Vegan Mofo Day 12 Spicy without heat! - Mexican Baked Mushrooms

Today's mofo prompt is "Spicy without chilies".

Mexican food is often made with chilies and yet for those who don't like heat 

Mexican food also had a lot of flavour.

Here I show you how to enjoy some Mexican flavours without adding any chili..... 

and for those of you who do like heat you can always add some chili in!

This is a meal idea without exact quantities stated. The reason I do this is because I always like to encourage people to get experimental in their kitchen and enjoy the cooking process. It a wonderful way to realise that creative meals don't have to be time consuming or difficult to make. Whenever I make meals like this I make a comment to my husband "It's not that hard to make quick, easy yet enjoyable vegan meals! Why do some restaurants find it so difficult!"


MEXICAN BAKED PORTOBELLO'S

                            You'll need:

                                   Large portobello mushrooms

                                   Cooked black beans

                                   Can or tub of diced tomatoes

                                   Mexican spice mix/taco mix or

                                       - paprika, cumin, coriander & oregano

                                   Avocado

                                   And a batch of my basic cheese sauce

Remove the stems from the mushrooms.
Place them in a microwave proof container with 1cm of water and heat for 2 mins. This helps to soften them and significantly reducing oven cooking time.

In a mixing bowl combine the black beans, tomatoes and spices.
Drain the water from the mushrooms and place them in an oven proof dish.
Fill the mushrooms generously with the black bean/tomato mixture and bake in a preheated 200°C oven for 15-20 minutes until mushrooms have cooked through and the black bean mixture is hot. 

Pour a freshly made batch of cheese sauce over the top of the mushrooms 

and serve with slices of fresh avocado.

I feel like this meal looks a little fancy and if I got served this 

at a restaurant I'd be more than happy! 

What do you reckon!!! Does it look fancy enough to be a restaurant meal?

Question of the day: 

What meals do you make at home that are a little bit fancy?

Quick Dinner - Salsa Rice with Lemony-Garlic Asparagus & Mushrooms

There are very few recipes I make these days that inspire me enough to blog post! The truth is we are eating so simple and repeat many of our favourite meals over and over. We don't get bored of them and they are always super delicious. 
This recipe is one that I have been making for many years, but recently seeing all the beautiful Australian asparagus I just KNEW it was time to finally post this (the pictures were taken 2 years ago)! As much as possible we try to buy only Australian produce which means that our time line for eating asparagus is rather short! So for those readers who are in Australia make the most of this one, and for those in other countries - be sure to let me know how often you get to enjoy asparagus! 

This meal is a super quick one. It's so easy that no matter how busy your day has been or what time of night you get home, its totally do-able! 
We often have cooked grains in our fridge, and there's rarely a week that goes by when we don't have a big tub of cooked brown rice in there. 
It's a great time-saver to have whole grains precooked. 

Growing up my father loved tinned asparagus! Personally, I never saw the appeal so I always thought I didn't like asparagus. But as a "grown-up" I decided to re-try it and discovered that having it fresh really tastes like a whole different vegetable! I have grown to not only enjoy, but totally LOVE fresh asparagus (and I still don't see the appeal in the tinned stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!).

I am showing serving size for one person, however it's really easy to make this for as many as needs be. The flavours work so well together and it feels like a real treat. In fact, it's not too far off what we seem to be served at functions!

SALSA RICE WITH LEMONY-GARLIC ASPARAGUS & MUSHROOMS

You'll need:
1 cup precooked brown rice
2 Tablespoons salsa (your choice store bought or homemade)
1 bunch of asparagus (depending on the size you may only use half)
2 large field mushrooms
2 garlic cloves
juice of 1/2 lemon

Slice the mushrooms into long thin strips. Remove the woody ends from the asparagus. 

Over high heat in a non-stick pan add the asparagus spears, the mushrooms, crushed garlic and lemon juice. Allow to saute, occasionally stirring gently, until the asparagus is just tender and the mushrooms are slightly wilted.  

While the asparagus mixture cooks, warm the rice either in a microwave or on the stove top. Once warmed, stir through the salsa.

 Serve!

Yes it really is that simple to have a delicious and nutritious meal in minutes!!!

Question of the day:
What time of year do you get locally grown asparagus? 
Do you like the taste of asparagus either fresh or tinned?

Healthy Carbonara

Childhood memories of carbonara are not my most favourite to be honest. Thick cream & egg heavy pasta topped with fat dripping bacon and smelly parmesan cheese. 
Not my idea of tasty food.....

