Chickpea Popcorn

School is finally out so I have time now to watch a few daytime shows that I like. On Dr. Oz's show this morning, he spotlighted a 7 Day Crash Diet, and while I don't agree on any type of crash diet, I did see some recipes I plan to try.

I usually crave salty, crunchy snacks around 3:00 p.m. so instead of reaching for a bag of chips this afternoon, I decided to try the chickpea popcorn recipe I saw on his show (with my twist of course.) Eat these while they're warm! They're  very addictive. I had to stop myself from eating the entire batch.

Ingredients:
1 can organic chickpeas (15 oz.)
1 tsp. garlic powder
small pinch of sea salt (Cr. Oz's recipe doesn't include salt, but it needs a little.)
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
olive oil
(nutritional yeast if you want a cheesy flavor)

Directions:

1) Rinse and drain beans.
2) Place chickpeas in a bowl and season with the above ingredients. (Measurements don't have to be exact. I just sprinkle it all on.)
3) Spread chickpeas out on a baking sheet.
4) Bake for 30 - 45 minutes until crispy.
5) Optional: sprinkle with nutritional yeast.

Homemade Kim Chi

Source: drbenkim.com via cclong on Pinterest

I started buying Kim Chi at the grocery store when I found out last year how healthy it's supposed to be. After paying $4 for a small jar that includes ingredients I don't care to eat like fish sauce and sugar, I was excited when I found this homemade, healthier option from Dr. Ben Kim. The changes I make to his recipe are as follows:

• 1 Tablespoon of red pepper (cayenne) mixed with water to form a paste instead of the Korean red pepper
• I leave out the yellow onion and just use grated pear and apple mixed with water.

I made my first batch with Napa cabbage, and it turned out perfect. I made my second batch tonight with bok choy instead (only because they didn't have any Napa cabbage today at the store.) I read a suggestion on another blog to save a little of the fermented Kim Chi as a starter for your next batch, so I'm going to try that next time.

Vegan Creamy Cole Slaw

Coleslaw doesn't exactly come to mind for a December side dish, but I had a couple heads of organic cabbage I needed to use up today so here's my twist on  Bobby Flay's Creamy Cole Slaw. 

• 1 small head organic green cabbage, finely shredded
• 1/2 head organic purple cabbage, finely shredded 
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced vertically
• 2 large organic carrots, shredded
• 3/4 cup Vegenaise mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 packet Stevia or other sweetner
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 2 teaspoons celery salt
• freshly ground pepper (I like to use grill seasoning in place of black pepper such as McCormick Montreal Seasoning)
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

Combine the shredded cabbage, carrots, and green onions in a large bowl. Whisk together the Vegenaise, sour cream, Stevia, vinegar, mustard, celery salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Add to the cabbage mixture. Mix well to combine and taste for seasoning; add more spice if desired. Between the salt in the Vegenaise and the celery salt, I didn't need to add any more salt for our taste.

I served this with braised tempeh for lunch today.  My husband isn't a big cole slaw fan, but he ended up eating two servings. I imagine it will taste even better tomorrow after it's had time to marinate.

Wild Rice and Mushrooms

I love the earthiness of mushrooms. Add them to wild rice, and you have the perfect side dish for fall. We're a family of five, so I prepare large portions. If you're cooking for 2-3, I'd cut this recipe in half.

Ingredients
2 cups organic wild rice (It's less expensive to buy rice in the bulk bins at Basic Foods or Whole Foods.)
4 cups organic vegetable broth
1/2 cup dry red wine such as Merlot
2 cups or more sliced assorted mushrooms (I used Shiitake tonight.)
1 cup shallots or onions, sliced thin
1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
olive oil
pinch of salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes

Directions:
1) Cook 2 c rice in 4 c vegetable broth (plus a splash of red wine if you like) in a rice cooker or pot for 40 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
2) Thinly slice mushrooms and shallots.
3) About 15 minutes before your rice is done, drizzle a little olive oil in a skillet and cook scallions and sliced mushrooms over medium heat. Add a pinch of salt, pepper, and red pepper. Saute 8-10 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Add 1/2 cup red wine and saute until liquid is absorbed, about 2-3 minutes.

4) Stir the mushroom mixture into rice and add parsley.

I served this with veggie kabobs that I cooked on our indoor grill.

