Chipotle Veggie-Bean Taco's

Chipotle Veggie and Bean Tacos

-modified from a recipe in the Vive le Vegan! cookbook

So, after the advice of my doctor we have started eating less meat and more veggies. I kid you not I would eat meat three meals a day. Bacon or Sausage for Breakfast, meat sandwhiches for lunch and dinner was usually roast chicken, beef or pork. Seriously! EVERY day! Now, this is not unusual for most Americans but even the bible says "Everything in it's Season". Pretty sure it's not hunting season at every meal.

Gradually we have made the transition. I cook only two meals a week with meat products. TWO. And we have our usual family dinner at my in-laws. So three meals per week with meat. That's it. I asked my husband today how he's liking it. He says it's ok. Not bad. And there have definately been some less than awesome meals involved. (I apparently can NOT make lentil soup.) But there have been ones that even my kids will beg for. This is one of those.

You will need:

1 28oz can diced tomatoes, drained (if you want a smokier flavor use the roasted tomatoes)
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced or pressed*
1/2 teas salt
pepper to taste
1 tsp chipotle peppers very, very, very finely chopped or just the "sauce" from the can*.
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 to 2/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard or mustard seed
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup green bell pepper, diced
1/3 cup celery, diced
1 cup cooked beans (I use black or kidney)
1/3 cup frozen corn kernels
1/2 teas honey or agave nectar

corn or flour tortillas
favorite taco toppings (Mine are red lettuce, tomatoes and avacado"

Press the drained tomatoes to remove as much excess liquid as possible. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onion, garlic, salt, pepper, chipotles and all the dried herbs and spices. Stir and cook for 5-6 minutes, then add the green pepper and celery. Stir and cook for another 3 minuts. Add in the remaining ingredients and cook until heated through.

Heat up your tortilla's how you like them, and enjoy with your favorite taco toppings.

* I no longer mince garlic for any recipe I make. I use my garlic press. It is awesome. I think I use it at least four or five times a week. I also buy my garlic peeled either from Costco or from Trader Joes. Yes, I use a ton of garlic. :)
*(I freeze the leftover chipotles from the can and when I need it take it out of the freezer and cut it while frozen. No thawing needed and you get just the small amount you need for recipes)
* You can make this less spicy by omiting the chipotles or turn it up a notch by upping it to 1 Tbsp. I like it spicy, my kids... eh, not so much.

Recipe- Fruit Glazed Chicken with Mashed (Not a) Turnip and Potatoes

Ok. I will admit it. I've never eaten a turnip before (well, at least to my knowlege). That's got to be weird, right? How does one go thirty years with never having eaten a turnip? So I bought one. And then I was stumped. Just how does one eat a turnip? Well, apparently you can mash it. And if you mash it with potatoes it's very good. Not sure my kids were impressed but I thought it was rather tasty.

ETA- Well, come to find out folks what I made was a PARSNIP. And not a turnip. I'm still a turnip virgin. ROFL.

And yes this is a picture of my dinner. And yes I did already take a bite. I was really hungry. When I'm really hungry I tend to either be incredibly snarky or I forget to take pictures. I would guess that I was somewhere inbetween those two last night. Oh, and taking dinner shots in the Pac NW and having them look good is... nigh on impossible. But I digress. Here's how I made my dinner last night. It was super easy.

You need potatoes and a turnip...

I'm nearing the end of my food supply so it's regular old bakers. Peel, cube and throw into a pot. Cover with some COLD water and boil until tender. Here's an action shot...

At the same time as all this is going on you need to get your chicken in the oven. Start by lining your broiling pan with foil and preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Then you need to make a rub. I used 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Stir it up and rub on your chicken... I used one whole chicken cut into pieces. But this would work for chicken breasts as well.

Put your chicken in the oven and bake for 25 or so minutes until done through. Melt in a saucepan over medium low heat about 1/4 cup of your favorite jam. I prefer blackberry but you know... the plum might have been good as well. (All our jam is 100% local grown and homemade!) I was going to take a shot of this but blackberry jam in a black saucepan... it didn't work.

Glaze your chicken using a brush... mmmm looking good already!

Now the fun part... back in the oven it goes! This time about 4" under the broiler and for about 5 minutes. While that's cooking you can mash your potatoes and turnip.

I mashed mine with about 1 tbsp of brown sugar, 1/2 stick of vegan butter and 1/4 cup of Almond milk. If your not on a gluten/dairy free diet feel free to substitute with the real stuff. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Remove the chicken from the oven and let rest for about five minutes. You should always let your meat rest before cutting it. Serve with your mashed potatoes and turnip and a side of beans.

I will not lie... my kids... eh... well... hmmm...

BUT I LIKED IT!

Recipe- Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

A few months ago I had the pleasure of attending an open house wedding reception for a good friends daughter. Served at the reception where these delightful appetizers of water chestnuts wrapped in bacon. Here's the thing. I love bacon. I especially love things wrapped in bacon. I think I must have eaten at least 20 that night.


Fast forward to yesterday. A bunch of ladies where getting together to celebrate the January birthdays. I was asked to bring some finger foods. So I whipped up a batch of these...




... they are sinfully delicious. And you can't eat just one. You can't. Unless you don't like bacon. In which case you are weird. And if you think you don't like water chestnuts... well, you might change your mind after trying these! The secret? You have to marinate those water chestnuts!

Here's the Recipe. Enjoy!


Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

1 pound bacon
2 or 3 8oz cans of Water Chestnuts, drained (winco has them super cheap)
1/4 cup worchester
3 Tlpsp Brown Sugar
2 Tlbsp Water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8th teas. ground ginger
1/2 teas. chili oil (optional)

1. In a bowl combine everything but the bacon. Cover w/ plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to marinate for at least two hours. I stirred it a few times. This could also be done in a ziploc bag.

2. After your done marinating the water chestnuts the fun begins! Cut your bacon slab into thirds. Wrap 3-4 slices in a bacon piece and secure with a tooth pick.

3. Using a broiling pan (or the good old trick of a cooling rack over a foil lined cookie sheet) place them under the broiler in your oven until the bacon is cooked. Roughly 10 minutes.

Serve and Enjoy!

ps. If you read this before... I forgot to list brown sugar. That's what happens when you have kids. You forget things. Sometimes important things. Like brown sugar.