Dried Black Bean Slow Cooker Chili

I read in a cookbook about cooking beans from dried in a slow cooker, directly without any soaking, and I wanted to try it. It worked! I am very impressed by the ease of this as it takes one more step away when using beans. The result was super yummy too.

Black Bean Chili

1 lb dried black beans
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup chili powder
28 oz can diced tomatoes with liquid or 12 frozen roma tomatoes, peeled
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda (this apparently prevents the beans from bursting but some say it's not necessary)
2 3/4 cups water

Sort the black beans. Spread them out on a cookie sheet and check for small stones. Trust me, you want to do this. Corey and I have seen how beans are dried on the side of the road. It's not surprising that a few stones will get into the mix.

Put everything into the slow cooker and mix well. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. At the half-way point, check that there is still liquid in the slow cooker. Add more if needed. You could also add frozen corn or other veggies at this point if you wanted to.

I served this on chopped lettuce with an avocado and tomato salsa. I chopped two avocados and 1 tomato into chunks, added 1 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp chili flakes, and salt then mixed that together.











Did you know that 2016 is the international year of pulses as named by the UN? Check it out at fao.org.


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Roasted Veggies

It's not quite officially fall but the fall veggies are coming out so we made our first batch of roasted veggies tonight for dinner. The temperature is supposed to drop below freezing at the airport so the gardens will soon be cleaned out. It did snow in Calgary yesterday... That is a little depressing as it is only September 9th.







The beauty of roasted veggies is that almost any veggie can be used. Our mix today had baby potato, patipan squash, zucchini, carrot, celery, baby eggplant, garlic, and broccoli. Normally we would have added cubes of onion but we suddenly realized that we had none! We also often add cubes of tofu.

I roasted an acorn squash and beets at the same time to eat with the roasted veggie mix. Corey doesn't like beets so I keep them separate and the acorn squash tends to get too mushy.







Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Get the root vegetables you want. No need to peel unless you are adding beets directly to the mix in which case I would peel those. Cut them into cubes about 1 inch square.

Mix all the veggies together in a large bowl. Drizzle olive oil over the veggies and several pinches of salt, cracks of black pepper, and shakes of italian herb mix. You could use any spices you like.

Mix, mix, mix then spread the veggies out over one or two cookie sheets. You don't want the veggies crammed together or else they won't cook properly. Put them in the oven and wait. After 15 minutes, stir the veggies, switch the trays if you have two on separate levels, then leave them to bake some more.

Total cooking time is about an hour depending on the type of veggies and the thickness of your trays. Darker cookie trays take less time to cook.

As for the squash, I cut it in half lengthwise, then half widthwise, then into two pieces each to end up with eight pieces. Cut out the seeds, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place skin side down on the tray. Leave in the oven with the veggies, about an hour or so, depending on the size of the squash.

My beets I just top and tail, rinse, and put directly on the bbq. Once they are black all around and I can stick a fork in them, I take them off the bbq, let them cool and peel them. You can do the same in the oven but they won't turn black. You'll have to test them for when they are soft enough to peel. I've heard that when they are soft you can take them out and put them into a paper bag to sweat for a few minutes and the peel comes off very easily. I've never tried.




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Vegan BBQ

Now that the weather is warm, people often comment to us about how much we must miss having a bbq. Umm, actually no, we don't miss it at all because we bbq at least  once a week. But what? Tofu dogs? NO WAY! We bbq vegetables and tons of them. It's my favourite way to eat the summer bounty from the local gardens.

This is not a recipe but more of a methods page for bbq-ing a variety of yummy veggies. If you have another favourite, let me know and I will add it to this page.

Forget the meat! Searing meat on a bbq is toxic anyway. Try these yummy vegetables instead. We have a tiny Weber Q100 BBQ that we use on high but if you have a a big bbq, medium will probably be high enough.

Beets
So easy! Cut off the tops (you can eat those greens like spinach or chard), trim the root, give the skin a quick wash and place on a the grill. No need to peel. The size of the beet will determine the amount of time it will take to cook. As the outside blackens and blisters, turn the beet to cook all the way around. It's cooked when a skewer goes through. You can peel them while they are hot or let them cool, leave in the fridge overnight, and then peel them even more easily. They are sugary sweet!

 Asparagus
Corey's favourite way to do asparagus is to give them a quick rinse and dry, snap off the bottom (the thicker the asparagus, the better it will be - thinner asparagus is not better), place in a shallow pan and drizzle olive oil, a splash of balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper on the spears. Place the thicker stems on the bbq first and leave them to cook until they are almost charred - they turn an olive green and get soft. Flip and leave on the other side for a couple minutes. You really want the first side to be well cooked before flipping.

If you ever have leftover grilled asparagus, check out my corn soup which will be posted soon!

Yams
We ate giant yams in China that were cooked inside oil drums filled with coals. These you can do like potatoes on the grill - just leave on the grill and turn as the skin goes black and blistered. Just like the beets!

