Brownie Hummus!

Yeah, I went there. No words. Except BOMBALICIOUS DELICIOUS! Enjoy!

     Brownie Batter Hummus Dip. 

    Everything can be used as an oatmeal topper! SO GOOD!

Brownie Batter Hummus Dip! Vegan, Gluten-free. Serves one. 

Ingredients

1. 1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed

2. 2 T carob or cocoa powder

3. 2 packets stevia

4. 3 T water

Method

1. Blend it, yo. And then eat, of course! Use as desired-it's delish on oats, in a sweet Sammie, or even with veg. Yum!

Spicy Italian Black Bean Burger Toasts.

I have to be honest. This was NOT meant to end up on this blog! This was one of those famous "what do I have in the fridge that's getting ready to go bad and needs to be used ASAP" creations...again--NOT SUPPOSED TO BE A RECIPE. However. IT IS SO GOOD I HAD TO BLOG IT! You guys will LOVE LOVE LOVE this one--the unique combination of flavors is so so good. I'm guessing gonna predict this one will end up on your list of go-to's. It's sure on mine now!

    Spicy Italian Black Bean Burger Toasts. 

              No. Words. Needed. 

Spicy Italian Black Bean Burger Toasts. Vegan, Gluten-free. Serves one. 

Ingredients

1. 2 cups frozen spinach

2.2 slices vegan bread of choice, toasted

3. 1 cup canned black beans

4. Spices to taste: onion, garlic, black pepper, oregano

5. Large handful sliced onion

6. 1 T braggs liquid aminos 

7. 1/2 cup canned no salt added tomato sauce

8. Dash liquid aminos

9. Onion powder, garlic powder, and chipotle powders to taste

Method

1. Place frozen spinach on a large plate and pop in the micro for 2 minutes. Top with toasts. 

2. In a medium size bowl, mash beans with all spices using the back of a spoon. 

3. Form two even patties using your hands place on parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Place on top of toasts. 

4. Sauté sliced onion in 1 T aminos until caramelized. Place on top of burgers. 

5. In a small soup pot, heat tomato sauce with aminos and spices (onion, garlic, and chipotle) until hot. Spoon over plate and sprinkle with dried (OR FRESH!) parsley. 

Spicy Chipotle-Pumpkin Soup.

After feeling like I was coming down with something over the weekend, I've unfortunately today been hit hard by this nasty flu bug going around--and boy, I mean hard. It's rough--but vegan food always helps! And this soup sure did...temporarily at least! I made my bowl SUPER SPICY to try to "decongest" myself...but feel free to cut back on the chipotle powder. Otherwise, this is a lovely and super quick soup that is great for lunch or dinner--sick OR well! Enjoy!

       Spicy Chipotle-Pumpkin Soup.

                  Close up. Always! 

Spicy Chipotle-Pumpkin Soup; Vegan, Gluten-free. Serves one. 

Ingredients

1. 1 cup canned pure pumpkin purée 

2. 1 cup low sodium vegetable broth

3. 1/4 tsp each onion and garlic

powders 

4. 1/4-1/2 tsp chipotle powder (again, feel free to cut back!)

5. 1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed well 

6. 1 cup frozen corn

7. Dash braggs liquid aminos (about 1 tsp or less)

8. Oregano for garnish

Method

1. So easy...perfect lazy food haha! Combine pumpkin and broth in a sauce pan over medium heat. 

2. Add spices and aminos and stir. 

3. Add corn and beans and bring to a boil, stirring regularly. Reduce heat, and simmer about 10 minutes. 

4. Serve hot, topped with dried oregano leaves and rustic toast. Mmm. 

Holiday Post!: Mexican Stuffed Poblano Pepper.

I love spicy. I mean, I looooooooove spicy. So this Mexican Stuffed Poblano is naturally one of my favorite meals. Relatively simple and super scrumptious, this visually appealing pepper packs good protein ad ton of other nutrients from veggies. Serve alongside steamed veggies and brown rice or homemade corn chips and voila! Dinner. Happy cinco de mayo!

       Mexican Stuffed Poblano Pepper. 

Mexican Stuffed Poblano Pepper; Vegan, Gluten-free. Serves one. 