Kimchee (Kimchi) and Quinoa

 Craving something easy, salty and spicy for lunch this afternoon, I reheated some leftover quinoa (from yesterday's stuffed eggplants) and topped it with a little Korean super food, Kimchee. It was little party in my mouth! Kimchee is another first food for me this year. Beware, if you don't like cabbage or spicy flavors, you probably won't like this pickled condiment (No one in my family likes this dish except me.) I've only tasted one brand, Banyan Foods Kim Chee, which is the one sold at our local grocery store, HEB. I'll definitely be whipping this one up for myself again soon.

Quinoa & Sundried Tomato Stuffed Eggplant

My husband's Japanese eggplants have been very productive this summer, so this is the second stuffed eggplant recipe I've prepared this year. It was so good! I really like using quinoa in this recipe since it's a complete protein. The recipe I got my inspiration from calls for goat cheese....even when I was a meat eater, I hated goat cheese. I prepared these without the cheese, but you could add a little Parmesan if you're not vegan.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 small eggplants
• 2 cups cooked quinoa (I cook it in boxed organic vegetable broth for flavor.)
• 2 green onions, chopped thin
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 c chopped sundried (in oil) tomatoes
• small bunch of flat leaf parsley and basil, chopped
• olive oil
• salt to taste
• a pinch of red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS:
1) Preheat oven to 350.
2) Slice eggplant in half vertically. Place eggplant in colander and sprinkle with salt. Allow eggplant to sit in salt for about 20 minutes for a firmer texture. 

3) Meanwhile, chop the sundried tomatoes, onion, garlic, and herbs.

4) Rinse and dry eggplant.
5) Score eggplant 1/4" from the edge.
6) Scoop out eggplant with a teaspoon.
7) Chop eggplant into small cubes. Place in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil.
8) Add cook quinoa, tomatoes, onions, garlic, herbs to eggplant. Salt to taste and add a pinch of red pepper.
9) If you eat cheese, you may want to add about 1/4 c Parmesan to this mixture.
10) Lightly coat the back of each eggplant (skin) with olive oil and place on baking sheet.
11) Generously stuff each eggplant and drizzle with a little more olive oil if you want.
12) Bake for 30-35 minutes. 

Gluten Free Stovetop Mac and "Cheese"

My husband and I have been big meat eaters for 40+ years, but stopped eating meat back in February 2011. Since that time, hubby has lost 45 lbs. Weird, but I haven't lost a pound and remain between 128-130 lbs. which I guess isn't too bad for my height. I admit that there are certain dishes we really do miss....homemade mac n' cheese is one of those dishes. In previous years, I made decadent mac n' cheese with butter, white flour, breadcrumbs, milk, and cheese. I've seen quite a few vegan mac n' cheese recipes in vegan cookbooks that I've ordered and on food blogs, but haven't been brave enough to try one until tonight. Oh my gosh...I had no idea what I was missing. I combined some of the ingredients from Vegan on the Cheap and The Happy Herbivore cookbooks (Both of which I highly recommend.) I made my mac n' cheese gluten free since I'm experimenting with cutting out gluten for two weeks to see how it makes me feel.

1) Boil salted water, and cook 12 oz. brown rice spiral or elbow pasta according to directions. Be careful not to over cook. Drain and rinse with cold water. Return to the pot.
2) In the meantime, whisk together the following ingredients:

• 2 c non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened almond milk.)
• 1/2 c nutritional yeast
• 2 T yellow or white miso paste (I bought ours in the refrigerated section of Basic Foods.)
• 2 T arrowroot powder (You can use gluten free corn starch instead.)
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric 
• 1 tsp. mustard powder
• dash of red pepper and black (or white) pepper

3)  Heat sauce over medium. Stir frequently to avoid scorching on the bottom of your saucepan.
4) Pour sauce over drained pasta and toss.

I served this to my family with pan fried cabbage and tempeh "bacon" (recipe coming later), and there weren't any leftovers tonight.

Southwestern Soup

I adapted this recipe from a wonderful new cookbook I just purchased through Amazon by Robin Robertson, Vegan on the Cheap.
 
