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Warm Potato & Lentil Salad

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Vegan-Lentil-Potato-Salad

It seems as though there are people that love lentils and people that hate lentils – but no one in between. You don’t hear people say “lentils are okay” or “lentils are good, but not great”.

No – you hear “lentils are awesome!” or “lentils are gross!”.

Which one are you? I hope you’re the “lentils are awesome!” person, because if not, I’m afraid you won’t be too eager to try this recipe (but you should, because it’s SO SO good).

Vegan-Lentil-and-Potato-Salad

I found this recipe on Smitten Kitchen back in February, and put it on my to-make list, then promptly forgot about it.

Until last week when I was cleaning up the files and bookmarks on my computer and I found it again. I emailed myself the link so I wouldn’t lose the recipe for a second time, and then made it the next day for lunch.

The only thing I did differently, was that I omitted the shallots from Deb’s recipe, partly because I didn’t have any, and partly because my husband despises them. I also used less red wine vinegar and less chopped parsley. I also added a bit of onion powder to make up for the missing shallots (kind of). Otherwise, I stuck to this recipe quite close.

Warm-Potato-and-Lentil-Salad

 

And I’m not gonna lie – I was skeptical. This salad has a lot going on.

But – as soon as I took my first bite, I was in love. The creaminess of the potatoes, the tangy-ness (is that a word?) of the dressing and the meatiness of the lentils – it all works so well together and makes for a very tasty and satisfying dish.

 

Warm Potato & Lentil Salad
 
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Recipe type: Entree, Lunch
Serves: 4
Ingredients
Lentils
  • 1 cup green lentils, uncooked
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • 1 small bay leaf
  • Pinch of salt
Potatoes
  • 1 pound small potatoes (I used russet and chopped them up, but fingerling would be nice, so would baby red or yellow potatoes)
Dressing
  • 1 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons capers, roughly chopped (if they're salted, rinse them off)
  • 2 tablespoons dill pickles, roughly chopped
  • ¼ cup chopped flat leaf parsley
Instructions
Lentils
  1. Rinse well, then place your lentils in a medium pot with the thyme, bay leaf, a pinch of salt and 4 cups of water.
  2. Simmer lentils over medium heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until firm-tender. Drain (discarding the bay leaf) and keep them warm.
Potatoes
  1. While you are cooking the lentils, cover potatoes with 1-2 inches of water in a large pot. Cook for 10-20 minutes (depending on the size of your potatoes/potato chunks), or until they can be pierced with a knife. Do not overcook.
  2. Drain and keep them warm.
Dessing
  1. While the potatoes and lentils are cooking, you can prepare your dressing. This is where the magic happens! Add red wine vinegar, minced garlic, onion powder, Dijon mustard, olive oil, and salt & pepper to taste, to a small bowl. Whisk together well, then add the in capers and pickle. Mix everything together until combined.
Putting it all together
  1. If using fingerling or baby potatoes, cut them into bite size pieces. Put all potatoes in a large bowl, add lentils and dressing, and mix well (but be gentle with the potatoes).
  2. Add more salt & pepper, if necessary.
  3. Serve in individual bowls, with a sprinkling of chopped parsley on top.
Notes
Adapted slightly from Smitten Kitchen.

 

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8 Ways to Add More Beans to Your Diet

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Beans are so much more than just a meat substitute. They are so nutritious that everyone should be eating a ton of them, and not just vegans. Everyone.

Lots-of-Beans

Here are some interesting facts about beans:

  • Beans are comparable to meat when it comes to calories.
  • Beans make you feel fuller, faster, because of their high fiber and water content.
  • Beans are high in antioxidants, a class of phytochemicals that incapacitate cell-damaging free radicals in the body (free radicals have been implicated in everything from aging, cancer, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s).
  • Beans have an extremely low glycemic index (which means you would get less than half the blood sugar spike from eating beans than if you ate the same amount of carbs in the form of bread, potatoes or pasta).

Beans

kidney-beans

Canned vs. Dry
Canned are convenient, but can be loaded with salt. Choose a low-sodium variety if you can. Make sure to rinse and dry your beans well if buying canned. This will help remove a lot of the salt (but not all of it). It will also prevent your beans from getting too soggy in your recipe.

Dried beans are a bit more work (soak 8 hours, then cook for 30-60 minutes), but the benefits are that there is no added salt, they’re much more inexpensive than canned beans, and they have zero traces of the plastic chemical BPA. I also personally find that dried beans taste a thousand times better than canned beans (I think canned beans are more “mushy”).

