Salsa Chickpea Lettuce Wraps/ Chickpea - Eggplant Stew

This was my last vegan recipe from vegan/vegetarian week and they were suppose to be lettuce wraps, but I made a few adjustments and although the picture does not depict this I really made it into a stew and it was delicious!  It took me no time at all and the salsa’s that I used gave it a great kick.  For the non-vegan’s out there, this would be a perfect side to any meat dish.

Here is the recipe:

10 whole lettuce leaves

1 whole green bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 whole red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 ½ cups diced eggplant

½ cup onion or ¼ cup scallions

1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes (I got the kind with green chiles in it too)

8 ounces salsa

(3 Tbsp jalapeno green salsa, like Mrs. Renfros, if you want an extra kick)

15 ounces chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Stew instructions

Saute onion in olive oil (and minced garlic if you choose).  Add in eggplant, cook for about 5 -7 minutes.  Mix in chickpeas, tomatoes and salsa.  Cook for about 8 minutes.  Top with bell peppers and serve with rice or on its own.

Lettuce wrap instructions

(To make these as the lettuce wraps, leave out the eggplant and diced tomatoes, but increase the amount of salsa to 12 oz.)

Combine chickpeas and salsa in a medium sauce pan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until all of the liquid has absorbed and the chickpeas have taken on the salsa’s color, about 8 minutes. For best results, refrigerate over night. Spoon chickpeas into lettuce leaves and top with chopped bell pepper pieces. Serve chickpeas at any temperature. (Makes about 8 wraps)

Hope you all love this one!

Stuffed,

Brittany

Chickpea-Edamame Burgers with Tahini Dill Sauce

Hi everyone!  Sorry for not having posted in the last couple of weeks.  I have been super busy, but I have some great recipes that I will be posting this week to catch up!  A couple of weeks ago was vegan week and I had some very tasty meals that fit the category.  One thing that I absolutely loved during my meatless week was chickpeas.  I think I had chickpeas in every meal I made. 

I made these chickpea-edamame burgers for my mom, her boyfriend and the hubby of course.  Everyone loved them, including Andy who is against all things vegan!  When I mentioned soy beans to him and explained that they were the same as edamame just without the shell, he decided he probably shouldn’t eat those anymore.  That makes no sense to me, but I am sure he will eat them next time we have sushi.  Now the boys looked at this dish more as an appetizer or side dish, but they still thoroughly enjoyed the burgers and the tahini-dill sauce.  The other reason I loved these burgers is they kept great and were perfect for a snack (1 patty) or a meal with a salad.

Here is the recipe:

Burgers:

1 1/2 cups shelled edamame beans

1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas   

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons tahini

2 teaspoons coconut aminos (or soy sauce)

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

freshly ground pepper, to taste

1/2 cup quinoa flour (or brown rice flour)

Tahini-Dill Sauce: (I tripled this recipe so I had enough for everyone)

1 tablespoon tahini

2 tablespoons water

2 teaspoons lemon/lime juice

sea salt and pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon dill

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Steam the edamame until soft. Combine chickpeas, edamame, water and tahini in a food processor until smooth (it's ok if the edamame is somewhat still a bit chunky)

2. Transfer to a bowl and stir in spices, aminos, and flour. Form into 7 patties. Bake for 20 minutes.

3. To make sauce, combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Makes enough to dress 2 burgers.

Hope y'all enjoy these as much as we did!

Stuffed,

Brittany

Oven Baked Tempeh

Since I have a few vegan’s/vegetarians following me, I thought it would be fun to have a vegan/vegetarian week.  So if I do not follow the rules completely I apologize but I am sure y’all will be able to make the correct adjustments.

For my first dish of the week I made Oven Baked Tempeh and I loved it.  It was very easy to make, had great flavor and was very healthy of course.  The recipe calls for seasoned tempeh and the grocery store I went to only had original flavor, so I did some reading and decided to add a little garlic powder and onion powder to it before adding it in with everything else.  Vegan or non-vegan, I highly recommend this recipe!

Here is the recipe:

            1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

            1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

            1 leek, sliced

            1/3 cup shallots, chopped

            1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped

            4 cloves garlic, minced

            2 cups baby carrots, halved

            1 cup diced zucchini (I recommend a little more)

            1 (8 ounce) package seasoned tempeh

            1/2 cup dry sherry

            1 tomato, chopped

1 tablespoon tamari (I used 2 Tbsp)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Place oil and crushed red pepper in a stovetop-safe and oven proof 2 quart casserole dish. Saute over medium heat for 1 minute. Add leek, shallot, red bell pepper and garlic. Saute for 3 minutes. Add the carrots and zucchini. Saute, stirring frequently for 5 minutes. Add the tempeh and saute for 5 more minutes. Add the sherry, tomato and tamari. Saute for an additional 5 minutes.

