sweet potato fries

With lots of sweet potatoes in the house, sweet potato fries were an obvious choice. These Mark Bittman fries were good, but could have used an extra five minutes in the oven to crisp up.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• PREPARATION
• Heat the oven to 400.
• Cut the sweet potatoes into sticks 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide and 3 inches long, and toss them with the oil.
• Mix the spices, salt and pepper in a small bowl, and toss them with the sweet potatoes. Spread them out on 2 rimmed baking sheets.
• Bake until brown and crisp on the bottom, about 15 minutes, then flip and cook until the other side is crisp, about 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Crock pot minestrone

A great recipe from Sarcastic Cooking. The biggest change is that I will reduce the amount of noodles from 1 1/2 cups to 1/2 a cup next time. The noodles absorbed almost all of the broth. I also left out the parmesan rind to make it vegan. An incredibly simple, very tasty recipe!

Crock Pot Minestrone

 

Serves: 8 – 10

Ingredients

• 2 Diced Zucchinis
• 1 Diced Red/Yellow Bell Pepper
• 1 Celery Stalk, diced
• 1 Carrot, peeled and diced
• 2 Cups Fresh Spinach, chopped
• 1/2 Diced Red Onion
• 16 Ounce Can Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained
• 16 Ounce Can Garbanzo Beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 Tablespoon Sea Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Black Pepper
• ½ Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1 Teaspoon Dried Basil
• 1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
• 2 Cloves Garlic, pressed
• 4 Cups Low-Sodium Vegetable Stock
• 28 Ounce Can Diced Tomatoes
• ½ Cup Whole Wheat Elbow Noodles

Instructions

1. Add all the above ingredients into the crock pot, except the elbow noodles. Cover with lid. Set the crock pot to low and cook for 6-8 hours or high and cook for 3-4 hours.
2. In the last 30 minutes of the cooking, add the noodles. Cover with lid.
3. Remove bay leaf before serving. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks or freeze and keep for a month or two.

El Diablo Cornbread

This recipe from Exploits of a Vegan Wannabe is essentially chili and cornbread in one pan.  It's great for me to have on hand for vegan snacking or lunch.  I've made it both as muffins or as an 8x8 pan loaf.  I know that honey isn't actually vegan, but I am not a huge agave fan, so honey was good enough for me. 

Ingredients
1 20 oz bag Bob’s Red Mill Cornbread Mix
1 1/2 C room temp non dairy milk ( I used unsweetened almond milk)
1/3 C melted vegan butter or oil
3 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer whisked very well with 2 Tbsp water
3 tomatillos, finely diced
12 oz soy chorizo (I used Trader Joe’s brand)
1 C frozen corn kernels
2 Tbsp honey
1/2 packed cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Saute soy chorizo and diced tomatillos until they become soft. While your mixture is cooking, break apart soy chorizo in the pan so it is the texture of ground beef. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl mix entire bag of cornbread mix, egg replacer mixed with water, milk and butter or oil. Stir gently to incorporate all wet and dry ingredients.
Add chorizo mixture, corn, honey, and cilantro. Stir gently to incorporate.
Pour into muffin or 8x8 pan.
bake at 375 about 28-35 minutes until cooked through.