8 Ways to Add More Beans to Your Diet

More-Beans

1. Incorporate beans into your favourite meals, especially Mexican dishes like burritos and tacos.

2. Add beans to soups and stews. This is an easy way to “sneak” more beans into your diet. I love making a vegetable soup with black beans and chickpeas, and I’ve also had some really tasty white bean soups.

3. Eat more hummus. Who doesn’t love a bowl of hummus and some fresh veggies and pita slices? This protein-packed snack is super simple to make! You don’t just have to use chickpeas though. I’ve had some yummy hummus made from black beans and also white beans! Hummus is not just for dipping, either. Enjoy it in salads and spread it on tortillas and sandwiches!

4. Throw them in your salads. Adding beans to your salad will give you much more protein than any veggies you could throw in there, and it will fill you up faster and keep you fuller longer, too. I love putting chickpeas in my salads!

5. Roast some chickpeas. Stick them in the oven with a touch of oil and some spices (I like adding a splash of vinegar and some salt!) and bake until they are golden and crispy. This is a healthy snack that is easy and full of protein!

6. Add them to chilis. Instead of just using the usual red kidney beans, try to add a variety of beans to your chilis. I often add black beans and chickpeas to mine, but I’ve also started making a white bean chili with lots of different white beans, which is delicious, too!

7. Add them to tomato sauce. The next time you make up a batch of tomato sauce for your pasta, throw in some beans for added fiber and protein!

8. Make bean desserts! One of my secrets for getting my young kids to eat more beans is to hide them in desserts. Black bean brownies are their favourite! I also make chickpea chocolate chip cookies and chocolate cake made with red kidney beans!

Beans-in-Your-Diet

How do you like to eat your beans?

Quinoa & Chickpea Tabbouleh Salad

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Quinoa-Chickpea-Tabbouleh Oh, how I love simple meals! We visited my mother in law for Mother’s Day this past weekend (the weekend after the actual holiday, because my hubby was sick on that day), and I brought along this dish for two reasons: 1. It’s SO quick and easy to prepare. 2. It’s travels well. 3. It’s freakin’ delicious, light, healthy and tastes good straight out of the fridge. Okay, that was more than 2 reasons. All legit, though, of course. Quinoa-and-Chickpea-Tabbouleh-Vegan We served it along side these oven roasted garlic sweet potatoes, and WOW DELICIOUSNESS. The two went very well together. Vegan-Quinoa-and-Chickpea-Tabbouleh
This protein packed salad is the way to go if you’re looking for a quick and easy side dish or lunch. I found it very filling, and it’s also healthy enough that you can have multiple servings and not feel guilty about it. I anticipate this dish being our regular potluck contribution to family gatherings! Quinoa-and-Chickpea-Tabbouleh

Quinoa & Chickpea Tabbouleh Salad
 
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Recipe type: Salad, Side
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1½ cups chickpeas (if using canned, drain and rinse them first)
  • 1 small cucumber, sliced
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 1 cup green onion, chopped small
  • 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 cup mint leaves, chopped
  • ⅓ cup lemon juice (2 large or 3 medium lemons)
  • ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Put the cooked quinoa in a large bowl. Add the chickpeas, cucumbers, minced garlic, cherry tomatoes, green onion, parsley and mint. Toss well to combine.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and some salt and pepper. Adjust S&P as needed.
  3. Pour the dressing over the quinoa & chickpea mixture and mix well. Adjust seasonings again, if necessary.
  4. Serve cold or at room temperature. *
Notes
*This dish lasts 2-3 days in the refrigerator, so feel free to make it ahead of time to save even more time in the kitchen.

 

Easy Cheesy Vegan Quesadillas

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Vegan-Quesedillas

I was craving a super quick lunch the other day. I had so many things on my to-do list, and making an elaborate lunch wasn’t one of them. I initially considered pasta, because it’s easy, filling and mighty delicious – but, I was out of pasta.

Dang.

So, I stared in my pantry for a few minutes and then I spotted the tortillas. Ding ding ding!

Cheesy-Vegan-Quesedillas

I almost always have soaked cashews in my refrigerator, since I cook with them a lot, and thankfully, I had some this day, and used them to make the yummy cashew cheese for this quick meal.

Easy-Vegan-Quesedillas

The only thing that took awhile was cooking 4 quesadillas, since they take about 5-8 minutes each. But other than that, this was an easy lunch to throw together, using ingredients I already had on hand.

I’d also like to mention that these vegan quesadillas are kid-approved (and that’s saying something, since my kids want to eat nothing but chocolate, bread, and plain pasta)!

