Quesadillas de Seta Picante (Spicy Mushroom Quesadillas)

This was yet another easy and tasty meal. It is really hard for me to believe that I used to hate mushrooms before I went vegetarian. And even after I went veg, it took me almost a year to be willing to try mushrooms, and now, I am kicking myself for missing out on such a good thing for so many years, but, at least I know now, right?

These quesadillas were fairly spicy and I used something I rarely buy - vegan jack. It is not required in order for this to be a yummy meal, I took the leftover filling ingredients and made them into a burrito for lunch the next day sans vegan jack and they were still really good, but it is a nice addition. I keep saying that I need to get the Uncheese Cookbook, but after the disappointing purchases of Veganomicon and Vegan with a Vengeance, I have been a little jaded and torn about whether or not to try getting any other cookbooks. We'll see I suppose. If anyone out there has or has tried anything from the Uncheese Cookbook, please give me your honest review of it so I know whether or not to cross it off my list.

Just a reminder of the produce legend:
* = farmer's market
** = CSA
*** = Container or Community Garden

Anywho...















Quesadillas de Seta Picante
1 cup quinoa, cooked
2-3 cups mushrooms, minced (we used baby portobellos)
1/2 yellow onion, minced **
1 bell pepper, seeded and minced ***
2 poblano peppers, seeded and minced ***
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced ***
2 cloves of garlic, minced *
chipotle chili powder
ground coriander
paprika
cumin
Mexican oregano
dash unsweetened cocoa powder
dash black pepper
salt
vegan jack (optional)

tortillas
salsa

Heat a few tablespoons of water in a medium skillet. Add the mushrooms, onion, peppers and garlic and cook for 10-15 minutes or until soft. Drain any excess water.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and season to taste.

Layer filling and vegan jack in warmed tortillas and fry if desired.

The next food post I do will be yet another mushroom post, seriously, mushrooms rock, what was wrong with me?! ;-)

'Til next time!

Quesadillas de Melocotón y Verdura (Peach and Veggie Quesadillas)

This was one of the more experimental recipes I've tried lately and it was really, surprisingly good. The sweetness of the peaches worked really well with the spicy peppers, the crunch of raw cucumbers, the juciness of the fresh tomatoes, and the nuttiness of the quinoa. Brett's only complaint? There weren't enough peaches in the dish - he's a hummingbird, there have been times that I've truly wondered if there is a such thing as sweet enough to him! :-) But I did agree that more peaches would not have been a bad thing. When I had created this recipe, I decided that 3 peaches seemed a good amount for the dish. I was thinking of the larger sized peaches I've seen around the farmer's market. Well, after much frustration this past weekend, we finally found the only stand (that we are aware of) that was selling pesticide free peaches, and they were a little smaller than the other peaches. So next time I make this meal, if we are using the small peaches, I will use 5, otherwise 3 it is.

I was a little nervous about this dish, as the only fruit I had ever tried in a meal has been pineapple, and I was nervous when I made that too! I was really happy it turned out and we had a lovely fresh batch of Green Chile Taco Sauce that complemented these quesadillas perfectly.

Just a reminder of the produce legend:
* = farmer's market
** = CSA
*** = Container or Community Garden

















Quesadillas de Melocotón y Verdura
1 cup quinoa, cooked
3 peaches, washed, cored and diced *
2 serranos, seeded and minced ***
2 petite bell peppers, seeded and minced ***
1 gypsy pepper *
2 cloves of garlic, minced *
1/4 red onion, diced *
1 cucumber, minced *** (we used one of the cukes we nabbed from an abandoned plot)
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped *
juice of half a lime
dash chipotle chili powder
dash cumin
dash cinnamon
dash white pepper
dash salt

tortillas
Green Chile Taco Sauce

Heat a few tablespoons of water in a small skillet. Add the peppers, onion and garlic and cook for 10 minutes or until soft. Drain any excess liquid.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and season to taste. Refrigerate for about a half an hour.

Either drain the filling or use a slotted spoon* to layer filling in a warmed tortilla and fry.

Serve with Green Chile Taco Sauce.

* There will be liquid at the bottom of the bowl of filling, I suggest draining it so there isn't a risk of soggy tortillas, nobody likes that.

It's always nice when an experimental meal goes well.

'Til next time!

