3 Bean Chili

3 Bean Chili
Vegan

Needing to cook some butternut squash and sweet potato, and looking for something that the boys would eat I made this. They liked since I heard no complaints, and ate some as left overs. I served this with some pearl barley and blue corn tortilla chips....

2 red bell peppers
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz. can ranchero beans
1 sweet potato, cubed
1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tomatoes, diced
1 cup of vegetable broth, plus 2 Tablespoons (divided)
1 cup of no-chicken broth (I ran out of veggie broth)
1/2 Tablespoon thyme
1/2 Tablespoon sage
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise. Remove and discard seeds and membranes. Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil 15 minutes or until blackened. Place pepper halves in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel and chop peppers.

3. In a large pan or dutch oven, over medium-high heat, combine the 2 Tablespoons of vegetable broth, garlic and onion. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the onion becomes translucent. Stir in cumin and next 4 ingredients (through garlic); cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add bell peppers, broth, squash, sweet potato and tomatoes; bring to a simmer. Cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beans; simmer 25 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring occasionally. Chili will be ready when the squash and sweet potato are tender when pierced with a fork.

Creamed Spinach Sauce Over Sliced Mushroom Burgers

Creamed Spinach Sauce Over Sliced Mushroom Burgers
Vegan; 45 minutes; Serves 4

I made these last night and served them with blue baked potatoes. Bruce was SO thrilled with these, I think since there were so many different flavors in this dish....

Creamed Spinach
Makes 2 cups
1/2 teaspoon earth balance
1 Tablespoon minced onion
1 clove of garlic minced
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup hemp milk
1/2 cup low-sodium not-chick'n broth
kosher salt and black pepper
pinch cayenne
pinch nutmeg
garlic and red pepper to taste
4 cups chopped fresh spinach

1. In a large pan, over medium high heat, heat broth, hemp milk, spinach, garlic and onion. When the spinach starts to wilt (about 5-8 minutes), whisk in flour and spices. When the sauce starts to thicken, lower the heat to simmer until all the spinach has wilted.

To Make the Sliced Mushroom Burgers
Vegan; Serves 4

8-10 button mushrooms (depending on size); cleaned and sliced
olive oil to coat
balsamic vinegar to coat
dry white wine to coat
1 clove of garlic, minced

1. In a shallow glass dish, marinade mushrooms in oil, vinegar and white wine for 15-20 minutes.

2. Over medium-high heat, in a small pan, pour the mushroom mixture and heat until the mushrooms turn brown. Then lower heat to a simmer for about 5-7 minutes, and serve on toasted buns with the cream spinach mixture.

Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie
Serves 6; Gluten Free; Vegan

To make this tastier, instead of the vegetable broth, use no-chicken bouillon. The first time I made this it had little flavor....

Sweet Potato Topping

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced (1/4 lb)
1/4 cup non-dairy milk
1 Tbs. earth balance
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Filling:

1 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 leek, white part thinly sliced (1 cup)
2 turnips,diced (1 cup)
1 carrot, diced (1 cup)
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped (2 tsp.)
1/4 cup white wine or water
1 15-oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
3 Tbs. vegan Parmesan cheese (optional)

1.) To make the Sweet Potato Topping: Bring large pot of water to a boil. Add sweet potato, cover and boil 10 minutes or until tender. Drain, and return to pot. Mash with milk, margarine, cinnamon, and nutmeg; season with salt and pepper, if desired. Set aside.

2.) To make filling: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and leek, and saute 5 to 6 minutes, or until leek is soft. Add turnips, carrots, thyme, and rosemary; cook 2 to 3 minutes more, or until carrots begin to soften.

3.) Add wine, and cook 30 seconds to deglaze the pan. Stir in beans and broth. Cover, and simmer 10 minutes, or until carrots and turnips are soft. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

4.) Remove thyme sprigs from Filling, and discard. Pour Filling into 2-or3-qt. casserole dish. Spread Sweet Potato Topping over Filling. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if using.

5.) Place casserole dish on baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until filling bubbles and cheese is melted. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

6.) Frozen Cooking Instructions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cover casserole, and place on baking sheet. Bake 60 to 75 minutes, or until filling bubbles and top is golden. Remove foil during last 10 minutes of baking. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Per 1 cup serving: 129 cal.; 4 grams prot.; 3 grams total fat (1 gram sat. fat); 20 grams carbs.; 1 mg chol.; 176 mg sod.; 5 grams fiber; 5 grams sugar
Vegetarian Times: January 2010