Fragrant Vanilla Cake

Tag: peppers

  • Vegan Chili Verde

    Vegan Chili Verde

    I love any kind of chili.  In fact, I make chili at least once a week, usually my Vegan Chili Mole with Rice  because it is my favorite.  But sometimes I like to switch it up, like last weekend when I decided to make some Vegan Chili Verde! I have made it before, and enjoyed it, but this time I made it to share with Eric, and type up the recipe to share it with you all! It isn’t quite as spicy as my other chili in my opinion.  But then again I eat habanero hot sauce and ghost pepper flakes a lot so maybe I am not the best judge of spicy, especially in Minnesota where some consider black pepper spicy.  This chili had just enough spice so you could taste all the flavors, but with a little kick!

    What gave it a kick you might be wondering?  Well I included jalapenos and hot green chilies.  Which I consider to be medium on the hot scale but they have so much good flavor!  Since this was green chili, I also added both poblanos and green bell peppers, both of which are mild, but give good flavor!  Can you tell I love peppers? I wanted more veggies in the chili so I also added some sweet corn and zucchini because I had them both on hand.  One can never have too many veggie add ins with a soup!

    I flavored the broth with garlic and onions, cumin, coriander, lime juice and cilantro and it was so delicious! If you happen to have an Instant Pot by the way, this can be made in there if you don’t want to have to keep an eye on it on the stove.  Just add everything but the beans, corn, cilantro and lime juice to it, then cook it as soup/broth on the settings. Then add the remaining ingredients, stir in and let sit until they are heated through.

    This soup is good served with some brown rice and avocado on top, or with some fresh corn bread or just crusty bread for dunking!  I have tried it with all of them and they all pair well with it. If you are in need of a warming soup while we are still in the chilly season, give Vegan Chili Verde a try!  Eric, who was the other taste tester besides me said it was awesome, so I will be making it again soon!

    Vegan Chili Verde

    Serves 3-4

    Ingredients:

    • 2 yellow onions, diced
    • 2 cloves organic garlic, minced
    • 1  jalapeno chili, minced
    • 2 poblano chilies, seeded and diced
    • 2 organic green bell peppers, diced
    • 1 medium zucchini, cut in half and sliced thickly
    • 1 tsp cumin
    • 1/4 tsp coriander
    • 1/2 tsp sea salt or to taste
    • 2 4 oz cans hot or mild green chilies
    • 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
    • 1 15 oz can great northern beans, rinsed and drained
    • 1 cup sweet corn
    • 1/4 cup lime juice
    • 1/4 cup chopped fresh organic cilantro
    • 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk or other unsweetened plant based milk

     

     

    Instructions:

    1. In a pot, combine the onions, garlic, peppers, spices, salt, chilies, vegetable broth, and bring to a boil.  Lower to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes until everything is tender.
    2. Add the beans, corn, lime juice, and cilantro and cook until heated through.
  • Chipotle Sweet Potato and Chickpea Soup

    Chipotle Sweet Potato and Chickpea Soup

    Happy 2022!  I know new years was a few days back, but I am getting around to typing up a post now so Happy New Year!  I decided to take a few weeks off of making recipes over the holidays because it was just too hectic and I wanted to enjoy them.  But now I am ready to get back into new recipes!  It is the time of year when everyone is trying to be more healthy, and although I try to eat healthy all year round, I decided to make something more healthy and savory too to start the year off!  I am a big soup fan in the winter and this Chipotle Sweet Potato and Chickpea Soup that I made last weekend was so delicious I had to share!

    I make huge batches of soup at work, so you would think I wouldn’t enjoy making them at home, but actually creating a new one is exciting!  Eric loves anything with chipotle peppers in it, and I thought they would pair well with sweet potatoes in a warming soup.  We definitely need some warmth here right now as it has been pretty chilly in MN.  So I wanted a warming soup to serve with some crusty bread that we could enjoy after being outside.

    For the base, I used tomatoes, veggie broth and the chipotle peppers, along with plenty of veggies to give the soup lots of flavor.  I cooked the first part, then added in the sweet potatoes so they did not get too mushy.  At work we actually steam them separately so they don’t get mushy, but I find that adding them the last 15 minutes works fine. If you wanted to make this soup in an instant pot, I would suggest cooking it the first half in the pot (up until you add the sweet potatoes chickpeas and coconut milk), then remove it from the pot and cook it on the stove for the sweet potato part. I have done this before.

    The Chipotle Sweet Potato and Chickpea Soup turned out super delicious!  It is packed with flavor, a little spicy, but just the right amount and the sweet sweet potatoes are the perfect partner for the chipotles!  This is so good served with crusty bread or corn bread!  I hope you all are staying warm this winter!

