Category Archives: Dinners

Feel the Beet ~ Vegan Chili

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Another crazy hectic month of making Organic Chocolates, I’ve been so behind on posting so I am not going to go into great detail on the blog chat. I will just say that I did not grow up being a fan of beets, however, I absolutely love them in this recipe and plan on trying them out in a few more applications!! This Chili was so amazingly delicious and beautiful to look at too….best after effect, NO heartburn!!!

Whatcha need to get yo beet chili on:

1 large beet, peeled and diced into even bite sized pieces

5 – 7 small sweet peppers chopped

1 cup of pre-soaked or 1 can Black Beans w liquid (recommend Eden Organic BPA Free brand if going the canned route)

1 cup/can Kidney Beans

1 cup/can Pinto Beans

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 small onion, diced

3T olive oil

1 cup or 6 oz of tomato sauce (can be jarred sauce you use for pasta, trust me)

1t sugar

1t dried Mexican Oregano (optional)

1t coriander

1/2 chili powder

1 small spicy chili pepper of your choice (optional depending on your preferred heat level)

 

In a large soup pot heat on med heat the olive oil. Add onions, garlic and peppers, saute for 2-3 minutes until softened, add beet, beans (if canned include liquid) if not canned also add 1 cup water. Add spices and salt to taste, cook on med heat, simmer until beet pieces are tender (20-25) minutes (add more liquid if needed, water or veggie broth depending on how thick you want your chili, we like it thick). Add tomato sauce and sugar, stir through, add salt or more chili powder to your taste. When chili comes back to simmer, turn off heat and serve. Various toppings can be added, I used slivered almonds and nutritional yeast, feel free to experiment.

 

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Delicious Virus Busting Soup!

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After making it through 2012 without being sick, 2013 started off with a BANG! My MIL came to visit and 2 days into to her visit came down with a fever, cough and stuffed up nose…2 days later hubby got it and 1 day after that both my kids got that darn virus too!!

I put up a post on Facebook that read “ISO a large plastic bubble or Hazmat suit!!” but had no replies other than ‘LOL’ and ‘Hope everyone feels better soon’. So it was up to me to take matters into my own hands and terminate this nasty virus ASAP. I knew this would require more than Chicken Noodle Soup so I first made my Antioxidant Powerhouse Purple Rice Soup (forbidden rice) but then I realized that’s like taking Vitamin C AFTER you get sick, they didn’t need an immune boosting soup, they needed a Virus KILLER. On a mission I visited my local Natural Grocers and loaded my cart with Organic Naturally Anti-Viral Foods.

Here’s what you’ll need ingredient and prep wise:

5 Large Cloves of Garlic (peeled and minced)

1 small sized Lemon, juiced

1 small piece of Turmeric Root (peel this dice it up, use about 1/2t for the soup)

1 med piece of Ginger Root (peel, dice, use 1t for the soup)

2 small Potatoes peeled and chopped

1/2 head of Cauliflower chopped

1/2 small White Onion chopped

1 med sized Zucchini chopped

2 large Carrots, peeled and chopped

2 Celery stems chopped

3T Olive Oil

4 cups vegetable broth

1/2t Cayenne Pepper (reduce to 1/4 if you’re not a fan of spicy)

In a large soup pan on med heat add olive oil, garlic turmeric, ginger and inhale the fantastic aroma!! Then proceed to add the remaining vegetables and saute for a few minutes allowing the flavors to merge, add salt to taste (recommend Pink Himalayan Salt or Natural Sea Salt). Add lemon juice, stir to coat vegetables and then add vegetable broth, bring to boil and cover pot let boil for about 7-8 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add salt again if desired to taste and Cayenne Pepper, stir to incorporate.

Ladle soup into food processor, blender or using immersion blender, puree the vegetable soup until it’s smooth and creamy looking. Return soup to pot and heat through, reduce heat to low and serve. We topped ours with Organic Tortilla Chips (optional) you can leave plain or use Crackers, Toast Points etc.

The family loved it, very flavorful and a spicy kick!

Now, let the healing begin. <3

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Roasted Butternut Squash and Corn Soup

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Prepare ahead of time the following items:

1 Med Butternut Squash, cut in half roast face down on a foil lined cookie sheet or silpat. @375 degrees until soft and caramelized about 40 minutes.

2 cups of sweet corn kernels, (boil cobs until tender and cut corn from cob or use frozen organic corn)

1/2 bunch of kale leaves washed and cut from stem, lightly toss with olive oil and salt, bake @ 375 for 10 -12 minutes until crisp.

2 cloves of garlic minced

2T olive oil

2 cups rice milk or milk of your choice

1t Sriracha or your favorite hot sauce (optional)

Puree the squash and corn in a food processor until completely smooth approximately 2 minutes. Add olive oil and minced garlic to a soup pot on med heat, when garlic begins to soften an oil starts to heat add puree and sea salt and cracked pepper to taste, add rice milk slowly until you reach your desired thickness for the soup.. Let simmer on low until heated through 15 – 20 minutes. Ladle to bowls, drizzle hot sauce to your liking and add Kale Chips to the top. Serve and enjoy :)

 

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Thanksgiving Stuffing Soup

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Once the temperature drops below 65 degrees I get in the mood for soup as you’ll notice from my recent posts :)

I have to get going soon so I am going to super speedily blog this recipe! I’ll just tell you this is one delightful bowl of soup, both of my children loved it, the smells and tastes so reminded me of Thanksgiving Day Stuffing!!

