Vegetarian Mexican Casserole

This recipe is inspired by Allyson Kramer's Enchilada recipe in her cookbook "Great Gluten-Free Vegan Eats".  It is an excellent cookbook, and I use it often because we need gluten-free and vegetarian recipes in our household.  This casserole can be cooked in the slow cooker or baked in the oven.

Ingredients

5 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 cloves of garlic, whole

2 tablespoons of butter or Earth Balance Buttery Spread

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup minced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 green or red bell pepper, chopped

1 cup gluten-free salsa (homemade or Pace)

2 cans organic tomato sauce (398 ml each)

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth (Costco)

1/2 cup gluten-free beer

1 tablespoon cumin

12 sprouted corn tortillas or regular corn tortillas

1 can Amy's Organic Refried Beans with Green Chiles (398 ml)

1 cup cooked corn (or leftover)

1 package nondairy shredded cheese - Daiya pepper jack (227 g) OR shredded monterey jack cheese

Directions

In a saucepan. boil the potatoes and two whole cloves of garlic in water until soft.  When they are done, mash them with butter and salt and pepper to taste (OR skip this step and use leftover mashed potatoes).

While the potatoes are cooking start the sauce in a large saucepan.  Saute the onion, garlic and bell pepper in olive oil until soft.  Add the salsa, tomato sauce, vegetable broth, beer and cumin.  Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the sauce is slightly reduced and thickened.

Pour about 1 1/2 cups of the sauce in the bottom of a large casserole dish or in the bottom of a slow cooker.  Have the tortillas, mashed potatoes, refried beans, corn and cheese all lined up in a row for assembly.

Using a plate, dip a tortilla in the sauce in the saucepan, then fill with about 2 tablespoons potato, refried beans, corn and cheese.  Roll up to close and place seam side down in the casserole dish or slow cooker.  Repeat with the rest of the tortillas.  Pour the rest of the sauce over top and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Set the slow cooker on LOW for 4 hours, or bake the casserole in a 350 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes (or until the sauce is bubbly and the casserole is hot in the middle).  It is quite soft to serve, so I like to top it with something fresh like avocado, chopped fresh cilantro or guacamole.

Vegetarian Shepard's Pie

I am not vegetarian, but once a week or more we prepare a meatless meal.  With factory farms being one of the largest polluters on the planet, having a meatless meal once a week is a way to reduce your environmental impact.

The Paleo and Primal style of eating is becoming more popular and involves eating more meat.  Hopefully people are thinking about where their meat is coming from and making sure it is from small, local and reputable farms that treat their animals well.

I have heard the terms "Meatless Mondays" or "Mindful Mondays", for adopting a vegetarian meal on Mondays.  For me, it does not necessarily have to be on a Monday, but it is a start to being more conscious about what we eat and where our food is coming from.

My daughter is vegetarian, so we have made quite a few meatless meals and casseroles.  One of the best meatless Shepard's Pies we have had is from the classic vegetarian cookbook "Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant".  I have tried to simplify the recipe to make it quicker and easier to make.  I am not a fan of tofu, but the gravy in this recipe even makes the tofu taste good!

6 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 tablespoons grapeseed or coconut oil
1 large onion, chopped
8-10 button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
freshly ground pepper to taste
3 tablespoons gluten-free tamari soy sauce
1 tablespoon arrowroot starch and 2 tablespoons brown rice flour dissolved in 1/2 cup water
2 to 2 1/2 cups hot potato water (and 1/2 of a gluten-free vegetarian beef flavoured bouillon cube)
1 cup frozen peas or frozen mixed vegetables
3/4 cup walnuts, toasted for 7 minutes at 350 degrees and chopped
juice of half a lemon
1 firm cake tofu, crumbled
daiya dairy free cheese (to sprinkle on top)

Cook the potatoes in water in a large pot until done.  While the potatoes are cooking, toast and chop the walnuts and start the onion gravy mixture.  Drain the potatoes when done, reserving the cooking water.  Mash the potatoes with about 1/4 cup butter, Epicure garlic salt and freshly ground pepper.

