Thick and Hearty Quinoa Chili (vegan + gluten free)

I normally don't like chili. I'm not a fan of tomatoes, so anything that usually uses quite a bit of tomatoes or tomato sauce I generally don't like. However, Ryan won me over with his recipe for Quinoa Chili last year and now I frequently request it of him. He offered to make it last week and I took full advantage and took lots of pictures while he cooked it up. I also made some tasty dinner rolls to go along with it.

The key to this deliciousness is that he uses fire roasted tomatoes. They don't overpower the chili with the tomato-i-ness I generally don't like, but instead give it a subtle smokey flavor. Super tasty. Plus he adds just about every vegetable you could want to it, along with veggie grounds (vegan beef crumbles) and beans, making it super hearty and filling. 

Ryan LOVES red bell peppers, so those were a must have in his chili. Don't they look delicious?!

We usually use red quinoa, since it is often on sale at our local coop. However, any quinoa will work for the recipe.

We do our best to get low or no sodium products when getting anything in cans. If you use products with more sodium, just don't add any salt to the recipe. 

All the photos here are of a double batch of the chili, so if you make a single batch it will look like less than shown.

Saute the onions, zucchini, and garlic together first. Then add the spices.

Add the poblano peppers, tomato sauce...

...celery...

...red bell peppers...

...veggie grounds, beans, quinoa and water

Before you know it it is all cooked up and delicious!

Thick and Hearty Quinoa Chili

Makes about 3 quarts, 4-6 servings

1 tsp olive oil

1 zucchini, diced

1 medium white or yellow onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced 

1 12 oz can or 3 5.5oz cans low sodium tomato juice (12-16oz, to taste)

4 stalks celery, diced

1 red bell peppers, diced

1 poblano pepper, (stem ribs and seeds removed) diced

2 cups water

1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 can pinto beans

1/3 cup quinoa, uncooked

6 oz veggie grounds (vegan ground beef - avoid MorningStar, it isn't vegan! Boca is a good choice)

Spices:

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin, ground

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 tsp salt (don't add if you don't use low sodium beans, tomatoes and tomato juice!)

1 tsp pepper (or, to taste)

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1. Heat olive oil in a pot, then add the onions, zucchini and garlic and saute for 4 minutes. 

2. Add spices and stir to combine. Saute another 30 seconds, until spices are fragrant. 

3. Add the water to keep the spices from overcooking. Add remaining ingredients. 

4. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. If the celery isn't completely soft, don't worry. It will soften as it sits, as well as if you reheat it later.

Soft and Puffy Dinner Rolls (vegan)

Once again, Ryan decided to treat me to dinner for the week. He made his wonderful Quinoa Chili. I, of course, wanted to contribute in some way, so I offered to make either bread or rolls to eat with the chili. Since the last time he made the chili I made bread, we thought it would be nice to switch it up and have rolls with it this time. So, I found these beauties whilst browsing the internet. I made a few switches to the recipe to accommodate a vegan diet, and they turned out wonderfully. I like this method of baking the rolls, all in one pie pan, since they make for a nice pull apart loaf, and it makes it easy to make multiple batches at once (I have a plethora of pie tins) since they fit into an oven together better than a bunch of muffin pans. Plus, it makes more sides of each piece the soft non-crust goodness.


The dough is quite easy, and a pretty quick riser at only half an hour for each rise time. Just mix the warm water with the yeast and sugar, let proof, then add everything else and kneed to a smooth dough (it will be sticky, don't let the urge to add more flour get to you! It will make the rolls tough!).

Once the dough has risen, just divide it into 12 equal (more or less) pieces, roll each into a ball in your hands and place them in the greased pie tin. Let them rise another half hour and they'll puff up like this!

Once they have risen a second time, butter the tops of the rolls, toss into the oven for just 15-18 minutes and you're done!

Soft and Puffy Dinner Rolls
Makes 12 rolls

1 cup Water, very warm (but not so hot you couldn't hold a finger in it)
2 tbsp Sugar
1 package Active Dry Yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
2 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
3 tbsp Vegan Butter of choice, separated
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 Ener-G egg (1 1/2 tsp egg replacer + 2 tbsp water)

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix the water and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Add yeast and stir. Let proof for about 10 minutes. It will puff up and get foamy.

2. While the yeast activates, in a small bowl melt 2 tbsp of the butter in the microwave (around 20 seconds) and let it cool a bit. It doesn't need to be completely melted, just mostly melted and soft.

3. Add 1 1/4 cups of the flour to the yeast mixture and mix until mostly combined. Add the butter, Ener-G egg, and salt and stir some more. Add the last 1 cup of flour and stir to combine.

4. Cover with a clean towel and put in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes. Grease a pan and set it aside.

5. Put the dough on a floured surface and kneed for a minute or two. Divide into 12 equal pieces (cutting the dough with a chef's knife is the easiest way I've found) and roll into balls and place them in the pan. Cover with the towel again and allow to rise for another 30 minutes. During the last 10 minutes of the second rise, set the oven to 400F to preheat. Also, melt the last 1 tbsp of butter.

6. Remove the towel and brush the rolls with the other 1 tbsp of butter. Bake the rolls for 15-18 minutes, or until lightly browned.

7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Then flip the rolls out of the pan and allow to cool on a rack, or serve right away. (If you leave them in the hot pan, the heat of the pan will keep cooking the outside of the buns and could burn them a little.)