Easy-Cheesy-Vegan-Quesedillas

I used vegan sour cream to dip my quesadillas in, but you can also used mashed avocado (or guacamole!), hummus, vegan nacho cheese, or just eat them plain. No matter how you eat them – they are damn good. Try some for lunch today!

Easy Cheesy Vegan Quesadillas
 
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Recipe type: Appetizers, Snacks, Lunch
Serves: 4
Ingredients
Cashew Cheese
  • 1½ cups raw cashews (soaked for at least 2 hours)
  • ¼ cup water
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2½ tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 garlic clove
  • Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Quesadillas
  • 8 flour tortillas
  • ¾ cup cooked black beans (if using canned, drain and rinse first)
  • ¾ cup corn (I used frozen)
  • ⅓ cup black olives, sliced
  • ¾ cup tomatoes, diced (I used 1 large beefsteak tomato)
  • ¼ cup parsley, chopped
  • 3 tbsp green onions, chopped small
  • 1 large avocado, pitted and sliced
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
Instructions
Cashew Cheese
  1. Add all of the cashew cheese ingredients into a food processor or high-speed blender and process/blend until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Quesadillas
  1. In a medium bowl, mix together the black beans, corn, olives, diced tomato and parsley. Set aside.
  2. Add a generous layer of cashew cheese to a tortilla, top with the black bean mixture, then cover with another tortilla, press down lightly, then set aside. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
  3. Heat a large pan over medium heat, add ½ tbsp oil, and add your quesadilla. Cook until the bottom of the quesadillas is golden brown (3-4 minutes), then flip and cook until the other side is golden brown. Repeat with remaining quesadillas.
  4. Plate your quesadillas, and sprinkle some green onions on top of each one. Serve with vegan sour cream, mashed avocado, or whatever else you like with your quesadillas.

 

My Favourite Vegan Chili

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Veggie-Chili

I love chili. I don’t even care if it’s so hot outside that my hair sticks to my face and I can’t breathe if I’m in the sun for longer than 5 minutes.

Chili is another one of my favourite comfort foods. I can eat it all year round. It’s yumminess in a bowl!

Vegan-Vegetable-Chili

Thankfully, this vegan chili is a healthy one. It’s loaded with tons of vegetables, beans and infused with tasty chili seasonings. So go ahead, eat a bowl – or two – and don’t feel guilty about it at all!

Vegan-Chili

I had some leftover vegan nacho cheese, so I topped my chili with that, and a sprinkling of green onions (because green onions make any dish better).

Also? Fresh bread is a must with chili! Although it’s good on it’s own, this chili is extra good slathered on bread. Crushed tortilla chips are also delicious with chili! It gives the dish some crunch, which is nice.

Vegetable-Chili

This dish freezes very well, too, so it’s a great meal to make more of than you need. Pop the extras in the freezer and you have a healthy meal waiting for you on a night you don’t have time to cook dinner!

My Favourite Vegan Chili
 
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Recipe type: Lunch, Dinner
Serves: 4-5
Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • ⅓ cup celery, chopped
  • ⅓ cup red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 cup onion, chopped small
  • 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 6 cups diced tomatoes, canned or fresh
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ cup cooked black beans (if using canned, drain and rinse first)
  • ½ cup cooked red kidney beans (if using canned, drain and rinse first)
  • ¼ cup cooked chickpeas (if using canned, drain and rinse first)
Instructions
  1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
  2. Add celery, red bell pepper and onions to the pot, and let them cook for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are lightly browned, and the celery and bell pepper are slightly softened.
  3. Add in the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes or so, until the garlic has also lightly browned.
  4. Add in the diced tomatoes, chili powder, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper. Mix well. If it looks too thick, add some vegetable broth or water, ½ cup at a time. Remember that it will thicken up as it cooks, so you don't want it to be too thick when it first goes in there.
  5. Cook for about 10 minutes, then add in the black beans, kidney beans and chickpeas, and stir.
  6. Cook for another 20-30 minutes, or until thickened to your desired consistency.
  7. Serve, topped with vegan nacho cheese, vegan cheese shreds, vegan sour cream, chopped green onions, or whatever else you like on your chili!

 

Quinoa & Black Bean Burger with Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce

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Black-Bean-Quinoa-Burger

Now that the weather is warming up (I hope!), I’ve been dreaming of burgers. Burgers of all kinds.

Last week, I decided to make them. Who cares if we were having a huge rain storm that day? Burgers were on the menu, and I was thrilled.

Especially because I was going to slather my burger in spicy vegan nacho cheese sauce. Mmmm, yummy.

