Achiote Beans Recado on Tostadas

Ok, I'm going to try out this blogging thing again. Since I'm stuck on bedrest for the next nine or so weeks, I have not much else to keep me busy. Brian would eat Spanish food for every meal if I let him, and I get bored with the same old tacos y burritos meal. So... I did some searching for something different and adapted this meal from Susan and herFatFreeVegan blog. Although it takes some planning in advance (the beans have to cook for an hour and a half), it was definitely worth it. Sooooo delicious! *Sorry the picture is not very detailed. I was too excited to eat to stop and take pictures! haha!

Achiote Beans Recado on Tostadas, served with pico and mango

Ingredients

2 T. paprika

1 t. cumin

1 T. black peppercorns

3 whole cloves

1/4 t. allspice

1/2 Vidalia onion, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

2 serrano peppers, seeded and diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 15-ounce cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 15-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 T. light corn syrup

1/2 T. molasses

3 T. tomato paste

salt, to taste

cayenne pepper, to taste

lime juice, to taste

Directions

Put the first five spices into a coffee grinder or spice mill and grind until you have a fine powder. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, saute the onion until golden brown. Add both types of peppers and garlic and stir for about a minute. Add 1 1/2 T. of the mixed spices and stir for about 30 seconds. Stir in all remaining ingredients except the lime juice.

Cover and turn the burner to it's lowest setting. Cook for an hour and a half, stirring every 15 minutes or so. Add a little bit of lime juice over the beans before serving.

I served these on tostada shells with homemade pico de gallo and some mango chunks (which definitely complimented the flavor of the beans), with some Spanish rice on the side.

Brussels Sprouts Stir-Fry and Gingered Carrot Sticks

This meal was absolutely delicious!! It took less than 30 minutes to prepare, which made it even more delightful! haha! The stir-fry can easily be adapted to your tastes by adding or subtracting veggies (just don't take away those yummy brussels sprouts!). I served it over rice, but you could serve it over noodles instead.

Brussels Sprouts Stir-Fry and Gingered Carrot Sticks

Brussels Sprouts Stir-Fry

Ingredients

1 pound brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and halved
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
4 ounces mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
15oz. can baby corn, rinsed, drained, and chopped into bite-size pieces
1/3 cup water
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. seasoned rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp. sugar

Directions

Spray a large skillet with a light coating of oil. Heat over medium-high heat, and add the garlic and green onions; stir and cook for one minute. Add the brussels sprouts, turning them cut-side down. Cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.

Add the red bell pepper, mushrooms, and baby corn, and stir well. Add the water, vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar and cover tightly. Reduce the heat and cook until the brussels sprouts are tender but not overdone, about 5 minutes. (Add a little more water if necessary.)

Add more soy sauce or rice wine vinegar to taste and serve hot.

Gingered Carrot Sticks

Ingredients

3 large carrots

1/4 tsp. sesame oil
fresh ginger, cut into 4 thin, quarter-sized slices
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon white sugar

Directions

Peel the carrots and cut them into matchsticks about 3-inches long. Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar, and mix to combine.

Heat the sesame oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ginger, and stir-fry for about a minute. Add the carrot sticks and cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes. Add the soy sauce mixture and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Drizzle lightly with soy sauce before serving.

ENJOY!

Pumpkin Black Bean Casserole

This has become one of our favorite winter dishes. It is incredibly fast and easy to make: just mix and bake! The best part-- just like any casserole, it makes great leftovers for lunch the next day! WARNING: This dish does not look "pretty" by any means, but do not let looks fool you; it is DELICIOUS!

I told you it wasn't a pleasing sight... but trust me, it's awesome!

Just after baking.

Pumpkin Black Bean Casserole

Ingredients

1 15 oz. can black beans (rinsed and drained)
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder (to taste... I add more, but we love spicy foods)
15 oz. can tomatoes, drained and liquid reserved

1 pound pumpkin (about 1/2 one small pumpkin) or any winter squash (butternut, acorn, etc.)

3/4 cup soy milk
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the black beans with the next seven ingredients and set aside.

Cut the pumpkin in half. Set aside one half for another use and peel the other half. Cut it into very thin slices about 1/4-inch thick and 2 inches long.

Preheat oven to 425F. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with oil. Lay one-third of the pumpkin slices in the bottom of the dish, and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Cover with half of the bean mixture. Repeat layers with another third of the pumpkin and the remainder of the beans. Finish with the final third of the pumpkin slices.

In a blender, combine the reserved tomato liquid (about 1/2 cup) with the soymilk and remaining ingredients. Blend well and pour over the pumpkin. Cover tightly, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for 20-30 minutes, until sauce is thick and bubbly and pumpkin is tender.

ENJOY!

Gingerbread Biscotti and Heavenly Clementines

Ok, folks-- I'm going to give this blogging thing a try. For my first post, I am sharing a simple, delicious breakfast that I made one morning this winter. I will admit, this was a time-consuming meal to prepare... the biscotti is a several step process and the clementines take quite some time, but each delectable bite is definitely worth it in the end!

This is the finished product-- Gingerbread Biscotti and Heavenly Clementines!

This is the clementine-making station.

The biscotti dough baking.

Gingerbread Biscotti

Ingredients

2 cups flour

2/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon (packed) freshly grated nutmeg

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 tablespoons egg replacer (I use Ener-G)

6 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon molasses

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, all spices, and baking soda. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the egg replacer powder and water. Add it to the flour mixture, along with the molasses and vanilla. Mix well to combine. If the mixture is too dry and still crumbly, add a little more water a tablespoon at a time, just until the dough will hold together in a sticky ball.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and divide in two. Shape each half into two logs about 2 inches wide. Place them on an oiled cookie sheet or silicone baking mat and flatten to about 1 inch high. Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Cut into 1/2-inch slices on the diagonal. Place the slices cut-side down on the baking sheet and bake for 10 more minutes. Turn them over and bake for 8-10 more minutes. Remove from oven. Biscotti may seem soft at first but they will harden as they cool.

Heavenly Clementines

This recipe is quite simple, actually. The most annoying part is peeling and sectioning the clementines, which you need to do first. After sectioning, lay the pieces out on a paper towel to semi-dry. For the stations, you'll need one bowl of melted vegan chocolate chips, one bowl of crushed almonds, and one bowl of coconut. As you can probably guess, you simply take each clementine section, dip consecutively in the chocolate, almonds, and coconut, and then place on waxed paper. I allowed mine to set in the fridge for about 20 minutes (or until the biscotti was finished).

ENJOY!