But then again, that didn't turn me off experimenting with this dish to turn it into something healthy, light and totally delicious :-)

Healthy Vegan Pasta Carbonara

(Makes 3 Serves)

You'll need:
250g dried pasta of choice

1 onion
3 cloves garlic
1-1 1/2 cups chopped mushrooms

Sauce:
1/4 head cauliflower
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 cup motherless milk of choice
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon cornflour
1/2 teaspoon ground sage

Lentil "bacon" bits:
1/2 cup lentils (already cooked, either home made or from a can)
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

Extra nutritional yeast to serve


Bring a large pot of water to the boil and cook the pasta per packet directions.
Slice the onion and crush the garlic. Dry fry with the mushrooms until browned well.
Place the lentils in a fry pay with the soy sauce, maple syrup and liquid smoke. Dry fry until the lentils begin to pop open. You can chop them into smaller pieces if you wish to make them more similar to 'bacon bit.
 


Place all the sauce ingredients into a blender and blend til smooth. 
When the pasta is cooked, drain and return to the pot. Pour the cauliflower cream sauce over the pasta and stir til pasta is evenly coated.




Serve with the mushroom/onion mix and lentil 'bacon' bits. Top with nutritional yeast.

Submitted to Healthy Vegan Fridays.

Add your healthy vegan recipe on these blogs:

Herbivore Triathlete 
Hello Veggy 
Rock My Vegan Socks

Potato Chop and Bake

I love a meal that is easy to prepare. 

This requires a bit of chopping but no 'cooking' other than putting it in the oven.

This can be prepared in advance and kept in the fridge til its time to bake.

So tasty for something so easy :-)

 

POTATO CHOP AND BAKE

Serves 4

5 medium potatoes

1 can chickpeas

1 leek

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup mushrooms

1/3 cup nutritional yeast 

2 garlic cloves

2 cups plant milk

pepper

Chop the potatoes into 2cm cubes. Spread over the base of a large baking dish.

Drain the chickpeas and pour them over the potato cubes, followed by the chopped leek, chopped mushrooms and frozen peas.

 

Sprinkle the nutritional yeast evenly over the vegetables.

Combine the cloves (crushed) in a jar with the milk and pepper (as much as desired). Mix together.

Pour the milk mixture over the vegetables and nutritional yeast.

Cover with foil and place in a preheated 200C oven and bake for 50-60 minutes until potatoes are soft and milk is absorbed.

Serve

Question of the day:
Do you prefer meals that require lots of chopping, or lots of hands-on type cooking?

Veggie & Rice Bake with Cauli-Sauce Topping

This bake has a lot of layers & takes a bit of time, but its not at all hard.
In fact once the layers are put together it simply bakes in the oven.
We have had this many times and its always a winner. I love how big the meal is so that makes plenty of leftovers!
Its incredibly tasty & although it's just 'one' dish, it really is a complete meal by itself.
I especially love the cauli-sauce topping because I can't get my husband to eat cauliflower unless its hidden like this!!!! ;-)

VEGGIE & RICE BAKE WITH CAULI-SAUCE TOPPING

Makes one large baking tray - Serves 6-8
You'll need:
Bottom layer: 
2-3 cups cooked brown rice
1 can lentils, salt free
1 onion
1 cup mushrooms
1 can tomatoes

1/2 green capsicum
1 can corn
1 carrot

Cauli sauce:
1/2 head of cauliflower
2 Tablespoons tahini
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoons minced garlic

Black pepper

Spread the pre-cooked brown rice into the bottom of a large baking dish.
Drain the lentils and spread the evenly over the rice, followed by the chopped onion & the chopped mushrooms. (Mushrooms shown only on one side of the bake here to keep hubby happy!)
Pour the canned tomatoes over the onions and mushrooms. Spread so evenly distributed.
 

I find the putting the tomato in the middle helps to keep the bake moist while its cooking instead of just on the top.







Chop the carrot & capsicum. Spread them over the tomatoes along with the drained corn.

To make the cauli-sauce:
Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend til smooth and thick.

 












Pour the sauce over the bake and spread til all the veggies are completely covered.

 Sprinkle with freshly cracked black pepper.

Bake in a preheated 200C oven for  45-60 minutes. The vegetables will be tender but not completely soft after 45 minutes, they will be soft by 60 minutes - so the choice is yours! Please note, these times are for my oven and ovens can vary! Baking for 60 minutes will definitely brown your cauli-sauce but not to the point of being burnt. If you are worried about the browning you can cover the dish with foil.

Shown here baked for 1 hour.

So I must admit that this is not the 'prettiest' food to photograph! The pictures don't do it justice of how yummy it is! 
Definitely a home-style meal & not for photographic purposes!!!!

Submitted for Healthy Vegan Friday.
You can add your recipe at these blogs:
carrie on vegan

veggie nook

greenthickies 

POTATO AND LENTIL LAZY NIGHT STEW - Easy Mid-week Meal

I have made this 'stew' (for want of a better word) several times.
Its so quick & easy but yet really tasty. That makes it great for those evenings when we are late home from one activity and not long til we need to leave for the next....
The added bonus is that these are simple foods that we almost always have on hand.