Quinoa-Black-Bean-Burger-Vegan

I highly recommend wrapping your burgers in plastic wrap and sticking them in the fridge for an hour or so before you cook them, too. I found that this helped to keep the burgers together better than when I’ve made them before and not refrigerated them first.

Also, you don’t have to bake these in the oven. You can also throw them (gently!) on the barbecue, or fry them on the stove. Cook them however your heart desires. Any way you cook them, they turn out pretty awesome.

Quinoa-Black-Bean-Burger

I topped my delicious burger with vegan nacho cheese sauce, baby spinach, tomatoes and alfalfa sprouts and it was a magical combination. So good. But of course, use whatever you like on a burger!

Quinoa & Black Bean Burger with Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce
 
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Recipe type: Dinner
Serves: 5-6
Ingredients
Nacho Cheese Sauce
  • 1¼ cups water
  • 1 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • heaping ¼ tsp paprika
  • heaping ½ tsp onion powder
  • heaping ½ tsp garlic powder
  • 1½ tsp salt
  • 1 large roasted red pepper
  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
Quinoa & Black Bean Burger
  • 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax seed + 3 tbsp water)
  • 1½ Cup Cooked Black Beans (if using canned beans, rinse & dry them first)
  • ¼ cup uncooked quinoa
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup bread crumbs
  • ¼ cup bell pepper, minced (I used red)
  • 2 tbsp onion, minced
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp hot sauce
Burger Ingredients
  • 5-6 burger buns
  • Toppings of your choice
Instructions
Nacho Cheese Sauce
  1. Add all ingredients to a food processor or high-powered blender and process/blend until smooth,
  2. Pour mixture into a medium pot over medium heat and warm it up for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
Quinoa & Black Bean Burger
  1. Pre-heat your oven to 400F.
  2. Whisk together the ground flax seed and water for your flax egg. Set aside.
  3. Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a small pot, then cover and simmer for about 12 minutes, or until the quinoa is cooked. Set aside.
  4. Mash up the black beans in a bowl, using a fork. Don't use a food processor because I've found this to make the burgers difficult to form into patties. You don't have to mash every last bean, but do your best.
  5. In the bowl with the black beans, add in the bread crumbs, minced bell pepper, minced onion, minced garlic, cumin, salt, hot sauce, cooked quinoa and your flax egg. Mix together with your hands and them form into patties. You should be able to get 5-6 burgers, depending on how large you make them.
  6. Place your burgers on a baking sheet with a non-stick mat or parchment paper. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until browned on the bottom, then flip and cook another 10-15 minutes, or until browned on both sides and cooked through.
Putting it All Together
  1. Put your burger on a bun, top with vegan nacho cheese sauce and your choice of toppings (I used alfalfa sprouts, baby spinach and tomatoes).
Notes
*You can store any extra nacho cheese sauce in a mason jar in the fridge for up to 5 days. Simply re-heat it on the stove.

 

Potato, Black Bean & Avocado Burritos

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Burritos-Vegan-Beans

I’ve never really been big on burritos. In the past, the ones I’ve eaten have been bland, flavorless and in all honesty, a pain in the ass to prepare.

So a few weeks ago, I made it my mission to make the perfect vegan burrito.

And I think I’ve done it.

Bean-Potato-Burrito

I filled this burrito with all of my favourite things: potatoes, red pepper, black beans, tomato and avocado. I added some spicy seasonings, and that was it! Easy to make, and it was mighty delicious.

Finally – a burrito I actually want to eat!

Potato-Bean-Burrito

Potato, Black Bean & Avocado Burritos
 
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Recipe type: Entree
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 3 medium potatoes, chopped into small pieces (I used organic red potatoes)
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • ½ small red pepper, seeded & chopped small
  • 1 small tomato, chopped small
  • ½ tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 1½ cups cooked black beans (if using canned, drain and rinse the beans first)
  • Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste)
  • Tortillas
  • 1 small avocado, sliced
  • Fresh parsley (optional)
  • Vegan sour cream (optional)
Instructions
  1. Cook your chopped potatoes in a large pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes minutes, or until softened. Drain and set aside.
  2. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat, add your oil and potatoes and cook for another 5 minutes. Add in the red pepper, tomato, chili powder, cumin and lime juice. Mix well, and cook for a few minutes more. Add salt & pepper to taste.
  3. Stir in the black beans and cook just until heated through.
  4. Scoop mixture onto tortillas, top with avocado and chopped, fresh parsley, wrap up your burrito, cut in half and serve (with a dollop of vegan sour cream, if so desired!).
Notes
*Add any other toppings you wish, such as salsa or other fresh herbs.