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Thursday, June 2, 2011

Nutty Farfalle with Asparagus

Yummy in winter or spring, but good any time!  This pasta dish is easy, and it pleases!

Ingredients:


1 box Farfalle Pasta, boiled according to instructions, drizzled with Olive Oil, tossed and set aside
1 pound asparagus, snapped, chopped into 1.5 inch segments and  blanched
1/4-1/2 c pine nuts
Olive oil
Garlic
1/2 medium or large yellow onion, diced
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Grated Parmesan or shredded parmesan

Instructions:

Sauté onion, garlic and pine nuts in olive oil.  Add in the asparagus and farfalle.  Sauté until you think it looks good.  Some may wish to sprinkle garlic salt, instead of regular salt. Pepper to taste.  Serve with the parmesan.  Goes great following a beany soup or salad.  Great with a nice Pinot Grigio, a hot crusty bread and dipping oil.  Hmmm, I'm getting hungry!

Walking Tacos

We love offering this dinner as a special treat for the whole family!  It makes EVERYONE happy!  And it is a great way to use your leftover chili =)  The cute little ice cream and snack stand in our neighborhood serves a version of this right inside a personal sized Fritos bag!  (Even better!  No dishes!  lol...)

Ingredients:

1 Large bag Fritos
1 head iceberg lettuce, chopped and rinsed
1-2 roma tomatoes, diced
1 large can sliced black olives, drained
1 can black or pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1-2 cans Hormel Vegetarian Chili, heated (or your own, if you have some!)
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1 jar of your favorite salsa
1 container (vegan or dairy) sour cream
1 bag shredded (vegan or dairy) cheese

Instructions:

In each person's salad bowl, put down a layer of fritos, lettuce, tomatoes, black beans, black olives, etc.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Add a dollop of sour cream, and a spoon of salsa.  Sprinkle top with green onions.

Add pickled jalapeno slices, if you want to kick it up a notch =)

Black Bean & Quinoa Sandwich Patties

This recipe is AMAZING.  I LOVE IT.  'Nuf said.


Ingredients:

1 cup Quinoa, cooked according to package instructions
(you may wish to rinse the quinoa before cooking to remove any bitterness)

1 medium red onion, finely shredded
1 bunch cilantro, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely minced

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed, then blended to a paste with a T of olive oil


3/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t chili powder


fine bread crumbs

Instructions:

Put all items into a mincer/chopper and blend until smooth, excepting the onion, breadcrumbs and seasonings... you can fold the onion and seasonings in after the beans, quinoa, cilantro and jalapeno are well blended.  Once everything except the breadcrumbs is mixed together, form the patties.  Drop each patty into a bowl with the breadcrumbs and coat both sides.  Fry in a pan with a little light olive, canola or vegetable oil.

Kick-ass Vegan Southwestern Salad

Ingredients:

1 small bag frozen corn
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 head romaine lettuce, or a mix
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1 package frozen black bean patties
1 package vegan cheddar cheese, or mexican mixed cheeses
1 small container vegan sour cream
1 bottle vegan ranch dressing
1 bottle bbq sauce
1 container fresh pico de gallo
1 bag tortilla chips
1 small can sliced black olives

Instructions:

Wash and chop lettuce.  Rinse beans.  Thaw the frozen corn in the microwave.  Cook the black bean patties according to package instructions.  Cut the patties into bite-sized pieces.  Slice the green onions.  Strain the black olives.

In each salad bowl, put down a bed of greens followed by the pieces of 1 black bean patty, a sprinkling of black beans, black olives, green onions, shredded cheese, a scoop of pico de gallo, a spoonful of sour cream, a handful of crunched-up tortilla chips and then a drizzle of ranch and bbq sauce.  That's it!  Yum!

Bumblebee Stew

This is simpler than simple, and always is a big hit.  When we went to a restaurant chain called J. Gumbo's and had this stew, we liked it so much that we tried to figure out how they did it.  This is our best approximation of how they make Bumblebee Stew.  If a vegan version is desired, cut the amount of butter down a bit, substituting with a vegan butter, and use plain rice milk in the tomato soup.




Ingredients:

1 large yellow onion, diced
2 sticks salted sweet cream butter
1 small package frozen corn
2 cans black beans, rinsed
2 cans diced tomatoes, strained
2 cans Campbell's tomato soup, constituted with milk
Rice, 1-2 cups dry

Instructions:

Sauté the diced onion in the butter.  Add corn and sauté 3-4 more minutes.  Add the prepared tomato soup, and then add the beans and tomatoes.

Prepare the rice according to the package instructions.

Serve in a bowl with one big scoop of rice on bottom and the stew on top.  Garnish with fresh sliced green onion and cornbread sticks or the bread of your choice.

Broccoli Salad (Evil)

Salad Ingredients:

  • 4 cups chopped broccoli florets
  • 1/2 cup raw cashews
  • 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
  • 1/2 cup golden raisins
  • salad dressing (recipe below!)
Dressing Ingredients:
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
Dress, Toss, and Chill:
Once the dressing ingredients are well blended in a bowl, put the dressing on the salad. Toss well. Put the Evil Broccoli Salad in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours. Toss once more before serving.