Incan Tostadas with Roasted Poblano Sauce

This is one of our favorite meals, and perhaps the one I am most proud of. I first made this meal last summer when I began my crusade to learn how to make authentic Mexican food at home. This was inspired by my Mexican neighbors - they would cook amazing smelling food and I could smell it every time I was in our hallway. It got to the point where Brett and I decided that we either had to learn Spanish and weasel our way into their meal time, or we had to learn how to make it ourselves. Me being a vegetarian, our neighbors - well, not, it was an easy decision.

This was also the first meal I modified and made my own (from a very different recipe I found on All Recipes a few years ago). It has changed very much since the first time I made them, and it has only been for the better - each time we improved upon the last.

The poblano sauce is what makes this meal. The beans and quinoa actually have no seasoning on them - they don't need it.

With that said, the sauce has gotten more complicated since I first made it, so I thought I would provide a visual guide for the steps involved in making the sauce.

Remember the produce legend:
no asterisk = from the grocery store
* = farmer's market
** = CSA
*** = Container or Community Garden















Roasted poblanos out of the oven.















Other sauce ingredients getting ready to go in the oven.















Roasted poblanos after being peeled.















Roasted poblano sauce.

Roasted Poblano Sauce
Makes about 4 cups.

6-10 fresh poblano peppers, washed *
2 tsp coconut oil
1-2 tsp sea salt
28 oz. can fire roasted tomatoes
1 serrano pepper, stem removed (red if you can find one) *
4 cloves of garlic, peeled *
1/2 yellow onion, sliced thick *
a few good dashes of cumin
a dash of Mexican oregano
a dash of freshly ground black pepper

Preheat broiler.

Toss whole poblanos with coconut oil and sprinkle with salt. Place under heated broiler and roast for 3-5 minutes on each side. They should get blistered with black spots.

Remove them from the oven and place them in a paper bag to steam - this will make the skins easy to remove.

Heat the oven to 400.

Combine the remaining sauce ingredients in a baking dish. Roast uncovered for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, removed the skins, stems, seeds, and veins from the poblano peppers and put the peppers in a food processor.

Once the sauce mixture is done roasting in the oven, let it cool for a few minutes before transferring it to the food processor.

Blend in the food processor until smooth and add a bit more salt if necessary.















Incan Tostadas with Roasted Poblano Sauce
1/2 cup raw quinoa, rinsed at least 2 or 3 times
1 cup water

1 1/2 cups black beans, cooked
Poblano sauce
tostada shells

Bring water to a boil, add rinsed quinoa and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.

Layer quinoa, black beans, and poblano sauce on a warmed tostada shell. Repeat for a second layer.

Brett likes to add just a little bit of cheese on his.

Super yummy. I can't wait to have these again.

An FYI: the second post in Brett's "What is Food" series will be published tomorrow, I don't know about you all, but I am looking forward to it - I've been excited about it since he talked about writing it!

'Til next time!

Black Bean and Quinoa Taquitos

So, my tooth is finally gone! I didn't think I'd ever be so happy to go to the dentist. I am now happily at home, with gauze in my numb mouth, but the jaw pain should be gone! Wahoo! It's likely that I won't be able to eat solid food for a day or so, but seriously, I'm just happy the whole 'tooth fiasco' is over with!

Last night, I was still able to eat solid foods, so I whipped up some taquitos. Yet another good finger food, and really easy. Enjoy!















Black bean, quinoa and veggie filling!















Taquitos ready to go in the oven.















Black Bean and Quinoa Taquitos
1 cup black beans, cooked
1/2 cup quinoa, cooked
1 cup mushrooms, finely minced
1 zucchini, chopped
4 serrano peppers, seeded and minced
1 poblano pepper, seeded and minced
1 Anaheim pepper, seeded and minced
1 habanero, seeded and minced (optional)
1/4 red onion, minced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small can of sliced black olives, drained
chili powder
cumin
ground coriander
salt

corn tortillas (we used white corn)
toothpicks
guacamole
Green Chile Taco Sauce

Preheat oven to 375.

Heat a few tablespoons of water in a small skillet. Add the mushrooms, peppers and onion and cook for 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook an additional 5 minutes. Drain any excess water.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and season to taste.

Layer filling in warmed corn tortillas and secure with a toothpick.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until tortillas crispy and golden brown.

I hope when the numbness wears off that my mouth isn't too painful. We get our first CSA box this weekend and I want to be able to enjoy some of it!

Anyways, I'm off to read, it's a gorgeous afternoon here in Mid-Missouri.

'Til next time.

Sweet Potato and Quinoa Tacos

I'm starting to think that sweet potatoes and Mexican food belong together. I haven't made one thing we didn't like that was Mexican (at least inspired) and also had sweet potatoes in it. This meal is no exception, and what's best about this meal is that it is quick. It took about as long as it takes for sweet potatoes to roast, about 35 minutes. Both Brett and I really liked these.

