Lentil Stuffed Peppers

INGREDIENTS:

• 5 green bell peppers
• 3/4 cup uncooked Jasmati rice
• 3/4 cup uncooked lentils, rinsed
• 3 cups water
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 medium carrots, diced small
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
• salt to taste
• ketchup

METHOD:

• Cut tops off of green peppers; remove the stems from the cut off tops, chop pepper tops and set aside
• Remove seeds from peppers, wash and place in casserole dish, cut side up
• Combine rice, lentils and water; bring to boil, lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice and lentils are almost tender
• While lentils and rice are cooking, heat oil in skillet, add carrots, onion, garlic and chopped green pepper tops and saute for about 10 minutes; stir in Cajun seasoning
• Combine vegetables with lentil/rice mixture and salt to taste
• Stuff peppers with mixture and top with ketchup
• Cover and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees or until peppers are tender

Slow Cooker Spiced Apple Oatmeal

Adapted from Feed Our Families

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups almondmilk
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1 cup uncooked steel-cut oats
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Earth Balance buttery spread, melted
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

METHOD:

• Mix all ingredients in a 2.5 quart glass mixing bowl that fits inside the slow cooker
• Place glass bowl inside slow cooker and add water to it comes to almost the top of the outside of the glass bowl (so the glass bowl sits in water in the crock)
• Cover and cook on low overnight or for 8 hours

NOTES:

• Can be refrigerated or frozen for future use
• To reheat, pour a little almondmilk over the oatmeal, microwave for two minutes, stir to combine

Layered Chick'n Enchiladas with Tomatillo-Cilantro Sauce

Adapted from Epicurious

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 package of 12 six-inch corn tortillas
• 2 pounds tomatillos, husked, rinsed and halved
• 1 1/4 cup water
• 1 Not Chicken bouillon cube
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, about 2 cups of packed leaves
• 1 hot pepper, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups vegetarian chick'n (I used soy curls rehydrated with Not Chicken bouillon)
• 1 bag Daiya mozzeralla style shreds

METHOD:

• Preheat oven to 450 F
• Combine tomatillos, water, bouillon, onion and garlic cloves in a large saucepan; cover, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until tomatillos are soft, about 10 minutes
• Stir in cilantro, hot pepper, cumin and paprika
• Blend with immersion blender to make a coarse puree
• Season to taste with salt
• Overlap 4 tortillas in a 13x9x2 oval or rectangular glas baking dish
• Top tortillas with 1/3 of the chick'n, then 1/3 of the Daiya, then 1/3 of the tomatillo sauce
• Repeat 2 more layers
• Cover and bake until bubbly, about 30 minutes
• Cool uncovered for at least 10 minutes before serving

NOTES:

• This is runny when it first comes out of the oven but the longer it sits and cools, the more it firms up. 
• Also tried this recipe with 2 pounds of green tomatoes, adding in 3 teaspoons lime juice before blending.  Tastes almost the same as with tomatillos but would reduce water to 1 cup the next time when using green tomatoes.

Pasta with Collard Greens and Onions

Adapted from The New York Times

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 bunch collard greens, stemmed, washed and sliced
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• salt
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup water
• 8-12 ounces pasta
• Daiya Mozzarella Shreds

METHOD:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt generously and add collard greens; blanch for 2 minutes, drain and rinse collards with cold water; let sit in colander to drain
• Heat olive oil in a large lidded pot, add onion, cook while stirring often for about 5 minutes
• Add a generous pinch of salt, red pepper flakes and garlic; cook another minute while stirring
• Add collards - when greens begins to sizzle, lower heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes
• Add 1/2 cup water, cover and continue to simmer another 5-10 minutes while pasta is cooking
• When pasta is finished cooking, save some of the cooking water in case you need it (I did not), drain and toss with the greens
• Serve topped with Daiya Mozzeralla Shreds

Eggplant, Zucchini and Rice Casserole

Adapted from What's For Dinner?

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups water
• 1 not chicken bouillon cube
• 1 cup short grain brown rice
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced
• 1 large eggplant, peeled and cubed  (toss cubes with salt, let sit 30 minutes, rinse)
• 1 1/2 cups peeled and diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 package Daiya Pepper Jack Cheese

METHOD:

• Combine water, bouillon and rice; bring to boil and cook for 50 minutes or to just before all of the water is absorbed
• While the rice is cooking, saute onion and garlic in olive oil about 5 minutes
• Add zucchini and eggplant, combine and cook about 5 minutes
• Add tomatoes, basil and pepper; reduce heat, cover and simmer until rice is almost done
• Spread rice with any remaining cooking water in casserole dish
• Spread eggplant mixture on top of rice
• Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 15 minutes
• Sprinkle cheese evenly on top; return to oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted

Swiss Chard with Pasta

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bunch Swiss Chard, stems removed and chopped, leaves sliced
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cube vegetable bouillon
•  1 cup peeled, diced tomatoes with juice
• 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
• salt
• 1 box (13.25 oz) whole grain pasta, cooked and drained

METHOD:

• Heat oil and saute onion, garlic and chard stems for about 5-10 minutes
• Add water and bouillon and simmer another 5 minutes
• Add chard leaves and stir until they start to wilt
• Stir in Cajun seasoning and tomatoes
• Simmer a few more minutes
• Stir in cooked, drained pasta
• Season to taste with salt

Creole Eggplant with Black Eyed Peas and Rice

Adapted from SparkRecipes

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups dried black-eyed peas
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 sweet onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 4-6 cups peeled, cubed eggplant
• 3-4 tomatoes with juice, diced
• 1 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cube vegetable bouillon
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 cup Texmati rice

METHOD:

• Soak black-eyed peas overnight or bring to boil for 2 minutes, turn off heat and let stand 60 - 90 minutes; drain
• Cover soaked black-eyed peas with fresh water and cook until tender, about 45 minutes
• While peas are cooking, heat oil in large pot, add onion, garlic and eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes
• Add water, bouillon, tomatoes, oregano, thyme and red chili pepper
• Cook over medium/low heat for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally
• In a separate pot, combine rice with 1 3/4 cups water, bring to boil and simmer 15 minutes; turn off heat and let stand 10 minutes or until everything else is done
• When the eggplant is finished, remove from heat and stir in lemon juice
• Stir in drained black-eyed peas and salt to taste
• Serve over rice