Vegetarian Sausage, Asparagus and Corn Risotto

adapted from: http://vegenista.com/post/22065874565/vegan-sausage-fennel-risotto

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
~5 cups low sodium vegetable stock (I used 5 cups hot water mixed with 5 tsp vegetarian better than buillion)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1/2 package (2 sausages) Tofurky italian sausage with tomato and basil, chopped
1 bunch asparagus, stalks chopped into thirds or fourths
1 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp Earth Balance (or butter)
salt + pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil. Add vegan sausage & cook over medium-high heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Add asparagus and corn and cook until asparagus starts to soften (but is still crunchy) and corn is hot. (alternatively, roast the asparagus in the oven for 10 min at 400 degrees F). Cover and keep warm.

In a small sauce pan, bring vegetable stock to a simmer; reduce heat & keep warm.

In a large saucepan, heat the remaining 2 Tbsp. olive oil. Add onion, salt & pepper, and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add rice & cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to thoroughly coat it with the oil, & becomes lightly “toasted." Add the wine to the rice, stirring until the wine is absorbed. Add 1 cup of the warm stock and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until liquid is absorbed. Continue adding the stock 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly, until liquid is nearly absorbed between additions. The risotto is done when the rice is al dente, thick & creamy, about 20-30 minutes total. Season with salt & pepper. Stir in the margarine/butter and parmesan. Then stir in the veg sausage, asparagus and corn mixture.
Serve immediately.

Healthy Vegan Chili

Recipe is from: http://86lemons.com/fat-melting-veggie-chili/

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

2½ cups diced red onions
1 cup diced carrots
2 bell peppers, diced
1 medium sweet potato, diced

1 (10 oz) bag frozen corn

2 Tbsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp. chili powder
4 Tbsp. chopped garlic
2 Tbsp. chopped jalapeños
2 Tbsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

3 (14.5 oz) cans diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans
1 (15 oz) can red kidney beans
1 (15 oz) black beans
1 (15 oz) can Adzuki beans (I used white northern beans instead)
2 Tbsp. chopped chipotle in adobo sauce
3 Tbsp. tomato paste

optional:
1 to 2 cups vegetable  broth or vegetable juice (You can also just use water.)


Directions:
STEP 1
In a large, heavy-bottom pot, warm the oil and sauté the onions, carrots, peppers, and sweet potatoes, stirring occasionally until vegetables start to soften, about 10 minutes.

STEP 2
Stir in the cumin, crushed red pepper flakes, chili powder, garlic and jalapeño and cook a few more minutes until fragrant.

STEP 3
Add the tomatoes, beans, oregano, chipotle in adobo, tomato paste and cinnamon. At this point, you can add a little vegetable broth, vegetable juice or water if you like your chili a bit thinner.

STEP 4
Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stir in the corn; cook 5 more minutes, until corn is heated through. Serve with your favorite toppings.

Enchiladas with Black Beans and Rice

These are SO GOOD.
adapted from: http://www.motherthyme.com/2012/10/black-bean-and-rice-enchiladas-with.html

shown here served with avocado and salsa

Ingredients:

For Enchilada Sauce:
8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 cup water
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
dash of red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

For Enchiladas:
2 cups cooked brown rice (save yourself time and buy one of those microwave pouches of already cooked rice. I bought seeds of change brown rice and quinoa with garlic).
15.5 oz. can black beans - drained and rinsed!
1 cup corn (I used some thawed frozed corn)
1/2 cup chunky salsa
2 cups Mexican cheese
1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce (recipe above)
10 6" flour tortillas (I found slightly larger tortillas - maybe 10 inch? package of 8, and the filling fit perfectly in 8 of them)


Instructions

For Enchilada Sauce:
In a small bowl wisk together tomato sauce, water, chili powder, cayenne, pepper flakes, tomato paste, garlic powder, salt and cumin until blended and set aside.
Heat vegetable oil over medium heat in a small saucepan. Stir in flour until flour dissolved. Gradually whisk in tomato mixture. Reduce heat to low and stir until sauce thickens, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.Makes 1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce.

For Enchiladas:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray non stick cooking spray on a 9"x13" casserole dish and set aside. (I ended up using 1 9x13 pyrex dish plus another 8x8...probably because I had larger tortillas)
In a large bowl combine rice, black beans, corn, salsa, 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce and 1 1/2 cups of cheese. Stir until combined.
Divide mixture between each tortilla. Wrap each tortilla and place seam side down in casserole dish. Pour remaining enchilada sauce on top.
Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake for an additional 5 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

NOTES:
To reduce the fat/calories, next time I may half the canola oil and flour (just because the sauce was VERY thick, and I think it would have been fine a little bit thinner). Also might be worth trying low fat or fat free or whole wheat tortillas, low fat cheese, or no-sodium products to make it a little healthier. I'm also wondering if reducing the salt in the sauce will make any difference.

Tofu ("Egg") Salad

adapted from http://theveganstoner.blogspot.com/2011/04/corn-salad-sandwich.html#comment-form
and from recipe in "You Won't Believe it's Vegan"

1 package firm tofu, drained and pressed
1 can corn (drained)
1/2 cup vegenaise
1/2 tsp dried parsley
2 Tbsp stone ground mustard (I used dijon mustard)
1 tsp onion powder (I left this out because I didn't have it)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp tamari

In a small bowl, add the parsley, onion powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, turmeric and nutritional yeast. Set aside.

Drain and press excess water out of tofu ( I used my tofu express). Add to a large bowl and mash until crumbled. Add the drained corn, vegenaise and mustard and mix. Add tamari and mix. Now, add the dry spices and mix until well combined.

verdict: WAY more delicious than I thought it would be! I don't think this would fool anyone as far as being an egg salad substitute, but for someone who does eat eggs, I still love this version.

serving suggestion: I ate it for lunch on a wheat bun with some baby spinach. Also good by the spoonful straight out of the bowl...