Vegan Mofo Day 7 Colour - Italian Inspired Beans

Today's vegan mofo prompt is Colour!
I made this basic dish sometime ago and as I made it I mixed a variety of herbs wondering if they would work out well together...... I'm pleased to report that they did and I love this combo now. However I tricked myself by the 'colours' of this dish because I was thinking it would taste of Italian herbs..... but it didn't exactly have that traditional italian flavour..... it was just the colours that were Italian inspired to match their flag!!!

So it seemed appropriate to post this simple recipe for today's colour theme! 

ITALIAN-COLOUR INSPIRED BEANS

(Makes 4 servings)

                   You'll need:
                           1 can butter beans*
                           1 can red kidney beans*
                           2 zucchinis
                           1 onion
                           1 garlic clove
                           1/2 cup tomato passata
                           1/2 teaspoon each: 
                           cumin, oregano, turmeric, dried onion flakes, paprika

Drain the butter beans and kidney beans and set them aside. 

Chop the onion into pieces and dry fry in a pan with the crushed garlic until beginning to brown. Stir in all the herbs and a few spoons of water and saute until fragant. Add the chopped zucchini and place a lid over the pan to allow to steam the zucchini for approx 5 mins until tender. Stir through the drained beans and passata and stir frequently until dish is completely warmed through.

Recommended to be served with a wholegrain and a side of leafy greens :-)

* Always choose salt free and BPA free varieties when you can.

Slow-cooked Mexican Stew

Monday nights are slow-cooker night in our home.
I must admit that for the first few years of owning a slow cooker I used it for nothing other than soup.
I am discovering that there is so much more than just soup that can be done in the slow cooker. I regularly make dried beans and love that on the high function it takes only 2-3 hours to cook them from scratch, even without pre-soaking if I haven't had the chance to do that.

Here's a way I make a complete meal that isn't soup:

SLOW-COOKED MEXICAN STEW

You'll need:
1 cup brown rice
1 can black beans
1 can red kidney beans
1 onion
1 green capsicum
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 can tomatoes
2 cups vegetable stock
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon taco spice mix of choice

Chop all the vegetables and drain the beans.
Add all ingredients to slow cooker. 
If you have the option, saute the onion & garlic first. If not, don't worry because it will still work out and be delicious.
Cook on slow for 6-8 hours.

Serve.

The rice will fluff up to be lovely & thick. It will absorb all the liquid so that this isn't the consistency of a soup.

Warm Bean Salad

Winter is well and truly upon us now, so warmer salads are appealing to me more than cold ones! To be honest I'm not one who enjoys plain boring salads, I like salads with lots of flavours and substance! 

The aroma while this is cooking is just divine...
And is there anything so beautiful as the colours of plant foods?

You'll need:
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1 can each red kidney beans, butter beans
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
1/2 green capsicum
1/2 small celery stalk
6 cherry tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
small handful each fresh basil leaves, fresh parsley
fat free Italian dressing
salad leaves of choice

Chop the onion (I did half in slices and half in little pieces just to be a bit different for a salad!). In a large frying pan saute the onion with the crushed garlic in a little bit of veggie stock. When the onions start to brown add the drained legumes, the corn, the chopped capsicum & celery. 

Fry for approx 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently until the veggies are lightly cooked. Quarter the tomatoes and add them to the fry pan. Sprinkle over the chopped fresh herbs and drizzle the Italian dressing over. Continue to cook for as long til the veggies are as soft as you desire. 
Serve over salad leaves. I used a combination of cos, iceberg & a bag of mixed leaves.

Question of the day:
Do you eat salad in winter, or only in the warmer months?

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!

Mexican Casserole

A twist on Mexican!

A great tasting dish for something that is rather effortless to make.

It takes a bit of time & preparation but its not hard.

Everyone in our home really loves it!

