Vegan Quinoa & Sweet Potato Chili

This recipe is a Pinterest find.  The original recipe is from Mike Free Mom.

2 15oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 6oz can tomato paste

32oz vegetable stock

1 onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 T chili powder

1 T cumin

1 t oregano

1 T olive oil

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into bite sized chunks

1 c dry quinoa

salt and pepper, to taste

avocado and cilantro, for garnish (optional)

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy soup pot over medium low heat. Add onions, and cook until soft and they start to turn brown (about 10minutes).
2. Add the garlic, and cook for about 2minutes. Add the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, and oregano and cook for about 2minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Add the beans, stock, and potatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5minutes, then add the quinoa.
4. Continue cooking for about 15 – 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until quinoa and potatoes are cooked and the chili has thickened. Add a bit of water if the chili becomes too thick for your liking.
5. Serve with avocado and chopped cilantro.

I have to admit, I intended this make this recipe as a way to use up some sweet potatoes we had, and had purchased a butternut squash at the store for another recipe.  Well, when I was making this, I completely misread the directions and used a butternut squash peeled and cut into bite sized chunks instead of the sweet potato.  Oops?  It was very good, but the cooking time was longer and I did have to add water on top of the vegetable broth.  Next time I was cook as per the directions; everything else about this was quite tasty!

Mom's Lasagna

This year I wanted to make something a little more non-traditional for Christmas dinner, so instead of a ham or turkey or roast, I made lasagna.  My mom makes the BEST lasagna, so I followed her recipe.  This can of course be modified for meat or vegetarian, I did half and half.


9 lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 15oz tub of ricotta cheese
16 oz mozzarella cheese, grated - 3 different uses
1/4 c parmesan
2 T chopped herbs, like parsley, basil, or cilantro (more if you like)
1 t (onion) salt
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 32oz jar spaghetti sauce
1 6oz can tomato sauce
1 lb. ground beef OR cut up, thin sliced vegetables, like eggplant or asparagus OR half and half

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix the ricotta, half the mozzarella, parmesan, herbs, salt and garlic in a large bowl.  Set aside.
3. Cover the bottom of a 9 x 13" baking pan with tomato sauce.
4. Lay 3 noodles on top, spread half the cheese mixture on top, lay meat or vegetables on top, then pour 1/3 of the spaghetti sauce over it.
5. Repeat step 4 for another layer.
6. Lay 3 noodles on top and push down a bit and pour the rest of the sauce over it and top with half of the remaining mozzarella cheese.
7. Cover with foil and bake for 35minutes.
8. Remove foil, sprinkle the remaining cheese over it, bake another 10minutes, then turn oven off and let lasagna sit for 10 minutes.  It thickens as it sits.  Right out of the oven it is VERY hot.

Quinoa-Stuffed Acorn Squash

Yes, I am clearly on a squash kick. I love how local and available winter squash is these days. It’s so fresh and tasty! This recipe is no exception, super easy and very versatile. I got the idea from this Google-search result. Enjoy!



1 acorn squash, halved lengthwise and seeded

1 T butter

1 c quinoa

2 c water or vegetable broth (to cook quinoa)

1 T olive oil (for sautéing)

1/2 onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c mushrooms, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 T parsley, chopped

1 T fresh lemon juice

1/2 c crumbled feta cheese

salt & pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Place squash cut-side up on a baking sheet and place 1/2 T butter into each half. Sprinkle with salt and paper and bake for 45 minutes, or until tender.

3. Meanwhile, cook quinoa with water or vegetable broth according to directions.

4. Use olive oil to sauté onion, garlic, mushrooms, carrots and celery about 10 minutes until slightly brown.

5. Add sautéed vegetables to quinoa and season with parsley, lemon juice and salt and pepper, to taste.

6. Once squash halves have cooled, spoon quinoa mixture into each half. There will be leftovers. Top with feta, serve warm.

The squash I used was on a small side, it still took 45 minutes to cook, but I served more of the “stuffing” on the side (there are still leftovers). You can sub all kinds of cool stuff as well. If you follow the link to the recipe I emulated, they used a couple different items, and the recipe they revised also has different ingredients. Be creative, use what you have in the house! And let me know how it goes.

Spaghetti Squash

Our friend Steve introduced me to this recipe for spaghetti squash. I’ve made a couple variations of this, and never the recipe as it is below. It’s just a really good starting point. Enjoy!



