Spinach and Mushroom Cream Sauce

The boys are at a Men Only Campout tonight to it was just me for dinner. I was tired from working all week and wasn't feeling particularly creative. I used the leftover cream from the Rice and Beans with White Sauce to make this absolutely delicious meal. I already had cooked brown rice in the refrigerator, so dinner came together in a snap.

1 T. Earth Balance (or other non-dairy butter)
1 T. olive oil
1 c. sliced baby portabello mushrooms
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1 c. fresh spinach, sliced
1 t. garlic powder
1/4 cup white sauce (from Rice and Beans with White Sauce recipe)
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 T. raw sunflower seeds

Melt butter and olive oil in a large skillet. Add mushrooms all at once and saute about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add scallion and continue cooking until mushrooms are soft. Add spinach all at once and cook until soft but still bright green. This will happen very quickly, so watch closely. Remove from heat and stir in white sauce and garlic powder. Pour mixture onto rice and top with sunflower seeds. Serve immediately.

Makes 1 serving, but recipe can easily be doubled or more to serve more people.

Vegan Rice and Beans with White Sauce

Every once in a while the boys and I will have what we call Choice Night, which is just a nice way of saying they can have something that either contains mad meat or that comes out of a can (and usually both). That leaves me to my own devices for a vegan meal. Sometimes I have leftovers and sometimes I don't - tonight I did not. This is what I whipped up from some of the ingredients in my refrigerator.

3/4 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup cooked adzuki beans
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1/2 tomato, diced
1 to 2 t. raw hemp seeds

For sauce:
1 package (12 oz) silken soft tofu
3 T. nutritional yeast
1/2 t. garlic powder
1 to 2 t. Real Salt
1 to 2 t. dried dill
1 to 2 T. raw apple cider vinegar

Place a small amount of olive oil in a medium saucepan or skillet. Combine rice, beans, scallion and tomato and add to skillet. Heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Meanwhile, combine tofu, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, salt, dill and apple cider vinegar in the container for a hand blender or in a traditional blender. Blend until smooth. Start with the lower amount of salt, dill and vinegar, adding more as needed to reach desired intensity of flavor.

Divide bean mixture between two plates (in my case, one plate and one storage container). Top with as much sauce as desired. Remaining sauce will keep stored in the refrigerator for a few days. Sprinkle hemp seeds on top of sauce and serve immediately.

Note: This dish has a lot of what I call "Natural Flavor," meaning you can really taste the flavors of the food you are eating. Some people call this "bland." If you are concerned about your food being too bland, taste bean mixture before plating. If not flavorful enough for your taste, add chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt and/or garlic to spice it up before serving.

Makes two servings plus a lot of sauce leftover. Sauce will go well over vegetables, rice or beans during the week.