In a large cast iron skillet (or a large skillet that can go into the oven), saute the onions, mushrooms, thyme, coriander and black pepper in the oil until softened and fragrant.  Add the soy sauce.  Add the starch and flour dissolved in water.  Add the potato water and 1/2 of a bouillon cube.  Stir on medium-high heat until thickened.  Add the frozen peas or mixed vegetables.  Simmer on low heat until the vegetables are cooked.  Add the chopped walnuts, lemon juice and crumbled tofu.  Simmer for a few minutes more.

Spoon the mashed potatoes on top of the vegetable tofu mixture.  Sprinkle the top with grated cheese or dairy free cheese.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 400 degrees until the cheese melts and the sauce is bubbling around the sides.

Healthy Halloween Treats

There are so many sweet treats this time of year.  Almost too many.  After Halloween is when I notice many children come down with colds and flus.  I suspect it has something to do with all of the sugar that is consumed during Halloween.  Consuming too much sugar suppresses the immune system.

It is possible to get a Halloween chocolate fix without so much sugar.  I prefer to make healthy homemade treats that are free of sugar, dairy and gluten.  I really like the Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge by Kelly from The Spunky Coconut blog.  In the picture above, I combined Kelly's fudge recipe with her Chocolate Hazelnut Spread to make a softer and creamier freezer fudge.

Elana's Pantry has some healthy candy recipes.  Elana's candy bars and nut butter cups make wonderful Halloween treats, and the peppermint patties are perfect for Christmas.  I often substitute maple syrup or honey for the agave in her recipes.

One of our favourite treats is not really all that sweet.  For a special weekend supper, we like miso soup, vegetarian sushi rolls and a big pot of green tea.  Some leftover pieces of barbecued salmon in the miso soup make it more substantial.  Here is the recipe for the dipping sauce that we enjoy with our vegetarian sushi rolls.  It was originally based on a recipe from the vegetarian cookbook "Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant".

Dipping Sauce 

Ingredients

2 tablespoons gluten-free tamari or VH soy sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

2 teaspoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon honey and a dash of crushed red pepper flakes OR sweet chili sauce

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Pour into dipping bowls.  This sauce will serve 2-3 people.

Quick Ratatouille

I make this when I have tons of zucchini at the end of summer!  It is not so much of a recipe, as I often throw in whatever garden vegetables and herbs I have on hand.  Serve as a side with barbecued meat or as a vegetarian dish with some parmesan cheese.

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

4 small zucchini, diced

1 yellow pepper, diced

1 red pepper, diced

dried or chopped fresh italian herbs (Epicure Marinara seasoning also works well)

4-5 fresh garden tomatoes, chopped

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Directions

Saute the onion in olive oil in a large skillet until softened.  Add the rest of the ingredients and sauté for a few minutes.  Cover and cook until softened.  Before serving, season with sea salt (the garlic sea salt from Epicure works well), freshly ground pepper and parmesan cheese.

Pulled Pork in the Slow Cooker

This recipe for pulled pork works well for tacos, soft tacos and salad rolls.  It is convenient because two or three meals can be made out of this crock-pot dish.  The meat has a yummy combination of sweet and spicy flavours!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon coconut oil

2 onions, finely chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon cocoa or cacao powder

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 cup gluten-free salsa (Pace salsa says it is gluten-free on the jar)

1 cup gluten-free barbecue sauce (Amazing Dad's BBQ Sauce is naturally sweetened with honey)

2 tablespoons honey

1 boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat

Directions

1.  Heat the oil over medium heat in a skillet.  Add the onions and cook until soft.  Add garlic, pepper, chili powder, oregano, cocoa, water, cider vinegar, salsa, barbecue sauce and honey.  Stir to combine and bring to a boil.  

2.  Place pork in slow cooker and pour sauce over.  Cover and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours or on high for 6 hours, until pork is falling apart (I usually turn the pork over in the sauce once).

3.  Transfer the pork to a cutting board and pull the meat apart in shreds, using two forks.  Return to sauce to keep warm. 

