Lazy Gal's Mexican Fiesta

I love Tex Mex food (almost as much as I love a good margarita) and actually I've found that homemade Mexican inspired cuisine can be both healthy and vegan :)  As much as I enjoy cooking, when I finally get home around 7:30-8pm after work, long commute, and working out-I'm often exhausted and just want to eat without much fuss or energy.  Therefore I'm always on the prowl for yummy healthy and fast recipes/meal inspirations.  And I present to you Lazy Gal's Mexican Black Bean Soup based on this recipe from the Happy Herbivore.

Ingredients:

• 15.5 oz can black beans
• 16 oz jar salsa
• 4 oz  can of green chilies
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 cup water

Directions

1. Place all ingredients into medium sauce pan
2. Blend using immersion blender
3. Heat then eat!

This yummy soup is quick, easy, and healthy.  If you don't have an immersion blender, heat the ingredients on the stove then transfer sections to your blender or you can leave it chunky.  Makes about four servings (depending how much you want to eat at once).

I ate this paired with one of my Mexican fiesta salads:

Spinach, yellow summer squash, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, silken tofu blended with salsa (fabulous dressing)

This meal is both satisfyingly delicious and very healthy (key after a good workout) with ample amounts of protein (tofu and black beans) plus a gazillion veggies.  Blending silken tofu with salsa (and other liquids-I've done balsamic vinegar and Bragg's liquid aminos) creates a great salad dressing filled with protein!

Do you have any quick recipes for those busy night when you don't feel like cooking??

Feeding the Non Vegans in My Life

Now I might be a horrible vegan BUT my brothers and father are not about to eat my tofu hot dogs.  So when I cook for my family, I often cook meat and other animal products.  But I do my best to make healthy meals that my brothers and father will enjoy.  For my meat eating readers here is one of my favorite recipes to make for the boys: Pizza Biscuit Casserole

Ingredients:

• Fat free or low fat refrigerated biscuits
• 1 (or 2) jars favorite pizza sauce
• Fat free or low fat mozzarella cheese
• Ground beef (turkey, soy crumbles, etc)

Directions:

1. Open biscuit dough and cut into quarters and place in a 9x13 dish sprayed with cooking spray.  Cover entire bottom of dish.

2. Pour jars of pizza sauce over cut up biscuits.

3. Add ground beef (browned)

4. Top with  mozzarella then bake at 375 F for 30 minutes or until the sauce bubbles/the cheese has melted.

Voila!  Very simple and quick casserole that's a crowd pleaser.  My family loves pizza but this casserole puts a new twist on the pizza pie.  I round out the meal with some green beans sautéed with garlic plus I make my brothers pick a piece of fruit too (typically banana or strawberries).  This can be incredibly "healthified" by using ground turkey or soy crumbles and fat free mozzarella plus if you're a vegetarian you can use soy crumbles and you've got a yummy vegetarian main dish.  On nights when I cook for my Dad and brothers I will just whip up something else for me to eat that's vegan friendly. 

Do you ever make multiple meals to please every member of your family?  And if you are a vegan/vegetarian do you ever prepare meat or animal products for the non veggies in your life?

Warm Moroccan Nights

Nothing is more wonderful than returning home from a long day of work on a cold and blustery day to the wonderful aroma of dinner cooking away.  A slow cooker is an essential tool in any kitchen especially for those crazy busy days with no time to cook.  I got my slow cooker last Christmas and it's been one of most favorite presents (Thanks Mom)!  With a little planning and prep work, on those busy days you can avoid the "drive thru" and come home to a nutritious, delicious meal.  Even if you don't have a family to feed (I'm a single gal cooking for me, myself, and I), slow cooker leftovers can often be frozen and saved for an emergency lunch or dinner!  Plus nothing is more tasty than a yummy stew seasoned with the tastes of a warm foreign country so I introduce


Moroccan Squash and Spinach Stew.

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped carrots (about 3 medium)

1 medium butternut squash cubed (about 2.5 lbs)

5.5 cups shredded spinach

1 cup low sodium veggie broth

4 cloves chopped garlic

14.5 oz can no salt added diced tomatoes

1 tsp cumin ½ tsp cinnamon ½ tsp red pepper flakes

15 oz can no salt added garbanzo beans

Directions:
1. Peel and chop butternut squash into half inch cubes and place in slow cooker
2. Chop 3 medium carrots (about one cup) and place in slow cooker
3. Chop/shred about 10oz of spinach (equals about 5.5 cups shredded) and place in slow cooker
3. Chop garlic gloves and place in slow cooker
4. Add 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes UNDRAINED to slow cooker
5. Add 1 (or 1.5) cups low sodium vegetable broth to slow cooker
6. Add spices and mix all ingredients
7. Cook on low for 5-6 hours depending on your slow cooker (very difficult to over cook-I cooked mine for almost 8)
8. Add 15 oz can of garbanzo beans and cook on high for five minutes
9.  Season with salt and pepper (I used garlic salt...muwhahahaha-I love garlic)
10. DEVOUR :)

Makes approximately 6 generous 1 cup servings.

Nutritional Stats (from Spark People): 163 calories, 1.6 grams fat, 10 grams fiber, 6.8 grams protein

In the slow cooker (doesn't it look pretty):

Because I'm lazy in the mornings, I chopped everything up the night before and put the pot from my slow cooker in my fridge overnight.  So the next morning, I popped it into the slow cooker and let it cook away while I was at work all day :)  It was a wonderful aroma to come home too especially on a cold, yucky, rainy day.  I put individual servings in containers and tossed them in the freezer so the next time I need a last minute meal-I have yummy stew waiting.

Do you have any good slow cooker recipes that you rely on?