Easy Entertaining: Plant-strong Vegan Taco Bar Party

Believe it or not, I started this blog posting almost a year ago. I never got around to finishing it up at the time, which, believe it or not, happens with a lot of my postings. But it's such a fun and easy entertaining idea, and I happen to enjoy it every time I prepare it, that I just couldn't let it go: Vegan Taco Bar Night!

Does it seem too pedestrian to invite guests over and serve them a meal of tacos? Not to me, and certainly not when kids are on the guest list. I confess, entertaining with a taco bar is not my original idea. I first enjoyed the beauty and simplicity of it at my friend Chris-Anna's house when I had one of those "now why didn't I think of that?" moments.

So what is it that I love so much about this concept?

This meal pleases everyone: kids and adults, picky eaters and adventurous eaters, the health conscious and the not-so-health conscious.

For guests who want to eat a salad-great! Make a salad with all of these delicious toppings. For kids-fantastic! There's a ton of ways to make kid friendly food here. For you Hungry Jacks--go for the traditional taco in a shell or construct a Mexican pasta dish. This meal appeals to everyone.

And it's ever so easy to prepare.

Read more �

What Should Have Been Cilantro Jalapeno Zucchini Pancakes with Chipotle Sour Cream

I was inspired to make this dish after posting my Links for Latkas last Friday. I wanted to see if you could take the deliciousness of a potato pancake and turn it on its head. Eliminate the frying. Up the veggie quotient. It wasn't too big of a stretch.

Plus, I happened to have a lot of zucchini in my refrigerator that I needed to use up a.s.a.p.

So as the snow fell outside, I was comfortably warm cooking up my own storm this past Saturday morning. I knew I would be serving this dish that evening to my newish next door neighbors. The neighbors where the wife is the phenomenal cook.

The pressure was on.

I thought I would do something really creative and make a casserole out of the pancake ingredients. A kugel if you will.

It worked, but while the resulting dish was delicious, I know that it could have been so much better, although more time consuming, if I had just stuck with straight up pancakes. The casserole lacked the crispiness on all sides that I was craving, so I carefully cut the entire tray into small squares and rebaked all of the pieces.

Luckily, it worked. But you don't need to go through all that hassle. Just make the pancakes from the start!

I'm not sure you'd want to attempt these without the magic of a food processor, but if you've got the muscle (or need a good workout), go right ahead.

Cilantro Jalapeno Zucchini Pancakes with Chipotle Sour Cream
adapted from this recipe

Printable Recipe

1 Tbsp EnerG Egg Replacer
1/4 cup water
2 1/2 pounds zucchini, shredded
1 pound peeled baking potato, shredded
1 small onion (mine was 7 ounces), shredded
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp chopped chipotle chili, canned in adobo sauce
scant 2 Tbsp finely chopped, seeded jalapeno pepper
2 tsp cumin
4 thinly sliced scallions (mine were on the small side)
1 tsp salt
12 Tbsp garbanzo bean flour

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

In a small bowl, whisk together EnerG Egg Replacer and water.

In a very large bowl, place all ingredients, including egg replacer/water mixture. Stir well to combine ingredients thoroughly.
Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set over medium heat. Drop 1/4 cupfuls of the batter onto the hot skillet and press each mound into a 3-inch pancake. Cook the pancakes until browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes per side. Transfer the latkes to a baking tray and put in the oven to keep warm.

Repeat with the remaining batter. Optional: serve topped with Chipotle Sour Cream.

Chipotle Sour Cream
Not exactly health food, but vegan. Outstanding.

1 12 ounce container Tofutti Sour Cream
2 Tbsp chopped chipotle chili, canned in adobo sauce
Zest of 1 large lime
Juice of 1 large lime

Place all ingredients into a medium bowl and whisk to combine.

These would also make outstanding Vegan appetizers for a party. Just use a tablespoon full of batter as you make the pancakes instead of 1/4 cup. Arrange on a platter and keep warm in the oven. Dollop a bit of the Chipotle Sour Cream on right before serving.

