Dinner

Three Bean Corn and Quinoa Vegan Chili

March 22, 2017 by Zucchini Runner in Dinner, Food, Main Dish | Comments Off on Three Bean Corn and Quinoa Vegan Chili

Despite having an amazing chili recipe on the blog already, I wanted to add another. I like variety, I like change and I like black beans and corn with a passion. Well, maybe not that much, but I definitely love the combo of black beans and corn together! I decided to wing it with this version of vegan chili, and use my other chili recipe as the base. If you follow me on Instagram, you got to see me “mess up live” in IG stories when I put the quinoa in last. It ended up taking FOREVER to finish cooking, so please follow the recipe below and get those suckers in there right away with the tomatoes!

three bean vegan chili

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Three Bean Corn and Quinoa Vegan Chili
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Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes

Three Bean Corn and Quinoa Vegan Chili

Ingredients

SPICES:

1/2 tbsp. chili powder

1 tbsp. basil

1 tbsp. oregano

1 tbsp. ground cumin

1 tea. black pepper

1/4 tea. cayenne pepper

1/4 tea. sea salt

Main ingredients:

2-3 med. onions, chopped

3-5 cloves garlic, pressed

3 – 26.46 oz. containers of strained (1) and chopped (2) Pomi tomatoes

1 c. quinoa, NOT cooked

1 pint assorted mini sweet peppers (yellow, red and orange)

1 – 15 oz. can dark red kidney beans drained

1 - 15 oz. can great northern beans

1 - 15 oz. can black beans

1 - 16 oz. bag frozen organic corn

vegenaise (for topping, optional)

cholula (for topping, optional)

gluten-free crackers (for dipping, optional)

Instructions

    1. Prepare all the spices in a small dish and set aside.

    2. Chop onions into small pieces, and place in a heated stock pot with about 2 tablespoons of water.

    3. Let them simmer and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally until transparent.

    4. Add crushed fresh garlic and all the spices; stir.

    5. Pour in all the tomatoes. Stir well to combine.

    6. Add dry quinoa and stir well. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the beans and peppers.

    7. Chop and remove seeds from sweet peppers and set aside.

    8. Rinse and drain all the beans.

    9. Once the quinoa has cooked for 10-15 minutes, add the remaining ingredients and simmer on low for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes.

    10 Serve with gluten-free crackers, top with a little veganaise and/or cholula and enjoy!

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As many of you know already, I’m a big proponent of “eating the rainbow” so it was really fun to make a more colorful chili.

three_bean vegan chili corn

I was so hungry by the time this batch of vegan chili was done, that I ate 3 bowls. No shame in my game. All the ingredients are super good for you! I added a little vegenaise and cholula to my first bowl and it was amazing. Having that extra fat in the dish kicked it up a notch! By the way, that is my new favorite combo – vegenaise and cholula. I use it to top salads, sandwiches and we just used it today for riced cauliflower and put it on top of our salads. That might make an appearance on the blog in the near future, I also see it as a great use for a nacho topping! ANYWAY, back to vegan chili. Besides cutting the onions and peppers, this is very hands off. So throw it all in a pot and enjoy!

three bean vegan chili

What do you love to eat your vegan chili with? (corn bread, corn chips, crackers…)

Protein Packed Pizza {Vegan GF}

March 7, 2017 by Zucchini Runner in Dinner | Comments Off on Protein Packed Pizza {Vegan GF}

It’s hard to contain myself on this one! Wow! Pizza is probably one of my favorite foods to eat, but due to my nutrition choices, it can be kinda hard to enjoy {tons of white flour/gluten and tons of dairy}. But let me tell you, this pizza is delicious — gluten-free, vegan, EASY and FUN to make! This recipe for protein packed pizza makes four individual crusts, so everyone in the family can have their very own pizza. If you pair this with a huge salad, you have a perfectly well-balanced dinner. Does it get any better? Nah.

protein packed pizza vegan gluten-free

Another reason I’m so excited about this protein packed pizza? It also contains a boatload of iron. See where I’m going with this? Protein… iron… things commonly associated with meat. Myth debunked! This crust is SO simple and made with 6 ingredients.

