Slow Cooked Vegetarian Chili

I make this slow cooked chili pretty frequently during the winter but wanted to give it a try at a recent BBQ hosted at my home. The guests used it to turn veggie burgers into chili burgers and hot dogs into chili dogs. Once again this recipe was a crowd pleaser but since the batch was so big I had plenty of leftovers, which I used to eat with tortilla chips, or to serve over baked potatoes (as shown in the picture below). This is a protein packed healthy alternative to the regular chili's made with meat.




Ingredients:
1-32 Ounce Can Black Beans
1- 32 Ounce Can Kidney Beans
1- 32 Ounce Can Garbanzo Beans/Chick Peas
1 Red Bell Pepper, Chopped
1 Yellow Bell Pepper, Chopped
1 Green Bell Pepper, Chopped
2 Jalapeño Peppers, Diced
1- 32 Ounce Chopped Tomatoes, Canned
2 Cups Water
2-Teaspoon Cumin
2- Teaspoon Chili Powder
2- Teaspoon Oregano
1 Medium Yellow Onion, Chopped
3 Carrots, Peeled and Chopped
4 Cloves Garlic, Diced
3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil




In a large pot add vegetable oil, garlic and onion. Then heat and stir on medium for a minute or until mixture is a light brown. Next add the chopped red, yellow, and green bell peppers, jalapenos, carrots, and spices.

Cook for five to seven minutes than add black, kidney and garbanzo beans, tomatoes, and water. Then cook the chili on high heat, frequently stirring to avoid burning, for ninety minutes to two hours.

At that point chili is ready to serve. Recipe serves twelve to fifteen people. Picture shows chili served over a baked potato.

Honey Baked Granola

Granola is so great because of how customizable it can be. Making it yourself, which can prove to be easier than you might think, allows for adding your favorite dried fruits and nuts or just what kinds you have sitting in the back of the cupboard. It's summer time, it's extremely hot, and I look for snacks that require little to no cooking during the day. This recipe takes only one night of baking and can last throughout the week. When I was shopping for the ingredients for this recipe I thought I found myself some reasonably priced dried cherries but when I got home I realized they were cherry flavored cranberries, cheaters. I had no idea there were such things, come to find later that they also have purple cranberries flavored like blueberries. This kind of scares me, but this coming from a girl who eats "baby corn." Anyway, enjoy and stay out of the sun.

Ingredients:
3 Cups of Rolled Oats
2 Cups of Honey
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 ½ Cups of Nuts/Fruits

To make your own granola bars mix oats, honey, oil and your choice of fruits or nuts (I used cashews, peanuts, raisins and cranberries that were cherry flavored) in a medium to large sized bowl.




Preheat the oven on 350 degrees. Next pour the mixture into a greased pan (13 x 9) and pack the mix tightly using wax paper underneath your hands.

Bake for 20 minutes and then let cool completely. Slice into bars or break into clusters and serve.

Black Beans and Rice

I grew up eating beans and rice pretty frequently when I was younger but as I got older I added some different ingredients than my grandmother usually used to enhance the taste and to liven this meal up. I still make this recipe no matter what time of year it is and consider it a staple in my diet thanks to the minimal cost to prepare. I absolutely love the way this makes my kitchen small, bringing back a lot of memories of childhood meals and time spent with family and I'm sure you'll enjoy it too. This recipe serves four people as a meal and six used as a side




Ingredients:
32-Ounce Can of Black Beans
2 Limes
1 Chopped Medium Onion
1-Teaspoon Chili Powder
½ Cup Finely Chopped Cilantro
3 Cloves of Garlic, Diced
2 Cups White Rice




First, cook the rice in any manner you choose. I used a rice cooker so I wouldn't have to watch or stir the rice. Next open the can of beans and pour the content into a medium sized pot. Fill the empty can half way with water and pour the water into the pot with the beans.



Add the chopped onion, diced garlic, lime juice, chili powder and two tablespoons of cilantro into the beans. Cook on high for ten minutes stirring frequently and then turn the heat to medium for another ten to fifteen minutes.

When the rice is finished cooking transfer it from pot to a clean bowl. Squeeze the remaining lime over the rice and mix. Then add the remaining chopped cilantro and salt to taste and mix evenly.

Serve the beans over rice and enjoy!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

This recipe was one that I haven't tried before but was very appealing. I found the instructions on All Recipes. After making them and eating several I realized that they taste very similar to the Girl Scout cookie called the do-si-do. Don't tell the Girl Scouts, I don't want to be sued. But if you are craving their cookies like I am during the "off-season" than these will surely help you get over it.



