Potato Quinoa Chili

This is a hearty easy to make chili. It tastes great topped with cilantro and avocado. The original recipe used sweet potato but I used a russet.

Ingredients:
1 tbl oil
1/2 onion,chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 can tomato paste
1/2 tbl chili powder
1/2 tbl oregano
1 tsp cumin
4 cups water
1 bouillon cube
1 cup dry quinoa\
1 large potato cut into bite size pieces
1 cup cooked beans or 1 can (I used pinto)
1 cup kale

Heat oil in a large pot and add onion and garlic. Saute for five minutes.

Add tomato paste and spices. Cook for a minute just to mix everything together.

Add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Add kale and stir through until cooked. Enjoy!

Tortilla Soup

This my quick healthy version of tortilla soup. You can add less quinoa or more water to make it more soupy but I like to make it more hearty and this way it travels well.

Ingredients:
3 cloves garlic minced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 lb zucchini, chopped (yum lots of zucchini!)
1/2 onion, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
1 28oz can diced tomatoes with juice
3 cups water
1 veggie bouillion cube
1 cup raw quinoa
1/2 bunch cilantro,minced
juice of 1 lime

Add garlic,carrots,onion and bell pepper to a large pot before turning on the stove.

 Turn to medium low and saute for 5 minutes. Add zucchini, can of tomatoes, water, bouillon cube and quinoa.

Turn to high and boil (I left mine uncovered) for 20 minutes. Add cilantro and lime. Enjoy!

Pineapple Salsa

This tropical treat is great with some tortilla chips or on top of grilled fish

 Ingredients:
1 fresh pineapple, chopped
1/2 jalapeno, minced
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste

Combine everything in a bowl and enjoy!

Ratatouille With Barley

Wow it has been way too long since I posted on here. I have just been so overwhelmed with school and moving and getting a job that I took break from making interesting meals. I will try to keep up more. I made this ratatouille in the crockpot so it was really easy. I added the barley to make it more filling but I think it could have used a little more.

Ingredients:
1 small eggplant cubed, I didnt peel mine
2 zucchinis chopped
1 tomato chopped
1 8oz can of no salt added diced tomatoes
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 yellow onion chopped
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 cup barley
1 bouillon cube or use veggie broth instead of water

Prep the veggies and place them in the crockpot with the bouillon cube and barley. Add enough water to cover everything by about an inch. Place the crockpot on high and cook for about 3 hours or until the barley is done. I served mine with fresh basil. Enjoy!

Roasted Cauliflower

The cauliflower is roasted with garlic and sundried tomatoes. Yum! It was easy to make and turned out delicious. I will be having this as a side dish for dinner tonight. I used sundried tomatoes that are packed in oil so I did not add any extra but if you use dry ones make sure to add a couple tbl of oil.

Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower
4 oz sundried tomatoes, miced (I have an 8oz container and used about half)
5 cloves garlic, minced

Wash the cauliflower and break into bite size pieces. Place in a large mixing bowl.

Add the sundried tomatoes and garlic to the cauliflower and mix well. Place in a large casserole dish or baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes or until tender. Enjoy!

Greek Salad with "Feta"

I got this recipe from the VegNews magazine. The feta is made from tofu and tastes very good. It adds a salty flavor to the salad. I left out some of the veggies for the salad because I didn't have them but you can add: green bell pepper, red onion and capers.

Ingredients:
1 package of firm tofu
2 cups water
juice of 1 lemon
3 tsp salt
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried oregano

For the salad:
3 tbl olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
10 kalamata olives, sliced

Start by pressing your tofu. Place a kitchen towel around the tofu and put the tofu on top of a plate with something heavy on top (I use my cast iron pan). Leave it there for about 30 minutes and then flip it to the other side, repeat a couple times.This removes all the excess water from the tofu.

Cut the tofu into cubes and place in a pot with the water, lemon juice and seasoning. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Leave the tofu in the liquid and place in a bowl in the fridge overnight.

Combine all the ingredients for the salad and mix well. Drain the liquid from the tofu and add the tofu to the salad and enjoy! :)

Salsa Verde

Tomatillos are in season!! I was very excited to see these fresh local organic tomatillos at the market and I knew right away that I was making a batch of salsa. I love it so much I could eat it with a spoon. It is surprisingly easy to make. Dylan gave me the recipe last year and I think I pretty much follow it...maybe. Anyways it always turns out great and I recommend you try it. Chris and I ate it with our black bean chickpea tortilla tacos tonight.

Ingredients:
about 6 tomatillos
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 jalapeno
1/2 bunch cilantro
2 cloves garlic
salt and pepper to taste

If your tomatillos have an outer husk, remove it and then rinse them. In a non-stick skillet cook the tomatillos on medium heat. I don't add any oil.

 When the tomatillos get very soft and charred remove them from the pan and place in a blender. Add the jalapeno, cilantro and garlic.

Blend until smooth. Mix in a bowl with the chopped onion and enjoy! :)