Tacos with Roasted Tomatillo Sauce

Posted on September 16, 2015 by Meatless in the Mountains

Happy Wednesday! A couple weeks ago, my friendly neighbors Steph & Conor gave us a bag of farm fresh tomatillos. My first thought – taco night! There is nothing easier and more delicious than taco night. This meal came together in seconds. Just add in some frozen strawberry margaritas and you’ve got yourself an official fiesta. This vegan nacho cheese sauce would be great on the tacos as well. I <3 Mexican food!

About a dozen tomatillos

1/2 sweet potato

1 cup quinoa (you will have leftovers)

1 can black beans

Spinach

Vegan Cheddar Cheese

Avocados

Handful Fresh Chives

EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

Tortillas, Soft Tacos, or Hard Tacos… however you like to taco!

MIM Ocho Spice Mix (Cumin, Coriander, Chili Powder, Garlic Powder, Cayenne, Oregano, Salt, Pepper)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Peel and chop the sweet potato in small cubes, then toss on a sheet pan with EVOO and a little MIM Ocho Spice Mix.

Peel the shells off the tomatillos then rinse under water. They will still be a little sticky. Slice them in quarters then toss on another sheet pan with EVOO and a little MIM Ocho Spice Mix. Put in the oven to roast with the sweet potatoes for about 15-20 minutes, checking on both to make sure they’re not burning.

While the veggies roast, cook the quinoa according to package directions. While waiting on the veggies & quinoa, you can prep the rest of your toppings. Drain & rinse the beans, and mix in a bowl with some MIM Ocho Spice Mix. Chop the chives, chop the spinach, and slice open the avocados.

When the tomatillas are done, pour entire sheet pan into a blender, and blend until smooth, then transfer to a bowl.

Tomatillo Sauce will look like this.

Now create your perfect taco with all the toppings. I put the quinoa down first, then added some sweet potato, spinach, avocado, tomatillo sauce, then the cheese. Some additional delicious toppings would be some fresh cilantro and a dollop of hot sauce. Cheers!

Miles of Smiles!

Tacos with Roasted Tomatillo Sauce from Meatless in the Mountains

www.meatlessinthemountains.com

Ingredients

About a dozen tomatillos
1/2 sweet potato
1 cup quinoa
1 can black beans
Handful of fresh spinach
Vegan cheddar cheese
Avocados
Handful of fresh chives
Extra virgin olive oil
Tortillas, soft tacos, hard taco shells, your choice
MIM Ocho Spice Mix (Cumin, Coriander, Chili Powder, Garlic Powder, Cayenne, Oregano, Salt, Pepper)

Instructions

Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Peel and chop the sweet potato into small cubes, then toss on a sheet pan with some EVOO and a little MIM Ocho Spice Mix.
Peel the shells off the tomatillos then rinse under water (they will still be a little sticky). Slice them in quarters then toss on another sheet pan with EVOO and a little MIM Ocho Spice Mix. Roast in the oven with the sweet potatoes for about 15-20 minutes, keeping an eye on them often.
While the veggies roast, cook the quinoa according to package directions.
While waiting, prep the rest of your toppings - drain & rinse the beans and mix in a bowl with some MIM Ocho Spice Mix. Chop the chives, slice open the avocados, and chop the spinach.
When the tomatillos are done, pour the entire sheet pan into a blender and blend until smooth, then transfer to a bowl.
Now create your taco - grab your tortilla and add the quinoa, sweet potato, spinach, avocado, cheese, tomatillo sauce and any other toppings of choice. Enjoy!

Donde esta mi margarita?

Posted in Apps, Entrees | Tagged comfort food, cruelty free, dairy free, fiesta, healthy, healthy food, meatless, meatless in the mountains, mexican, mexican food, nachos, plant based, taco night, tacos, tomatillo salsa, tomatillos, vegan, vegetarian | Leave a comment

Baked Ziti with Tofu Ricotta

Posted on September 10, 2015 by Meatless in the Mountains

I can’t believe we’re already into September! It’s starting to get chilly out in the mountains, and the neighborhood moose are everywhere… I just love them!

I’m sharing a cozy comfort food meal since the nights are starting to get colder. This is super easy and delicious, and you can still use up that zucchini and squash surplus from late summer.

1 pound of ziti-like pasta

2 cups (approx) of your favorite red sauce

1/2 zucchini

1/2 yellow squash

1/4 onion

2 cloves garlic

Handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 block extra firm tofu

Vegan mozzarella cheese

salt, pepper

Italian seasoning

EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

Nutritional Yeast (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta according to package directions, a bit al dente. Drain & press the tofu in towels to take out as much moisture as possible. While the tofu is pressing, chop the zucchini, squash and onion. Heat a little olive oil in a saute pan and add the veggies, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Add the minced garlic. Cook until veggies start to soften.

