Zippy Three-Bean Chili

Recipe from Taste of Home's Light & Tasty magazine, October/November 2004.

Ingredients:
1c chopped fresh mushrooms
1c chopped green pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2c water
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained (I used Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes)
1 envelope taco seasoning (Ortega is vegan, many other brands that I looked at contained milk)
1 can (15.5 oz) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15.5 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained (I used kidney beans)
1 can (15.5 oz) pinto beans, rinsed and drained


I made 2 versions of this. One, as listed above. The recipe called for 3 other ingredients, which I used in Dave's version only (I used only half of this, for obvious reasons):
1 lb extra lean ground beef
1/2 c chopped onion
8 T shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Directions:
[In a large saucepan, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.]
Add the mushrooms, peppers, and garlic; cook and stir 3 minutes longer or until vegetables are almost tender. Stir in the water, tomatoes, and taco seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Add beans; simmer 30 minutes longer.
[Sprinkle each serving with 1 T cheese.]
Makes 8 servings (1 cup each).

Nutritional Information: (w/o beef, onions, and cheese)
Calories: 170
Fat: 0.9g
Carbs: 29g
Fiber: 7.7g
Protein: 9.2g

Ratings:
Kristen: 4

Pasta with Artichokes, Sundried Tomatoes and Arugula

Original Recipe

Ingredients:
3 oz oil-packed artichoke hearts, drained, 1/2 T oil reserved
3 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained, 1/2 T oil reserved
1/6 c white wine
3 c arugula leaves
4.4 oz dry pasta, shape of your choice
salt and pepper to taste


Directions:
1. Coarsely chop artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes; set aside.

2. Heat oil from artichokes and oil from tomatoes in skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes, and cook 3 to 4 minutes. Add wine, and cook 3 minutes, or until most of wine has evaporated. Stir in arugula, and cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until wilted.

3. Meanwhile cook pasta according to package directions, drain, and reserve 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Return drained pasta to pot with reserved cooking liquid, and stir in artichoke mixture. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 399*
Fat: 13.2
Saturated: 1.1g
Poly: 1.3g
Mono: 5g
Carbs: 54g
Fiber: 5.6g
Protein: 11.8g


Ratings:
Kristen: 4
Dave: 3.25


*I'm not totally sure about the calorie count, because the nutritional info for the artichokes does, I believe, include the oil it is packed in, but the tomatoes do not. I used the information on the jars of the artichokes and tomatoes and added information for 1T of olive oil (for the 1/2T + 1/2T reserved oil). So it may actually be less calories than this. Either way, it was really good and totally worth it! :)

Pot Pie

Original recipe courtesy of Ellen! This was supposed to be vegan pot pie, but as it turned out, two of my ingredients were not vegan. Oops.

Ingredients:

1 T olive oil
onion powder
1 cup celery, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
4 T flour
16 oz bag frozen peas and carrots
2 cups no-chicken stock or strong vegetable broth
2 cups Morningstar Farms meal starters chik'n strips (I used chik'n in mine and actual chicken in Dave's!)
1 Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust (Oops, this is not vegan. It contains lard!)
Melted vegan butter as needed (I used 1 tsp of Bestlife Buttery Spread. This is also not completely vegan. The company says that the vitamin D3 that they add to it is sometimes from animal sources. It is REALLY good though. For future reference, Earth Balance IS completely vegan.)

Directions:

Using a small stock pot, heat oil and sauté onion and celery until translucent. Add garlic and sauté two minutes more. Add flour and stir with a wooden spoon until well incorporated.
Pour in stock and stir. Simmer until filling has thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add peas, carrots, and chik'n/chicken and stir.

Roll out pie crust and cut it about 1/2 an inch larger than the dish(es) you are using. I ended up using 3 small ramekins for mine and a small stoneware casserole for Dave's.
Place filling in dish(es) and top with pie crust. Rub top side of crust with a little melted butter.
Bake in preheated 420° oven for 15-20 minutes until crust is golden brown.
Makes 6 servings.

Nutritional Information: (With chik'n)
Calories: 280
Fat: 12g
Saturated: 4g
Poly: 1.5g
Mono: 5.5g
Carbs: 31g
Fiber: 3.5g
Sugar: 3.5g
Protein: 11.5g

Ratings:
Kristen: 3.5
Dave: 3.5

Spaghetti Squash

I've been wanting to try to make spaghetti squash for a looooong time, and I finally did! It takes some time to get it ready, but mostly cook time, not prep time!

Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash
Pasta sauce of your choice

Directions:
Cut squash in half lengthwise. Discard the pulp- save seeds to roast!!
Put 1c of water into a pan with sides. Place the squash halves flesh-side down in the pan. Cook in the oven at 350F for about an hour, until you can pierce the squash with a fork. (Check periodically to make sure there is still water in the pan-- I didn't have to add any more.)
Let cool for 10 minutes and then scrape the strands out with a fork.
Serve with your favorite pasta sauce.

Nutritional Information: (Per 1 cup of spaghetti squash, not including sauce)
Calories: 42
Fat: 0.4g
Carbs: 10g
Fiber: 2.2g
Sugar: 3.9g
Protein: 1g

Ratings:
Kristen: 4.5
Dave: 1