Ingredients:

3 or 4 celery stalks chopped

3 or 4 carrot sticks peeled and chopped

1/2 a med onion chopped

2 cloves of garlic minced

2 small potatoes peeled and chopped

1/4 t dried rosemary

1/2 t dried thyme

1/2 t dried dill

2T olive oil

Wheat Bread Toasted Very Dry or Whole Wheat Pizza Dough (see recipe) or Croutons

1pkg Pacific Naturals Organic French Onion Soup

 

In a large pot heat oil on med heat, add all vegetables, spices and salt to taste. Stir to combine. Let vegetables cook for about 5 – 7 minutes until potatoes begin to soften slightly, add french onion soup and bring to a boil for 3 -5 minutes then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15 – 20 minutes to allow all flavors to merge.

At this point you have a few bread options!.I had left over Pizza dough from making pizza the night before so at the boiling stage I added 1/2 T sized pieces of dough and cooked until they rose to the top of the broth, then reduced to simmer. If you’re not in the mood to make dough, toast some cubed wheat bread or get croutons DO NOT add them to the soup until you are ready to serve or they will be too soggy!

Ladle your soup into bowls. At this point if you didn’t make the soup with pizza dough dumplings add the Croutons or Dried Bread and serve immediately. Enjoy :)

 

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Mediterranean Lamb Stew

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As the weather here in AZ dropped from a Sunny, Lovely 75 degree fall day to a Grey, Windy, 32 degree winter day in one weekend, I found myself with a desire for a warm and comforting bowl of soup or stew!!

At the same time I had a rush of orders for baked goods and was still baking when my Husband got home from work. He must’ve known I was busy because he stopped at our local market on the way home and picked up a pound of freshly ground Lamb. So there it was the main ingredient had been chosen for me, yippee I didn’t have to do too much thinking about what to make….here is what I grabbed to go along with the lamb!

Ingredients:

1 lb ground lamb

1/2t cumin

1/2t coriander

1/4t all spice

2 cloves of garlic minced

1pkg button Mushrooms sliced

1/4 onion minced.

1/2 t dried or fresh chopped oregano

2T olive oil

1pkg Pacific Naturals Organic Creamy Tomato Soup (These are wonderful when you’re in a pinch for time!)

 

In a large soup pot add olive oil on med heat, add lamb and stir so the meat is evenly spread out for even cooking. Add cumin, coriander, all spice and salt to taste, when lamb begins to brown add garlic, onion and sliced mushrooms. Continue to stir allowing flavors to blend (3-5 minutes). Add Tomato Soup and heat to boil, once boiling begins reduce to simmer and cover allowing flavors to further incorporate (should smell pretty fantastic by now) let stew simmer on low heat for about 15 -20 minutes. Ladle into serving bowls, top each bowl with a pinch of dried oregano and enjoy :)

 

 

 

 

 

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Veggie Fajitas with Avocado Cashew Cream

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A simple meal that replaces the typical sour cream with a rich creamy and satisfying Avocado/Cashew puree. This like most of my recipes does not need to be followed to a T, improvise with your own combination on Veggies and your own heat index….add this Avocado Cashew Cream to take it to the next level of Deliciousness!!!

Here’s what you’ll need:

Some homemade tortillas or as a time saver grab a package of  Rudi’s Organic Spelt Tortillas

An assortment of chopped veggies, I used:

Kale

Garlic

Sweet Peppers

Mushrooms

Onions

all chopped/sliced and sauteed in a pan with 1T olive oil over high heat until vegetables become tender about 5 minutes, add salt to taste.

Cream Sauce:

2 avocados

1t lemon juice

sea salt to taste

1/2 raw cashews

add all ingredients for sauce to food processor blend until smooth and creamy. Warm your tortilla, generously apply avocado cream sauce, top with veggies, red pepper flakes and additional crushed cashews (optional). Enjoy :)

 

 

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Cauliflower Rice and Kale Stir Fry!

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Just can’t thank my friend Justine over at Full Belly Sisters enough for introducing me to Cauliflower Rice, see her Recipe for Fried Rice here > Recipe < I’ve made this cauliflower rice many times in many ways and the family has always loved it!!

This time I made the rice in a traditional way and then topped with a stir fry and a splash of Spicy Mango Sauce from Thai Kitchen.

Here’s what you’ll need:

2 cups cauliflower rice (1 small head of Cauliflower chopped then pulse in food processor until it looks like rice.)