Take the tofu out of the towels and crumble with your hands into a bowl. Add in some salt, pepper, sprinkle of Italian seasoning, the fresh basil and some nutritional yeast (if using).

Mix well, then add to the veggie mixture in the pan. Cook for just a minute or two to warm. Next add in the sauce. Feel free to add more or less sauce, depends on how saucy you like your baked ziti!

When the pasta is done, drain and add to the veggie mixture. Mix well until all is combined. Spray a baking dish with EVOO spray and pour the ziti mixture in. Top with vegan mozzarella and cook for 25-30 minutes.

Baked Ziti with Tofu Ricotta from Meatless in the Mountains

www.meatlessinthemountains.com

Ingredients

1 pound of pasta
2 cups (approx) of red sauce
1/2 zucchini
1/2 yellow squash
1/4 onion
2 cloves garlic
handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 block extra firm tofu
vegan mozzarella cheese
salt & pepper
Italian seasoning
extra virgin olive oil
nutritional yeast (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cook pasta according to package directions, keep a bit al dente.
Drain & press the tofu in towels to take out as much moisture as possible.
While the tofu is pressing, chop the zucchini, squash and onion.
Heat a little olive oil in a saute pan and add the veggies, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
Add the minced garlic, then cook until all veggies start to soften.
Take the tofu out of the towels and crumble with your hands into a bowl.
Add in some salt, pepper, sprinkle of Italian seasoning, the fresh basil and some nutritional yeast (if using).
Mix well, then add the tofu mixture to the veggies in the pan. Cook for a minute or two.
Next add in the sauce. Add more or less sauce depending on your preference.
When the pasta is done, drain and add directly to the veggie/tofu/sauce mixture. Mix well.
Spray a baking dish with EVOO spray, then pour in the ziti mixture.
Top with the vegan mozzarella and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Perfect for eating, gifting or freezing!

Posted in Entrees | Tagged Baked Ziti, comfort food, cruelty free, dairy free, eat your veggies, Italian, Italian Food, meatless, meatless in the mountains, pasta, tofu, Tofu Ricotta, vegan, vegetarian, veggies, Ziti | Leave a comment

Plum Cake

Posted on September 2, 2015 by Meatless in the Mountains

I am the lucky recipient of a bag of fresh, summer plums from my neighbors Steph & Conor! I needed some motivation, so I went searching for an easy recipe. This one is hands down the easiest I found out there!! It’s from The Vegan Word and it’s delicious. I made only a couple small changes that I’m using below which includes the addition of some almond milk, and less plums.

1 cup, plus 2 TBS (separated) of sugar

1/2 cup vegan butter

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup nondairy yogurt (I used vanilla soy)

1/2 cup almond milk

4 plums

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the plums into quarters and remove the pits. Grease an 8 inch round (or in my case, square) cake pan. I sprayed mine with coconut oil spray.

In a large mixing bowl, add the 1 cup of sugar and the vegan butter. Combine with a hand mixer.

Next add in the flour and baking powder and mix again. Next add the yogurt and almond milk and mix until well combined.

Pour the batter into the pan and flatten the surface. Add the plums to the batter skin side up.

Next, sprinkle the plums with the lemon juice (so the sugar & cinnamon will stick to them) then sprinkle the 2 TBS of sugar and the cinnamon on top of the cake.

Bake for 45-50 minutes. So yummy… enjoy!!

“Something smells good in here!”

Plum Cake from Meatless in the Mountains

Ingredients

1 cup and 2 TBS (separated) sugar
1/2 cup vegan butter
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup non-dairy yogurt
1/2 cup almond milk
4 plums
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the plums into quarters and remove the pits.
Grease an 8x8 inch square or round cake pan.
In a large mixing bowl, add the 1 cup of sugar and the vegan butter. Combine with a hand mixer.
Next add in the flour and baking powder, and mix again.
Next add the yogurt and almond milk, and mix until well combined.
Pour the batter into the cake pan and flatten.
Add the plums to the batter, skin side facing upwards.
Next sprinkle the plums with the lemon juice (so the cinnamon & sugar will stick).
Sprinkle the remaining sugar and cinnamon over the top of the plums and cake.
Bake for 45-50 minutes.

www.meatlessinthemountains.com

Posted in Dessert | Tagged cruelty free, dairy free, Desserts, Easy Desserts, Fruit, meatless, meatless in the mountains, mim, Plum Cake, Plums, summer, Sweets, vegan, Vegan Desserts, Vegan Food, vegetarian | Leave a comment

Easy Black Bean Burgers

Posted on August 26, 2015 by Meatless in the Mountains

Happy Wednesday! Hope everyone is getting through the week. And for those kiddos & teachers, good luck going back to school…

Late August views

This recipe is for my cousin, Claudia! She recently asked me about an easy black bean burger recipe and I knew exactly which one I wanted to share, it just took me a while to find this in my pile of books & recipes but I finally did! I love this recipe because it’s incredibly easy and hardly uses any ingredients, and the ingredients are those which I usually have. I found this a while ago on the Happy Herbivore website. The only change I make to it is to double the recipe, so I can freeze some extra burgers, and I also use fresh grated onion rather than onion powder. For toppings, you can create your own masterpiece there. In the pictures I topped with a mixture of veganaise, hot sauce & chives. It was delicious, but I was wishing I had an avocado to go with it as well. If you’re looking for a bean burger with a few more healthy ingredients, check out these as well. Enjoy!

