Sloppy Lentils

This recipe is courtesy of my friend, Amanda, who I've known seemingly forever. It's always nice to find people who I know and trust, yet had no idea they were vegetarian! lol Yes, I realize that's weird, but Amanda lives in Virginia. I don't see her very often!

Sloppy Lentils


1 tbsp oil
1 green bell pepper -diced (I use frozen because its cheaper)
1 medium onion- diced
2-4 cloves of garlic- minced (adjust to taste)
3 tbsp. chili powder
1 1/2c dried lentils, rinsed and picked through
3c. water

14.5oz crushed tomatoes (can use diced w/ juice instead)
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
1 tbsp mustard
2 tbsp brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Saute peppers, onion and garlic in oil. Add chili powder and cook one more minute, stirring frequently. Transfer to slow cooker and lentils and water. Cook on low for 7 hours. Add other ingredients and cook on high 1 hr. Serve on buns like Sloppy Joes or over rice/quinoa,etc.


Things I did differently: I used red bell peppers because I don't like green. I doubled the recipe (as per usual to feed my small army). The recipe didn't specify what color lentils to use, so I used red because I thought green might look unappetizing with all the tomato ingredients. It's also the kind I prefer and happened to have on hand. lol I used fire roasted diced tomatoes. I forgot to start dinner in the morning, so instead of cooking on low for 7 hours, I cooked on high for about 3 1/2 hours, added the tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients and cooked another hour.

		Refused to eat it.

Veganomicon

It's Veganomicon week at the Silva home. I wasn't feeling the desire to search online for vegetarian recipes, so I went purely from the cookbook for this week's menu.

Last night we had Broccoli Potato Soup. It was really hit and miss. I wasn't feeling well, so I didn't eat it, so I can't tell you what I thought of it. It's a pretty simple recipe with fresh herbs being the key ingredients. I have to say, my kitchen smelled DELICIOUS! Hubby thought it was pretty good. He had never had fresh dill before, so this was new, and welcomed! The kids ranged from "I LOVE IT!" to, "If I promise not to whine about being hungry, can I please not eat it?" The baby took one bite, spat it out and exclaimed "Yucky!" She eats things she finds on the floor, though...so I wouldn't really trust her opinion. The boys ate it by dipping garlic bread in it, so I don't know what they thought of the soup alone. They LOVE garlic bread though, so I imagine they didn't like the soup all that much if adding garlic bread only brought it up to a two and three. lol

	Fell asleep early	Refused to eat it.

Spinach Noodle Kugel

Okay, so I had no idea what Kugel was, but the recipe sounded good! It's from Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook, so I can't share the recipe.

Oddly enough, I REALLY didn't like it. Why is that odd? Am I not allowed to not like things? No. It's because most of my kids LOVED it! How backwards is that? I'm usually the one eating while they complain that it doesn't taste very good. This time, I leaned over and whispered to my husband, "You don't have to eat it all...it doesn't taste very good. I'll go out and get more food later." Of course, I don't tell the kids this. They have to eat everything. lol He looked at me like I was strange and said, "It's not bad. It's not great, but it's certainly not bad." When you see the kid's scores, you'll see what they thought of it. Very strange. I really didn't like it.

It's made from frozen spinach, noodles (I used spinach noodles), tofu, vegetable broth, and some other stuff. :)

Veggie burgers, revisited

So, last night I decided I was going to revisit the homemade veggie burger. As requested, I left out the barbecue sauce and just stuck to the tried and true...lettuce, tomatoes, ketchup and mustard. Oh my goodness, it was the BIGGEST hit! My kids scarfed them down, then asked for more!

Not only that, but I have to share a story that is very exciting to me. It's probably boring to you, but whatever...it's my blog. :)

I was just starting to make the veggie burgers. The very first part of the recipe calls for simmering green lentils and brown rice in vegetable broth. (By the way, this is the vegetable broth I use. It's awesome!) I hadn't added anything...not even the salt it called for. All that was in my pot were green lentils, brown rice, vegetable broth and water. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF MY CHILDREN, at one point or another came downstairs for no reason other to ask, "Wow, what's for dinner? That smells SO good!!!" What a HUGE step! My kids used to think that vegetarian cooking smelled so bland. To them, there was nothing like the smell of a good steak being cooked. Now, they are practically drooling over the smell of vegetable broth, brown rice and lentils!!! YAY!!!!

Moroccan Phyllo Rolls with Balsamic Maple Sauce

These were SO much better than I expected them to be! The sauce totally made it for me. Hubby thought the sauce was pretty good, but didn't feel it was absolutely necessary. My most picky eater liked them the most, believe it or not!