1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
2 t vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 c tomatoes, chopped
3/4 c crumbled feta cheese
3 t black olives, sliced
2 t fresh basil, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place spaghetti squash cut sides down on a lightly greased baking sheet, and bake 30 minutes or until a sharp knife can be inserted with only a little resistance. Remove and set aside to cool enough to be easily handled.
2. In a pan over medium heat, saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic, and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, and cook only until tomatoes are warm.
3. Use a large spoon to scoop the stringy pulp from the squash into a medium bowl. Toss with the sauteed vegetables, feta cheese, olives, and basil. Serve warm.

The first time I made this, I did it almost to the recipe, except I omitted the basil and went with a raw cheddar over the feta since it’s what I had. I also added a can of peas and carrots (because I was cleaning out the pantry…). It was tasty. The second time I made with chickpeas instead of black olives (and a whole lot of chickpeas at that) and parsley instead of basil and again with raw cheddar. I really liked the variation with chickpeas, the textures went well together. Chickpeas and feta cheese would probably be a perfect mix.

Black Bean "Chili" with Winter Squash

It’s winter squash season! I found a recipe for “black bean chili with winter squash” on vegetariantimes.com (link) and created my own variation. It’s more of a stew with everything than chili, although you can add some kick to make it spicy like chili.

3-4 medium potatoes
1 medium acorn or butternut squash
1 onion
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 16oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 32oz. can diced tomatoes
1 16oz. can corn, drained and rinsed
1 t ground cumin
1 t cayenne pepper
salt & pepper

1. Peel and dice potatoes. Boil until easily pierced with a knife, drain and set aside.
2. Cut squash in half, scoop out seeds, and place in a microwave-safe container with 1/4 inch of water. Cover and microwave until tender, allowing 2 to 3 minutes per squash half. Remove squash and let cool, then peel and cut into chunks.
3. In a large pan, cook onion and garlic approximately 5 minutes over medium heat. Add black beans, diced tomatoes, corn, cooked potatoes and squash chunks. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve warm.

I’ve made this once with acorn squash and once with butternut. Both are fantastic, but acorn is definitely more time consuming peeling since it’s such a weird shape. Just something to think about.

Black Bean Veggie Burgers

Yesterday I made my first attempt at homemade veggie burgers with guidance from a recipe on the Whole Foods Website (link). They came out so well, my meat-loving fiance even had seconds!! This is a quick easy recipe that allows for a lot of customization. Check it out:

1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 egg
1/2 onion, chopped
1 c bread crumbs
1 t dried oregano
1 t dried basil
1/2 t garlic powder or granules
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot sauce to taste
olive oil (for cooking)

1. Mash beans with a fork in a large bowl.
2. Add egg, onion, bread crumbs, spices and hot sauce and mix together thoroughly.
3. Form into 6 patties.
4. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat and cook patties in single layer until brown on both sides and cooked through (approx. 10min total).
5. Transfer to buns and dress as desired.

I actually didn't have an onion when I made these, so I cut celery really fine for crunch and added onion powder to the mix. I do plan on using an onion next time though! I also used some seasoned salt, pepper, oregano, chili powder and hot sauce instead of what was suggested. I went a little heavy on the hot sauce and it was pretty amazing. We dressed them with some lettuce from our balcony garden, pickle relish, ketchup and mayo. Mmm!

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili

I created this recipe to serve as dinner for the Super Bowl this year. It came out pretty well, if I do say so myself. But that's the great thing about chili: it can be customized to any cook's taste. Reading about conditions and practices in CAFO's (confined animal feeding operations), I decided to skip the meat in the traditional chili recipes and double up on the beans. Enjoy!

2 cans black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
4 tomatoes, diced (or 2 cans diced tomatoes)
1/2 onion, diced
4 celery stalks, chopped
4 carrot sticks, peeled & chopped
1/4 c brown sugar*
tomato juice (or V8 juice, or bloody mary mixer, or water, or any combo thereof)
2 t chili powder*
1 t onion powder*
1 T EVOO
salt & pepper

1. Sauté onion, celery, and carrots in EVOO.
2. Drain & rinse beans, add to slow cooker with tomato and sautéed vegetables. Cover with tomato juice (or substitute). Add brown sugar, chili powder, onion powder, and salt and pepper.
3. Cook on high 3-4 hours. (Can also cook on low 6-8 hours.) Season to taste. Serve hot. Makes a full crock-pot: leftovers can be frozen.


* Measurements approximate, season to taste. This recipe makes for reasonably sweet chili with a little kick.