Meatless in the Mountains

Summer Ratatouille

Posted on August 29, 2016 by Meatless in the Mountains

Well, my due date came and went and our little lady is still snug as a bug in there! I’m trying to keep myself busy, rest and not go too crazy, so I started cooking a little more which has been helping. I’ve never made ratatouille, but I had the most delicious version at Blue Sky Ranch and have always wanted to try and recreate it. My version was not nearly as delicious as the version they made, but it was still pretty good. One warning on the balsamic glaze… don’t take your eyes off it!! I had to make it twice because I burnt the crap out of it the first time by literally turning around for 2 minutes to chop some veggies, I turned back to the balsamic and I had a pan of black volcanic tar which totally stunk up the house. Second try I seriously babysat the vinegar and it was much better, phew. More advice, don’t pass on the grilled bread with olive oil! They had the same at Blue Sky and something about the combo of the veggies along with charred bread and olive oil is just so divine. Feel free to mix up the veggies (yellow squash would be a yummy edition in there). Enjoy!

First make the balsamic glaze (be careful not to burn it!!!) and set aside to cool, then chop your veggies, herbs and slice your bread for the grill.

Grill the veggies and bread so they have a nice char on the outside. Then mix the veggies with the fresh herbs, balsamic glaze and top with toasted pine nuts.

Serve with toasted grilled bread drizzled in olive oil. To fill up my hubby for dinner, I also served this with some wild rice and quinoa.

Delicious summer veggies mixed with fresh herbs, pine nuts & a balsamic glaze.

Posted in Entrees | Tagged balsamic glaze, cruelty free, dairy free, eat your veggies, healthy, meatless, meatless in the mountains, meatless monday, ratatouille, summer, summer ratatouille, Summer Recipes, vegan, vegan cooking, Vegan Food, vegan recipe, vegetable ratatouille, vegetarian, vegetarian recipes | Leave a comment

Cold Nachos

Posted on August 22, 2016 by Meatless in the Mountains

It’s been a hot summer! That doesn’t stop me from eating my favorite food though, nachos of course! I created these cold nachos one hot evening and they were delicious. They had all the Mexican flavored tastiness of warm nachos, but nice and cold and refreshing. Besides nachos, the chickpea base can be used on top of salads, in tacos, enchiladas, anything really! The only thing missing was a frosty margarita of course, but since I’ve been prego I’ve been mastering the art of making delicious mocktails, which are pretty satisfying. Well, now I’m officially 40 weeks prego so slowing down, and just trying to patiently wait to meet this little lady! Hope you are all having a fantastic summer (and that you try these cold nachos, yum!)

Cold Nachos

First make the chickpea base. In a glass tupperware or bowl, mix together 1 can chickpeas (drained/rinsed) with a handful of chopped tomatoes, 1/4 finely chopped red onion, heavy sprinkling of MIM Ocho Spice Mix (salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, chili powder, cayenne, oregano, garlic powder), 1/2 TBS canola oil (or another plain tasting oil) and the juice of half of a fresh lime.

Cold Nachos

Now make your nachos! Fill a bowl or dish with your favorite chips, pour on some of the chickpea mixture, then add your favorite toppings. Mine were avocado, chopped spinach and almond based vegan pepperjack cheese from Lisanatti Foods. Yum!!

Cold Nachos

A colder version of my favorite food.

Cold Nachos

Posted in Apps, Entrees | Tagged Cold Nachos, comfort food, cruelty free, dairy free, meatless, meatless in the mountains, meatless monday, meatless recipes, mexican, mexican food, nachos, Summer Food, Summer Recipes, vegan, Vegan Food, Vegan Mexican Food, Vegan Nachos, vegetarian | 2 Comments

Vegan Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

Posted on July 30, 2016 by Meatless in the Mountains

My friend Kris is at it again this summer, growing an amazing garden of fresh veggies and sharing her surplus of zucchini. Last year, I made lots of savory zucchini casseroles. This year, as I’m moving into my 9th month of pregnancy and my cravings for sweets is still strong, I decided to experiment with zucchini breads. It was easy to make the bread vegan, just substitute ground flax and water for the eggs and use vegan chocolate chips. Most breads call for lots of oil, so to make it healthier I tried half the oil as coconut oil. I only did half because I was afraid the whole bread would taste too coconut-y, but it didn’t at all, so next time I’ll try all coconut oil. You could also use apple sauce but I didn’t have any! I also chose half whole wheat flour to make it a little more healthy too. I ran out of coconut sugar but that would be a healthier choice instead of regular sugar as well. Anyways, my husband and I tried the bread warm out of the oven with some vegan butter spread on… it was so good, we stood at the counter and ate a fourth of the loaf!! Hope you enjoy, and thanks again for the zucchinis Kris!