Soy Chorizo Vegan Chili

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We are so behind on our post schedule it’s not even funny but I figured as long as I’m not posting this recipe in June, we’re cool (your standards change when you’re a parent of two). So March is less than a week away but that means NOTHING here in Michigan because our weather is a wild card of unpredictability (sigh). I’m not totally complaining though because for those really chilly spring days, we have just the recipe to warm up our bones and souls. If you’re in graduate school like us or lead generally busy lives, this is another easy and delicious recipe to add to your meal plan during those really hectic weeks.

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As I’m sure I mentioned before on here, we are always looking for ways to cut down on our meat consumption and a few years ago I stumbled across this pretty stellar soy chorizo at Trader Joe’s for just $1.99. I know, right?! At first we used it in our egg scrambles but one day it hit me that it would make a great meat substitute base for a vegan chili. Spoiler alert: It does! Not only does it have that perfect ground beef texture but it’s so spicy you may find you don’t even need to season your chili at all. You can also cut the preparation time for this recipe by opting for canned beans instead of dried beans but either way, your watch, wallet, and tummy will be satisfied with this hearty bowl of goodness.

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Soy Chorizo Vegan Chili

  • Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 cup of finely chopped carrots
1 cup black beans, cooked
1 cup kidney beans, cooked
1 12 oz. package of Soy Chorizo, casing removed and crumbled
1 15 oz. can  of tomato sauce
4 cups water or vegetable stock
2 garlic cloves, minced
Olive Oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Note: *If you prefer your chili to be less thick, you can add more liquid to water it down. *You can also tweak this recipe to your liking and include more vegetables such as bell peppers, tomatoes, and corn. *I find the soy chorizo makes the chili spicy and flavorful enough for our taste, especially with the kids in mind, but if you find the flavor isn’t cutting it for you, you can add the following: 1 teaspoon ground sweet paprika, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 tablespoon chili powder, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional).

Directions
1. In a deep pot, drizzle a bit of olive oil and sauté your onion, and garlic on medium heat until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes.
2. Next add in the carrots and soy chorizo. Cook for about 2-3 minutes until the ingredients are well incorporated.
3. Finally, add in the water/stock, beans, and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil then let simmer on low until reduced and thickened, about 20-30 minutes.
4. Taste the chili and season to your liking or adjust the thickness.
5. Ladle your chili into bowls and serve with vegan cheese, non-dairy sour cream, and crispy tortilla chips.

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Tomato Parsley Rice Soup

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With colder weather finally on the horizon, I thought it would be a perfect time to share one of our favorite soup recipes. I wasn’t much into soup as a kid because I didn’t think it was a legit meal but this one always filled me up. I remember actually being happy coming home to see my dad standing over a large bubbling pot of his famous Tomato Parsley Rice soup. It’s the same look my husband gives when he comes home and sees it simmering on our stovetop. Pure joy. Because who doesn’t love a warm, hearty soup? The wonderful thing about this soup is that it is super easy to make with just a few simple ingredients you probably already have on hand. Although I call this recipe a tomato soup, it’s not so heavy on the tomato; the tomato paste is more for a bit of color. The real flavor lies in the broth; in the sweetness of the onion and richness of the beef. If you’re not into the meat scene, you can easily make this vegan by leaving the meat out and replacing the broth with a vegetable stock or tomato soup. I’ve made this meal countless times with a tomato soup base and it was a perfectly delicious, healthy, and filling alternative.

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Lately, I’ve been experimenting with boiling meat in advance and storing it with its broth in the freezer and I can happily report that it has not changed the quality of the meat. As long as you boil the meat until it’s tender you can have the base of a great stew or soup at the tip of your fingers. Simply defrost and add whatever flavoring, grains, and vegetables you like and you’ll have dinner ready in no time! This has been a huge time saver for me while my husband and I both navigate graduate school and homekeeping.

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Tomato Parsley Rice Soup

  • Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients:
1 pound beef stew cubes
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
1 large bunch parsley, chopped (plus extra for garnish)
1/4 cup uncooked rice ( I prefer long grain like basmati)
2 dry bay leaves
2 tablespoons tomato paste (more if you like it a deeper red)
8 cups water/vegetable/beef stock
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (more if you like it tangier)
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. In a large pot, drizzle a bit of olive oil and brown the beef stew cubes and sauté the onions until translucent.
  2. Add your bay leaves and water/vegetable/beef stock and bring to a boil before reducing the heat. Be sure to skim any impurities that rise to the surface. Then cover and cook on a low simmer until the meat is tender (about 2 hours).
  3. Once your meat is tender, fish it out and shred it with a fork.
  4. To the broth, add in your rice, lemon juice, and tomato paste. Give it a quick stir and let it cook until the rice is tender (about 15-20 minutes). Stir in your shredded beef.
  5. Season with salt and pepper to your taste. Take the pot off the heat and add in the parsley, give it a gentle stir and let it sit for a few minutes before serving.
  6. Ladle into bowls, garnish with extra parsley and serve with a side of fresh crusty bread.

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If you do give this soup  recipe a try be sure to share with us. We love seeing our recipes on your table 🙂 And as always, if you liked this post please follow us and share!

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Summer Spring Rolls

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I don’t know about the rest of you but we have been having a HOT summer here in Michigan. It’s already unbearable with 90% humidity some days but add pregnancy to the equation and it’s a totally different ballgame. As a family we love having fresh, homemade food at the ready but when it’s that hot outside the thought of cooking can be a bit daunting. For those kinds of summer days, we have an easy solution and one of our favorite go-to meals: fresh spring rolls. Not only is there little to no stove-top cooking involved (which means no extra heat in the house) but the flavors are just so refreshing and energizing they will leave you feeling light yet fully satisfied.