Eggplant Version 1
If you are making something like Baba Ganouj (an eggplant dip) or an Indian roasted eggplant dish, you just buy a big eggplant and put it on the bbq to blacken and blister (like the beets again!). The eggplant will swell and burst as it cooks and will need to be gently lifted onto a plate or else it'll just ooze a mushy mess onto your grill.


Eggplant Version 2, Zucchini, Pattypan Squash
Cut the veggies in half and toss them in olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on the grill cut side down and leave to grill until soft for the eggplant and al-dente for the summer squashes. You can flip them if you want but I don't always do the flip.

Onions
Peel but don't cut the ends off. Cut the whole onion into 4 pieces. Toss in olive oil, salt and pepper and grill on all three sides. If you do cut the ends off, just put on a skewer to grill or else the pieces will fall apart.

Tomatoes, Green Onions, Mushrooms
Yuck. Hot tomatoes. Why waste them? Eat them raw. Green Onions are just as yucky bbq-ed as they are raw but Corey really likes them. Toss in olive oil and salt and grill whole. Same goes for mushrooms. These will shrivel and become even worse tasting as they cook.

Portobello Mushrooms
These are my yummy exceptions to the yucky brown mushroom rule (they are, after all, just overgrown brown mushrooms.) Remove the stem and scrape out the gills under the cap. You can grill these whole and eat them like a burger or you can slice them. They marinate beautifully and take well to bbq sauce while you are grilling them. If you can press them will a panini cast iron press that you've heated up, that makes them even fleshier.

Garlic
Take a whole head of garlic. Cut off the top to expose the cloves. Place on a piece of foil. Drizzle olive oil over the top into the cloves, sprinkle in coarse salt and pepper. Bring up the sides of the foil and twist it together like a Hershey Kiss. Place on the grill for 30-45 minutes on low to medium. If the grill is too hot the bottom will burn. 

So there you go! You can add sauces, marinades, fresh herbs or flavoured salts to your veggies before or during the grilling time to play with the flavour. You don't need a bbq wok or veggie cage like you see at the local stores, nor do you need to wrap anything in foil except the garlic.

Drunken Beans

I like my slow cooker. I like finding recipes that are vegan for my slow cooker. No matter how lousy I feel, it takes little effort to throw things into the pot and turn it on for a cooked meal later in the day. That way if I feel better then the food is cooked and if I still feel lousy the food is cooked. Win-win situation.

This makes a small portion so next time I would double the recipe. That would require a lot of rum but never mind! We ate this on noodles but you could serve it on any starch or even have it on a salad to make like a taco salad or in lettuce wraps or in tacos. It's not very soupy so it won't drip everywhere if you do eat it with your hands.

Drunken Beans (adapted from The Vegan Slow Cooker by Kathy Hester)

1 small onion, chopped
3 cups cooked beans pinto-black-garbanzo etc (or 2 cans of  beans if you don't have your own in the freezer)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup rum
1/2 tsp cumin
1 cube "chicken" stock
1 tbsp tomato paste
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste

Throw it all in the crockpot! Mix, cook on low 6-8 hours and enjoy.

Mum's "Meatless Monday" Mac and Cheese

This recipe is for tomorrow's Meatless Monday. I'll eat the leftovers of what I made today tomorrow for my lunch.

When I was growing up, Mum made an amazing mac and cheese using bacon, wine, and tons of Velveeta cheese on top of ravioli or tortellini. It was creamy heavenly artery-clogging goodness. I made it quite often for guests and some requested it when they were going to come over for a meal.

That recipe obviously does not lend itself well to a vegan lifestyle but today I made a cheese sauce that is almost identical. Still not good for us but oh-so-tasty!

Mum's Mac and Cheese

1 pkg (340g) uncooked rice (or not) macaroni
1tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 small onion, chopped
4 cups unsweetened non-dairy milk
1/4 cup white wine or sherry
3 cups grated "cheese" (I used vegan cheddar and monteray jack)
1 "chicken" stock cube
1/2 tsp cajun spice or chili powder or paprika
a few drops liquid smoke (Corey also suggested trying small cubes of smoked tofu to be like bacon)
pinch of crushed chili flakes
salt and pepper to taste

You can do this two ways:
1. Cook the macaroni. Meanwhile, fry the onion and garlic in the heated olive oil in a large saucepan. When they are fragrant, add all the other sauce ingredients and bring to a very light boil. Turn down the heat and leave to simmer while the pasta cooks. The sauce will thicken. Add more smoke, salt, pepper,chili flakes to taste as needed. Pour onto the cooked macaroni.

OR

2. Fry the onion and garlic in the oil in a large saucepan. Add all the other ingredients including the raw macaroni. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook 20 minutes, stir, cover, cook 20 minutes, stir, cover, etc until the macaroni is cooked. It will take about 1.5 hours depending on your pasta. Don't have it too high or else the sauce will burn. Adjust the seasonings as above.

