Recipe of the Week ~ The Best Vegetarian Chili in the World

When I made this chili, I didn't expect there to be so much! I also didn't expect it to be so yummy! It's a little spicy, so if you don't like spice too much, I would lay off the jalapeno peppers, or maybe even cut it down to 1 pepper.

I found the recipe and photo here.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon salt
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers, drained
2 (12 ounce) packages vegetarian burger crumbles
3 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and season with bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook and stir until onion is tender, then mix in the celery, green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, garlic, and green chile peppers. When vegetables are heated through, mix in the vegetarian burger crumbles. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 5 minutes.

2. Mix the tomatoes into the pot. Season chili with chili powder and pepper. Stir in the kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and black beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 45 minutes. Stir in the corn, and continue cooking 5 minutes before serving.

Prep Time: 15 MinCook Time: 1 Hr Ready In: 1 Hr 15 Min
Servings: 8
Calories per Serving: 342
Total Fat per Serving: 7.7 g
Cholesterol per Serving: 0 mg

My Notes:

- I wasn't able to find Garbanzo beans so I got a can of mixed beans. That worked out really well.

- I couldn't find chili peppers either, so I put in some chili flakes.

- Warning: this chili is a little spicy!

- Some of the ingredients can be purchased fresh instead of canned (recommended). Just be aware of the additonal prep time.

- When reheating, you may need to add a tiny amount of water. Add to desired consistency.

- I used TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein). I'm not sure if it the same as the Vegetarian Burger Crumbles mentioned in the recipe, but it works amazingly well. My dinner guest thought he was eating chili with ground beef!

- I served this with garlic bread (toasted with olive mixed with crushed garlic). It can also be served with crackers, but the bread was extra yummy.

Recipe of the week ~ Avocado Sandwich, Grilled Balsamic Portabella Mushroom Burger & Garlic Press Review!

2 recipes this week! One is pretty close to the standard sandwich so it's not really a new recipe...but its the most delicious kind of sandwich that I've ever sunk my teeth into!

The main recipe is the Grilled Balsamic Portabella Mushroom Burger. The sandwich & the burger sort of tie in together at the end and make a great combination if you really like trying new things.

Avocado Sandwich

Avocados are absolutely full of healthy nutrients & healthy fats. They are not only good for our bodies, but it is said that they can help ease ailments such as depression.

I personally love to have pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, alfalfa sprouts, cucumbers, olives & mustard on mine (it makes a pretty big sandwich). All of these ingredients go great with avocado. Unfortunately I forgot to buy the olives, the grocery store didn't have alfalfa (I searched in the vegetable section 4 times!) & I couldn't open the bottle of pickels (whoops). At home I used my hamburger buns instead of sliced bread (it's all the same). This is how it turned out:

YUM. I ate TWO for lunch :)

Grilled Balsamic Portabella Mushroom Burger

When I feel like eating a burger, I usually crave vegetarian burgers. Throw in my favourite kind of mushroom & I'm a happy camper :)

You can see the full recipe here.

Ingredients

4 large portabella mushrooms, 5 inches in diameter

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon sugar

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Raw portabello mushrooms

Directions

1. Clean mushrooms with a damp cloth and remove their stems. Place in a glass dish, stem (gill) side up.

2. To prepare the marinade, in a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, water, sugar, garlic, cayenne pepper and olive oil. Drizzle the marinade over the mushrooms. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for about 1 hour, turning mushrooms once.

Marinade pic with flash: reflects the olive oil

Marinade pic without flash: shows garlic

One of the mushrooms bottom-down on marinade, ready to be put in the fridge for 1 hour. The stem is cut off the bottom for maximum soakage, but I saved it (as you can see below). The only dish I had that was large enough to place all four mushrooms was much too large, so I opted for one shallow soup dish per mushroom.

3. Prepare a hot fire in a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill or broiler. Away from the heat source, lightly coat the grill rack or broiler pan with cooking spray. Position the cooking rack 4 to 6 inches from the heat source.

4. Grill or broil the mushrooms on medium heat, turning often, until tender, about 5 minutes on each side. Baste with marinade to keep from drying out. Using tongs, transfer the mushrooms to a plate and serve immediately.