Maple Pumpkin Spice Lattes in the Slow Cooker

It was reported a couple of years ago that Canadians eat an average of 26 teaspoons of sugar per day.  When we consume a great deal of sugar there are obviously consequences to our health.  Diabetes, an impaired immune system, childhood and adult obesity are some of the serious health implications.  I have read recently that sugar can even be harmful to your mental health.  Sugar consumption has been implicated in depression and anxiety conditions.  Most people are starting to realize the importance of cutting back on sugar.  I try not to bake very often and keep sweet treats to a minimum.  When I do bake, I am careful to look for ways to cut back on sugar as well as use some natural substitutes like coconut sugar, honey, maple syrup and stevia.

I have been reading lately about the difference between coconut sugar and cane sugar.  I had read an article about coconut sugar not being that much better than cane sugar.  Then I stumbled on Dr. Andrew Weil's site.  He has some good information about coconut sugar on his Q and A Library.  He explains that coconut sugar is a preferred sweetener over cane sugar because it has less fructose.  He says that it is irrelevant to look at the glycemic index of sweeteners, and mainly recommends reducing sweeteners high in fructose.  This includes agave, high fructose corn syrup, cane sugar and some other sweeteners.  High consumption of fructose causes abnormal liver function and promotes obesity.  Furthermore, fructose is harmful to the brain and can compromise memory and learning.  Dr. Andrew Weil's preferred sweetener is maple syrup because it is only about 35% fructose.

I have been baking less this year for two reasons.  I am trying to cut back on sugar and fructose, and I am way too busy to waste time baking sweet treats that we don't really need.  However, I was looking for something a bit sweet to make for Thanksgiving weekend that my daughter and I could enjoy.  I came across a Maple Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe in "The Everything Gluten-Free Slow Cooker Cookbook" by Carrie S. Forbes.  This cookbook is helpful if you are busy and need recipes that are quick and healthy.  I have changed some of the ingredients to make this latte recipe dairy free.  It is definitely a healthier version than one you would buy from a coffee chain.

Ingredients

4 cups organic decaf coffee

1 can of coconut milk (I used Thai Kitchen)

2 1/2 cups of unsweetened almond milk

1/2 cup plain pumpkin puree (canned or freshly cooked)

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice (I used Epicure, but you can also make your own pumpkin pie spice)

Directions

1.  Whisk together all ingredients in the slow cooker.

2.  Cover and cook on high for 1 1/2 hours or on low for 3 hours.

3.  Taste to see if it is sweet enough for you.  Sometimes, I will add 8 to 10 drops of liquid vanilla stevia to add more sweetness.  Before serving, I use my hand blender to whip the hot liquid in the slow cooker to make it foamy (be careful).  When serving, turn slow cooker to the warm setting for up to 2 hours. If desired, sprinkle each mug with some cinnamon and coconut sugar on top of the foam.   

*The pumpkin puree can be omitted to make Maple Spiced Lattes.  I have also substituted canned organic butternut squash in place of the canned pumpkin.  The butternut squash has a more subtle flavour than the pumpkin puree.

Slow Cooker Cilantro Shipwreck

I make a very different Shipwreck casserole than my mother and grandmother used to make.  This one is just as good, but has ground chicken, no tomatoes, more spice and is made in the slow cooker.  See if you like it too!

Ingredients

4 potatoes, peeled and sliced (I think 1 sweet potato could be substituted, but have not tried this yet)

3 small zucchini, sliced

3 carrots, peeled and sliced

2 small onions, sliced

2 pounds ground chicken, browned in about 1 tablespoon of coconut oil

1 400 ml can coconut milk (I use Thai Kitchen)

1 cup gluten-free chicken broth (I bought mine from Costco)

3 tablespoons brown rice flour (I sometimes omit this, but it will be more like soup)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

dash of chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

juice of 1 lime

Directions

1.  Place potatoes in the bottom of a greased slow cooker (I use coconut oil).  Top with zucchini, carrots, and onions.  Place the browned ground chicken on top (I have also used Spolumbos chicken and apple sausages that were squeezed out of the casing and browned).

2.  In a medium bowl, whisk together coconut milk, broth, flour, salt, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, cilantro and lime juice.  Pour this mixture over the ground chicken in the slow cooker.

3.  Cover and cook for 6 hours.  Top with the juice from another lime and some more chopped fresh cilantro before serving.