It’s cold outside. Cold and windy! There’s snow on the ground, ice on the roads, and it’s still coming down.
Well, maybe not where I live, but winter comfort food is what we all tend to want this time of year. So this is what we had for dinner last night.
We call this “Squilly”, short for Squash Chili. It’s a hearty, vegan, chili that is warm, filling and just makes you feel good!
I love pizza. For years I’ve made regular (wheat) pizza dough from scratch without any problems. It was easy and we had home-made pizza fairly regularly.
Since going gluten free, anything even vaguely bread related has been quite a challenge for me. But, once I got the Flat Bread figured out, I was pretty sure I could make pizza crust. Finally!
Here’s my setup.
Equipment stand mixer with dough hook
This week in our Bountiful Baskets we got Collard Greens.
HUH? Collard Greens? I have no clue what to do with those! The only thing that comes to mind is that boiled, nasty, bitter Southern dish that usually also includes ham or bacon!
DH says, “You said we need to eat lots of dark, leafy greens! You can probably treat it like Kale, like in quick stir fry or something.”
I made a yummy concotion for dinner that we call Aztec Stew. It is a warm, comforting stew that’s good when you want something a bit richer for dinner. It ended up with that name because most of the ingredients originated in Central and South America, although not all of them.
In addition to foods you are readily familiar with, this one contains something special: Nopalitos!
Nopales are the prepared pads of the prickly pear cactus.
Saturday night we had Vegan Veggie Burritos for dinner! We used a mixture of things we made, things we had leftover on hand and things we bought at the Whole Foods food bar earlier in the day. I had the avocados and lettuce and needed to use them that day. I had already decided the night before to soak the nuts to make taco mix. I made the nut mix before going out in the morning so it would be ready by dinner.
How many of you think of sweet potatoes as that sweet, marshmallow topped dish served at Thanksgiving? Or, perhaps you’ve had them baked into a pie resembling pumpkin pie? If you’re lucky, you’ve had them baked just like a regular potato, or even better, made into air fries!
They are really good for you, rich in fiber, beta carotene (the darker orange the flesh is, the more they have) and Vitamin B6.
What is your family’s reaction when these show up at your house?
I bet I can guess!
“Yuck!”
“I’m not eating THAT!”
“I HATE those!”
Not at our house! When these show up in my Bountiful Baskets I jump for joy. I’m so happy when the time of year arrives that these are available!
This didn’t used to be the case. I had a friend one time that often used the phrase, “Take (food of your choice) and ruin it by (method of your choice).
Please note: this one is not gluten free because of the 5-grain tempeh used.
This is my first attempt at making a home-made veggie burger mixture. I used a food processor to make most of it.
Southwest Veggie Burger Servings
6
Ingredients 2 cups black beans,, cooked, well drained 1 package WestSoy 5-Grain Tempeh 1⁄2 lime, juice of 1 clove garlic, cut in chunks 1⁄4 cup carrot, shredded 1⁄4 cup corn kernels 1⁄4 cup sweet onion, chopped 1⁄4 cup green bell pepper, cut in 1-inch chunks 1⁄4 cup celery, small pieces 1⁄4 cup Poblano pepper, roasted, peeled, cut into chunks 1 tablespoon golden flax meal 2 tablespoons loose chia gel ((1 cup of filtered water, 1-1/2 tablespoon chia seeds)) Mrs.
Tonight’s dinner was Lamb Burgers on Canyon Bakehouse Gluten Free Buns. I love these buns! They taste really good, and hold up well to a hefty burger with all the fixings piled on. We have used these same buns for Portabella Burgers and they were great!
The white sauce on top of the burger is home made tzatziki sauce. On the side you see avocado, red onion, tomato, green leaf lettuce, and grilled Mexican grey squash.
We got 6 spaghetti squash, so that was “pre-made”. To cook it, I wash the squash, pierce it with a knife several times, and steam it. It takes about 20 minutes. I take it out and cut it in half to cool for handling, scoop out the seeds, and shred the squash with a fork into a bowl. Toss with a little olive oil to keep it from sticking together.