Organic Ingredients:
4 large or 5 medium homegrown tomatoes (or 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes if you don't have fresh)
1 small can Rotel tomatoes
1 1/5 cups frozen corn
1 medium chopped white, yellow, or purple onion
1 small chopped green bell pepper
2 15 oz. cans (rinsed and drained) blackeye peas, pinto beans, black beans, or a combination of these
3 cups vegetable broth

Seasonings to taste (If you want more than this, knock yourself out!)
1/2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. paprika
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and fresh ground black pepper 

DIRECTIONS:
1) Drizzle a little olive oil in the bottom of a soup pot and saute onion and bell pepper a few minutes. Add garlic and saute another minute.
2) Add fresh, chopped tomatoes and 1 can Rotel tomatoes to the soup pot.  Cook on med. about 15 minutes. If you're not using fresh tomatoes, just add a 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes instead and the Rotel tomatoes at the same time as the following ingredients:
3) Add frozen corn, beans or peas, seasonings, and vegetable broth.
4) Simmer 20-30 minutes until flavors have married. Salt and pepper to taste.

I served this soup over Fritos and sprinkled nutritional yeast on top. A healthier choice would be to serve it over millet, quinoa, brown rice, or organic blue corn tortilla chips. I'm embarrassed to admit that my husband and I ate the entire pot by ourselves in less than 24 hours.

Fried Green Tomato BLT with Remoulade Sauce

I feel like the vegetarian version of Bubba from Forest Gump with all the tomato recipes I'm trying out this summer. This recipe may not exactly be healthy, but it's decadent and delicious!!

 Today for lunch, I veganized Bobby Flay's recipe for Fried Green Tomato BLT's and made my own version of a Remoulade sauce.

Fried Green Tomato Ingredients:
4 green tomatoes (Pick tomatoes when they are as large as a ripened tomato but haven't started turning pink yet. Core and slice about a 1/2 inch thick.)
2 T flax meal (optional)
1 1/2 cup corn meal (Measurement doesn't have to be exact)
1 cup brown rice (We try to avoid white flour, but you could use all purpose flour instead of rice flour.)
1 cup filtered water
safflower oil for frying (Don't use olive oil to fry your tomatoes.)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1) Slice tomatoes. Dry on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2) Mix rice flour and water together in a bowl.
3) Mix flax and corn meals in a separate bowl or plate.

4) Heat 1/4 inch of oil in a skillet (preferably cast iron)
5) Dredge tomato slices in rice/water mixture.
6) Dip both sides of tomato in corn/flax meal mixture and press to make sure the breading sticks.

7) Fry in batches of 4-5 slices about 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

8) Assemble tomatoes, vegan bacon (I make my own from Shiitake mushrooms), dark leaf lettuce, and remoulade sauce on sprouted whole grain bread such as Genesis bread.

I'm not a big sandwich eater like my husband, so I eat my BLT (with extra sauce of course) on a bed of lettuce instead.

Vegan Remoulade Ingredients
Whisk the following ingredients together:
1 cup Veganaise
1 T Dijon mustard
1/4 cup or small handful of fresh chopped parsley
1 T horseradish
juice of half a lemon
1 chopped green onion (white and green parts)
1 clove garlic, minced (or powdered garlic)
couple dashes of Tabasco sauce
1/2 tsp. cajun seasoning such as Tony's or Slap Ya Mama
1 T chopped dill pickle
1 tsp ketchup
salt and black pepper (fresh ground is always best) to taste
**Most remoulade recipes also include capers, but we don't care for them so I leave them out.

Homemade Tomato Sauce

My husband got a little carried away planting four different varieties of tomatoes this year, and now we have an abundance of tomatoes in our organic garden!! We've given a lot of them away to neighbors and friends, but they're still coming "out of our ears!" We don't have a stand up freezer, and I don't know how to can yet, so I'm trying to come up with recipes to use up this bumper crop before they ruin. Yesterday, I made a platter of yummy vegan fried green tomatoes and a large batch of fresh salsa. Today, I made marinara sauce that I adapted from several different recipes I found on the Internet. I served this sauce over pumpkin raviolis.

Ingredients - organic of course
olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
5-6 chopped fresh tomatoes, with the juices
1/4-1/2 cup dry red wine (I used Natura Organic Carmenere that I found at our local HEB grocery store)
pinch of dried red pepper flakes
1/8 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley
1/8 cup or small handful fresh chopped basil
sea salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 envelope Tree of Life stevia (optional)

Directions:
Drizzle about 2 T olive oil in a large pot and heat over medium. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook until soft, about 5 minute. Add garlic and cook another minute. Add the chopped tomatoes and their juices and bring to a boil. Add all seasonings except basil and parsley (if you're using dried, you can go ahead and add them now) and lower heat. Simmer for at least an hour mashing the tomatoes with a potato masher so the sauce will be less chunky.