Moroccan Phyllo Rolls with Balsamic Maple Sauce

Recipe from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan: Great Vegan Food for Special and Everyday Celebrations

Dreena’s Recipe Introduction: This recipe began as a more generic roasted vegetable roll. I needed more flavor, and remembered the flavors of Moroccan cuisine that I love so much – including cumin, cinnamon, and ginger. I changed a few elements, and the result was vegan magic! Serve as an elegant meal, drizzled with the Balsamic Maple Sauce (recipe below), and pair with a mixed green salad. Or, make smaller rolls and serve as very impressive appetizers (see notes below).

YIELD: 4 SERVINGS (OR MORE AS APPETIZERS)

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups combination of yellow, red, and orange bell peppers, chopped
2½–3 cups zucchini or yellow squash, cubed
1–1¼ cups onion, chopped
1½–2 cups fennel bulb, chopped (about 1 medium bulb)
½ cup dried apricots (preferably unsulfured), chopped (or if in season, 1 cup fresh figs, stems removed, and halved)
5–6 large cloves garlic, minced
1½–2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1½ tsp cumin
¾ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp paprika
¾ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup cooked chickpeas or white beans
½ cup (packed) fresh basil (or parsley) leaves, minced
8 to 12 sheets phyllo pastry sheets (see notes)
2½–3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (to brush phyllo)
1/4 cup chopped or slivered almonds, lightly toasted (for garnish)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425ºF (220ºC). Line a wide-rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place bell peppers, zucchini, onion, fennel, apricots, and garlic on sheet, and toss with oil, cumin, ginger, paprika, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Roast in oven for 35–45 minutes, tossing once or twice, until veggies are caramelized in some spots and softened. Remove from oven, toss in chickpeas or white beans and basil, and let cool slightly. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F (190ºC). Line a baking dish or sheet with parchment paper. Place a lightly dampened dish towel over phyllo sheets to keep moist while preparing rolls. Lightly brush top of one sheet with oil. Place another sheet (not brushed with oil) on top. Spread ¾–1 cup roasted veggie mixture (see note) down the center of top sheet, leaving 1–2-in (2½–5-cm) space from edges. Fold left side over filling and roll up, tucking in sides as you go. Brush with additional oil and place in lined baking dish or sheet. Repeat process until all phyllo and mixture are used; you will have 4–6 rolls (see note). Bake for 24–28 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm, drizzled with Balsamic Maple Sauce (recipe below), and garnished with almonds.

Cooking Notes:

1. For wheat-free option, use spelt phyllo pastry.
2. Use 8 sheets to make generously stuffed rolls or 12 sheets for smaller ones. If the roll is quite full, it may tear while baking. This of course won’t ruin them, but will affect the presentation (if that’s important to you).
3. As appetizers: Make smaller rolls or bite-sized phyllo triangles. For the latter, brush one sheet with oil. Then, with a sharp knife, cut 4 strips lengthwise down length of sheet. Place a small spoonful of filling at the base of one strip. Then, fold that corner over to form a triangle, and continue to fold back and forth until you reach the top. Repeat process until you have used up all the filling. Bake at 375ºF (190ºC) for 15–20 minutes, until golden. Serve with Balsamic Maple Sauce (page 76) as a dip.

Balsamic Maple Sauce:

This tangy, sweet sauce will perk up any vegetable or grain, and… it’s a breeze to make! Serve warm over steamed green vegetables or baked sweet potatoes, or use for dipping tempeh, potstickers, spring rolls, and more! It’s also an absolute must to serve with the Moroccan Chickpea-Vegetable Phyllo Rolls (recipe above).

YIELD: 4–5 SERVINGS (ABOUT ½ CUP)

INGREDIENTS:

¼ cup pure maple syrup
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Earth Balance Buttery Spread
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1/8 tsp (rounded) sea salt
1 tsp arrowroot powder
3 tbsp tamari

DIRECTIONS:

In a saucepan on low heat, combine syrup, vinegar, Earth Balance spread, garlic, and salt, and heat for several minutes. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine arrowroot and tamari, stirring through until well incorporated. Add tamari mixture to saucepan, whisk to combine, and increase heat to bring mixture to a boil, stirring continually. Let boil gently for 1 minute, then remove from heat and let cool slightly (the mixture will thicken more as it cools down).

Cooking Notes:

Leftovers can be refrigerated. This sauce is delicious chilled and drizzled over steamed or sautéed veggies or leafy greens, as a dipping sauce for pan-fried tempeh or tofu, tossed into whole grains or noodle dishes, or topped on sandwich ingredients.



The only thing that varied on was the chickpeas. I smashed them before adding them to the roasted veggies because my kids don't like whole chickpeas. Oh, and as usual, I doubled it.

	She was sick