Cover casserole dish and bake in at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.

I am not a vegan obviously (see previous post), and I loved this!  I hope you do too!

Stuffed,

Brittany

CCRyder's Smoker Rib Rub

These ribs are so amazing that you do not even need or want BBQ sauce to go with them.  Tired of the rib rub we have been using for the last year, I went searching for a new recipe and I do not think we will be getting tired of this one anytime soon.  The recipe came highly rated from allrecipes.com and for very good reason.  Make these on the smoker or the grill.  They are delicious both ways.

Here is the recipe:

1/3 cup sea salt

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons garlic powder

2 tablespoons onion powder

2 tablespoons Hungarian paprika

3 tablespoons New Mexico red chile powder

2 tablespoons ancho chile powder

2 tablespoons ground black pepper

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons crumbled dried thyme

1 tablespoon crushed dried rosemary

2 tablespoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon ground allspice

In a medium bowl, mix together the sea salt, white sugar, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, chili powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, thyme, rosemary, cumin, nutmeg, and allspice. Store at room temperature in an airtight container until ready to use.

Rub generously onto ribs or meat of your choice, cover and refrigerate overnight before smoking or grilling.

Hope y'all enjoy these as much as we always do!

Stuffed,

Brittany

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Butter

Okay, at this point y'all are probably thinking I went a little overboard with the sweets/ the apple butter and pumpkin butter and maybe I did a little, but I just love the euphoric smells of fall and the holidays!  And I love to share what I make with friends and family, so the more the merrier.  This pumpkin butter came from Food.com.  It is delectable and adds a little something extra when served with the pumpkin bread, but is just as good on a simple piece of toast.

Here is the recipe:

8 cups pumpkin puree
4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
4 lemons, juice of

Squeeze the lemons and add their juice to the pumpkin and spices.
Cook the mixture in a crock pot on low for 4 1/2 hours until mixture becomes thick and smooth.
Put the golden pumpkin butter in sterilized, very hot, pint or half pint jars and seal.

Enjoy!

Stuffed,

Brittany

Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread

Another delicious recipe that I pulled from Allrecipes.com, one of my favorite places to search for recipes mainly because I can read reviews and the alterations people have made to the recipes.  It is great! This recipe is so very simple to make and it makes 3 small loaves of bread (again perfect for sharing which is what the holidays are all about!).

Here is the recipe:

1 (15 oz. can pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling)
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
3 cups white sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsps baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.

In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.

Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Overnight Slow Cooker Apple Butter

This was just one of the most delicious smells to wake up to and get to smell every time we walked in the house for a good day and a half!  I have been eating it on toast, pumpkin bread and even a slice of my friends cinnamon bread the other day and they were all scrumptious!  It made 4 cups that I put into 8, 1/2 cup jars and shared with family and friends which they all loved!

Here is the recipe:

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup apple cider
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground mace
10 medium apples, peeled, cored and cut into large chunks (about 2 1/2 pounds)

            Combine all ingredients in a 5-quart electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 10 hours or until apples are very tender.

            Place a large fine-mesh sieve over a bowl; spoon one-third of apple mixture into sieve. Press mixture through sieve using the back of a spoon or ladle. Discard pulp. Repeat procedure with remaining apple mixture. Return apple mixture to slow cooker. Cook, uncovered, on high 1 1/2 hours or until mixture is thick, stirring occasionally. Spoon into a bowl; cover and chill up to a week.

            Stovetop variation: Combine all ingredients in a Dutch oven. Cover and cook over medium-low heat 1 hour or until apples are very tender, stirring occasionally. Strain through a sieve as recipe instructs in Step 2. Return mixture to pan. Cook, uncovered, over medium-low heat 15 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently.

Note:

A mixture of apple varieties, rather than just one type, will produce apple butter with rich, complex flavor in this slow cooker recipe. Good choices include Esopus Spitzenburg, Granny Smith, Jonathan, Northern Spy, Rome, Stayman, Winesap, and York. Enjoy the apple butter over toast or English muffins, or serve it with pork chops or chicken.

Hope y'all enjoy this as much as all of our friends, family and we have!

Stuffed,

Brittany