Cookie Ingredients:
3/4 Cup All-Purpose Flour
1/2-Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4-Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2-Teaspoon Salt
1/2-Cup Butter, Softened
1/2-Cup Peanut Butter
1/2 Cup White Sugar
1/2 Cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
1 Egg
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extra
1-Cup Quick Cooking Oats

Filling Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons butter, softened
1-Cup Confectioners' (Powdered) Sugar
1/2-cup smooth peanut butter
2 Tablespoons Milk





In a large bowl mix the butter, peanut butter, white sugar, brown sugar and vanilla using a stand mixer or a handheld mixer. Next add the egg and beat it into the mixture. In a separate bowl mix the remaining dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, oats, and salt) evenly and then mix into the creamed mixture.

Next spoon equal amounts of cookie dough 2-3 inches apart throughout the pan, the dough greatly increases in size, than flatten with a fork. Bake at 350 degrees for about ten minutes.




While the cookies are baking combine the remaining butter, sifter confectioners sugar, peanut butter and milk in a clean bowl to be creamed. If spreading the filling with a knife skip this next step. When the filling is finished you can prepare it for a pastry bag (a plastic bag with the corner cut off works as well as using wax paper- see photos) by filling the bag and placing it in the refrigerator until ready.

When the cookies are finished baking and completely cooled add the filling and sandwich the two cookies together. Best keep refrigerated when storing for more than a few hours.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

I created this recipe after my first year away from my family for Thanksgiving. I really wanted to make the best meal I could while I watched the McDonalds Thanksgiving Parade. That was the first time I ever heard that phrase because growing up where I did there was only one parade that mattered and Macy's sponsored it. The potatoes came out great and the meal was pretty good too. I make them for holidays, special meals or potlucks. This recipe takes little to no cooking skills making it a quick and easy addition to your recipe collection.



Ingredients:

5 Cloves of Fresh Garlic
3 Pounds of Red Potatoes
1-Tablespoon Oregano
4 Tablespoons Butter
1-Cup Milk
1-Tablespoon Olive Oil or Vegetable Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste




Firstly, boil the potatoes in salted water for twenty-five minutes or until soft through the center (you can test this by sticking a knife through the potato). After setting up the potatoes, peal the garlic cloves and place them in a pan and cover with olive or vegetable oil. Roast in the oven with 350-degree heat until light brown.

After the garlic is roasted and cooled, dice it thinly and set the garlic and oil aside. Mash the potatoes using a mashing tool or try a metal pasta spoon. I prefer to leave some chunks in the mix for a heartier mash. Next add the butter and the milk. Mix evenly throughout and then add the oregano and the garlic/oil mix.

The mashed potatoes should still be warm enough to serve by completion but it can be reheated on the stovetop with little change in consistency or taste, perfect for leftovers.

Garbanzo Bean Salad With Raspberry Vinaigrette

The first time I tried this salad was at a friend's home where her mother offered us some for lunch. Being that I had just recently became vegetarian she felt as though I would really love an alternative to typical green lettuce salads, which at that time I was eating pretty frequently and quickly became bored of. It was so delicious and fresh tasting. Needless to say I asked her to share her recipe with me and it has been something I have been preparing for many years since. It seems as though what has been so appealing since is the short amount of preparation time and ingredients needed to make this. I often host barbeques or outdoor parties and to be able to spend merely fifteen minutes on preparation and have a large salad for my guests is an amazing feat indeed.



Ingredients:
2- 32 Ounce Cans of Garbanzo Beans
1 Cucumber
¾ Cup of Chopped Tomato (Two medium sized tomatoes)
¾ Cup of Red Onion (One Large Red Onion)
4 Tablespoons of Freshly Chopped or Store Bought Basil
8 Ounces of Raspberry Vinaigrette Salad Dressing


To make this garbanzo bean salad you first have to drain and wash the beans. Then dice the cucumber, the tomato and the red onion and mix. Stir in the store bought raspberry vinaigrette and the basil then toss evenly. The salad is ready to serve but is best if left in the refrigerator over night so the vegetables absorb the dressing.

Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

One of the things that makes carrot cake so great is its flexibility. It can be served as a dessert or as a sweet breakfast treat. Either way it has always been something popular with friends and family making it a great homemade gifts for birthdays or holidays. I will usually run out of this cake the same day it gets made so I have to hide some for myself in the back of the refrigerator.



Carrot Cake Ingredients:
1-Cup Pecans or Walnuts
2 ½ Cups Finely Grated Raw Carrots
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1-Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 ½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
½ Teaspoon Salt
1 ½ Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
4 Large Eggs
1 ½ Cups Granulated Sugar
1-Cup Vegetable Oil
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:
¼ Cup Unsalted Butter
8 Ounces Cream Cheese
2 Cups Confectioners/Powdered Sugar
1-Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Firstly, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare your pan(s) by greasing the edges or use paper muffin cups instead. Toast the pecans or walnuts in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown and fragrant. After letting them cool chop the nuts coarsely and set aside.

