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Archive of ‘beans’ category

30
Jun
2011

Appetite For Reduction

categories: Appetite For Reduction, beans, cookbook, vegan

Everyday Chickpea-Quinoa Salad

I think I have a new favorite cookbook and it’s called Appetite For Reduction. I love all things Isa and I think this might be my all time favorite Isa cookbook. I simply want to make every recipe in this book. Everything sounds so good and looks so easy to make. I’ve only had a chance to make 3 or 4 recipes so far from the book and they have all been delicious. The first recipe I made was the Everyday Chickpea-Quinoa Salad. I pre-cooked some red quinoa the night before so I had it all ready too make this salad for lunch the next day. By having the quinoa ready this recipe came together in a flash. You slice some red onions, chop some romaine and drain and rinse a can of chickpeas and mix it all together with the quinoa. Then you make the recipe for the Balsamic Vinaigrette, which I am a huge fan of, and then mix it all together and serve. We devoured this salad and then again the next day because it keeps so well in the fridge for a few days.

For me the best part of this salad was the recipe for the Balsamic Vinaigrette. I love that Isa uses cashews in the recipe. It gives the dressing such a nice creaminess. I want to put it on everything.

17
Jun
2011

First post baby meal…

categories: beans, chinese, peanut butter, Reno, sauce, vegan

Chickpea-Almond Brown Rice Stir Fry with Tamari-Peanut Sauce

This was the very first meal I cooked for us since we brought Miles home from the hospital. Up until then we have been well taken care of food wise from friends and family. My non-cooking husband even cooked a meal for us one night. Of course when the time came for me to have to start making dinners again we pretty much had nothing in the fridge/pantry. After standing in the middle of the kitchen wondering what the hell I was going to make for dinner I all of a sudden remembered that I had a whole container of brown rice from some Veggie Heaven take out a few nights before, then I saw a can of chickpeas in the pantry and found some broccoli in the fridge. The rest of the dish just kept evolving while I was cooking.

I first sauteed some onions and garlic in oil then added the broccoli and chickpeas. While rooting around the fridge I found a bag of almonds so I chopped them up and tossed them into the pan along with the leftover take out brown rice. While this was all “stir frying” together I was trying to think of way to get Reno to eat this meal. I knew by the looks of it she wouldn’t eat it at all. I have in the past gotten her to eat similar dishes, usually with noodles instead of rice, if I put peanut sauce on it. We were running low on peanut butter, thanks to all the smoothies I’ve been making, so it was heavier on the tamari then on the peanut butter. Which is better for a stir fry anyway. The sauce was made with: tamari, peanut butter, water, orange juice and ginger powder. I added it to the stir fry right towards the end of cooking it and cooked it for a minute more just till it was heated through.

By then…Reno had emerged from her bath and declared that she would NOT be eating this dinner. I informed her that she WOULD be eating it and if she didn’t want to eat it then she was welcome to go straight to bed. If I know that she’s not going to like something I’ve made I’ll always give her another option but I knew she would like this. She complained through the whole thing. First that it was made with rice and not noodles and I always make peanut sauce with noodles. Then she was fine just eating the rice but that there was all “this stuff” in the way of her doing that…that “stuff” was the chickpeas. Oh and she also wasn’t going to be eating the broccoli which is actually a vegetable that she likes. After she had basically eaten 1/2 of her bowl she claims that her belly is full. Which was too bad because that’s when I decided to announce to Peter that there was some ice cream in the freezer for me and him when we were done with our bowls. Well wouldn’t you know it…Reno wanted some ice cream…she quickly ate the rest of her meal. ;)

The meal was delicious and I can’t wait to make it again. I hope to have the time and mental capability to write the measurements down so I can post the recipe for you all.

10
Feb
2011

Photo Post

categories: beans, chocolate, cookbook, sandwiches, sausage, vegan

Just some photos of what I’ve been eating recently:

Kung Pao “Chicken”

From Veggie Heaven, Teaneck NJ. This reminds me to work on my Kung Pao recipe that I created months ago.

At Home Chipotle

Our closest Chipotle is in a strip mall that has the worst designed parking lot I’ve ever seen. Its basically just for people who drive Mini Cooper size cars not for the larger SUV type cars most people drive around here. On the strip malls busiest days/hours if I want Chipotle I make it myself at home. :)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding

Courtesy of Urban Vegan’s cookbook which is amazing if you haven’t purchased it yet. I’m excited to hear she is writing another one!

Chickpea Salad Sandwich

A favorite weekend lunch of ours.

Jambalaya

I use to teach cooking classes with my friend Donna and she showed the class how to make this dish one day. It was genius and easy. Peter and I love it. Her recipe doesn’t have beans in it but since i’m in need of extra protein because of the pregnancy I added some kidney beans the last time I made it and I’ll forever be adding kidney beans to it. So delicious.

and just for shits and giggles…here is the best photo I’ve ever taken of my cat Riley.

10
Jan
2011

Bean Balls

categories: beans, cookbook, sandwiches, sauce, vegan

V’con Spaghetti and Bean Balls

With another winter storm headed our way tomorrow all I’m thinking about are warm and comforting meals. One of my favorite’s is the Spaghetti and Bean Ball recipe from Veganomicon. I’m a sucker for kidney beans and have been adding them to everything lately but my favorite way to eat them is in this bean ball recipe. Something magical happens to them when they are fried up in oil and then covered in your favorite sauce. Before I’ve even smothered them in a tomato sauce I’ve eaten at least 3 of them. I just can’t get enough.

My real favorite way to eat them is as leftovers. I smother a ciabatta roll with softened butter and garlic which I then toast in the oven a la Garlic Bread and heat up the leftover bean balls and sauce on the stove. Once bread and balls are done cooking I make one of the most delicious sandwiches I’ve ever eaten.

05
Jan
2011

Cooking something new

categories: beans, Reno, sauce, vegan

21 week belly

I’ve been cooking up a new baby for the past few months and not much else, hence the poor participation during VeganMoFo this year and other sporadic posts. By the time dinner time comes around I’m DONE for the day. We have been eating a lot of pasta dishes and rice and beans. I’ve been feeling better lately so hopefully i’ll be up to some more creative cooking soon.

One of my favorite types of meals lately is the bean, vegetable, rice or pasta and peanut sauce combo. It comes together in mere minutes and helps with my protein needs for the pregnancy.

one of said current favorite dinners

Peanut sauce is so easy to put together. My favorite ingredient to add to the sauce, if I have some on hand, is orange juice. It gives it such a bright and wonderful taste. I also make sure to add a lot of ginger powder as well. Just writing about peanut sauce is making me want to cook up a pot of rice and eat it plain with some peanut sauce on top.

Anyway…back to the cooking baby in my belly. He is due May 14th. We found out just before Christmas that we are having a BOY! Reno really wanted a sister but I was able to trick her into thinking a brother was the best thing ever. She seems to be on board now. We went shopping for some boy clothes the other day which she was excited about. She did pretty good helping pick out some onesies and such until she started picking out pink outfits and then she wanted to name him Olivia. She also wants to name him Fun Guy Fun Guy, which is the name of her horse toy that she can ride on. Just like with Reno we won’t be sharing the name with ANYBODY until the kid is on the outside. So don’t ask! :)

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