Short on Time, High on Deliciousness: Jill's Smashing Black Beans

as a dip with crudites

Back in the day, I attempted a few of Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Meals. They never took only 30 minutes. I think my average was 60, and I'm no slow poke.

As much as I hate to admit it, eating healthy on a consistent basis takes effort and time, whether you are a no-added-oil Plant-strong Nutritarian or not. Very rarely do I come across a recipe that I would want to prepare regularly that would truly qualify as fast.

That's why I'm so excited about sharing this recipe with you. My friend Jill, of Roasted Chick Peas with Swiss Chard fame, has been talking it up for a while and I finally had an opportunity to taste some. It was love at first bite.

Here's what Jill has to say about her creation. "It�s simple. It goes with anything. Dress it up. Dress it down. Just like a little black dress!

Serve it with hot cooked brown rice, and it is a hearty main course. Use the beans as filling in a whole grain wrap or burrito. Build a black bean tostada. Slice carrots, red peppers and pita and eat it as a dip.

It�s smashing!"

I agree. And best of all, it's f a s t!

Make a double batch and use it for a few different easy dinners. How nice is that?

over brown rice

Smashing Black Beans (AKA, The Little Black Dress)

Printable Recipe

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 medium onion chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp cumin powder

1 cup vegetable stock, plus more for saut�ing onion

1 lime

Chopped fresh cilantro

 Saut� onion in a little vegetable broth on medium-high heat for a few minutes until soft.  Add jalapeno pepper and saut� another minute and a half. Add garlic and saut� another 30 seconds. Add cumin and mix well.  

Add black beans and vegetable stock. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Coarsely smash the beans with a potato masher or with the back of a spoon.  Keep boiling on medium-low, stirring often for 10 more minutes until the bean mixture is thick. Season with a little lime juice. Garnish with cilantro.

Doubles easily.

so good you'll wanna eat it for breakfast

toast up a tortilla and build a tostada

What has your experience been with time and plant-strong food prep? How does it compare with your previous eating style?

Do you have a fast and easy go-to dinner?

If you don't see the comments section below, click on the title of this post. Still not there? Hit your refresh button. Sorry for the inconvenience. I'm experiencing some technical difficulties with my new comments platform.

Winner Announced and Sweet Potato and Kale Quesadillas

Thanks to all 136 of you who entered the Super Immunity Giveaway--a record number of entries for an HGK contest. My new friend, the random number generator, says that

#47 is the winner. Congratulations to Trish who answered "Flax and/or chia seeds. I can't start my day without one of them - in a smoothie or on top of my oatmeal." Please contact me at healthygirlskitchen@gmail.com with your full name and address.

Contests are really fun for me. I get to hear from a ton of readers who normally stay behind the scenes. Almost as much fun as making dinner with items commonly found in my pantry, freezer and fridge. No trip to the supermarket necessary! Here's what was going on at HGK for the past two nights:

HGK's Sweet Potato and Kale Quesadillas
serves 6

Printable Recipe

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and large diced
vegetable broth for sauteing
1 large yellow onion, diced small
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 cup frozen corn, optional: fire roasted corn
1/2 cup of your favorite salsa (the spice level you like)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
4 packed cups (or more) chopped kale
hot sauce (or not)
salt (or not) or salt free seasoning
12 small whole wheat tortillas
optional: Daiya or other vegan cheddar cheese

Place diced sweet potato in a small pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 15 minutes. Check if potatoes are tender. When cooked, drain sweet potatoes.

While potatoes are cooking, heat about 1/4 cup vegetable broth in a large pan over medium heat. When broth begins to bubble, add onions and cook, stirring frequently, for eight minutes or until onions are translucent. Lower heat and add more broth if onions begin to burn. Add garlic and stir.

Add corn and cook for another 5 minutes. Add salsa, cinnamon, cumin and chili powder. Stir. Add kale and stir. Cover pot and cook for 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Kale should be tender.

Add black beans and stir.

Drain potatoes and throw into the pot. Using a potato masher or the back of a large fork, mash potatoes. Stir with kale and bean mixture to incorporate everything. Taste and add salt if you must! Remove from heat.

