Give Them Something Better

Author: Stephanie Howard

  • Pinspiration! Baked Chili Cheese Fritos (and yes they are vegan!)

    Pinspiration! Baked Chili Cheese Fritos (and yes they are vegan!)

    Chili Fritos

    Chili Cheese Fritos are not something I eat on a regular basis.  In fact I can’t remember the last time I ate them.  But when I saw this photo for homemade baked Chili Cheese Fritos I had to try them! Dana over at the Minimalist Baker is brilliant.  I had made homemade corn chips with tortillas before, but never tried the chili cheese flavor. So I made a couple of modifications to their recipe based on previous experience.

    Here is what I did:

    1.     I doubled the amount of nutritional yeast flakes that she suggested.

    2.     I noticed she had a lot of extra seasoning on the pan that did not stick to her chips. So before I cut the tortillas I sprayed one with cooking spray and then sprinkled it with the seasoning mix. Then I put another tortilla on top of the first one, and rubbed them together. Then I put the third tortilla on top of the first two, repeated the same action, and so on. When I had a stack of 5 or 6, I cut them with a pizza cutter into squares.  (Dana’s were much neater than mine.)

    3.     I also blended the seasoning up in my little spice blender so it was a fine powder.  I always do that for my popcorn too.  It sticks WAY better.

    Other than that I followed the instructions.  As you can see from my photo, Dana was right—the chips burn quickly! I would recommend stirring them every 4-5 minutes. The ones on the edges browned the fastest. Also Dana used all the seasoning on 6 tortillas and I had about half of mine left.  I will definitely use all of the seasoning next time.  But what I did use stuck to the tortillas very nicely.

    It was a perfect recipe for Super Bowl Sunday! I mean, healthy junk food. How can it get better than that? Definitely something I will make again soon. Thanks for the idea Dana!

  • Meatless Monday: Baked Potato Bar

    Potato Bar detail

    When Meatless Monday rolls around it can be hard to please all of the people in the house. A lot of us grew up on good old-fashioned meat and potatoes.  A baked potato bar is a great way to bridge the gap with the vegetarians and meat lovers in the family. Make the same chili recipe that your family loves, simply substitute vegetarian burger (found in the produce department with the tofu or in the freezer section) for the hamburger you normally use. Then bake some potatoes and add the other toppings and you have a very filling healthy meal that will satisfy everyone.


    Baked Potato Bar

    • Baked Potatoes
    • Whole grain pasta
    • Vegetarian Chili
    • Steamed Broccoli
    • Melty Cheeze Sauce
    • Salsa
    • Soy Sour Cream
    • Corn Chips
    • Green Salad
  • Meatless Monday: Baby, It’s Cold Outside – White Chili

    Meatless Monday: Baby, It’s Cold Outside – White Chili

    White Chili and Veggie Wraps B

    I certainly didn’t choose to live in Michigan for the weather. It’s freezing and the snow is up to HERE!  We eat a lot of chili at this time of year to keep us warm. To change things up a bit we like to make a white chili, instead of a traditional red chili.  White chili is made with white beans and chicken instead of the original hamburger and red beans.  It is creamy and white with a little zip from cayenne.

     

    White Chili

    • 1 tablespoon oil
    • 1 large onion, diced
    • 1 ½ tablespoons minced garlic
    • 4 cans (15 ounces) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
    • 4 cups water
    • 1 can (7 ounces) chopped green chilies
    • 2 tablespoons Chicken Style Seasoning
    • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
    • ¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • 2 cups Chicken Substitute (homemade gluten or your favorite store bought variety)
    • 1 container (8 ounces) Tofutti soy sour cream

    1.     Heat oil in a large pot over medium. Add onion and garlic; cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes.

    2.     Add the remaining ingredients, except Gluten Steaks and sour cream, and bring to a boil over high heat.

    3.     Stir in the Gluten Steaks and sour cream. Reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, 30 minutes.

     

  • Oatmeal Patties for Meatless Monday

    Oatmeal Patties for Meatless Monday

    oatmeal patties

    When Ridzoman was a kid his mom always made oatmeal patties. Apparently they were a favorite among the whole family and at the church potluck.  But when we chose a vegan lifestyle those oatmeal patties with eggs and smothered in cream of mushroom soup were not an option.

    However I am always up for a challenge in the kitchen and decided to try to replace the eggs with flax eggs…and it worked!  I tweaked the recipe a little more to perfection and, as they say, the rest is history. Now we can have amazing oatmeal patties that are delicious and cholesterol free.