You'll need:
1 pack corn tortillas
2-3 cups cooked brown rice
1 can black beans           (or 1 cup home-made pre-cooked)
1 can red kidney beans   (or 1 cup home-made pre-cooked)
1 red capsicum
1 green capsicum
1 zucchini
1 onion
1 can corn
1 can tomatoes
1 red chili     (or to taste)
1/2 cup salsa
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon coriander

Chop the tortillas into bite size pieces.
Place on a lined baking tray & bake at 200C for 10-15 minutes until just firm but not yet brown. (Cooking times with vary depending on the tortillas you use and your oven.)

Drain the canned beans, and canned corn. Chop the onion, zucchini, capsicums and chili. Combine all of these into a large casserole pan or baking dish. 
Add the rice and spices. Mix well. 
Stir through the tomatoes and salsa.
Spread evenly around the pan.
Cover with foil or a lid and bake for 30minutes in a preheated 200C oven.

The tomatoes will be bubbling hot when you take the dish out of the oven.
Spread the baked tortilla chips over the top and gently press them down into the mixture.
Return the dish to the oven and continue to bake for a further 10-15minutes until the chips are browned on top.

Serve and enjoy!

Perfectly satisfying by itself or you can add mashed avocado or tofu sour cream if you like.

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

What happened this evening.....

I hope you've all had a wonderful weekend.
I have :-)

This evening we decided to take a walk along a local beach & get a meal.
We walked up and down the road for quite some time thinking about what we would have.
We sat down in a pizza place & perused to menu..... then decided we didn't feel like pizza. 

~So we got up and left.~

Then we went to a mexican restaurant. Excited by the thought of beans in a burrito we proceeded to order. We made our dietary preferences known..... only to discover that they fry their beans in butter and therefore nothing on their menu was vegan :-(

~So we got up and left.~

We went home then.
AND HAD THE BEST DINNER EVER!!!!!

I cannot believe how quickly we made up this mexican feast all from the pantry! 
It was so incredibly satisfying!

In a baking dish we piled corn chips & then topped them with a can of Coles Mexican Chilli Beans.
I then made a 'cheeze' sauce.
I poured into the blender 1 cup soymilk with 1/4 cup nutritional yeast and a tablespoon of cornflour. Blended til well combined then poured into a microwave safe jug & microwaved for 30 seconds. The sauce thickened. 
I poured the sauce over the corn chips and beans & baked for 15 mins.

Perfect vegan nachos:

We also made tortillas.
In a frying pan I combined a chopped onion, 1/2 chopped capsicum, 1 can corn, 1 can red kidney beans, 1/2 chopped green capsicum, 1 chopped zucchini. 
I added a packet of taco seasoning mix and put a lid on to let it all cook through.
I then stirred in a jar of salsa.

Perfect vegan wrap filling:

 We warmed up the tortillas and then added our filling along with lettuce, grated carrot & avocado. My husband put his one in the sandwich press - but I prefer my wraps soft.

 And together they made for the perfect home-mexican meal:

Question of the day:
What items do you regularly keep in your pantry that can be used as fall-back meals?

Balsamic Fried Salad

We've all heard of balsamic roasted veggies, but did you know that you can also use balsamic vinegar to fry veggies???

This way is much quicker and yet the flavour is still very rich and full. If you're a fan of balsamic roasted veggies you'll love this quick substitute.

In a frying pan combine 1 teaspoon molasses, 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar.

Swirl around the pan til molasses is runny & all liquid is warm.

Add a chopped zucchini, chopped large field mushroom, chopped 1/2 green capsicum.

Swirl pan around with the veggies so the liquid coats the vegetables.

Saute for 10 minutes until liquid is absorbed and vegetables are soft.

Serve on a plate over salad leaves, 1 shredded carrot, 1/2 cup red kidney beans and a chopped shallot. Top with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

YOU'VE GOT TO TRY THIS!

This is so super easy & yet it is divinely tasty!

Wrap a sweet potato in foil & bake for 45-60 mins in oven - til soft.

In a frying pan combine red kidney beans, chopped onion, chopped green capsicum with a generous tablespoon of salsa and a half teaspoon cumin. Fry until all is heated through.

Cut the sweet potato in half and serve the bean mixture on top.

SO TASTY!