If there was a problem, yo I’ll solve it…

When my friend came to me with a problem, I was ecstatic to help her find a solution. Her son is anemic, and needs to get more iron. She was using grass-fed beef to supplement his nutrition, even though the rest of their family was starting on the path to a plant-based lifestyle. I suggested she toss lentils in the ring as well. Many text messages, a little research and days later we decided I would test a recipe using lentil flour.

Wait. What? LENTIL FLOUR?! How did I not know about this before?! I ordered a bag online and waited for it’s arrival. I did some more research on how to use lentil flour and voila! Protein packed pizza was born.

protein packed pizza lentil flour

You are basically making a giant pancake.

Another good part about this recipe, or any pizza crust really, is you can make them ahead of time. So when pizza cravings hit, you can just pull one out of the freezer or fridge, add your sauce and toppings and pop it in the oven.

So without further ado, here is the EASY recipe for your very own protein packed pizza!

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Protein Packed Pizza
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Average:4/5
4ratings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 4 personal pizza crusts

Serving Size: 1 pizza crust

Calories per serving: 283

Fat per serving: 2g

Saturated fat per serving: 0g

Carbs per serving: 50g

Protein per serving: 20g

Fiber per serving: 14g

Sugar per serving: 2g

Sodium per serving: 153mg

Protein Packed Pizza

Ingredients

2 c. lentil flour

2 c. water

2 cloves crushed garlic

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. dried rosemary

1/4 tsp. Real salt

coconut oil for frying*

PIZZA TOPPING IDEAS

sliced onion

sliced mushrooms

pepperoncini slices

sliced black olives

sliced green olives

spinach

sliced tomatoes

sliced zucchini

red, orange or yellow peppers

hummus

homemade pizza sauce

Instructions

    1. In a large bowl, combine flour and dried spices.

    2. Add crushed garlic to water and stir.

    3. Add water to dry ingredients bowl, and use a whisk to combine until completely lump free. It will look like pancake batter.

    4. Add a teaspoon or so of coconut oil to a large, heated skillet. (Medium heat is good.)

    5. Measure out 3/4 c. pizza batter into the skillet and spread until 1/4" thick layer. Cook for 3-4 minutes, covered.

    6. Flip and cook on opposite side for an additional 2 minutes. Add more coconut oil before repeating with remaining batter.

    7. Place on a plate covered with paper towels. As you cook the remaining crusts, add a single layer of paper towels in between each crust.

    8. If you are ready to use these, dive right into pizza sauce and toppings. If not, let cool then place in the fridge covered, until ready to use.

    9. Spread your favorite pizza sauce on each crust, along with desired toppings. We like to use hummus and sauce as the base layer. The hummus acts like a cheese and provides a creamy texture. Just remember, the secret to a delicious vegan pizza is a boatload of veggie toppings. See above for some of our favorites.

    10. Once it's all loaded up, bake at 400*F for 10-15 minutes, or until heated through.

Notes

*This may seem weird to use coconut oil vs. olive oil, but coconut oil is far more stable at high heat. Reserve the use of olive oil for cold recipes, like salad dressing to preserve it's beneficial qualities. **Also, the nutrition information listed above is just for the crust, not the sauce, hummus, coconut oil or toppings. The crust is also 40% iron!

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If you try the recipe, don’t forget to come back and give it a rating!

Here is a handy slideshow with some step-by-step visuals.

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Have you ever used lentil flour in cooking or baking? I’d love to hear if you have. Am I the only one who didn’t know this existed?

protein packed pizza

Lastly, just a quick announcement. I have updated my SHOP section of the site. It can feel overwhelming at first, when you try to add more veggies to your life or even convert to a plant-based lifestyle altogether, so I created a little store with all of my personal favorites. My goal is to make your transition just a little easier, by putting everything in one place! Be sure to check out the categories on the right hand side.