The Best Mac and Cheese Ever (vegan + gluten free options)

I LOVE cheese. Especially in the form of Mac and Cheese. Cheese is the reason it took me so long to make the leap from vegetarian to vegan. I thought I couldn't live without cheese. Then I finally realized that I could make my own cheese! I hunted and tried dozens of vegan mac and cheese recipes and finally found one I liked. After some experimentation with said recipe, I made it even better and came up with a Mac and Cheese I like even more than any non-vegan mac and cheese I've ever had. Since discovering the potential of vegan cheeses I happily cut dairy out of my diet. 

This stuff is amazing. Really. Not to toot my own horn but....TOOT TOOT!

Even my non-vegan nephew and his friends like it. It is super flavorful, but not greasy like dairy Mac and Cheese. It is super filling, so it usually only takes about a cup per person as a full meal! Or serve it as a side dish along with your other favorite dinners!

The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese
 Sauce:
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups raw cashews
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/8 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp bottled yellow mustard (it sounds weird, but trust me)
1 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1 jalapeno pepper, ribs and seeds removed
black pepper, to taste

pasta:
8-10oz pasta of your choice (I like to use organic whole wheat penne, or classic organic macaroni noodles. Feel free to use gluten free noodles! The sauce is already gluten free!)
1 jalapeno pepper, ribs and seeds removed, and diced

optional: add in some steamed broccoli, mushrooms or any other add ins you like

1. If you don't have a high powered blender, soak the cashews in some water for a couple hours before moving on. This will soften them so they get nice and creamy when you do puree them. Once they have soaked, drain the soaking water and continue with the recipe.

2. Cook pasta according to box instructions. Drain (don't rinse) and set aside. You can make the sauce while the pasta cooks to save time.

3. Combine all sauce ingredients and puree until smooth.

4. Pour sauce over pasta and toss in the chopped jalapenos. Stir to combine, and serve.

* To reheat leftovers, pour on about 1/4 cup of water for every 2 cups of pasta you reheat. Microwave and stir to combine. The water will keep the sauce creamy, rather than having it dried out when reheated.

Amazeballz Nacho Cheese Sauce (vegan + gluten free)

 (Sorry for the sub-par pictures this time, I didn't make the dip until after the sun went down and we don't have good lighting in our apartment. Darn MN winters and our short days.)

I hosted a party last month to learn about Young Living Essential oils (which I have become obsessed with, btw), and wasn't sure what to supply as snacks for all of the party goers. So I went with things that are often at non-vegan parties, but I veganized them. I made a salad with berries and home made poppy seed dressing in it, some vegan pepperjack cheese and crackers, some raw peppermint brownies (I'll add that recipe to the blog next time I make it so I can take pictures), and this... nacho dip and chips.

The people who came to the party said they enjoyed all the food, but this dip in particular got a lot of attention, and the bowl was mostly empty by the end of the party. Considering there were only 6 people, that's saying something.

This is a basic nacho cheese sauce, super tasty and not spicy. If you want it to be spicier or change up the flavor a bit feel free to toss in a jalapeno, some chili powder, chipotle, sriracha... whatever floats your boat.

You start with water and raw unsalted cashews. If you don't have a high powered blender (like a vitamix or blendtec) you should let the cashews soak in the water for a couple hours to help soften them. If you do have a high powered blender, feel free to just toss everything in and puree! Super quick!

 This recipe uses pimientos to add more flavor (plus give it that great orange nacho color). Some jars/cans are little 4 oz ones like this, and some are bigger 7-8 oz ones. I used two 4 ounce jars when I make a double batch, but whatever you have access to that gets you 7 or 8 oz will work. Don't bother opening an extra jar/can just to reach 8 oz.

 This recipe also uses nutritional yeast (not bakers or brewer's yeast!). It is yellow and can be bought in flakes (like mine) or as a powder. Either works. It is what gives the sauce that great cheesy flavor.

 

Toss everything together in your blender and puree! I blend mine for about 1 1/2 minutes just to make sure it is super smooth. We usually have onions sliced or chopped in our fridge since we like to toss them on sandwiches and burgers so much, so I just grab about a tablespoon worth from that and toss it in.

 Pour the sauce into a saucepan over medium high heat and stir frequently until it thickens. It doesn't take long, unless you make a double batch. Maybe 5 minutes for a single batch or 15 for a double.

 Done! Cheesy goodness. Use as a nacho dip for chips, veggies, fries, whatever. Pour over noodles, or into lentil tacos! Or just pour over some chips along with corn, black beans and whatever fixings you like! Enjoy!

Amazeballz Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce

Makes a little more than 3 cups

1 3/4 cups water

1 cup raw unsalted cashews

1 lemon (or 2 tbsp lemon juice)

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp onion, sliced or chopped

1 1/2 tsp salt

4 oz (whatever size can/jar you can find) pimientos, including the liquid

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1. If you don't have a high powered blender, soak the cashews in the water for a couple hours before continuing. This will soften them up so they blend smoother.

2. Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. 

3. Pour sauce into a saucepan and heat over med-high heat and stir frequently until thickened, about 5 minutes for a single batch, or around 15 minutes if you make a double batch). 

4. Remove from heat and allow to cool. A thicker layer will form on the top as it cools, but once it is completely cool you can just stir it and it will go away and won't come back. Eat warm or refrigerate for later, reheating in a microwave or pot until warm again.