Tex-Mex Casserole - vegan & gluten free

If you've been following along for a while, you may have picked up that a) I admit to being lazy fairly often b) my recipes are generally low-fuss and c) the ingredient lists aren't usually terribly long.

At first glance, this recipe may appear not to fit into any of the above categories. That first glance would be wrong. It takes about 20 minutes to put together from beginning to oven, and while there are more ingredients than I usually list, the whole thing is pretty easy and very satisfying. I suspect that you have most (if not all) of the ingredients in your pantry already. This was the first meal I made when we got back from vacation, and the fridge was pretty bare. I didn't even have all the ingredients the first time I made it, and it was still delicious.

To streamline it further, make the rice in advance. I like making it in the morning. The rice cooks while I putz around and eat breakfast, so it's all set at night. If you're one of those big batch cooks, make a batch of rice and freeze it in portions. Then just defrost what you need.

This is one of those recipes you can scale up or down, and it's going to satisfy not only lots of dietary restrictions, but it's going to satisfy vegans and omnivores alike.


Tex-Mex Casserole - vegan & gluten free
adapted from Oh She Glows

Don't have ingredient or two? Don't sweat it. Unless it's something major like rice, beans, or tomatoes, you can probably skip it. Want it spicier? Add another jalapeno. Don't like spice? Don't use a jalapeno. Have some frozen edamame taking up space in your freezer? It can definitely go in with the corn (or in place of it). You can halve the recipe and bake it in a smaller pan. If you double it, you'll need to use a second large pan. 

for the spice blend
1 Tbsp (150mL) chili powder
1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) ground cumin
1 tsp (5 mL) smoked sweet paprika or 1/2 tsp (2 mL) regular paprika
1/4 tsp (1 mL) cayenne pepper, plus more as needed
1 1/4 tsp (6 mL) fine-grain sea salt
1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground coriander (optional)

for the casserole
1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
1 red onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 bell peppers, ideally two different colors, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded if desired, and diced
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 C (125 mL) fresh or frozen corn
1 14oz/397g can diced tomatoes (with their juices)
1 C (250 mL) tomato sauce or tomato puree
2 to 3 C (500 to 700 mL) chopped kale leaves or baby spinach
1 15oz.425g can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 C (750 mL) cooked rice (wild, brown, or white - your choice)
1/2 C (125 mL) vegan shredded cheese, such as Daiya (optional)
1 to 2 handfuls tortilla chips, crushed (gf for gluten free folks)

optional topping ideas
green onions, salsa, avocado, additional cheese, fresh chopped cilantro, vegan sour cream

Directions
Preheat oven to 375F. Oil a large baking pan.

In a small bowl combine all the spices for the blend. Set aside.

In a large wok, pot, or Dutch oven (when I halved the recipe, I was able to use a large sauce pan), heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, bell peppers, and jalapeno. Saute until starting to soften (approx 5-7 minutes). Add garlic and cook another minute or two. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir in spice blend, corn diced tomatoes and their juices, tomato sauce, kale or spinach, beans, rice, and 1/4 cup (60 mL) of the vegan shredded cheese (if using). Saute for a few minutes and season with more salt and pepper, if desired.

Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish and smooth the top. Sprinkle the crushed chips and then the remaining cheese (if using) evenly over the mixture. Cover with a lid or foil and bake for 15 minutes.

Uncover the baking dish and cook for another 5-10 minutes or so, until bubbly and lightly golden around the edges.

Serve and top, as desired.

Vegetarian Tomato Paella - vegan & gluten free

It's a funny time of year. The sun is warm but the air is cool. I planted mums this weekend even as my peppers are putting forth a second harvest. In grocery stores, watermelons perch next to pumpkins, and at the farmers' market, tomatoes are in their final, uber-productive throes. 

A few of us realize it and also remember that prices always come down in September because so many people, and certainly the farmers, are sick and tired of tomatoes. They feel like the've been overrun and the end is a million miles bushels away. Good thing for us, eh? It means I bought a giant box and made a big batch (or two) of sauce to squirrel away in the freezer. 

Baked Lemon Risotto - vegan & gluten free

Loyal readers know that risotto is a staple here at Chez Sweets. So when I came across this recipe on Joy the Baker, I was definitely intrigued by the lack of stirring required. Creamy deliciousness with 10 minutes of work? Yes, please.

The options for variations are endless. Try adding some fresh veggies, wine, lemon juice, or a different set of herbs and spices. This risotto pairs well with a green salad or fresh (and now coming into season!!) asparagus. 

Baked Lemon Risotto - vegan & gluten free
adapted from Joy the Baker

I halved this recipe and baked it in a 7x10-inch baking pan, baked at the same temperature and for the same time, and it turned out beautifully.  I also increased the lemon zest and added caramelized onions (see my how-to here) to Joy's version. 