Place a separate large saute pan over medium heat. Place one tortilla in pan. Dollop kale/bean/potato mixture onto the middle of the tortilla and mash down, covering all but the outer edge of the tortilla. Optional: Sprinkle with vegan cheddar cheese. Place a second tortilla on top and, with the back of a spatula, compress the quesadilla. After a few minutes, flip the quesadilla and crisp the second side. Remove from the pan and slice into 6 triangles (a pizza cutter works well for this step).

Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. Just like a quesadilla should be, only without all that fat! Plus the added bonus of kale. How perfect is that?

Tex Mex Quinoa with Cilantro, Lime and Apricots

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway yesterday with your most pressing plant-based nutrition question.

If you have not yet entered, please do! The contest closes on Thursday at midnight and Julieanna Hever has graciously offered to answer our 3 most popular plant-based nutrition questions in a guest post right here on HGK.

It's very interesting to read through everyone's responses. What I am struck by is the variety of questions. No single questions are being asked repeatedly by any volume of respondants . . . yet!

On to other big news, I made this quinoa salad as part of a taco bar (more on that in a later post) party that we hosted this past weekend. It was a big hit with the guests and I couldn't wait to share it with all of you.

HGK's Tex Mex Quinoa Salad with Cilantro, Lime and Apricots

Printable Recipe

1 cup quinoa
1 � cups water
1 cup packed cilantro
� cup raw pepitas
Zest of one lime
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate
1 tsp ground cumin
dash or two of Cayenne pepper (depending on your heat preference)
� tsp salt (or not)
1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 roma tomato, diced small
2 scallions, sliced thinly
1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped
1 avocado, � inch dice
Place quinoa and water into a rice cooker and cook, or prepare as follows: In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add quinoa and return to a boil. Reduce heat to lowest setting and cover. Simmer for 15 minutes. Water should be absorbed. Fluff with a fork and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Transfer quinoa to a large bowl.

In the bowl of a food processor, add cilantro, pepitas, lime zest, lime juice, orange juice concentrate, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt (optional). Process, scraping down sides, into a paste. Transfer to bowl with quinoa.

To cooked quinoa and cilantro paste, add black beans, tomato, scallions, apricots and avocado. Fold well to combine. Taste and add more Cayenne if necessary.

Ironic Trip to the ER and a Comfort Food Dinner Afterwards

I've kinda been wanting to mention this lately, but it never really came up as a natural part of our blogging conversation: My family has been pretty darn sick with a weird and yucky virus. For weeks.

The symptoms are as follows: high fever for a week (yes, one week) followed by a rash all over your body that comes and goes for days after the fever has ended, coupled with a significant amount of coughing.

For my two littles (3 and 6), the virus came and went without much hoopla. For my 11 year old, it's been a series of calamities. First came the highest fever (104) I have ever seen in a human. But in her case, it never went away after the seven days like we said it would. Next came the chest x-rays and a diagnosis of pneumonia (a secondary infection). And finally, yesterday, to top it all off, the headache from hell.

That set off a full day ride on the emotional roller coaster called Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital Emergency Room, which, by the way, is incomprehensibly amazing at making these precarious situations as good as they can be. West Nile Virus? Meningitis?

Just checking.

She's fine. I think.

By the time we got home, we all needed a little comfort food.

The Happy Herbivore's Chickpea Tacos.

Where's the beef? Who cares. These are so darned delicious I challenge any omnivore to miss the meat. 

Get the recipe here, but make sure to leave out most of the salt in the taco seasoning part of the recipe. Ms. Nixon failed to mention that and I have a feeling my rings aren't going to fit tomorrow, or maybe for the next week.
So what was so ironic about this whole virus episode? The fact that as this virus is wreaking havoc on my kids I am reading Dr. Fuhrman's Super Immunity, that's what.

Or maybe it's not ironic at all, and it's the universe taking care of us, sending me exactly the type of message that I need to hear: pay more attention to what your kids are eating because you don't want them to get sick like this again, do you?

Could all of this sickness mostly have been avoided had my kids been eating their raw veggies everyday (which they're not)? Dr. Fuhrman says so, and he's got the science to back it up. I guess it's time to start getting more creative about the veggies.