Stir in the chopped parsley and basil. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Sauce will keep up to a week in the refrigerator. Garnish with Parmesan if you eat cheese or nutritional yeast.

Southern Style Crowder Peas and Cornbread

It's that time of the year in the south where we love eating our peas, okra, and tomatoes out of the garden! In the past, I always added lots of bacon and sometimes ham hock to peas just like my grandmother taught me. No more bacon or ham for our family! Today, I cooked up a pot of animal free peas, vegan cornbread, and vegan fried green tomatoes. Yummy!

Ingredients (organic if possible)
32 oz. fresh crowder or purple hull peas (frozen work fine if you don't grow them and can't find them at a farmer's market)
2 med. tomatoes - chopped (preferably home grown)
1 small green bell pepper - chopped
1/3 of a white, yellow, or purple onion - chopped
5 okra pods, sliced thin (or about a half cup of frozen sliced okra)
salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and a few red pepper flakes to taste
32 fl. oz. organic vegetable broth
seasoning mixture such as Mrs. Dash

Directions:
In a large pot, add vegetable broth, peas, and enough water to cover peas about an inch above them. I add the vegetables directly to the pot instead of sauteing them first, but you can saute the okra, tomatoes, and onions first in a little olive oil if you prefer. (I think most people like to eat their okra, onions, and tomatoes separate from their peas, but I just throw a little directly into our peas.) Season with salt, garlic powder, black and red pepper, and seasoning blend. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to med/low, and simmer 40-45 minutes or until peas are tender. This is excellent served over vegan cornbread with vegan fried green tomatoes (recipe coming soon.)

I tweaked this cornbread recipe found on the Post Punk Kitchen Blog. I used rice flour instead of white flour, almond milk instead of soy, safflower oil instead of canola, and added an extra tablespoon of maple syrup. It's certainly not my grandma's cornbread, but it was still good.

Cornbread Ingredients:
2 cups organic cornmeal
1 cup organic brown rice flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup safflower oil
3 T maple syrup
2 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tsp raw apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:
Coat a large iron skillet with an oil that safe in high temperatures such as safflower oil. Preheat your skillet in a 350 degree F. oven while your mixing the cornbread. In a medium bowl, whisk the wet ingredients together: almond milk,vinegar, syrup, oil and set aside. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients: cornmeal, rice flour, baking powder and salt. Pour the wet ingredient into the dry and mix. Carefully, take preheated skillet out of the oven, and pour batter into it. Bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Slice and serve with peas spooned on top.

Stuffed Eggplant

We planted eggplant for the first time this year in our organic garden, so I've been trying out new recipes this summer. I found this recipe for grilled stuffed eggplant at Rodale.com and "veganized" it for lunch today.

INGREDIENTS:
4 small eggplants
1/8 c. nutritional yeast
1/4 c. Daiya mozzarella vegan cheese
1/4 c chopped white or yellow onion
1/4 c Panko bread crumbs (check the label and make sure there are no hydrogenated oils in it)
4 cloves minced garlic
1 T chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
a few red pepper flakes
1 chopped organic tomato - Or, three Roma tomatoes (I removed most of the seeds and juice before chopping)
Shiitake "bacon" (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1) Slice eggplant in half.
2) Salt eggplant and allow to drain in a colander for about 10-15 minutes.
3) In the meantime, place the other ingredients in a mixing bowl.
4) Wash and dry eggplant.
5) Cut a grid of 1/2" squares in each of the eggplant halves and use a spoon to remove the flesh. Be careful not to cut through the skin.
6) Add all of the eggplant flesh (except one eggplant half that you can save for something else) to the cheese/breadcrumb mixture.
7) Place eggplant in a baking dish and stuff with the mixture.
8) Drizzle with olive oil.
9) The Rodale version of the recipe calls for you to cook the stuffed eggplant in a foil baking pan outside on the grill, but I baked ours at 400 for 20 minutes in the oven.

