Smunchies

The kids and I can't agree whether these are called Smunchies or Crunchies, but either way they're requested often. Like other recipes, I will sometimes add dairy cheese for the boys, but I omit the dairy cheese from mine and it is plenty delicious just as is. They're a little time-consuming, but better than anything I've ever had at That One Taco Joint. PS If you're thinking this looks similar to stuffed bell peppers you're right, but the outcome is completely different.

4 very large flour tortillas (I think 12" is the biggest they make)
1 8" flour tortilla torn into fourths
4 tostata shells, the flatter the better
2 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. tomato paste
1 1/2 c. lentils*
1 1/2 c. brown rice*
Taco seasoning to taste
4 to 5 dashes Worcestershire (vegean) to taste
4 to 5 dashes chipotle tobasco sauce
4 T. vegan sour cream (commercially purchased or make your own)
4 T. salsa
Diced tomato, optional
Shredded lettuce, optional
Vegan cheese, shredded, optional

*For variation, you may substitute refried beans (vegan, of course) for all or part of the lentil and rice mixture.

Warm flour tortillas either in the microwave or a large, dry skillet. Keep warm in a tortilla keeper or on a plate under layers of paper towels. Set all tortillas, including tostata shells, aside so they are ready for assembly.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until very soft but not yet carmelized. Add tomato paste and stir to incorporate. Add enough hot water to keep ingredients moist and not sticking to the pan. If you add too much, don't worry - you can just let it cook down at the end.

Add lentils, brown rice (and/or refried beans if using), taco seasoning, worcestershire sauce and tobasco sauce. Stir to combine and cook until heated through. Let it cook a few minutes for flavors to blend, adding additional water if necessary.

Preheat another large, dry skillet over medium heat. Assemble smunchies. Arrange 1/4 of the lentil mixture followed by 1/4 of the salsa and the tostada shell. On top of the tostada shell spread the sour cream and any other optional fixin's you choose. The flour tortilla is not large enough to wrap itself all the way around, so place 1/4 of the smaller flour tortilla in the center. Begin folding edges of large tortilla up and over, holding in place until all edges are folded. (You should not be able to see any of the inner ingredients at this point.)

Place smunchie in pan, folded sides down, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until golden brown. Check occasionally to ensure it is not burning. Flip and cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes or until the top is golden. Let stand a few minutes before serving as it will be HOT.

Repeat with remaining smunchies. Makes 4 smunchies. Warning: children, specifically teenage boys, get addicted to smunchies and you may be asked repeatedly to make them.

Bok Choy, Broccoli and Mushroom Saute

I was at the local produce market this morning and came across some Bok Choy. I have never used bok choy before, but I was curious and it was cheap so I decided to try it. Holy Yum! Experiment successful.

2 T. olive oil*
2 T. Earth Balance*
2 c. shredded raw bok choy
2 c. chopped raw broccoli
2 scallions, thinly sliced
4 mushrooms, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced (or use granulated garlic to taste)
Real Salt to taste
Water

*Using this much olive oil and Earth Balance adds a significant amount of fat. If you are counting fat and calories, you could easily use half this amount and it would still be delicious.

In a very large skillet, heat olive oil and Earth Balance over medium heat. Add broccoli and cook until just fork tender, about 3 to 4 minutes (longer for larger pieces). Add remaining vegetables and continue cooking until tender. It may be necessary to add hot water, a few tablespoons at a time, to prevent sticking. Season with granulated garlic and real salt, if using. Serve over cooked brown rice or cooked barley, if desired.

Makes about 4 servings.

Mean Green Bean Soup

I wish I had thought of this while zucchini was in season, but it will certainly be a stand-by recipe next fall. In the meantime, this is a wonderful little treat to warm you up on those cold winter nights.