POTATO AND LENTIL LAZY NIGHT STEW

To serve 2 you'll need:
1 onion
2 potatoes
1 zucchini
1 cup button mushrooms
1 can lentils
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn

Chop the onion, potatoes, zucchini and button mushrooms into small pieces. 
Add to a frying pan and lightly saute, adding small amounts of water to stop from sticking to the pan. 
Drain the lentils and add them to the veggies with the tomato paste. Cover for 15 minutes.
Remove lid and stir through the basil.
Serve with black pepper.

*You can sub fresh oregano in place of the basil. 

Equally as tasty, but changes the meal completely!*

Submitted for Healthy Vegan Friday.
You can add your recipe at these blogs:
carrie on vegan

veggie nook

greenthickies 

The Best Nacho's I've Ever Had

Now that's a bold statement.... But it really is true!

So I just HAD to share what I did to make them so tasty!

 
I cut a packet of wholemeal pocket pita breads into little pieces the size of corn chips and spread them out on a lined baking tray. Baked the pieces in a preheated 180C oven for 15 mins until golden brown and crunchy.

While the bread pieces were cooking I chopped an onion, a zucchini, a capsicum and a cup of button mushrooms. I then dry-fryed the veggies with a sprinkling of cumin, oregano and a teaspoon garlic, until the veggies were just softened.

Once the bread pieces were done I removed them from the oven & topped them with several dollops of tomato paste. I then added the cooked veggie mix, a can of corn kernels, a can of drained red kidney beans and popped the tray back into the oven for a further 10 minutes to warm the other ingredients. 

While that was cooking I made some cheesy sauce. 
This is how:
In a microwave proof glass measuring jug I combined-
1 teaspoon cornflour
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
Using a fork I slowly added 1/2 cup soymilk and stirred until all the ingredients were dissolved. I then microwaved the cheesy sauce for 1 1/2 minutes until thickened but not totally firm. 

I removed the nacho's from the oven and topped with a few dollops of salsa, splashes of cheesy sauce & some mashed avocado.

THE BEST NACHOS EVER!

There was something amazing about the mix of the salsa with the cheesy sauce. And I loved how the pita bread stayed crispy despite having LOADS of toppings.

Question of the day:
Is there a particular food that you cook at home that you enjoy more than when you eat it out at a restaurant? 

For me the answer to that question is usually - EVERYTHING! 
However these nacho's needed a special mention because I never have cheesy sauce on top at a restaurant!

Couscous with mushrooms and green beans

I love a warm lunch!

This was so quick and easy to make and totally filled the spot!

You'll need:
1/2 cup wholemeal couscous
6 mushrooms, sliced
100g green beans, topped and tailed
1 shallot, chopped
juice of half a lemon
1 Tablespoon soy sauce

Soak the couscous in 3/4 cup boiling water, cover with a lid and allow to stand while the rest is cooking.
Put the mushrooms, beans and shallot into a frying pan. Gently stir until the mushrooms start to brown. Add the lemon juice and soy sauce. Continue to cook for another 3-4 minutes.
Serve the vegetables mixed into couscous.

 

 

Submitted for Healthy Vegan Friday.
You can add your recipe at these blogs:
carrie on vegan           veggie nook        greenthickies  

Mother's Day Breakfast Mushrooms

With this weekend being Mother's Day I started to think about breakfast in bed.....
I started to dread breakfast in bed.....
I HATE CRUMBS IN THE BED.
Thankfully my family know this! 

Back to thinking about breakfast then......

I LOVE mushrooms for breakfast...... but I feel sadden that it is generally considered that the best way to make breakfast mushrooms is to fry them in more butter than there is mushrooms.
Now as a mushroom for breakfast eater, let me assure you that to make them taste good it has nothing to do with the butter and more to do with the herbs and spices that are added.

Let me show you how to please mum's taste buds as well as her thighs ;-)

You'll need:
1 1/2 cups chopped button mushrooms
1 chopped spring onion
1 teaspoon each: minced garlic, paprika, sage, thyme 
1 large handful baby spinach leaves
1 Tablespoon tomato paste



Add the mushrooms, onion and all herbs to a frying pan and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Don't stir. Mushrooms work out best when they aren't stirred! They release more of their own juices then.
You can add a few teaspoons of water if the mushrooms stick to the bottom of the pan too much.
When you can see that the mushrooms are nearly cooked, stir in the spinach and tomato paste.
Stir for 2-3 minutes until the spinach has wilted.

Serve on toast.

Make sure you're hubby sees this before Sunday morning!

Talking about men, I want to share with you all this awesome soon-to-be released book for men:

Preorder it now to get the added bonuses :-)

You can read more about the book on the vegans are cool website.

