Bean Salad

I love this and I found this at the Hallelujah Acres website which is listed on my sidebar. I made a few additions

"This quick, simple, protein-packed salad comes from one of Hallelujah Acres' most popular recipe books, Simple Weekly Meal Plans - Volume 2."

Ingredients

2 cups organic canned kidney beans, drained
2 cups organic canned chickpeas, drained
1/3 cup diced sweet pepper
1 cup chopped tomatoes, drained
1/3 cup diced onion
1 rib celery, diced
1 Tbsp Vegenaise or almond mayonnaise (I USED FAT FREE BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE FROM MAPLE GROVE FARMS IN VERMONT--SEE PHOTO)

SEASONINGS: I added salt, pepper, dried mint, dried parsley (fresh would be great)

Directions

Just mix all ingredients well and serve!

chocolate pumpkin muffins low fat(can be dairy free and Gluten free)

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This is very easy. To make gluten free use the above cake mix or any GF mix. If you can have gluten then just use a regular mix. I got this recipe from my sister-in-law. The only fat is what is in your mix!

1 cake mix (me--GF)nothing else added or a Brownie mix works nicely too!
1 can of pumpkin (the 15 or 16 ounce size)-pictured above
water if needed
Chocolate chips if desired (optional)

Simply mix the first two ingredients. If it is a bit dry add a little water--I needed 1/4 cup of water for the above mix. You may not need any water with a regular mix. Follow the direction on the package for cooking muffins.

I cooked mine about 16 minutes--with this mix--nice and moist!

Black bean and sweet potato chili (with beer)

This was great--nice flavors. I got this from my daughter who got it from her sister-in-law ;-).


1 T olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 orange pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
One 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
Three 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained (I used 2 black, 1 red
bean)
1 small chipotle chile pepper in adobo sauce, minced (I omitted)
¼ cup chopped cilantro stems (I only had dried cilantro on hand)
Kosher salt
1 bottle dark beer (I used some Gluten Free Beer)
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 lime (optional)
sour cream (optional)

Heat oil in large Dutch oven or heavy-lidded saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion and peppers until soft and beginning to caramelize, 5-8 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and chili powder and continue to sauté until very fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, beans, chipotle, cilantro stems, and 1 teaspoon salt. Turn heat to high, and pour in beer. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add sweet potatoes. Cook for about 20 more minutes or until potatoes are done.

Minestrone (meatless)

Love the flavors of this--I usually just use what I have on hand---the seasonings make this full of flavor.


4 cups chicken broth (or substitute)
1 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
1 cup water
1 small onion
1 tab of minced garlic (I used jarred)

As much as you want of the following veggies:

frozen whole string beans (broken up),
frozen corn,
frozen Lima beans,
frozen peas,
frozen spinach

fresh sweet potatoes (1-2 depending on size)chopped small
1 small red potato with skin on, chopped
3-4 small celery stalks , chopped
carrots, chopped--as much as you like

1 can northern beans, drained
1 cup or so of cooked macaroni (I use Gluten Free)

seasonings:
1/2 or so of dried rubbed sage
1 bay leaf
1/2-1 tsp rosemary
1/2-1 tsp thyme
2 tsp parsley
fresh ground pepper


In a large pot heat a bit of olive oil and saute the small onion. When tender add the garlic and heat for about 1 minute.

Add the broth, tomatoes, and water and seasonings.

Add all the veggies. Simmer about 25 minutes until they are about tender.

Add the beans and cooked macaroni. Serve or freeze or refrigerate.

cajun black beans and sweet potatoes

This was from vegweb and is not my recipe. I made it and the only thing I added was some Caribbean jack seasoning. Original recipe is here I think ( http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=28844.0 ) I love the added lime and zest--really delivers flavor to this dish

Cajun Black Beans and Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

2 tablespoons oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped bite sized
1/2 to 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning (I added a bit of Caribbean Jerk seasoning to this too)
1 teaspoon pepper
1 (28 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 lime and zest

Directions:

1. Heat a saute pan over medium heat with oil. Saute onions and garlic for 2 minutes. Add sweet potatoes. Season this mix liberally with the Cajun seasoning and pepper.

2. Let this mix cook for 15 minutes or so until the potatoes are soft. You may want to add a 1/2 cup water and cover pan to speed this process along.

3. When potatoes are soft, add the black beans and the zest of 1 lime. You may also want to add more Cajun seasoning to help further flavor the beans. Cook until the beans are heated through and you think the flavors have melded. Right before serving, squeeze some lime juice over the dish.

Serve over a bed of brown rice or, if you feel like some creative nachos--or whatever