Ingredients

1. One large poblano pepper (mine weighed 6 oz.), top removed and seeded

2. 1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed

3. 5 oz. cauliflower florets, processed into cauliflower "rice"

4. 1/4 cup chopped onion

5. 2 tsp minced garlic

6. 2 T bragg's liquid aminos

7. One small Roma tomato, chopped 

8. Cayenne, cumin, and oregano to taste

9. 1/4 cup salsa of choice (I used tomatillo verde salsa)

Method 

1. Sauté onion and garlic with a little water in a nonstick pan until soft. Add aminos and sauté about 3 minutes. 

2. Add black beans, cauli "rice", and tomato. Stir with spatula and then add your salsa. Cook over medium heat until heated through and tomatoes are slightly wilted. 

3. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for a few minutes. 

4. Preheat oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with parchment. While oven is preheating, wash and prepare your poblano. Once seeded, start spooning the skillet mixture into the pepper, mashing it in tightly but gently. Do not overfill. I had some filling left over that I served over some spinach. 

5. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes, or until pepper is beginning to brown and slightly wilted. Let cool a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Black Bean Plantain Soup.

Plantains are without a doubt very yummy. But often I struggle with what to do with them when I buy them. This soup was one of those "I really need to use this  *insert food item here* so let's just make some soup out of it" recipes. But hey, the simplest recipes are sometimes the best, am I right?!

            Black Bean Plantain Soup. 

Black Bean Plantain Soup; Vegan, Gluten-free. Serves one. 

Ingredients

1. 3/4 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed

2. 4 oz. plantain, sliced and chopped

3. 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

4. 1/4 tsp cinnamon

5. Dash of cumin

6. 2 tsp minced ginger, minced

7. 3 cups fresh spinach leaves

Method

1. In a small soup pot, warm your almond milk along with the fresh ginger over medium heat. Do not boil. 

2. When warm, add cinnamon and cumin. Stir and cook about 5 minutes. 

3. Add black beans and plantain and stir. Cook 10 minutes. 

4. Remove from heat and stir in spinach leaves. Let sit about 3 minutes and pour into bowl to serve. Enjoy!

Mexican Pancakes with Un-Fried "Re-fried" Beans

This recipe was created after a VERY long and stressful day. I was tired, hungry, cold, and wanted something filling, quick, and comforting. My go-to "filling" food is beans...always! I mean, how can you not be full from all the fiber and protein?! I love beans. Loooooove them. I aim to eat at least 2 servings of beans per day. They are just SO nutritious (not to mention delicious and versatile...there is so much you can do with them!) Quick and comforting? Pancakes satisfies both of those requirements. Now to combine the two...
I remembered I had a big bag of Masa Harina Flour that I had bought for a cookbook recipe. Don't you love when a recipe calls for an ingredient that you buy, consciously knowing you will probably NEVER use it again, but buy it anyway because you REALLY want to make the recipe? Yeah. That's what happened in this situation...But I'm slowly discovering the wonders of Masa! Not only is it quick and nutritious, but it is so incredibly versatile and cheap. Sounds like a win-win to me (more creative Masa recipes to come soon...)!

Mexican Pancakes with Un-Fried "Re-fried" Beans

Mexican Pancakes with Un-Fried "Re-fried" Beans; Vegan, Gluten-Free. Serves One.

Ingredients

1. 1/2 Cup Masa Harina Flour
2. 3/4 Cup water
3. 1/2 Cup Canned Black Beans, rinsed and drained
4. dashes of cumin, cayenne, garlic and onion powders, and oregano
5. handful of fresh grape tomatoes
6. cilantro, for garnish
7. salsa, for serving (optional)

Method

1. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Combine masa and water in a medium size bowl and stir well. The water measurement varies-I started out with 1/2 Cup and had to add considerably more to get the batter the right consistency. 
2. Spoon batter onto heated pan and spread around to form a pancake shape. Cook about 3-4 minutes per side. You will end up with 4 small-medium size pancakes. 
3. While pancakes cook, make your beans. Add beans to a small bowl and add 1-2 T water. Mash beans well with a fork. Add cumin, cayenne, garlic, onion, and oregano and mix well. 
4. Pop beans in the microwave for about 35 seconds--just long enough to heat them through (you could also do this in a small soup pot on the stove).
5. Once pancakes are finished cooking, arrange them as you desire on a large plate. Serve with beans, sliced tomatoes, and salsa, if you wish. This dish is also great with fajita-style veggies as a side dish. 

Dinner is served!