And pushy.

How do you get your kids/spouse/self to eat raw veggies if they are resistant?

Tempeh Tamale Pie and Zesty Jicama Slaw

 

Why is this the third Tamale Casserole that I have made in the past two months? Perhaps I am on a quest for finding the perfect Tamale Casserole recipe? First, it was The Happy Herbivore's recipe. Next, I "Nutritarianed" it up with my own version of a Tamale Casserole. And this past week, after reading about Mama Pea's all-time favorite recipeas, and finding out that one of them to make the list was her Tempeh Tamale Pie, I was like a moth to a flame.

Except I added kale. Lots of kale. Six cups of finely chopped up kale, to be exact (I made a double recipe).

The addition of kale was awesome. Surprisingly, I couldn't taste the tempeh. But the winning change was the addition of the jicama slaw.

The recipe for "Zesty Jicama" comes from Terry Walter's Clean Start cookbook, and you can find it on the internet here. A crunchy, light, citrusy and complex slaw, you can bet I'll be making this one again. Ms. Walters is a culinary genius in my opinion (and a friend of a college roommate--what a small world this is!), and if you don't already own both of her cookbooks, you are really missing out.

Tamale Casserole, Revisited and The Beck Diet Solution, Day 9-Select an Exercise Plan

About a week ago I prepared Lindsay S. Nixon's Tamale Casserole from her book The Happy Herbivore. My husband and I definitely thought it was GOOD, but I knew that it could even be better with a boatload more veggies. So I went to town this past weekend and set about making a Tamale Casserole that even Dr. Fuhrman would love.

If you are expecting the cornbread topping to taste like cake, the way an old fashioned cornbread usually does, you will probably be disappointed. This cornbread is made with no fat, so it is a little bit dry, but on top of the moist vegetables, I think it's a great compliment.

HGK's Vegetized (is that a word?) Tamale Casserole

serves a crowd

Printable Recipe

approx. 1/2 cup low sodium vegetable broth

1 large chopped onion

6 garlic cloves, minced

10 ounces mushrooms, chopped

4 cups medium dice zucchini

4 cups chopped greens (kale, collard, beet, etc. or a mix)

1/2 cup of your favorite red salsa

1 1/2 Tbsp Mexican or Southwest spice blend

OR 1 Tbsp chili powder + 1 tsp dried oregano + 1 tsp ground cumin

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup frozen corn (I prefer the Fire Roasted from Trader Joe's)

for the cornbread top:

1 1/2 cups cornmeal

1/2 cup whole wheat flour, either white whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup unsweetened almond or soy or rice milk

1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 cup frozen corn kernels

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place a large saute pan or dutch oven over a medium high flame and coat the bottom of the pan with vegetable broth. As soon as the vegetable broth is bubbling, add the diced onion. Turn the heat down to medium and cook the onions, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. If onions get too dry, add a touch more vegetable broth as necessary to prevent burning. Add chopped garlic and stir. Cook for two more minutes.

Add mushrooms and stir. Cook until mushrooms begin to release their water.

Add zucchini and stir. Cook for approximately ten minutes.

Add chopped greens and stir. Cook for three minutes. Add salsa and stir.

Add either 1 1/2 Tbsp spice blend or chili powder, oregano and cumin. Stir well.

Add black beans and corn. Stir.

Take vegetable mix off of the heat. Now it's time to mix the cornbread.

Place all dry cornbread ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together all of the wet cornbread ingredients (except for the corn kernels). Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Fold in the corn kernels.

Now assemble the casserole. Pour the vegetable mix into a greased 9"x13" pan. Top with the cornbread mix and spread evenly over the vegetables. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the cornbread topping at the center comes out clean. Serve immediately.

If you are serving Vegetized Tamale Casserole as a main course, I think it looks especially professional stacked in two layers.

And now for a Beck update! I am stuck here on Day 9, Select and Exercise Plan. Not because there is anything particularly difficult about this step, but just because my life has been busy as of late! The old me would have been a little agitated, thinking that I wasn't working through the steps fast enough. But now I realize that it is more important to really master the steps, slowly if you have to.