1 onion, diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon zest
2 tsp dried or fresh thyme
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 C Arborio rice
32 ounces vegetable broth
1 1/4 C water

1/2 C caramelized onions (optional)

1 C grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (optional)
salt to taste
more cheese, lemon zest, parsley and/or thyme leaves for garnish

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan and set aside.

In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent - about 5 minutes. Turn off heat, add lemon zest, thyme leaves, chili flakes, and black pepper. Toss together and set aside.

In a medium bowl, toss together uncooked rice, cheese if using, and the onion mixture. Spread evenly in your prepared baking pan. Add vegetable stock and water and stir gently to ensure even cooking.

Place in the oven and allow to cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Stir briefly, and cook for another 17-20 minutes. Rice is done when liquid is absorbed and mixture is cooked through and creamy. If rice mixture is still crunchy, add more hot water or hot chicken stock about 1/3 cup at a time.

When completely cooked, remove pan from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes. If you'd like, add salt to taste and top with lemon zest, fresh thyme, black pepper, parsley and/or cheese.

To reheat leftovers, I put a couple teaspoons of water in a small saucepan, added risotto, and cooked on medium until heated through. Stir frequently.

Red Pepper & Tofu Risotto - vegan & gluten free

It rained this morning, meaning no construction is happening outside today. It is gloriously quiet! A little bit of sunshine, no barking dogs, and no sledgehammers = a good day

I tried making rolls again yesterday (yes, the same as Monday), and this time I followed my bread-baking instincts. As you can tell from the title of this post, they still did not turn out as well as I wanted. I checked Cookbooker, and no one had reviewed the recipe in How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, but one person has reviewed it in How to Cook Everything. Sturlington didn't have good luck with this recipe either, which makes me feel better. 

Last night, I went with something familiar, risotto, and simply changed up the usual add ins. I loved the taste of the paella I made last week, so I used the paprika idea from that and combined it with the smokey flavor of roasted red pepper. Delicious! If you are wondering what to do with the remainder of the jar, I humbly suggest Romesco Sauce. 

Red Pepper & Tofu Risotto - vegan & gluten free

If you prefer the taste of fresh tofu to that of fried, simply omit the tofu-frying steps and stir in your cubed tofu at the same time as the peppers so it warms up in the rice.

1 C vegetable stock
2 C water
olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
salt to taste
1 C Arborio rice
1 C dry white wine

1 package tofu, drained and cubed*

1/2 - 1 red bell pepper, diced

roasted red pepper, diced**

paprika

fresh parsley, minced, for garnish
1/2 C finely grated Romano cheese (optional)

Bring the stock and water to a simmer in a small pot. Once boiling, reduce heat so it's just high enough to keep the broth warm. Once you've put the stock on the stove, add a couple tablespoons of olive oil to a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sprinkle with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent (about 9 minutes). Turn the heat down slightly, so it's between medium and low.

Add the rice and stir frequently until the kernel ends are transparent (about 1 minute). Add the wine and, stirring frequently, simmer until the wine is completely absorbed by the rice. Pour in a 1 or 1.5 cups of stock, and stirring infrequently, cook until liquid is absorbed and the bottom of the pan is dry. Add more stock, about 1/2 C at a time, as needed to keep the bottom of the pan from drying out.  

Meanwhile, heat up another tablespoon or two of olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the tofu. Use a spatula to flip occasionally, with the goal of getting nicely browned sides on your cubes of tofu. 

Continue to cook the risotto, stirring frequently, until the grains of the rice are mostly cooked (I test by tasting). Add paprika to taste (a teaspoon?), red peppers, and salt to taste. Cook for a few minutes more, until the rice is cooked through and no liquid remains in the bottom of the pan. Stir in tofu, cheese if using, and top with minced parsley.

We usually have a salad with ours, which is a nice contrast to the creamy risotto.

*For best frying results, you want to get out as much water as possible. I drain the tofu first in the package. Then, I place the square on a clean kitchen towel that's been folded in half. Wrap the rest of the towel around the tofu and press down to squeeze water out. Reposition the tofu onto a dry part of the towel and repeat. 

**I have a jar of roasted red peppers in the fridge that I dip into periodically for dinner. I used a chunk (maybe 1/2 a pepper??), but feel free to add as much or as little as you'd like or have on hand.

Spinach Paella with Lemon - vegan & gluten free

Some of you lovely people who took my survey last month indicated that you wanted to see more savory dishes. Apparently you also have trouble answering the age old question, "What's for dinner?" You may have noticed this month that there have been more non-dessert recipes appearing here, like chili, pasta, a snack, and a salad. 

I have also done some revamping of the recipe index, and I've gone back through my old posts checking and updating tags. The big addition to the index is at the very bottom, where, if none of the titles caught your fancy, you can browse by tag. I have you all hooked up to view recipes by diet, dish, event, or season. So, for example, you can look at all recipes I've tagged as dairy free, or breakfast, or birthday, or winter. Have a look and tell me what you think. I love comments or emails and always respond!