My Notes: I broiled the mushrooms in the stove & although it is a good alternative to grilling, I think grilling would be the best choice. You can use this as a side or as a burger as I did:

To tie to two recipes together, I threw some sliced avocado in the mushroom burger & voila!


This was DELICIOUS. The only problem I had was keeping it all from falling out of the bun!

P.S. ~ I always find that good garlic presses are hard to find. I bought this President's Choice garlic press at the Superstore. I think it costed somewhere between $8.00 & $12.00 & was worth every penny. It makes garlic mincing effortless.

I hope you'll enjoy these yummies as much as I did!

P.S.S ~ I totally didn't purposely make links for some of the ingredients above. I tested them & each ingredient leads to a detailed definition ... ? I would love to know how this happened, but it works for me.

Recipe of the week ~ Lentil-Walnut Burgers (optional: with Yogurt-Cilantro Sauce)

I found the recipe here. It includes the photo with ingredients & instructions. My personal notes are at the bottom with additonal & substitution ideas.



Ingredients:

Lentil-Walnut Burgers:

3/4 cup toasted walnuts, cooled

1/3 cup plain dried breadcrumbs

3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

Coarse salt and ground pepper

3/4 cup lentils, cooked, drained, and cooled

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 large egg (I'm not sure what can substitute this. It is used to make the mix stick together in order to form patties)

Yogurt-Cilantro Sauce:

3/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt (I think soy yogurt will work well with this)

Coarse salt and ground pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice


Instructions:

Lentil-Walnut Burgers:

In a food processor, combine walnuts, breadcrumbs, garlic, cumin, coriander, pepper flakes, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; process until finely ground. Add lentils and 1 tablespoon oil; pulse until coarsely chopped (some lentils should remain whole).

In a large bowl, whisk egg. Add lentil mixture; mix well. Divide into 4 equal-size parts; roll into balls, and flatten with the palm of your hand into 3/4-inch-thick patties.

Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add burgers; cook over medium-low heat until crisp and browned, turning gently with a thin-edged spatula, 8 to 10 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain.

Per serving (without sauce): 460 calories; 28.9 grams fat; 18.7 grams protein; 35 grams carbohydrates; 13.6 grams fiber

Yogurt Cilantro Sauce:

In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, cilantro, and lemon; season with salt and pepper. Serves 4

Prep time: 40 minutes Total time: 40 minutes


My Notes:

- I added a small amount of flax seeds to the food processor.

- I added a small amount of flax seeds, finely chopped green pepper and finely chopped mushroom to the sauce. Add to your own discretion.

- Easy on the salt..the cilantro is really strong!- If you can't find corinander, use cilantro as an excellent substitution. I ended up putting a little extra cilantro in the sauce.

- You can replace the yogurt with vegan sour cream.

- If you would like to use an egg replacement: 1 tbsp ground flax seeds + 3 tbsp water, whisked together. It seems to have worked really well. I had no problem shaping the burger and it also kept its shape quite nicely.

Recipe of the week ~ Vegetarian Cannelloni

This recipe is healthy & delicious! Sorry I do not have a photo of it just yet, but it looks pretty much like this & this when cooked.

Ingredients

1 Pkg (475 g) Ricotta Cheese

1 Pkg (300 g) Frozen Chopped Spinach, thawed & well drained

1 Egg

1 Cup (250 ml) Primo 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided

1 Tsp (5 ml) Dried Basil

1/2 Tsp (2 ml) Salt

1/4 Tsp (1 ml) Pepper

20-24 Primo Oven Ready Cannelloni

1 Can (680 ml) Primo Thick & Zesty Original Pasta Sauce

Directions

1. In medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, spinach, egg, 1/2 cup (125 ml) Primo Parmesan cheese, basil, salt & pepper. Mix well.

2. Fill cannelloni with spinach mixture.

3. Spread 1/2 cup (125 ml) pasta sauce on bottom of 13 x 9 x 2" (33 x 23 x 5 cm) baking pan.

4. Arrange stuffed cannelloni in single layer & cover with remaining sauce, making sure to cover all pasta.

5. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.

6. Cover with foil & bake at 350 F (180 C) for 45 minutes or until tender.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Preparation time: 25 minutes.



My Notes

-The bottom of the cannelloni tends to get dry so I think more than 1/2 cup sauce is a good idea.