So in that vein, I have a confession to make: I'm not reading my Advantages Response Card twice a day like I am supposed to be doing! Every time my cell phone reminder goes off I think of how busy I am and that I don't have the time to do it. So I am going to reset the timer to go off at two totally different times a day--times where I know I am not going to be in the middle of a lot of other things.

As far as exercise goes, I believe that what Beck says is totally on point. Number 1, we have to schedule exercise like everything else in our lives and make it a major priority. And Number 2, we have to lead active lives and not just rely on the gym to take care of our exercise needs (like parking far away from an entrance to a building and taking stairs).

I know that I have been my most consistent with exercise ever since setting a schedule. In fact, I had a recent schedule change (really a temporary elimination of one form of exercise) and I thought I would make up for it by walking. Well, guess what? I have walked sometimes, but not nearly with the consistency as I would have worked out with a scheduled class. So I'm starting again with more scheduled classes a.s.a.p.!

It's all a learning process and I am a willing student.

How do you get in the most exercise possible? Do you schedule exercise like an appointment? 

What are you struggling with on The Beck Diet Solution? What day are you on right now?

What are you having success with on The Beck Diet Solution?

A Real Winner: The Happy Herbivore's Mexican Cabbage

My second entree into Lindsay S. Nixon's recipes from her book The Happy Herbivore turned out spectacularly. Mexican Cabbage is the epitome of a volumetric recipe: high in volume and low in calories. But without sacrificing taste, texture or satisfaction. I absolutely LOVE this dish and know that I will be making it time and time again.

The only substitutions I made to Lindsay's original recipe were (1) doubling all of the ingredients--of course--and I'm taking most of it to a pot luck tonight, and (2) I used a Southwest spice blend that a friend gave me as a gift instead of the spices that Lindsay called for (cumin and oregano).

Lucky for us, Lindsay has posted this recipe on her blog, Happy Herbivore. Here it is:
http://happyherbivore.com/recipe/quick-mexican-cabbage/

As for Lindsay's Tamale Casserole recipe that I blogged about last week and many of you wanted the recipe for, I wasn't able to find the recipe online and I don't have permission from the author to reprint her recipe. But check back here in a few days for the Healthy Girl's Kitchen spin on Tamale Casserole. I'm so excited to try out my own version!

OPR: White Bean and Mango Burritos

What is "OPR" you wonder? Well, it stands for "other people's recipes." I'm not much of a chef, if you haven't noticed, but what I am a master at is scouring the world for Plant Strong, Nutritarian recipes and then making and eating them. After I take some photographs that is!

Here's a new favorite that I discovered: White Bean and Mango Burritos from The Real Meal Today blog. They could not have been any easier or any more delicious! If you are craving Mexican food, give these a try. Go here to check out the original recipe, which would have been so spicy I'm not sure that I could have eaten them. I made a few modifications to the heat, to the proportions and also by adding lettuce. Spinach or any other green would work well too!

Here's my version:

White Bean and Mango Burritos

serves 4

2 15 ounce cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained 

1 large ripe mango, peeled and diced (about 1 1/2 cups of diced mango)
1cup chopped cilantro
1/4 tsp Cayenne powder (less or more to personal preference!)
1 1/2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 1/2 Tbsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
6 medium whole wheat tortillas( as healthy as you can get them)
2 cups chopped lettuce

Combine all ingredients except the tortillas in a large bowl, mix by hand until incorporated. Using a handheld immersion blender, puree about 1/4 of the mixture right in the bowl with all of the ingredients. Remix everything. This will give the mixture a more solid feel and pieces of beans will not be falling out when you bite or cut it.

Soften the tortillas by putting over an open flame on you're stove, over a grill or in the microwave for a few seconds. This will make them easier to roll and move without cracking. Place 1/2 cup chopped lettuce and 1/2 cup of the bean mixture at the bottom of the tortilla, roll over forward 1 turn, fold sides in and then continue to roll to the end.

Optional: place on sheet tray and bake for 10-15 min at 325 degrees.

How do you get your Mexican Food fix?