Pineapple Salsa

Tomato salsa on organic tortilla chips is still my favorite snack, but this pineapple salsa (adapted from Cooking Light magazine) is a refreshing change.

Combine the following ingredients:

1 fresh pineapple chopped (I sliced and grilled the pineapple first, but you don't have to grill it for this salsa)
about 1/3 cup chopped red onion
1 handful chopped fresh cilantro
1 T fresh lime juice
1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. red pepper
1/4 tsp. cumin

Serve on organic chips.

Blackeye Pea 'n' Wild Rice Burritos

As Texans, we eat a lot of Mexican food at our house. Transitioning to a plant based diet has been a challenge for my husband (who's already lost 30 lbs. by the way) since he's highly allergic to beans. I substitute blackeye, field, and purple hull peas for recipes that call for beans for him. You could use prepared fat-free refried black or pinto beans in this recipes instead of using peas. These burritos passed the teenager test....quotes from 13 year old: "I love that stuff! It's my new favorite. That was awesome."

Blackeye Pea Mock Refried Beans 
Pulse the following in a blender or food processor:

• 1 can organic blackeye peas (such as Eden brand) with most of the liquid drained off
• 1 T or more white onion
• 1 garlic clove
• dash of black (or red pepper) and salt
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp chili powder

Burrito Ingredients (organic)

• fat-free refried "beans" or blackeye pea recipe above. You could also use whole black beans seasoned with cumin, garlic, onion, and chili powder.
• left over cooked wild rice (I add a little tumeric to my wild rice while cooking)
• small handful fresh cilantro
• whole wheat tortillas
• homemade salsa
• avacado
• chopped romaine lettuce 
• Daiya vegan cheddar cheese

Directions
1. Slice an avocado and sprinkle with lemon or lime juice.
2. Chop a small handful (about 1/4 c) cilantro.
3. Chop enough lettuce for burritos.
4. Heat tortillas on both sides in a skillet sprayed with oil. Wrap in foil to keep warm.

5.  Heat beans in pan (I try to avoid nuking veges in the microwave.)
6. Reheat rice (microwave may work better for this) Optional: Add a little cilantro to the rice after it's been heated. 
7. Place a layer of beans in the middle of a heated tortilla.
8. Sprinkle beans with a little Daiya cheese
9. Spoon wild rice on top of cheese.
10. Sprinkle with  lettuce.
11. Add a couple thin slices of avocado and top with homemade salsa. 
12. Roll up and enjoy!

 

Organic High-Fiber Blueberry Pancakes

Instead of making these pancakes according to the package directions, I adapted them to be vegan for my family this morning.

2 cups Bob's Red Mill organic high fiber pancake mix
1 1/2 cups almond milk
egg replacement (I used 2 T flaxseed meal mixed with 6 T water that I let sit for a minute)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large handful of fresh organic blueberries
2 T oil (I used grapeseed)

Combine ingredients. Add blueberries last. Cook on a griddle that's been preheated to med/high. Serve with pure maple syrup.

Zucchini and Beet Salad for One

Use a spiralizer on angel hair setting to slice 1 zucchini and 1 beet. Stack beets on top of zucchini "noodles." Top with other veges that you like. I only added grape tomatoes (halved) and sliced purple onion to my salad today. Drizzle with homemade or prepared salad dressing and sprinkle with nutritional yeast.

Dressing for one large salad:
1 T fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove (minced)
2 T chopped fresh parsley
salt and red pepper flakes to taste

Whisk lemon juice, vinegar, and olive oil together. Add parsley and spices.

Directions on how to use a spiralizer:

Tempeh Kabobs

 INGREDIENTS (organic):

• 1 package tempeh
• zucchini
• white or purple onion
• fresh mushroom such as baby bellas (I didn't use mushrooms this time because we had kale stuffed mushrooms on the side with our kabobs.)
• grape or cherry tomatoes
• yellow or orange bell pepper would also be good
• tamari
• extra virgin olive oil
• garlic powder
• black pepper
• Mrs. Dash (or other salt free seasoning blend)

DIRECTIONS:
1) Steam tempeh for about 10 minutes in a pan of water or steamer.
2) While tempeh is steaming, slice zuchinni, clean mushrooms and remove stems, and cut onion.
3) Remove tempeh from pan, dry, and cut into cubes.
4) Alternate veges and tempeh on skewers.
5) Drizzle kabobs with tamari (or soy sauce) and olive oil.
6) Season with garlic powder, black pepper and Mrs. Dash (or whatever seasonings you like) and let skewers marinate about 15 minutes or so.
7) Drizzle an indoor grill with olive oil or use an oil spray and heat grill on med/high (An outdoor grill would also work great....I'm just not sure how healthy outdoor grilling is.)
8) Cook kabobs on grill until they're done.

