Joe’s wheat pizza dough
• 1/2-1 cup TJ’s roasted garlic marinara sauce
• 1 cup sauteed mushrooms
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• Oregano to taste

Pizza #2:

• 1/2 of Trader Joe’s wheat pizza dough
• 1/2 cup Trader Joe’s Thai red curry simmer sauce
• 1/2 cup caramelized onions
• 4 fresh figs, sliced
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella

Directions:

1) Let the dough rest at room temperature for 20 minutes, while it’s resting pre-heat your grill to high. Reduce to medium before cooking.

2) Flour a surface, cut the dough in half, & roll into two squares. The squares should be large enough to give you 4 decent servings of pizza out of each. 8 total.

3) Spray each pizza with non-stick spray & grill over medium heat about 3 minutes. Remove from grill, spray the other side, and cook the other side. While the other side is cooking top each pizza with the toppings (use what you like). Top with cheese, lower the heat to low, and close the grill.

4) Check back in a few minutes to make sure the cheese is melted. Serve warm & gooey.

You can really do this however you want. Pizza is supposed to be fun comfort food so top it with whatever you’re in the mood for!

Tofu General Tso’s

Is it Tso’s or Tsao’s? I always wrote it Tsao’s but who knows. Tso what?

If you really need to, you can make this with chicken but you should really give it a try with tofu first. The tofu in this recipe is crunchy outside & soft inside & is really just perfect. This is how I like my tofu & if you’re serving tofu to non-plant eaters then you should cook it this way & knock their socks off.

I’m dedicating this recipe to my BFF because the two of us had the most amazing vegan general tso’s in Brooklyn last weekend & I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. Love you, lady.

Tofu General Tso’s

Servings: 2 ● Points Plus: 9

Ingredients for the Tofu:

• 1/2 block extra firm tofu, drained for 20 minutes & cut into 1” squares
• 2 TB soy sauce
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• Egg replacer equivalent to 1 egg white
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 TB canola oil for frying

Ingredients for the Sauce:

• 1 TB canola oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
• 1 tsp grated ginger (I use the crushed in a jar kind. Smells like heaven)
• 1/2 cup vegetable stock
• 2 TB soy sauce
• 1 TB cornstarch
• 1 tsp sweet chili sauce (Trader Joe’s makes an awesome one)
• 1/2 tsp Sriracha (or more if you like it hot hot hot)
• 2 TB agave nectar

Directions:

1) In a large mixing bowl, combine the ingredients for the tofu (egg replacer, corn starch, sesame oil, soy sauce). Mix it together until it forms a thick paste.

2) In another bowl whisk together all of the ingredients for the sauce & set aside. Make sure you whisk everything well so the cornstarch doesn’t clump. 

3) Add the tofu cubes to the paste. They will stick as if they were stuck in concrete. Don’t attempt to coat them using a spoon. Get your hands in there & get dirty & make sure they are covered on all sides with the paste. 

4) Heat the 2 TB canola oil in a pan & fry the tofu on all sides. Keep an eye on it because it will fry quick. Transfer tofu to a paper towel lined plate & dab off any excess oil.

4) Heat a wok or a large frying pan (I used a wok because they’re fun). Pour the sauce mixture into the pan & bring to a boil. It will start to thicken as soon as it begins boiling. Reduce to a simmer & stir until it’s slightly thick. Add the tofu to the sauce, toss to coat, and simmer a few minutes.

5) Before the sauce gets too thick, pour it with the tofu over rice & veggies & lick your plate clean.

Food Porn: Avocado & Tofu Salad from Suhi Ya

This is one of my favorite lunches when I’m at work. I get it from a sushi place called Sushi Ya. It’s ice cold & has crispy lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, red cabbage, avocado, & silken tofu topped with carrot ginger dressing. So refreshing & filling. Now I want this for lunch again today.