- My other idea is to spray some oil on the bottom of the pan, which I havent tried yet but will definitely try next time.

- Sometimes the top of the cannelonni will be a little watery after the baking time, so to avoid this, check it periodically & if needed take off the foil toward the end of the baking time so the water can evaporate more quickly.

- If you like mozzerella cheese better than ricotta, you can use less ricotta & substitute that amount with mozzerella.

Recipe of the week ~ Asian Chicken and Rice Wraps

Oh my goodness, my boyfriend LOVED these wraps. In fact, it is the first meal I ever made for him (cue the "aww") heehee.

The full recipe & info can be found at the knorr website.

Ingredients

1 pkg Knorr Sides Plus Vegetable Fried Rice 1 pkg

30 mL olive oil 2 tbsp

5 mL minced garlic 1 tsp

5 mL minced ginger 1 tsp

500 g boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch (1 cm) strips 1 lb

10 mL Bovril Liquid Chicken Bouillon 2 tsp

30 mL chopped green onions 2 tbsp

50 mL hot water ¼ cup

250 mL shredded napa cabbage (optional) 1 cup

250 mL shredded carrots 1 cup

250 mL sliced bell peppers 1 cup

2 mL hot chili sauce or red pepper flakes ½ tsp

20 mL hoisin sauce 4 tsp

4 large flour tortillas 4


Directions

Prepare Knorr Sides Plus Vegetable Fried Rice according to package directions; set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Add chicken and sauté for 5 minutes or until starting to brown. Stir in Bovril Liquid Chicken Bouillon and hot water. Sauté for 8 to 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside. Add green onions, napa cabbage (if using), carrots, peppers and chili sauce; sauté for about 3 minutes or until veggies are tender. Remove from heat.

Spread 1 tsp (5 mL) hoisin sauce down the center of each tortilla. Top each tortilla with one-quarter of the Knorr Sides Plus Vegetable Fried Rice and one-quarter of the chicken mixture.

Fold the bottom of the tortilla up two inches (5 cm), then fold in both sides to enclose filling. Enjoy hot or cold!


My Notes:

- Add a dollop of sour cream to your wrap if desired.

- I served fried mushrooms & garden salad as side dishes. These sides complimented the wraps perfectly!

P.S. ~ I will be posting the Recipe of the Week every Friday :)

Recipe of the Week ~ Winter Vegetable Croustade Au Gratin

I will try to post the recipe of the week every Tuesday. I will also take pictures of my own dishes (please note that my camera shmucks big time - so the dishes will probably not look too appetizing). However I will also reference the sources that I got the meal ideas from & the pictures on those websites will hopefully give a good idea of how appetizing the dish should look.

I haven't made this dish in awhile but I remember it allows for a lot of experimentation & was pretty easy to make!

First off: I found this recipe & copied the photo from the following website http://www.dairygoodness.ca/recipes/winter-vegetable-croustade-au-gratin?recipeid=1783

Ingredients:

2 tbsp (30 mL) butter

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

4 cups (1 L) your choice of winter vegetables (carrots, turnips, rutabaga, celeriac, parsnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc.), peeled and cut in 1 inch sticks or diced

1 tsp (5 mL) fennel seeds

2 cups (500 mL) Canadian Old Cheddar, shredded

2 tbsp (30 mL) butter, melted

2 slices of whole wheat bread, crumbled or diced

3 tbsp (45 mL) chopped fresh parsley

Salt and freshly ground pepper


Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion, garlic, vegetables and fennel seeds for 3 to 5 minutes or until onions and garlic are golden.

Salt and pepper to taste and transfer to an ovenproof dish.

In a bowl, combine cheese, melted butter, breadcrumbs and parsley. Salt and pepper to taste.

Top vegetables evenly with cheese mixture.

Bake 15 minutes or until vegetables are soft and cheese topping is golden and crusty.

Course: Side Dishes
Prep. Time (according to the source): 10 mins
Prep Time (according to me): Approx 30 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins
Servings: 4 to 6

Source Note: The croustade may be prepared ahead and baked or reheated just before serving.

MY NOTES: This dish was very easy to make. It was however, somewhat bland. Fortunately there is a lot of room to play with the ingredients. I havent tried this version of it yet but Im positive it would be more tasty with a little broccoli, cauliflower & diced chicken or tofu.