Frozen Food Find: Amy's Spaghetti Italiano

Love, love, love Amy's for having all vegetarian frozen meals and also lots of vegan ones too.  I love making my own food but I don't always have time and I have yet to come up with a "meatless" ball recipe that I love.  Now Amy's has one!  This pasta bowl from her new Light & Lean line is under 300 calories and a better portion than I would've expected.  It has 3 meatless meatballs, little pieces of broccoli and a very tasty sauce.  This one's a keeper!

Balsamic Portobello Sandwich with Roasted Peppers, Avocado, and Basil Mayo

I have to preface this by saying I don't really like mushrooms.  Actually it's more that dirt, just came from the earth mushroom flavor that I despise.  So, if they're seasoned, marinated, or cooked in a way that takes aways that "mushroomy" taste then I'm a fan.  I adapted from a recipe in Veganomicon (awesome cookbook by the way!) and marinated and roasted the portobello mushroom caps. I also roasted some red pepper strips (don't get the jarred peppers) and onions. Threw in some avocado and then mixed up a little Earth Balance Mayo (the best vegan one in my opinion) with a just a smidge of lemon juice, and a frozen basil cube - most grocery stores carry some type of these now.  If you can't find them then just process some fresh basil with the mayo in your food processor.

Makes 2 sandwiches (dinner tonight, lunch tomorrow!)

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Ingredients

Mushrooms/Marinade:

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

2 Tbsp. Low Sodium Soy Sauce

1-2 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar (you can use red wine vinegar also)

1/2 cup Low Sodium Vegetable Broth

2 Frozen Garlic Cubes, thawed (or 2 cloves grated on a microplane)

1/2 tsp. Dried Oregano

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 Portobello Mushroom Caps

Peppers and Onions:

1 Red Bell Pepper, sliced

1/2 Sweet Onion, sliced

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Basil Mayo:

1 frozen basil cube, thawed

2 Tbsp. Earth Balance vegan mayo

1/8-1/4 tsp. Fresh Lemon Juice

Sliced Avocado

2 Rolls (Get a good roll from your supermarket bakery. I like a nice crusty roll or baguette)

Method

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Make the mayo by combining adding the basil and mayo in a bowl and stir to combine.  Next add lemon juice a sprinkle at a time until you reach desired taste, stir.  Put in the fridge to chill.

Make the mushrooms by adding all the ingredients, except mushroom caps, to a bowl and whisk together.   Pour the marinade in a 8-9 in. glass baking dish (not metal and).  Place mushroom caps in a swish them around getting the marinade all over them.  Now place them top down and spoon some of the marinade over so that it makes in pool.  Set aside at least 15-20 minutes.

Now place peppers and onions on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss with your hands.  Bake 15-20min.  Halfway through toss them around. 

When they're done, take them out and set aside.  Cover the mushroom dish with foil and bake in the oven 25 min.  Then take the foil off and flip them over.  Bake uncovered for another 10 minutes.

You can slice your roll and pop in the toaster to lightly toast.  I also remove some of the inside bread to make more room for the delicious toppings.

To assemble just spread some mayo on your roll and layer all your ingredients however you like and dig in!

Look at that nice char.  Who needs a grill!?

Currently working on recipe to use all that leftover marinade.  Do not throw this out!

Hummus and Avocado Pita

Maybe this isn't the most innovative recipe, I mean avocado, hummus, pita, some veggies, but sometimes it's the simplest things that are so delicious.  This is without a doubt one of my favorite sandwiches. 

 Most important, get a good hummus. Whatever your favorite one is but a creamy one works best, not so thick it's like a paste. I love The Perfect Pita hummus (sold at Whole Foods). It's local to the DC area. If you're elsewhere check out local Mediterranean or Middle Eastern restaurants or eateries that might sell their hummus. You'll get the best quality and most authentic. 

A match made in heaven - hummus and avocado.