And if it’s that time of the week where you’re ready to clear out your fridge or you’ve just harvested some delicious veggies and herbs from your garden then this is the perfect recipe to reduce food waste or showcase those beautiful summer flavors. You can replace the shrimp with tofu or skip the protein all together to create a scrumptious vegetable medley. The possibilities are endless and we hope that you do give them a try. If you do, be sure to let us know 🙂

Summer Spring Rolls

  • Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients

Spring Rolls
1 lb of shrimp, deveined and cooked
10 spring roll rice papers
1 English cucumber
2 medium carrots
2-4 large red radishes (sub 1 daikon)
1 small cabbage (red or green)
1 bunch green onions
1 bunch basil
1 lime
1 minced garlic clove
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
Soy sauce
Sriracha or chili garlic paste

Dipping Sauce
2 tbsp Brown sugar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Sriracha or chili garlic paste to taste
Green onions and red pepper flakes for garnish

Directions

  1. If you don’t have shrimp that is already deveined and cooked then begin by peeling, deveining, and cooking your shrimp (do not overcook). Let the shrimp marinate in a bit of garlic, ginger, lime juice, and soy sauce for flavor while you ready the rest of the fillings.
  2. Prepare your vegetables by julienning or thinly slicing the carrots, cucumber, radishes, and green onions. Thinly shred the cabbage. You can also chiffonade your basil but I prefer to keep them whole.
  3. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil and pour into a bowl for dipping the rice paper. You want the water to be hot but not so hot that you burn your fingers.
  4. Optional: Use 1 cup of the hot water to shock and wilt the cabbage for a few minutes. Rinse with cold water and drain. Toss with soy sauce and Sriracha for an added kick.
  5. Prepare a damp working station such as a cutting board for stuffing and rolling the spring rolls.
  6.  Dip your rice paper in the water bowl until pliable and lay on your work surface.
  7. Place 3-4 pieces of shrimp in the middle followed by the shredded cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, radishes, green onions, and basil.
  8. Fold one end of the rice paper over, tuck in both edges, and roll over until sealed.
  9. Repeat steps 6-8 until you have filled all of your rice papers.
  10. Place the rolls on a serving platter and serve with a simple dipping sauce.

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Cinnamon French Toast Granola

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Who doesn’t like french toast? Cinnamon buttery goodness topped with sweet sticky maple syrup. Now imagine that same flavor in the form of a healthy snack. I recently started making my own granola and I just had to share how easy it is. Many recipes I found called for honey but I was craving the deep richness of pure maple syrup, which is how I ended up with a cinnamon french toast flavor (yum!). Quality store-bought granola can set you back anywhere from $6-9 a pound. Homemade granola, however,  is not only simple to make but it’s much more economical too. So here’s to healthy, homemade snacking on a budget!

Cinnamon French Toast Granola

  • Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients
4 cups Quick Oats
2 cups raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup vegetable or coconut oil

Directions
Preheat your oven to 325 F. Combine all your ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir well to coat. Spread the mixture evenly on two sheet pans and pop in the oven for approximately 20 minutes until golden brown. While baking, take the pans out every 5 minutes and move the granola around so that they cook evenly and don’t burn. Once the granola is done and cooled, seal in a airtight container and enjoy as a cereal, mid-day nibble, or as a yogurt topper.

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No-Waste Slow Cooker Vegetable Broth

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We are constantly trying to find new ways to recycle and reduce waste so when I attended a food demonstration at the healthcare system where I work, I was super excited when the cook revealed her secret for making use of unwanted vegetable scraps. Instead of throwing away the peels, ends, and cores of vegetables, she tossed them into a freezer bag until she had a nice collection and then threw them into a pot of boiling water to make vegetable broth. Since then, I have made this practice a habit and I have never needed to buy vegetable stock. All this requires of you is to be mindful during meal prep. Set aside any vegetable scraps you would normally throw away and store them in the freezer until you have a large collection. Once you’ve filled a bag or jar to the brim (over the course of however long it takes), toss the contents of the bag into a slow cooker or stock pot with water and the result will be a beautiful golden broth every single time. This broth is not only simple to make but it packs a ton of flavor, making it the perfect vegetarian substitute for chicken stock. You can use this broth to make soups, stews, rice, or even as a more flavorful substitute for water in your favorite recipe. Nutrient-rich, flavorful food, more savings, less waste. I think we can all agree this is a win-win-win!

Ingredients
1 quart freezer-bag or jar worth of clean frozen vegetable scraps (peppers, onions, garlic, squash, carrots, celery, etc..)
12 cups of water
1/2 teaspoon peppercorns
Sea salt (to taste)
2 Bay leaves

Note: Do not put any moldy, rotting, or bad vegetable scraps in your broth scrap bag. Before I am ready to make my broth, I also do a rundown of the fridge and toss in any parsley that is near expiration.

Directions
Place all your ingredients in a slow cooker, turn on high, and let it simmer for 6 hours while you do other awesome, productive things (Yay!).  If you’re using a stock pot on the stove, I would let it boil for two hours covered on low. Once the broth is done and has cooled, strain it into a larger bowl or pitcher and distribute evenly among your freezer storage of choice: glass jars or freezer bags.  Then, when you’re ready to cook, you’ll have delicious homemade broth ready at hand.

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What are the ways you try to reduce waste in your homes? We would love to hear from you! And as always, if you liked this post please follow us and share!

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