Do you have anything special planned for mothers day?

Submitted for Healthy Vegan Friday.
You can add your recipe at these blogs:
carrie on vegan 

veggie nook 

greenthickies

Meatless Monday - Cabbage

Welcome to Meatless Monday A-Z. 

Today's cooking creation is with CABBAGE.

I know that cabbage doesn't always make the 'favourite vegetable' list for most people but I do honestly really like the taste of cabbage! I find it slightly tangy but strangely addictive! I love that it has so much texture and I enjoy it both raw & cooked.

This recipe is a really simply one with few flavours, yet it comes together wonderfully and has so much taste that you'll be surprised it has so few ingredients.

Cabbage Shiitake Stirfry
30g dried shiitake mushrooms (just over 1 cup worth)
1/4 green cabbage
100g snow peas
1 teaspoon molasses
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon minced ginger

Soak the shiitake mushrooms in boiling water for a minimum of half hour.
Drain and then place in a preheated wok. Add the molasses and soy sauce & let the mushrooms absorb the moisture from the sauces. 
Finely chop the cabbage and add it to the shittake mushrooms. Mix well & allow to cook for 10-15 minutes constantly stirring, until the cabbage has turned a greenish colour and is soft but not completely wilted. You may want to add a few tablespoons of water along the way to stop the cabbage from sticking to the bottom of the wok.
Top and tail the snow peas and chop if desired. Add them to the wok & continue to stir fry for 2 minutes. 
Stir in the ginger. 
Serve.
(Makes 2 serves)

This challenge is hosted by Better With Veggies why not join in the fun :-)

Green and Gold Tofu Scramble

When I first went vegan I was so nervous to try tofu scramble! I kept reading about it but I couldn't convince myself to give it a try. The great news is that when I finally got up enough courage to give it a try, I never looked back!

There are so many different variations to tofu scramble out there. 
This is how I enjoy it the most.  Maybe because the colours make me feel like I'm being a true "Aussie" ;-)
I love to add lots of veggies to the mix and a few flavourings. 
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

To serve 2:
300g firm tofu
4 button mushrooms
4 kale leaves
1 shallot
1/2 large capsicum (any colour you choose)
1 Tablespoon soysauce
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast

Chop the tofu into bite size pieces and place in a frying pan. Put just enough water that the tofu doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan but not so much that the tofu gets soggy - that may be a few tablespoons, depending on your pan. 
Chop the mushrooms, shallots and capsicum and add to the pan.
Remove the leaves of the kale from the stems. Break into small pieces and add to the pan. You may want to add a little water along the way just so the mixture doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
Top the mixture with the soysauce, turmeric and nutritional yeast and stir well. 
Stir frequently for about 5 minutes until all the veggies are tender.

Serve over toast or by itself.

Easy Kale Lunch Wrap

It occurred to me this morning as I was thinking about what I would have for lunch that I have had this for the last 2 weeks on Friday and was planning on having it again today. Sounds like a perfect contribution to Health Vegan Fridays if you ask me!!!

You can add your link to Health Vegan Fridays on either of these blogs:
   -  the veggie nook
   -  carrie on vegan 

Thanks ladies for hosting :-)




Place in a warmed frying pan 4 sliced button mushrooms, torn leaves from 2 kale stems, 1/2 chopped red capsicum & 1/2 cup water.
Cover with a lid & allow to heat for 10 minutes.

Serve in a heated wrap with BBQ sauce & a sprinkling of nutritional yeast!

Roll up your wrap & eat - YUM! 

So simple and yet so incredibly tasty! :-)

Chickpea & Veg Medley

Here's another of my quick & easy meals that takes less time than ordering take-away!
It makes for a great meal by itself, compliments a basic mash or salad, or can be served as a side. Makes a great salad topping the next day and can be warmed up later to use as leftovers!
Very practical recipe!
Enjoy!

You'll need:
1 can chickpeas
1 small onion
1 small red capsicum (or half large)
1 small head broccoli
4 button mushrooms
1 carrot
1 zucchini
2 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon veggie salt
1 Tablespoon tamari
juice of half a small lemon


Chop all the veggies into rough chunky pieces.

Put the chopped veggies, crushed garlic & salt into a frying pan, add enough water to just cover the bottom of the pan.
Cover the pan with a lid and allow to steam the veggies for 7-10 minutes until veggies are tender.


Add the drained chickpeas and the tamari and lemon. Saute for 2 minutes whilst stirring to allow all the veggies to be coated with the sauces and to allow the chickpeas to warm through.

 Serve.

This is the veggie salt I use:

It makes for a great stock replacement. Often stock powder contains maltodextrin, and sugar - both of which are not overly desirable for me! This product just has salt & veggies with mineral rock calcium phosphate as an anti-caking agent. I personally can't taste the difference and really enjoy using this!