1 bay leaf
3 c. vegetable broth
2 T. olive oil
1 small white or yellow onion, diced
1 1/2 c. cooked white beans
2 c. sliced zucchini
1/2 of a 10 oz package frozen spinach (or use fresh)
1 c. cooked barley
1 T. dijon mustard
1 T. curry powder
2 T. nutritional yeast
1 T. miso paste

Put vegetable broth and bay leaf in a large pot. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and let stand 10 minutes.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, 3 to 5 minutes or until onion is soft. If you prefer carmelized onion, which I love, cook a little longer until onion browns. Sometimes I carmelize some garlic along with the onion. :~)

Put onion and all remaining ingredients except nutritional yeast and miso paste into the large pot with vegetable broth. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook over medium heat about 3 to 5 minutes, or until zucchini is cooked and soup is heated through. Do not over cook! Mushy zucchini is nasty. :(

Remove from heat and discard bay leaf. Add nutritional yeast and miso paste, stirring well to combine. Let stand about 5 minutes before serving.

Random factoid: You may have noticed that when using nutritional yeast I always recommend adding it at the end of the cooking cycle after removing the dish from heat. I have read conflicting reports, but some suggest that nutritional yeast will break down when cooked. Personally, I have noticed that it becomes slightly bitter if boiled, so I add it at the end. The choice is yours.

Bean & Barley Weight Loss Soup

I call this "weight loss soup" because it's relatively low in calories, very low in fat, and high in both protein and fiber. It uses a few more processed ingredients than I usually like (canned corn, green beans, etc.) so feel free to substitute fresh or frozen if you have them. This is especially good for combatting the Christmas Hangover - you know, the time when in three days you eat more cookies and fudge than any person should eat over the course of a lifetime.

1 1/2 c. black beans
1 can (12 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (12 oz) white or yellow corn, drained
1 can (12 oz) green beans, drained
1 c. cooked barley (not pearled)
1/2 onion, diced
2 c. veggie broth
1 large or 2 small bay leaves
Basil, granulated garlic (or fresh garlic), and Real Salt to taste
2 T. nutritional yeast

Combine all ingredients except basil, garlic, salt and nutritional yeast in a large pot. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Add basil, garlic, and salt to taste. Continue simmering for 15 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Add nutritional yeast, stir well, and let stand for 5 minutes. Remove bay leaves.

Makes 4, 1 1/2 cup servings or 6, 1 cup servings.

Hearty Veggie Stew

The boys usually don't like soup for dinner, presumably because it's not very filling. The beans and barley make it stick-to-your-ribs-tasty. When I first started cooking, my almost-15-year-old said with a disgusted tone, "What has infiltrated our dinner?!?" Then when he ate it he said, "Dearest Mumsies, this soup is actually quite good!" I guess that's a compliment. :o)

1/2 c. dry barley
4 c. veggie broth
2 bay leaves
1 small onion, diced
1 T. granulated garlic (or use desired amount of fresh garlic)
2 t. dried basil
1 to 2 t. Real Salt
1 1/2 c. cooked garbanzo beans
1 12 oz can petite diced tomatoes, drained
2 small zucchini, quartered and sliced
2 large mushrooms, diced (about 3/4 cup when diced)
1/4 c. nutritional yeast

Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water, 2 cups or more, and bring to a boil. Sort and rinse dry barley. Add to pot, return to boil, and cook for 30 to 45 minutes or until very tender. Drain.

While barley is cooking, combine veggie broth and bay leaves in a very large pot. Bring to a very low boil and cook for about 2 minutes. Add onion, garlic, basil and Real Salt. Stir to combine. Simmer about 10 minutes. Add garbanzo beans and tomatoes. Reduce heat to very low, just enough to keep warm, and simmer until barley finishes cooking.

Add barley, zucchini and mushrooms to soup mix. Stir to combine. At this point it may look like there is too much "stuff" for the broth, but resist the temptation to add liquid. The zucchini and mushrooms will cook down and it will turn out perfect. Cook for about 7 to 10 minutes or until zucchini and mushrooms are very tender. Remove from heat and add nutritional yeast, stirring to combine.

Serve immediately. Makes 4 very generous portions.