Next, grate the carrots and set aside. In a separate bowl mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon then set aside. In another separate bowl beat the eggs until foamy/frothy then gradually add the sugar and beat the batter until it is thick. Then add the oil and vanilla extract gradually while still beating.

Then add the flour mixture into the bowl with the eggs and beat until mixed evenly. Fold in grated carrots and roasted nuts and mix gently. Fill pans and bake. Time depends on how you bake the cake; 9 x 9 round pans take about 25-30 minutes, 13 x 9 pans take about 35-45 minutes and muffin pans take 15-20.

While the cake is in the oven, use an electric mixer to blend the cream cheese and butter until even than gradually add sifted powdered sugar and finally the vanilla extract be careful to avoid lumps.

After the cake is cooked, let cool completely before frosting and than serve. Keep refrigerated.

Recipe makes a dozen cup cakes, one 13x9 pan or a two layer 9x9.



*This week I am trying out a new format for my recipe posts, feedback would be greatly appreciated and as always if you end up making anything in these posts, send me a picture and let me know how it comes out!

Drop Sugar Cookies

I am a strong believer in making sugar cookies year round rather than exclusively around the winter holiday season. During my regular cookie-baking season (November to December) I usually take the extra time to make the traditional rolled out type of sugar cookie but in summer I want to spend as little time as possible in the hot kitchen and that is why I tend to use a drop sugar cookie recipe. It has a level of ease in its scoop method while still having competitive taste with no rolling necessary!



Ingredients:
1 ¼ Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Cup Margarine or Salted Butter
3 Large Egg Yolks
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
2 ½ Cups All Purpose Flour
1-Teaspoon Baking Soda
Pinch of Salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and then mix the sugar and butter in a bowl until it is creamy and even. Gradually mix one egg yolk at a time into the bowl and then add the vanilla extract. Next, add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix evenly. I recommend using a rubber spatula to make sure nothing sticks to the sides of the bowl.

Using a scoop or deep spoon, form round spoonfuls. Then place them on the pan with two inches apart from the next so they don't stick together when baking. Bake cookies for about twelve minutes being careful not to overcook and then let them cool on the pan for at least five minutes.

*This week I am trying out a new format for my recipe posts, feedback would be greatly appreciated and as always if you end up making anything in these posts, send me a picture and let me know how it comes out!

Oven Baked Macaroni and Cheese

This homemade baked macaroni and cheese recipe is one that I have incorporated into ever holiday meal especially during winter. I love to cook rich home-style meals with a lot of butter and other unhealthy but delicious ingredients. When it comes to food, I want to make something memorable, something that the people who try it request by name another day. I have been making this baked macaroni and cheese for a couple years now and there has rarely been leftovers each time. When I serve this during the rest of the year, not during a holiday it just reminds me of family and brings backs happy memories of shared meals and new traditions. This recipe is for a full pan of macaroni and cheese and serves 6-8, making it the perfect size for a family dinner, although I've learned to make a second pan so there is no fighting over the last scoop. If you try this or any other of my recipes, send me a picture and I'll post it!


Ingredients:
1-Pound Dry Pasta
½ Cup Milk
3 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
3 Tablespoons Butter/Margarine
1/3-Cup Plain Breadcrumbs



Step One:
Boil pasta in salted water.








Step Two:
Drain cooked pasta and while it is still hot add cheese, butter and milk.







Step Three:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the pasta and cheese mix evenly.






Step Four:
Then spread the pasta into a 13 x 9 pan. Spread bread crumbs evenly over the top of the macaroni and cheese.






Step Five:
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Let it cool for ten minutes and serve. Enjoy!

Cherry Tomato Marinara

As some of you may already know, I moved to Chicago from my family's home in Upstate New York. Moving to Chicago was full of small struggles and lots of frustration but it was worth it to be able to begin to create my own special memories in a new place. Being that food is so important to me I found myself experimenting with recipes. This sauce is a quick but equally delicious alternative to a slow cooked rich tomato sauce. Cherry tomatoes, although slightly more expensive than a larger counter part such as the roma, have a rich, strong flavor even when uncooked. This recipe serves 2-4 people.
Try this light tasting and rich flavored sauce is perfect to share with friends because of its ease to make in little to no time.

Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 Pint of Cherry Tomatoes (put a small handful of tomatoes aside)
4 Cloves of Garlic
1 Small Onion
3 Teaspoons of Oregano
1 Red Bell Pepper
¼ Cup of Grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt to taste


Step One:
Boil pasta in lightly salted water.