2 15 oz can of black beans

4 TBS ketchup

2 TBS yellow mustard

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp fresh grated onion (or onion powder)

2/3 cup instant oats (or regular oats, pulsed in blender 4-5 times)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Rinse and drain the black beans, then place in a large bowl. With a fork or potato masher, mash about 3/4 of the beans.

Next, add in the ketchup, mustard, garlic, onion and oats. If you don’t have instant oats, you can pulse steel cut/old fashioned oats in a blender or food processor just 4-5 times. Mix everything in the bowl until well combined.

Next, flatten and score your mixture to create even size portions. Spray a baking sheet with EVOO or Canola Oil spray, form the mixture into patties and set on the baking sheet.

Bake for 7 minutes then flip each burger over carefully, then bake for another 7 minutes. So easy!

Happy Wednesday! Love, Bowie

Easy Black Bean Burgers

Ingredients

2 15oz cans of black beans
4 TBS ketchup
2 TBS yellow mustard
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp fresh grated onion (or onion powder)
2/3 cup instant oats

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Rinse and drain the black beans, the place in a large bowl. Mash about 3/4 of the beans.
Next add in the ketchup, mustard, garlic, onion and oats.
Mix everything until well combined, then flatten and score into equal portion sizes.
Spray a baking sheet with EVOO or Canola Oil spray, for the mixture into patties and set on the baking sheet.
Bake for 7 minutes, flip over carefully, then bake for another 7 minutes

Meatless in the Mountains

www.meatlessinthemountains.com

This seems like a winter meal, but I was researching new dinner ideas for one of my clients, and this just seemed to work (and thankfully, they liked it!) And I will say, it’s getting a bit chilly in the mornings around Park City already… Anyways, although it would be perfect for a winter meal, once you add fresh basil the dish seems to lighten right up! If you don’t like the flavor of oregano, feel free to substitute with Italian seasoning or dried basil. This would be a great meal if you’re trying to impress meat-eaters, since the lentils take on a bolognese type flavor and consistency in the slow cooker…

1 1/2 cups brown lentils

2 Onions, chopped

2 small red peppers, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 28 oz can plum tomatoes

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 TBS balsamic vinegar

Quick cooking polenta

2 TBS Vegan butter

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Freshly cracked black pepper

Vegan parmesan cheese

Fresh Basil

Pour the lentils in a large dish and sort – toss anything funky, then rinse and add directly to the slow cooker.

Open the can of tomatoes and with a sharp knife, cut some of the tomatoes to break them in half or quarters (while in the can). Next, add the following ingredients to the slow cooker: onions, peppers, garlic, tomatoes (and their juices), oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, veggie broth and balsamic.

Put the lid on and set the slow cooker for 7-8 hours on low. Now sit back and relax while your home starts to smell like an Italian restaurant…

When you’re ready, prepare the polenta according to the box, and just as it starts to come together, add in a sprinkle of salt, pepper and the vegan butter. Stir well to combine. Serve the meal with the polenta on the bottom, add a drizzle of olive oil and vegan parm on top, then add a scoop of the lentils, then sprinkle on more vegan parm and some fresh basil.

Slow Cooked Lentils over Polenta

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups brown lentils
2 onions, chopped
2 small red peppers, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 28 oz can plum tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 TBS balsamic vinegar
Quick cooking polenta
2 TBS vegan butter
Extra virgin olive oil
Freshly cracked black pepper
Vegan parmesan cheese
Fresh basil

Instructions

Pour the lentils in a large dish and sort, then rinse and add to the slow cooker.
Open the can of tomatoes and cut each in half, keeping the juice.
Add the following ingredients to the slow cooker: onions, peppers, garlic, tomatoes (and the juice), oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, vegetable broth and balsamic vinegar.
Put the lid on and set the slow cooker on low heat for 7-8 hours.
When ready to serve, prepare the polenta according to package directions and add the vegan butter with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
Serve the meal with the polenta on the bottom, add a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of vegan parmesan cheese on top, then add a scoop of the lentils with another sprinkle of vegan parmesan. Top with fresh basil.