Hummus and Avocado Pita Recipe

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Ingredients

1 pita pocket

Hummus

Avocado

Tomato

Onion

Cucumber

Lettuce

Method

Carefully slice your pita in half so you have to half circles.  Some pita are stuck together so to open the pocket, take each half and very carefully and slowly pry and peel open.  You can also use a knife.  Next put them in the toaster for a minute or two.  Don't let them burn or get too crisp.  Take them out and let the steam out of the pocket and let them rest a minute.  

Now, thinly slice your tomato, onion, cucumber (however much you want to use).  Slice or lightly mash some avocado (I use about half an avocado).  I like to sprinkly some sea salt on the sliced veggies but that's up to you.

Take some hummus and slather all inside both pita halves.  Don't skimp on the hummus.  Now layer your toppings in there and go to town.  It's messy deliciousness at it's best.



Mmmmmm...this is delicous.  Messy but oh so delicious.

Vegan Chocolate Mousse

Smooth and creamy chocolate mousse made vegan by using silken tofu as the base.  I like to think that since the tofu has protein it makes this even a bit healthy! 

For the ingredients I recommend almond or soy milk.  Skip some of the others like rice milk which is too watery.  If you're doing this totally vegan, look for vegan chocolate chips.  Regular semi-sweet chocolate chips typically contain some milk.  Most importantly, the best tofu is Mori-Nu silken tofu in firm or extra-firm (also comes in Lite).  This is the shelf stable silken tofu found with the Asian foods.  If you can't find this there is sometimes a refrigerated silken tofu with all the other kinds of tofu but the package is bigger so the other ingredients need to be adjusted accordingly.

Now for the super easy recipe...

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Makes 4-5 servings

Ingredients

1 package Mori-Nu Firm or Extra-Firm Silken Tofu
3/4 cup Almond Milk
1 cup Chocolate Chips
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Directions

Place almond milk and chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and heat about 1 minute depending on your microwave.  Stir together until chocolate chips are dissolving in milk, you should now have a rich chocolate milk.  If necessary, heat a bit a longer.  Let the mixutre cool for a few minutes.

Add chocolate mixture, tofu, and vanilla to a food processor or blender and process until pureed.  This is important: taste the mixture to make sure you don't a have a tofu taste since all brands are different.  If it's not chocolaty enough you can melt some more chocolate chips and add it but don't add any more milk or it won't set properly.

Pour into 4-5 ramekins or small dishes.  It will set better this way than if it's in one big bowl.  Chill 2-3 hours and it's ready to eat!

Chipotle Ranch Bean Burrito

This is not your average, boring bean burrito.  This bad boy packs a punch with chipotle pepper that is not only spicy, but also smoky.  Add in the cool ranch dressing and you've got one hell of a flavor combo.  Just don't under estimate the heat of the chipotle pepper.  Add a little, give a stir and add a little more if you want.  Also note that the sauce the peppers come in has a great flavor but not as much heat as the peppers themselves.

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Makes 2 burritos

Ingredients

1 clove garlic, grated on a microplane (or finely chopped)
1/3 cup diced onion
1/2 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1-2 tsp. finely chopped canned chipotle pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup water

Toppings:
Shredded lettuce
diced tomatoes
corn
ranch dressing (For a vegan ranch try Organicville.  It's pretty tasty.)

Tortillas (about 10 inches), warmed

Directions

Spray a skillet with cooking spray or drizzle a little oil.  Add garlic and onion, cook 2 minutes over medium-heat.  Add beans, chipotle peppers, salt and water.  Cook 3 minutes, giving it a few stirs.  If needed, more water can be added 1 tablespoon at a time. Remove from heat. Now coarsely mash the bean mixture.  You can do this right in the skillet.  Just make sure to use a utensil that won't scratch your pan.  A wooden spoon works well.  Lastly, give it a taste and add more peppers or some of the sauce if desired.

Mix your toppings, including dressing, all together.  Now put some beans in your tortilla, add the toppings and wrap that sucker up and eat!