1 cup Thai Jasmine Rice, uncooked

2T olive oil

1 clove garlic minced

1 bunch of kale

1/2 small white onion thinly sliced

7-8 small sweet peppers or 1 large red bell pepper sliced

2T Spicy Thai Mango Sauce from Thai Kitchen

In a sauce pan over medium heat add 1T olive oil, garlic, thai rice and cauliflower rice, saute for 2-3 minutes for flavors to combine. Add water, just enough to cover the rice and salt to taste. Bring to boil, cover and reduce to simmer for about 15 min.

In a skillet add remaining olive oil and vegetables on high heat, stir fry until vegetables become tender reduce heat to low add Spicy Thai Mango Sauce and stir until veggies are lightly coated.

Plate rice, top with Vegetable Stir Fry garnish with Red Pepper Flakes (optional) and enjoy!!

 

 

 

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Pasta with Creamy Butternut Squash and Peppers

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Yes, yes, you’ve guessed it, another night of WTF’s for dinner turned into a delightful dish that I just MUST share with you!! So many variations can be made, this could be served over rice, quinoa, mashed potatoes but we went with pasta for this particular night! Feel free to experiment with the veggie combinations too,  adding meat also optional…I just LOVE a versatile dish. No more jabbering on…..here is what you’ll need:

1 1/2 cups Butternut Squash Puree (Roast a squash and puree in the food processor or blender, see my Pumpkin Spice Cake recipe for using up some of the extra puree)

5-6 small sweet peppers Chopped

1 spicy chili pepper Chopped (or jalapeno or hotter if you like heat!)

1/2 small onion diced

2 cloves of garlic minced

2 Cups of Rice Milk or Milk of your choice

1 package of button mushrooms (optional)

2T olive oil

1 pkg of spiral or tube shaped pasta, something that will hold the yummy sauce.

A pinch of dried Mexican Oregano (also optional)

Boil pasta as directed. While you’re waiting for the water to boil, wash and chop your veggies, add them to a skillet with 2T olive oil on med heat and saute until onions are softened. Turn heat down to low, add butternut squash puree and milk, stir until combined and consistency is that of a thick Alfredo sauce. If you want a thinner sauce, add more milk or a bit of water.  Add salt to taste. Drain pasta and add to your skillet, toss with sauce until thoroughly coated add a pinch of dried Mexican Oregano and serve!!! How easy is that??

Enjoy the Sweet, Heat and something Good to Eat!!

 

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Hearty Organic Spinach Casserole

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I am blogging this dish for several reasons, it’s easy to make, fast, delicious, good for you and my friend and fellow Blogger Heather from Basilmomma is hosting a Budget Friendly/Freezer Friendly link up on her site. Food donations will be made to families in need and the recipes will show people you CAN eat well on a budget, it does not have to be open a can of this or open a box of that!

Here’s what you will need:

1 Box of Organic Elbow Pasta (I used Deboles Organic Pasta made with Jerusalem Artichoke Flour)  $2.67

1 Bunch of Organic Spinach or Kale or $1.99

4 cups of Organic Milk $1.25

1 Large clove of Organic garlic $0.15

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil plus 1T $0.25

4T Organic Flour $0.10

1 piece of toasted bread (optional) $0.20

4oz Hormone Free Mozzarella cheese (I used Jospeh Farms) cubed or shredded $1.75

 

Boil your pasta as directed, drain and set aside. In a large skillet on medium heat add 1T olive oil, chopped garlic and spinach, salt to taste and saute until spinach is soft, add spinach garlic saute to the pasta bowl and return empty skillet to the stove, add 1/4 cup olive oil to the pan with the flour, whisk until it thickens and forms a roux, add milk and salt/pepper to taste, continue to whisk until sauce thickens (about 3-5 minutes), pour sauce on top of pasta/spinach mix until thoroughly combined, add to a large baking dish  (9×13) top with mozzarella and bread crumbs, bake for approximately 25 minutes until cheese is bubbly and slightly browned.

This meal serves 4 adults + 2 kids or 2 adult and 2 kids plus lunch the next day for less than $9.00, it can easily be made ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen and reheated!!!

Enjoy :)

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Crustless Veggie Quiche (Gluten Free and Fabulous)

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As many of you know by now I’ve been working everyday on my new business Sweet Box Treats, there isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not baking or making chocolates to fill orders :) So dinners as of late must be quick and easy, especially when it’s 8pm and I haven’t started cooking yet!!

This recipe, like many was made out of thin air based on what I had in the fridge after a long day. It was so delicious, the whole family liked it and I will definitely be making this again!! Feel free to experiment with different veggie/cheese/spice combinations.

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

1/2 bunch kale leaves chopped

2 cloves of garlic minced

2T olive oil

1/4t dried dill

4oz Monterey Jack Cheese, cut into cubes or shredded.

6 eggs

1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 395 degrees.

In a large skillet heat oil on med heat, add all vegetables and salt and pepper to taste, saute until vegetables are tender about 5 – 7 minutes. In a 8×8 pan add milk, eggs, whisk until combined, salt and pepper, add vegetables top with cheese and dried dill. Bake until cheese is bubbly and brown and egg is fully set, firm to the touch. 25 -30 minutes.

I had the leftovers for breakfast and it hit the spot, so tasty and versatile!

Enjoy!!

 

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