    Chipotle Sweet Potato and Chickpea Soup

    Serves 3

    Ingredients:

    • 1 large onion, diced
    • 2 garlic cloves, minced
    • 1 red bell pepper, diced
    • 2 stalks celery, sliced
    • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
    • 1 15 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
    • 3 Tbsp chopped canned chipotle peppers in adobo
    • 1 tsp ground cumin
    • 1 tsp chili powder
    • 1 1/2 cups veggie broth or filtered water
    • 1 large yam, cut into cubes (about 3 cups)
    • 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (canned and drained well is fine)
    • 1/3 cup coconut cream (not sweetened)
    • 2 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup filtered water

    Instructions:

    1. In a large pot, combine the onions, garlic, bell pepper, celery, cilantro, tomatoes, chipotle peppers, cumin, chili powder and veggie broth and bring to a boil.  Lower to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
    2. Add the sweet potatoes and chickpeas and cook until the sweet potatoes are softened, about 15 minutes more.
    3. Add the coconut cream, and cornstarch mixture and cook until the soup has thickened and the coconut cream is mixed in.
    4. Remove from heat, and serve!
  • Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Basil Chevre Roll Ups

    Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Basil Chevre Roll Ups

    Vegan Roasted Red Peppers Stuffed with Basil Chevre 4

    When I was in college, my Mom and I liked to go to a Spanish tapas restaurant that served these amazing, flavorful little plates (tapas), and the best part about it was being able to try a bunch of different things and share them with each other. I liked them all, but there were a few that were my favorites. They had these cheese stuffed roasted red peppers that stood out to me as the tastiest. I have always loved roasted red peppers, they are easy to make yourself at home, but you can also find them at most grocery stores. Just make sure they are organic ones made with quality ingredients and no bad preservatives. I have made the cheese stuffed peppers at home before (this was before I was vegan actually), and they were wonderful. Of course like everything else I put my own spin on them. Kind of surprising I have never recreated them in a vegan version, but I was given a few red bell peppers from the reject pile for free at work (they were slightly damaged, but hey, they were beautiful in my eyes because I got to create something with them) and decided to go for it!  The peppers they used at the restaurant were not bell peppers, they were these little red ones, but I thought bell would work just as well if I rolled them up into little packages.

    Vegan Roasted Red Peppers Stuffed with Basil Chevre 3

    I roasted them in my oven to flavorful perfection, skinned them, and they were ready to roll!  I made w basil chevre with fresh basil from my patio, lemon juice and some scallions for flavor.  It was delicious stuff, and I could have eaten a bowl of it with chips but it was even better once it was paired with the sweet and savory red peppers.  They made the cutest little roll ups!  I drizzled a little lemon juice mixture over them to give them a pop of flavor and they were wonderful!  Savory little pockets of deliciousness describes them perfectly.  I was always a cheese lover before I went vegan and now I am a vegan cheese lover.  I think non-vegan me would not have known this wasn’t real cheese, because it was sooo good in the peppers!  These would be so pretty to serve as an appetizer at a party.  But of course, you can be like me, the extreme introvert who doesn’t throw many parties, and just eat them at home and share with your boyfriend if you want.  At any rate, they are delicious no matter who you share them with, so give them a try!

    Vegan Roasted Red Peppers Stuffed with Basil Chevre

    Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Basil Chevre Roll Ups
    Serves 4

    Peppers:
    2 large bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise, and seeded
    olive oil

    Filling:
    3/4 cup raw cashew butter
    1/4 cup coconut butter, warmed to liquid
    1/3 cup filtered water
    2 tsp lemon juice
    1/4 tsp sea salt
    2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
    1 scallion, sliced

    To finish:
    1 Tbsp lemon juice
    1 Tbsp olive oil
    1 tsp finely chopped basil
    good pinch sea salt

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat the oven to 400F degrees.

    2. oil a sheet pan, and the peppers (with just enough oil to coat but not too much) with the olive oil, and place the peppers cut side down on the pan. Place in the oven, and roast for about 30 minutes until they are softened and they are beginning to brown at the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool until cool enough to handle. Remove the skins carefully.

    3. To make the chevre, whisk together all ingredients in a bowl until well blended. Set aside.

    4. When ready to assemble, cut each pepper half in half (top to bottom). Spread some of the chevre over each piece about 1/4 inch thick, then roll up and secure with a toothpick. Place on a plate.

    5. Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, basil and sea salt and drizzle over the roll ups. Serve!