Simple Black Bean Soup

Forethought Note: Soak the dry black beans overnight in a bowl with water to cover. Plan on making this either the night before (to cook overnight) or the morning of. It's wonderful to have dinner done hours before it's needed.


Ingredients
1 pound dry black beans
8 cups vegetable broth
1 sweet onion
Peppers of your choice (2 big green bell peppers OR 2 big anaheim chiles OR 2 7oz cans diced green chilies...whatever you have on hand)
2 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 Tablespoon cumin (or more to taste)
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 bay leaves

Method
Chop the onions and peppers/chiles.
Rinse the soaked beans.
Put EVERYTHING in the crock pot and cook on high for 8 hours.

Top with sour cream and serve with sourdough roles.
Cheap and tasty. Plus, it makes the whole house smell amazing all day.

Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta

Ingredients
Pasta of your choice (I like angel hair)
Fresh basil leaves
Walnuts (or pine nuts...however, walnuts average to be $15/lb cheaper than pine nuts)
Sun dried tomatos
Garlic
Olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Method
Cook pasta according to package.
Add basil leaves, walnuts, sun dried tomatoes, and garlic to your food processor with an "S" blade. Blend until chopped well, then pour in olive oil, pulsing the blade, until the mixture becomes smooth. Toss with pasta.

Note: I don't put the measurements on some recipes because it really does not matter. A little of this, a little of that. You really can't go wrong.

Coconut Hot Cereal with Dates

Ingredients
1/2 cup your favorite rice cereal
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup canned coconut milk
1 handful chopped medjool or honey dates (or any fruit, really)
Cinnamon, nutmeg, or cloves

Method
Bring water and coconut milk to a boil in a small pot.
Add rice cereal and dates (or other fruit).
Cook for about 5 minutes, until the rice has absorbed the liquid.
Spoon into bowl, cover with desired amount of remaining coconut milk, and sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg, or cloves.

A yummy, hot breakfast treat!

The Enchiladas

Ingredients
1 can pinto beans, drained & rinsed
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 can kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 can black olives, drained & chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 cup corn
3 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped (less or more depending on wanted spicy level)
1 can enchilada sauce (I use red)
1/2 favorite salsa
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
10 corn tortillas
Salt to taste
Coconut oil for saute

"Cheese" Sauce

1/2 whole wheat flour

1/2 nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 cups water

1/4 cup Earth Balance

1 teaspoon mustard

Method
To make the "cheese," combine flour, nutritional yeast, salt and garlic in saucepan. Whisk in water. Heat on medium until thick and bubbling. Remove from heat and add Earth Balance and mustard. Set aside 1/2 cup of the cheese sauce. Dip your finger in and try it. Stinkin' good.
Heat coconut oil in a large pot. Add onions and jalapeno peppers. Cook until soft. Then add beans, corn, olives, salsa, and cilantro. Stir together and add all except 1/2 cup of the "cheese" sauce. Stir together, cooking for about 5 minutes. Salt to taste.
Coat the bottom of a 9"x13" pan with enchilada sauce. Cover the bottom of the pan with tortillas, then spoon bean filling to cover. Place more tortillas on top, cover in enchilada sauce, and more filling. On and so forth. Like a lasanga. On the very top, pour enchilada sauce and 1/2 reserved cheese sauce.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes...until it begins to brown.
Serve with freshly sliced avocado. Makes great leftovers.

Wild Rice in Acorn Squash & Crispy Tempeh

Acorn Squash & Wild Rice
Ingredients
1 acorn squash
1 cup wild rice
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1 1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1 tablespoon crushed garlic
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 teaspoon thyme
Red chile pepper flakes (add as much as you want, depending on spicy tolerance)
Cinnamon to taste
Salt & pepper to taste
Earth Balance butter
Coconut oil for saute

Method
Cut acorn squash in half, remove seeds, and place in a pan face-down in 1/2" of water.
Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
Bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add wild rice. Cook at a low boil, covered loosely, for about the same time as the squash.
In a pan, heat coconut oil. Add onions and saute. When the onions start to become soft, add garlic and mushrooms. When the mushrooms start to get soft, add walnuts and cook until they're toasty.
When the rice is finished, at it to the onions, mushrooms, and walnuts.
Add apple cider vinegar, thyme, red chile flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for a couple more minutes, mixing all ingredients together.
When squash is cooked, smooth it over with a little Earth Balance and sprinkle a hint of cinnamon.
Spoon wild rice into the squash center.

The spicy rice and the sweet squash go wonderfully together.

Crispy Tempeh
Ingredients
Tempeh (whatever kind you like)
Whole wheat flour
"True Zaatar" (a seasoning mixture from a local farm. It is zaatar, sumac, and sesame seeds) or herbs of your choice
Coconut oil
Earth Balance
Bragg's liquid aminos
Salt & Pepper

Method
Slice tempeh into strips.
On a plate, mix a bit of flour, True Zataar or other herbs, salt and pepper.
Flip the tempeh around in the flour mixture, coating it.
In a pan, heat up coconut oil and Earth Balance. When hot, add tempeh and cook until golden. When finished, sprinkle with some Bragg's liquid aminos.

Serve beside the squash and wild rice.

This meal is filling and very Fall!

Banana Muffs

Ingredients
1 cup honey
1 egg
2 cups whole wheat flour
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon baking soda
Optional: Sprinkle cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Yum.

Method
Set oven to 350 degrees.
Grease muffin tin with a little veggie oil.
Mix honey, oil, and egg until creamy. Add bananas and walnuts, mix.
Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir until smooth, but leave some banana chunks.
Spoon the batter into muffin tin.
Bake for 30-40 minutes until you can poke a fork into the center of a muffin and it comes out clean.

Warning: these do not last long. I bake a dozen and they last for less than 24 hours. I have an inclination as to where they go because I only live with one other person.

Broccoli, Tofu & Rice - The $3 Meal

Ingredients
Two heads of broccoli
One box of extra firm tofu
Brown rice
Your favorite marinade or stir fry sauce
Coconut oil
Honey or agave
Chili powder
Garlic powder
Bragg's liquid aminos
Pepper

Method
This one requires a bit of forethought. You must freeze and thaw the tofu or this meal is no fun.
Take your frozen tofu out of the 'fridge in the morning, unwrap, and place in a colander in the sink. It will be thawed by dinner time.
Start the brown rice first. Bring to a boil 2 cups of water. Add 1 cup of rice, bring back to a boil, then bring down to a simmer. Simmer, covered, for 35-40 minutes.
Slice tofu into strips and lie them on a paper towel. Set another paper towel over them and press them to death with your hands. You might go through an obscene amount of paper towels during this process, but it is worth it. Press that tofu until no more juice comes out.
Place the tofu on a plate and cover with your favorite marinade or stir fry sauce. Sprinkle with pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, and honey or agave. Set aside.
Cut out broccoli florets.
Heat coconut oil in a pan.
Saute florets, but keep them tender. Season with pepper.
Remove florets from pan, add more coconut oil and heat.
Add tofu and cook until golden.

Enjoy broccoli and tofu served over the brown rice. Season with liquid aminos.

This meal is healthy, hearty, and so cheap it's not even funny.