What can beat spicy, healthy, tasty Mexican food that is quick?

Without further fanfare, here is the pictures and the recipe!

Sweet Potato and Quinoa Tacos
2 yams or sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
ground coriander
cumin
chipotle chili powder
dash cinnamon
cayenne pepper
salt
1 tsp coconut oil

Preheat oven to 425.

Melt coconut oil in a baking dish in the oven.

Combine all ingredients and roast potatoes, uncovered for 30-35 minutes, stirring a few times.

1/2 cup raw quinoa, rinsed well
1 cup water
ground coriander
cumin
chili powder
salt

Bring water to boil. Stir in quinoa and seasonings. Reduce heat and simmer until all water absorbed, about 15-20 minutes.

1/4 red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 poblano pepper, minced
2 serrano peppers, minced

Heat a few tablespoons of water in a small sauce pan. Add the peppers and onions and cook about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Drain any excess water.

Combine with the spiced quinoa.

When potatoes are done, reduce the heat to 350 and pop the taco shells in for 5 minutes.

hard taco shells
1 avocado, diced
baby spinach
salsa (we used Jalapeno Salsa and Jalapeno-Tomatillo Sauce)

Layer some spinach, sweet potatoes and quinoa in warmed taco shells. Serve with diced avocado and salsa.

These will be on our menu very often. We both really seem to love tacos.

'Til next time!

Squash and Bean Quesadillas

We had another winner last night. These quesadillas were really good. They were filling, spicy, and oddly authentic tasting for a more 'fusion' style meal.

A couple of notes: You could easily eat this without the tortilla. Just serve the roasted veggies and bean mixture over a bed of quinoa, top with guacamole and salsa and you'd be good to go. Also, I roasted my veggies and cooked my beans ahead of time, so this meal only took about 30-35 minutes. I just prepared the guacamole, heated and spiced the beans, and got all the 'fixings' together while the quinoa was cooking.

Before I go to the recipe I want to make one plea - don't fear frying your burritos or quesadillas. Use coconut oil and not very much of it at all. This doesn't add any significant amount of fat to the meal, the coconut oil does not release free radicals when heated, it only takes five minutes and it takes the meal to another level. I highly recommend trying it this way at least once.

















Squash and Bean Quesadillas
Serves 3 (enough for Brett to have the leftovers for lunch)

1 zucchini, roasted and sliced
1 yellow squash, roasted and sliced
hot peppers, roasted and sliced (I used a habanero, jalapeno and serrano)
1/2 red bell pepper, roasted and sliced
1/2 cup black beans, cooked
1/2 cup navy beans, cooked
1 cup cooked quinoa
1/4 red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
chipotle chili powder
Mexican oregano
ground coriander
cumin
salt
vegan monterey jack cheese (optional)

tortillas
guacamole
salsa

Preheat oven to 425.

Heat some coconut oil on a baking sheet.

Wash and cut zucchini and squash in half. Place on baking sheet and roast in oven for 20-25 minutes or until soft and skin of veggies slightly blistered.

Let cool for a few minutes, then slice.

While veggies are roasting, cook quinoa.

In a small skillet, heat some water and add onions and garlic and cook until soft, about 7-10 minutes.

Heat beans. Toss with spices to taste. Add in hot peppers.

In a large skillet heat a little coconut oil in the pan.

Layer quinoa, roasted squash and bean mixture into a warmed tortilla topping with optional cheese before folding the tortilla in half.

Carefully place quesadilla on hot skillet and fry on each side until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes for each side. Make sure to keep an eye of the tortilla to prevent burnage.

Top quesadilla with guacamole salsa.

'Til next time.

Muffins and Spicy Anasazi Bean and Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash

Yesterday, I made Happy Herbivore’s Apple Crisp Muffins. I was originally planning on making her Sweet Potato & Maple Muffins earlier this week, but the yam I baked was eaten before I got home from work the next day (Brett didn’t know they were for the muffins). Anyways, I pretty much always have apples around, so it all worked out. These are fantastic! They really do taste like an apple crisp. I’ve already had three since I made them yesterday! Now my pictures aren’t as pretty as HH's, I overfilled the muffin cups, so they kind of spewed out a bit, but they are still oh so tasty!