Cold days salad

I love having a salad for lunch - though on cold days that can be really hard to do.
So I'm on a quest to find a way of having a nice big salad loaded with veggies but that can be stomached on a cold & windy day!

Here's another tasty one I've come up with:

Assemble 2 cups of leaves of choice on a plate.
Slice half an avocado over the top of the leaves.
In a small frying pan combine:
1/2 chopped small brown onion
1/2 tin red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1/2 cup mushrooms sliced
1/4 green capsicum.
Water sautee for 5 mins until onion is tender.
Add a teaspoon bbq sauce & a teaspoon of sweet chili sauce. Stir til all things are lightly coated in the sauce.

Pour over the leaves & avo.
Sprinkle with pine nuts.

Enjoy on the couch in front of a heater!!! ;-)

Baked tofu & bean mix

BAKED TOFU
(4 serves)
You'll need:
1 pack firm tofu
2 teaspoons dried garlic flakes
2 teaspoons bbq seasoning (check out the range available of different seaonings at the grocery store - make sure the one you pick doesn't contain milk as some of them do - so silly!)

Slice the tofu into thin long strips.
Lay the tofu strips into a baking dish. Sprinkle the seasoning & the garlic flakes over the top.
Pour about 1/2 cup water into the baking dish. Depending on the size dish that you use you may need a bit more - it needs to completely cover the base of the dish but not over the top of the tofu pieces.
Place dish in a preheated 200C oven.
It will take about 30-40 minutes for the water to evaporate. Make sure you turn them once during cooking. I like to let them bake for about 10 minutes after the water has completely evaporated to just make the tofu pieces that bit firmer.

While the tofu is cooking prepare the bean mix.

You'll need:
100g greeen beans
1 tin red kidney beans
1 onion
1 tin tomatoes
1 teaspoon chili
2 stalks celery

Chop the onion & saute in water til lightly cooked. Chop the celery, top & tail then slice the green beans. Add them to the onion. Let simmer for about 5 minutes before adding the drained red kidney beans, the chili & the tin of tomatoes.
I add about a half cup water & let this simmer for 20ish minutes until most of the moisture is evaporated & the mixture is not totally runny anymore.

The baked tofu really compliments the bean mixture & I love to serve this on a lettuce leaf and roll the bean mixture into it. Very tasty.

Bean Lasagne

Chop a medium eggplant into slices & place on the bottom of a lightly sprayed oven dish.

In a bowl, combine 1 drained tin red kidney beans, 1/2 cup tomato cooking sauce and 1 tablespoon Italian herb mix.  Mash until beans are broken down & all ingredients are well combined.

Place a layer of the bean mix on top of the eggplant. Then place strips of zucchini or chopped sweet potato or other veggies of choice. Repeats layers until dish is full. Make sure the top layer is the bean mix.

Bake in a hot oven for 30 minutes or until veggies are soft & top is lightly browned.

Perfect

Perfect partners: a salad or side of wedges.

Maybe this shouldn't be called a lasagne since it has no pasta in it!

Perhaps its better names veggie & bean stack! But whatever its called, I don't mind because it is absolutely DIVINE tasting! And its gluten free for those who need it!

 

Warm potato salad

I like this recipe for a meal of an evening but it also works great as a salad.
Also leftovers are great reheated for lunch the next day!
It's very practical because it can be served both warm or cold - and you can add other things of your choice to have a slightly different flavour! Very versatile.

500g small potatoes
1/2 cup green beans
1/2 red capsicum
1/2 tin red kidney beans
2 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon juice
parsley, to serve

Put potatoes in a saucepan of water. Bring to the boil and cook for 12 mins or until the potatoes are just tender but not too soft.
Remove potatoes from water, but do not tip water out.
Trim ends off green beans and place into the potato water for approx 3 mins, until just tender.
Slice capsicum into long thin strips.
In a small jar, mix mayonnaise, lemon juice & parsley.
Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix.

I love the way the potato will slightly fall apart & put its lovely soft flavour onto the other ingredients! If you don't like this, then don't cook the potatoes for quite as long and add them last.