Veggie Pizza

We're still LOVING the garden veggies. The fresh zucchini, peppers and tomatoes are real winners. The boys really dislike vegan cheeses, so I must confess I use dairy cheese for things like pizza where it's going to make a big difference. We've been really busy so I have also been using commercially prepared pizza crust mix which is NOT vegan (sadness), but it does get the kids to eat their veggies. In a perfect world I would make the pizza crust from scratch and omit the cheese entirely. :o)

1 c. homemade pizza sauce (recipe will follow)
1 pizza crust, homemade or commercially prepared
1/2 small zucchini, quartered and thinly sliced
1/4 small onion, thinly sliced
1/2 bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 small tomato, cored with seeds removed and diced
1 c. cheese (if using - can substitute vegan cheese if preferred)

Homemade Pizza Sauce
12 small tomatoes
4 cloves garlic*
1 T. basil
1 T. oregano
1 to 2 t. Real Salt
1/8 c. Nutritional Yeast

Halve tomatoes and put in blender with garlic cloves*. If you have a BlendTec, process on the Whole Juice cycle. If you don't have a BlendTec, process on medium-high speed until completely smooth. This takes about a minute.

Pour tomato mixture into a medium saucepan. Add basil, oregano and salt, adjusting for desired taste if necessary. Keep in mind that flavors will intensify as they cook. Simmer over medium heat for 30 to 45 minutes or until sauce is a deep red and has reduced in volume. Add nutritional yeast, stir to combine, and cook another minute or two. Let cool slightly while preparing the rest of the pizza. Makes more than you will need for one pizza - store the rest in the refrigerator for a few days. :o)

Meanwhile, continue with your pizza....

Prepare pizza crust if making. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake crust for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from oven and top with sauce, vegetables and cheese, if using. Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust edges are golden brown.

One pizza does NOT satiate my two teenage boys. I either have to offer a substantial side dish (large salad, steamed broccoli, etc) or I have to make two pizzas.

*Note: If you are using a BlendTec or other high powered blender, it is not necessary to remove the little papers from the garlic cloves - they will blend right up and you won't even know they're there! That's enough incentive for me to get the blender. :o) If you're using a regular blender, remove the ends and papers.

Garden-Fresh Breakfast Burrito

We helped my mom "put the garden to sleep" last weekend, which means we came home with bags and bags of veggies from her garden. I get tired of eating oatmeal every morning (which is usually breakfast because I'm in a rush) and I needed to use up the veggies before they went bad. The bell pepper and zucchini I used in this reciep were VERY tiny, so it worked well for a single burrito. If you have bigger veggies simply use half and save the other half for later.

Olive oil
1 very small green bell pepper (or other pepper), thinly sliced
1/4 yellow onion, thinly sliced into half-moon pieces
1 very tiny zucchini (or half a regular small zucchini), thinly sliced
1/2 t. Southwestern seasoning
2 small roma tomatoes
1 burrito-sized tortilla

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add pepper and onions, sauteeing until almost soft, about 2-3 minutes. Add zucchini and southwestern seasoning. Stir to evenly distribute seasoning and cook another 2 minutes.

Cut tomatoes lengthwise into quarters. Remove seeds and liquid-y centers, if desired*. (I did this because I was going to be eating it in my new car on the way to work and I didn't want burrito juice going everywhere.) Slice thinly.

Heat tortilla in a dry skillet, over a gas flame or in microwave for 10 seconds, just long enough to soften. Spread tomatoes evenly across center of tortilla. Top with cooked veggies. Add vegan sour cream, if desired. Fold bottom up, then fold sides over to form a burrito.

Makes 1 serving. If you want more than one burrito, just cook and slice more veggies.

*Note: The easiest way I have found to do this is to quarter the tomato and then slide your thumb under the seeds under cold running water.

Tip: Most veggies can be frozen for later use with very little impact on quality. For example, if I dice or slice a whole onion and only use half, I toss it in an airtight container or baggie and save it for next time. My mom likes to carmelize large batches of garlic and freeze it. You can do the same thing with peppers and other veggies. Some veggies require blanching before freezing, like spinach and broccoli. Having veggies ready to go ahead of time really cuts down on porep time, making it easier to create a vegan masterpiece.

Variations: Use any veggies you have on hand. Consider mushrooms, potatoes, avocado, spinach, broccoli, etc. I can't think of a veggie that would NOT go well sauteed up and put in a tortilla. Also consider adding grains like Quinoa or brown rice.