I served these tonight with kale stuffed mushrooms (still working on a recipe).

Shiitake Faux Bacon

One of the foods my family has missed the most since cutting animal products out of our diet is bacon. I read about making vegan bacon from Shiitake mushrooms on a blog the other day and decided to test it out tonight as a topping for our baked potato skins. I was skeptical at first, but was amazed how closely the flavor actually does resemble bacon. I followed the recipe on this video and adjusted the cooking time to 45 minutes for my oven. It's crazy how yummy these are.... it would be so easy for me to eat the entire batch by myself!



INGREDIENTS:
Fresh Shiitake mushrooms (I buy them in bulk at our local HEB grocery store)
Organic extra virgin olive oil
sea salt - (You could substitute tamari or soy sauce instead for the salt.)

DIRECTIONS:
1) Cut the stems off mushrooms (save stems for mushroom broth).
2) Slice mushrooms.
3) Drizzle olive or safflower oil over mushrooms.
4) Sprinkle with a little sea salt or soy sauce and dash of black pepper.
5) Bake on baking sheet in a 300 degree oven. (Make sure baking sheet has olive oil on it or your mushrooms will stick.)
6) Stir every 10 minutes.
7) Cook until dark and crisp. Be careful not to burn them. It took 45 minutes in my oven, but it could take up to an hour according to recipes I've read.

Vegan Beanballs

INGREDIENTS (organic if possible)

2 cans drained black beans (I used purple hull peas - You could also use blackeye peas or kidney beans.)
2-3 cloves minced fresh garlic
1/4 c. brown rice flour or Panko breadcrumbs
1/4 c. vital wheat gluten
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 T tamari or soy sauce
1 T tomato paste or ketchup
1/4 white, yellow, or purple onion finely chopped (could use onion powder instead)
a pinch of dried oregano, dried basil, black pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375. Mash beans/peas with a potato masher. Add other ingredients and mix well with a fork or your hands. Form into meatballs (we like ours on the small size). Spray a baking sheet with olive oil. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Flip with a spatula and bake another 10 min.  (Meatballs will be crisp on the outside.)

Serve on top of your favorite pasta with a sauce. I served these meatballs tonight on whole wheat spaghetti with homemade marinara sauce and topped it off with nutritional yeast in lieu of Parmesan. I didn't add our beanballs directly to the sauce because I was afraid they'd become soggy. These were great, but next time, I think I'll add some chopped fresh flat leaf parsley to the beanball mixture.

Vegan Taco Salad Wraps

These vegan soft tacos are a great week night meal at our house that can easily be individualized for even the most picky eater.

TACO INGREDIENTS:
Whole wheat torillas
Daiya vegan cheddar cheese (or shredded cheddar cheese if you're not vegan)
Boca meatless crumbles
Baby spinach or shredded cabbage
1/2 c. frozen corn kernels (optional)
2 green onions (chopped)
chopped tomatoes (I slice organic grape tomatoes in half)
sliced black olives
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. (or more) garlic powder
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

SAUCE INGREDIENTS:
1/2 c. Veganaise
1/4 c. Taco Bell mild sauce
a small handful of chopped fresh cilatro

DIRECTIONS:
1) Heat Boca crumbles in skillet with olive oil.
2) Add corn and spices to crumbles and cook until heated (sliced mushrooms and/or drained black beans would also be good).
3) Chop onions, tomatoes, and cabbage.
4) Mix sauce ingredients in a separate bowl.
3) Because my three teens are "picky" eaters, I set up our taco wraps as a bar.

4) Layer any, or all,  of the following in the middle of an organic wheat wrap: meatless crumbles, spinach or cabbage, tomatoes, Daiya vegan cheese, green onion, and sliced olives
5) Spoon a dab of the sauce on top of other ingredients (or you could top it with homemade guacamole)

6) Roll up and enjoy