    New Oatmeal Patties

    • 1½ cup water
    • 1/3 cup ground flax seeds
    • 1 medium onion, cut into large pieces
    • ½ cup walnuts, lightly toasted
    • 3 cups quick-cooking oats
    • 3 tablespoons beef style seasoning
    • 1½ tablespoons Chicken Style Seasoning
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 package (8 ounces) baby portabella mushrooms, chopped (optional)
    • 2 to 4 tablespoons oil, as needed

    1. Mix water and flax seeds together in a small bowl; set aside.

    2. Combine onion and walnuts in a food processor; pulse until minced.

    3. Add remaining ingredients, except mushrooms, to food processor; pulse until combined.

    4. Add mushrooms to food processor; pulse until finely chopped.

    5. Form mixture into patties using a ¼-cup measuring cup.

    6. Heat a large skillet over medium; add enough oil to make a thin layer over the surface of the skillet. Add patties to skillet; cook until golden brown on both sides, about 10 minutes total.

  • Pinspiration! Olive Garden Salad Dressing Recipe

    Pinspiration! Olive Garden Salad Dressing Recipe

    Italian salad

    I am forever pinning stuff to my Pinterest boards, but I must admit I rarely get around to making most of the recipes.  It’s like that collection of cookbooks I have on the shelf.  It seems a big waste…so I have resolved this year to cook what I pin.  That way we can all find out if it tastes as good as it looks.

     We tried some things during the last Emmanuel Institute session.  One of my favorites was this great Olive Garden salad dressing recipe.  The original recipe can be found here.   But we changed it up a bit and made it vegan. The results were excellent!

    We served it at the graduation dinner for the students and their families along with some other Italian favorites. We even made a vegan lemon cream cake, like the one they serve at Olive Garden (I’ll share that recipe after we detox from the holidays!)

    Olive Garden Dressing

    • 1/3 cup lemon juice
    • ¼ cup water
    • ¼ cup olive oil
    • 1 teaspoon Vegenaise
    • ½ teaspoon garlic
    • ½ teaspoon sugar
    • ¼ teaspoon pepper-like seasoning
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
    • 1 pkg. Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix
    • 2 teaspoons vegan Parmesan

    1.     Place all of the ingredients into a glass jar with tight fitting lid.

    2.     Shake well and serve.

    3.     To keep the dressing from separating, add all ingredients into the pitcher of a blender and blend briefly.

  • Meatless Monday: Stuffed Shells with Tofu Ricotta

    Meatless Monday: Stuffed Shells with Tofu Ricotta

    Shells_25

    Did you know the people in Iceland love lasagna? I had no idea.  I have been invited to go to Iceland to share a healthy cooking school and cook for one of their camp meetings.  So I am learning about Icelandic food.

    I have decided to show them some fun and easy ways to substitute meat and dairy with healthier alternatives. Two of the things we are going to make are lasagna and stuffed shells.  Both have the same ingredients but look very different.  So you can either make these shells or layer it like lasagna. It’s really up to you!

    Stuffed Shells

    • 1 box jumbo shells
    • 4 cups tomato sauce
    • 1 recipe Tofu Ricotta (recipe below)
    • ¼ cup non-dairy Parmesan cheese (optional)

    1.     Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly coat a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

    2.     Cook jumbo shells according to the package instructions.

    3.     Ladle 1½ cups of tomato sauce into the bottom of the pan.

    4.     Fill each shell with a spoonful of tofu ricotta and place in the pan on top of the sauce.

    5.     Cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan, if using.

    6.     Cover with aluminum foil and bake 1 hour.

    Makes 8 servings

    Tofu Ricotta 

    • 2 packages (14 ounces) water-packed tofu, firm or extra-firm
    • 1 package (8 ounces) frozen spinach, thawed and drained (optional)
    • 1 cup soy sour cream
    • ¼ cup lemon juice
    • ¼ cup cane juice crystals or other sweetener
    • 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
    • ¾ teaspoon onion powder
    • ¾ teaspoon garlic powder

    1.     Drain water from tofu and wrap tightly in 2 clean dry dishtowels and let sit for 20-30 minutes, to remove excess moisture.

    2.     In a large bowl, mash tofu with a potato masher or your hands.

    3.     Add remaining ingredients to tofu and mix well. Add additional salt or sweetener to taste.

    TIP: Be sure to remove all excess water from the spinach or your Tofu Ricotta will turn green.