Cheese-Free Mexican

While we were in San Diego we enjoyed many Mexican meals but each meal is laden with cheese. One soup I did not find that I have eaten in Mexico is tortilla soup. It is one of my favourites! So tonight I made a cheese-free tortilla soup. I'm not sure if it usually has cheese as some recipes had cheese and others didn't but this one has the flavour that I was looking for. Corey says it's a bit cilantro-y for him so reduce the amount if you don't like a strong cilantro flavour. I love it! There is another recipe that used nutritional yeast to make a cheesy tortilla soup. I'll let you know what that one is like.

Tortilla Soup

4 cups veggie broth
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 green onions,sliced
1 can (15oz) diced tomatoes (don't use canned tomatoes - use frozen or fresh ones)
1/4 - 1/2 bunch cilantro
1 tbsp chili powder
1.5 tbsp cumin (fresh ground from Abby's - remember?)
3-4 handfuls of tortilla chips
1 tsp salt or more to taste
1/2 cup frozen corn
1.5 cups cooked black beans (one can or the ones you have cooked and in the freezer)
juice of 1 lime (or about 1tbsp of lime juice)
1 avocado, sliced

Bring the stock, garlic and onion to a boil. Turn down heat and add tomatoes. Allow to simmer for a few minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in cilantro, chili powder, cumin and tortilla chips. The chips will soften (duh) and when they do, blend the soup with an immersion blender. Add salt and adjust seasoning to taste. Return to heat, add corn and beans and bring up to almost a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer until you are ready to eat the soup. Crumble tortillas into the soup and add slices of avocado on top.

Another avocado recipe

I have been away for the past couple of weeks (well, no not really but over the weekends)so there have been no new posts. Don't despair veganites! I am always thinking about what I am going to post next. That being said, I will be away this week again trying new foods in San Diego. I'll try to get some new yummy recipes.

This is a warm avocado dip that I made that called for the dip to be put back in the avocado shells and then baked. I would skip that step and just put it in a small oven-proof dish and heat it that way. Makes for easier dipping.

Spicy Stuffed Avocados

2 ripe avocados
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red onion (the smaller the chunks the better for getting it onto your nacho chips or crackers)
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 green onion chopped
1 jalapeño stem and seeds removed and diced
1 red/yellow/orange pepper chopped small like the onion
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup chopped parsley or cilantro
1 tbsp Tabasco or frank's hot sauce or other vinegary hot sauce
1 tbsp lemon or lime juice

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Warm the oil over medium heat in a frying pan. Sauté the red onion, garlic, green onion and jalapeño. When the onions begin to soften, stir in the peppers, salt and cilantro. Slice the avocados and mash the flesh into the frying pan. Add the hot sauces and cook for about 5 minutes until it is all mashed together. Stir in lemon or lime juice. Taste and season more if needed. Return the mixture to the avocado shells or put in a small oven-proof dish. Bake for 15 minutes and then remove and eat with nacho chips or crackers. This would probably be good cold too. I thought it would be a great layer on the 7 layer dip with beans and salsa (so mine would be a 3 layer dip) but easy to take to an appy party or potluck.

Yoga Slow Cooker Curry

When I got home today, I needed to make something that would be ready to eat when Corey and I returned from yoga. I didn't have a lot of time before we left and I didn't want to leave anything simmering on the stove so I decided a "quick" curry in the slow cooker would be ideal. Easy to make and leave and yummy when we returned. Nice and hot to warm us up after our walk home in -7 degrees. Beautiful night with a clear sky and a fabulous full moon.

I used a Chinese eggplant and green beans but you could use any veggies like broccoli and cauliflower, carrots, frozen peas and corn, but nothing that will become too soft. Potato wouldn't cook long enough to be ready.

Brown, green or blue lentils are best because they keep their shape. Red lentils will make a mush.

Yoga Curry

1 cup brown rice (mine is mixed with a wild rice blend)
1/2 cup lentils (Check these for rocks. I have seen how they are dried in China. Don't skip this step.)
4 cups veggie stock
2 cups coconut milk (one can with water added to make 2 cups or one package powder with 2 cups boiling water)
1 tbsp curry powder
2 cups chopped raw veggies
1 chopped onion in cubes
salt
pepper
1 tbsp lemon juice

In the slow cooker, mix the rice, lentils, stock, coconut milk, curry powder, veggies and onion. Cover and let cook on high for 3 hours (or on low for 6-8 hours if you have all day). Just  before eating, stir in the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Mix together and add more boiling veggie stock if necessary just before eating to make it as you prefer for texture. Depending on how long you let it cook, it might be a bit tight. You may even want to add more salt and lemon juice.

We ate this with a squeeze of HP sauce which is like a chutney but in a sauce form. It was delicious!