Now, the only thing I don’t like about muffins is my pan. You see, muffins stick to it like nothing else, so you either use muffin cups or grease the hell out of the tin (which is still no guarantee), I don’t like either of these options, but as of late have chosen to avoid greasing the pan, but feel bad about all the muffin cup papers that I have to use. I am thinking of not making muffins anymore, and just making breads, since my bread pan is glass and doesn’t have a sticking problem and doesn’t require me to waste lots of paper. Anyone know if you could make a loaf out of this recipe? I’m wondering if it can be done to other muffin recipes or if the proportions would be off…

Anyways, for dinner I made Spicy Anasazi Bean and Quinoa Stuffed Roasted Acorn Squash. This meal was hearty, healthy and super tasty. I have been mulling over other things to stuff acorn squash with since the last time I made it as most of the recipes you find are sweet and acorn squashes are much more versatile than that. No one should be surprised that I ended up with a Mexican inspired idea, and that yams, hot peppers, and guacamole make their way in to the meal. I will make a guacamole tag as well, I make it at least once a week, it’s one of my favorite foods, and so simple too. Anasazi beans are really good; they are a traditional Native American bean that is used in Native American (of course) or Mexican dishes. Pinto would work just as well in here though. We had chips and guacamole with this, but ended up not eating the chips and just putting the guacamole on the squash.

Here's a picture of the Anasazi beans before the were soaked and cooked, they are lovely beans dry, but really don't look like anything special once cooked. Brett said they reminded him of cows dry, it almost made me feel bad for eating them. :-(

Spicy Anasazi Bean and Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash

1 roasted acorn squash

Stuffing:

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

2 cups anasazi (or pinto) beans cooked

1 small can of black olives, drained

1 can of diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained

1 yam/sweet potato, cubed and roasted

1-2 roasted jalapenos, sliced

1/2 roasted red bell pepper, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

chili powder

cumin

Mexican oregano

chipotle chili powder

salt

cayenne (optional)

splash veggie broth

simple guacamole

blue corn chips (optional)

Rise quinoa in a wire mesh strainer.

Bring water to a boil, add quinoa and reduce heat, simmering for 15-20 minutes or until all liquid abosrbed.

In a large skillet, heat a tablespoon or so of water and cook garlic until soft.

Add the rest of the ingredients until heated through.

Stuff into roasted acorn squash halves. Top with guacamole.

'Til next time.

Pineapple Quinoa Stir-Fry with Cashews and Adzuki Beans

I had looked at the Pineapple-Cashew-Quinoa Stir-Fry in Veganomicon a few times, but always passed over it as the flavoring just didn’t seem to do it for me. But I really liked the idea of a stir-fry with pineapples, quinoa, and cashews in it. So I thought about improvements awhile to see what I could come up with.

I ended up, big surprise, going with a sweet and spicy sauce (it is a great compromise, the spiciness pleases me, the sweetness pleases Brett and the combination works great), and I added more veggies and some adzuki beans.

I must say, this was a huge hit! And it was loaded with protein; you got quinoa, cashews, and adzuki beans. Brett and I both loved this and he even came up with an idea for a variation for a fruity breakfast stir-fry. I was impressed, it sounds fantastic, I think we’ll have to make it for a weekend brunch sometime soon to see how it turns out.















Pineapple Quinoa Stir-Fry with Cashews and Adzuki Beans
Serves 4-6 (leftovers = yummy, easy work lunches)

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water

Sauce:
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp brown rice vinegar
hot chili oil (to taste)
4 tbsp agave
1" ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp coconut oil
1 tbsp brown sugar
juice of 1/2 a lime
red pepper flakes
cornstarch mixed with water

Stir-Fry Stuff:
4 carrots, peeled, cut into rounds, and boiled
1 cup snap peas, cooked
1 cup broccoli, cooked
1 can organic pineapple pieces
1/2 cup raw organic cashews
1 1/2 cups cooked adzuki beans

Rinse quinoa very well before cooking.

Bring 2 cups water to boil, add quinoa, reduce heat and cook, uncovered until water is absorbed.

While quinoa is cooking, bring a pot of water to a boil, add carrots and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add snap peas and broccoli, cook for a few minutes until all the veggies are soft. Drain.

In a small sauce pan heat water, add garlic and ginger and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients aside from the cornstarch/water mixture.

Once quinoa is cooked, transfer it to a large skillet. Add veggies and beans.

Drain pineapple juice into pan with sauce and add the pineapple chunks to the quinoa, veggies, and beans.

Bring sauce to a boil, add cornstarch/water mixture and stir frequently until desired thickness.

Remove from heat.

Stir in to quinoa mixture and top with cashews.

'Til next time!