Step Two:
In a separate pan, heat vegetable oil and add diced garlic and onion on medium heat until lightly browned.











Step Three:
Add hand torn cherry tomatoes, salt, and oregano to the mix.












Step Four:
Heat sauce on low to medium heat for fifteen minutes making sure not to let the sauce overcook.











Step Five:
Drain pasta, and then toss with the tomato sauce, remaining chopped cherry tomatoes and grated Parmesan cheese.

Fresh Blueberry Muffins

For most of my life I haven't really been the kind of person who ate breakfast in the mornings. Don't get me wrong, pancakes, bagels and muffins are some of my favorite foods but I don't have much of an appetite in the mornings. The few occasions when I do eat breakfast in the mornings it is usually some kind of bread. This recipe was an experiment that came out great. They are light and fresh tasting and a favorite among friends. This recipe is simple to make and the streusel topping takes it one step further on the delicious scale. Thanks to these muffins I may only want to eat things with streusel on them now. This recipe makes twelve muffins, more than enough to share with friends.



Ingredients: Muffins
1-Cup Blueberries
1 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/2-Teaspoon Salt
2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
1/3-Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Large Egg
1/3-Cup Whole Milk

Ingredients: Streusel Topping
½-Cup Granulated Sugar
1/3-Cup All-Purpose Flour
1/4-Cup Butter
1 1/2 Teaspoons Cinnamon



Step One:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Next, grease muffin pan or use liners.














Step Two:
Prepare the streusel topping by mixing the sugar, flour, butter and cinnamon in a bowl using a fork. The ideal texture is an evenly mixed crumble type mix.












Step Three:
In a separate bowl add flour, sugar, salt and baking soda. Then add vegetable oil, milk, the egg, and the blueberries.















Step Four:
Mix evenly then add the muffin mixture to the cups, the recipe should make about twelve muffins. Add the streusel topping to the top of the uncooked muffins.














Step Five:
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the center is firm. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes and enjoy!

Delicious Fried Doughnuts

I first learned how to make these fried doughnuts in a "home ec" type class in high school. They were sold as a scholarship fundraiser once a week on what would be referred to as "doughnut day" a.k.a Thursday. The smell of these things alone brings back a whole bunch of nostalgia. This "recipe" is more of a set of directions than anything because of the simple nature of these fried doughnuts. These doughnuts are so quick, cheap and easy to make that you'll want to make them every time you have company. Just be careful not to turn your back to them too long because they might be gone.


Ingredients:

One Can of Pre-made Biscuit Dough
½ a Cup of Granulated White Sugar
3 Tsp of Cinnamon
Vegetable Oil for frying



Step One:
Fill a small pot/sauce pan halfway with vegetable oil. Then preheat the vegetable oil on medium to high on the stovetop. Meanwhile mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a dish.












Step Two:
When the oil has heated (about five minutes later) push a hole in the center of a biscuit to make it resemble a traditional doughnut. Then, carefully place it into the oil. When the bottom cooks and becomes golden brown flip the doughnut and fry the other side.











Step Three:
Once the doughnut is brown, remove it from the oil placing it on a dish covered with paper towel to absorb excess oil.









Step Four:
Next, place the doughnut into the sugar and cinnamon mixture, flipping it from side to side to cover the doughnut in the mixture. Then serve and enjoy!

Golden Brown Zucchini Cakes

This upcoming fall is wedding season for me. My fairly small family rarely has a wedding to attend, but throughout my three and a half year relationship with my boyfriend and his large Italian family has led me to attend more weddings than I had ever attended in my life thus far. A common appetizer at weddings is crab cakes and since I began a vegetarian diet over five years ago I have been tempted with them, always reexamining my morals and second guessing myself. I have found an equally delicious substitute, zucchini cakes!

Ingredients:

1 Large Zucchini
3 Cloves of Garlic
¾ Cup of Breadcrumbs
½ Cup of Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 Eggs
1 Teaspoon Oregano
½ Teaspoon Thyme
½ Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
Pinch of Salt and Pinch of Pepper
Olive Oil, enough to cover the bottom of pan




Step One:
Wash the zucchini, and then grate with the large-holed side of the grater.








Step Two:
Squeeze out most of the liquid from the grated zucchini by ringing out in a clean kitchen towel. As you will learn after completing this step, this is very important.










Step Three:
Preheat the oil in a frying pan. Then mix zucchini, garlic, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, eggs, and herbs in a bowl.










Step Four:
Form mixture into small patties and lightly place them in the pan (Tip:make sure the pan is hot before you put in the cakes to assure that the oil isn't absorbed into the food giving it a greasy taste)










Step Five:
Cook until golden brown on both sides and serve. I ate mine with brown mustard and it was surprisingly good. Enjoy!