I have found that I've enjoyed the challenge! It's been fun to try out new recipes, and it's helped diversify dinner for me and Mr. Official Taster. This paella recipe is both easy and delicious. There's also some downtime involved (i.e. when it's in the oven), which I used to panic because I didn't have an idea for a side and then give up and decide we didn't really need one. Salads are my go-to side, but since there was already spinach involved, I was stymied. Clearly, I need to branch out. Good thing there are still a few cupcakes.

Spinach Paella with Lemon - vegan & gluten free
adapted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

This worked well as our main course, but it would also work as a side. If you're having a meat dish for dinner, the rich and smokey flavor means it can hold its own. 
As written, this recipe served two of us for dinner. Simply double to make 4-6 servings.

1 C brown rice*
2 C vegetable stock or water
Approx. 1/2 lb fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
Minced zest of 1 lemon
1 medium onion, diced
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp tomato paste
Large pinch saffron threads (optional)
1 tsp smoked or other paprika
Minced parsley for garnish

In a small pot, bring several cups of salted water to a boil. Stir in the brown rice. The water should return to a boil almost immediately, and turn the heat down so that the rice is boiling along nicely. Don't stir the rice again, and leave it to cook for 12ish minutes. Pour off the water and reserve the rice. You can do this step up to an hour before you're ready to make the paella- it doesn't matter if the rice is warm when you add it.

Preheat the oven to 450F. Warm the stock in a pan. Toss the spinach in a bowl with a tablespoon or two of olive oil, lemon zest, and salt+pepper.

Warm about 2 Tbsp olive oil in an oven-proof 10- or 12-inch skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and garlic, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Depending on your stove, you may need to turn the heat down to medium so things don't brown or cook too fast. Stir in the tomato paste, saffron if you're using it, and paprika and cook for another minute or two. Add the rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until it's shiny. (I know this sounds strange, but it really does get shiny, trust me). Pour in the warm stock, turn off the heat, and stir until just combined.

Put the spinach on top of the mixture (it's supposed to be fluffy. It will cook down) and scrape out the bottom of the bowl (you wouldn't want to miss any zest!). Put the pan in the oven, uncovered, and roast for 15 minutes. Check to see if the rice is dry and just tender. If yours is still somewhat wet like mine has been, cook for another 5 minutes. If it's dry but the rice is uncooked, add a small amount of stock, wine, or water. When the rice is ready, turn off the oven and let it sit for at least 5 minutes and up to 15 minutes.

Carefully (it's very hot! and heavy!) remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle with parsley. If you like, put the pan over high heat on the stove for a few minutes to develop a bit of a bottom crust before serving.

*You can, of course, use white rice. If you do, you can skip the precooking step and add it directly to the pan.

Freezer Burritos - vegan & gluten free

Here's a secret: Mr Official Taster and I are lazy. At the end of the day, cooking doesn't always sound awesome, and at the beginning of the day, well, let's just say neither of us is at our best. Procrastination is also sometimes involved.

So I'm hoping that the 24 burritos I made and froze today will help us avoid some unhealthy and unsatisfying choices in the future. You'll notice that the recipe below isn't really a recipe, but more of a set of guidelines. That's because exact amount and specific ingredients are really not important here. It's more important that you use delicious ingredients that you love, herbs and spices for variety, and a nice blend of flavors. I made some burritos with egg, some without; some with peppers, some without; some with pesto, some without. You get the idea. There was only about 1 hour of time involved (not counting the rice cook time), so I think the payoff will be stellar.

Freezer Burritos
This is not so much of a recipe, and more of a general idea. fyi. Feel free to make it your own. I got inspiration from here and here.

Gather your materials:
Cook some rice. I used about 1 Cup uncooked rice, 1 can of tomatoes, 1 diced onion, and 1 clove garlic. Any kind of tomatoes should work. I used whole and them chopped them up myself, but you can also just get a can of diced. I also used a bit less water than normal because the tomatoes have liquid. As far as I know, rice is pretty forgiving. As long as you have enough liquid, don't overcook it and dry it out, you can't mess it up (i.e. it's hard to have too much liquid).

Drain and rinse a can of beans. I used black. You don't have to rinse them, but my mom always says they taste better that way.

Shred (or buy pre-shredded) any cheese. Chop veggies. If you're using eggs, scramble them. Get any other toppings - potatoes, sour cream, salsa, green onion, spinach, pesto - together and ready for assembly.

Wrap a stack of flour tortillas (I don't see why you can't use gluten free wraps here) in a damp dishcloth and microwave for a minute. This helps make them pliable and not rip when you roll the burritos. While they are microwaving, rip pieces of aluminum foil off the roll and put them in a pile. You can assemble each burrito directly on top of each piece.

Make the burritos:
Place one warm tortilla on the top of your pile of aluminum foil and re-cover the stack of tortillas with the damp towel. Add your ingredients of choice. Tightly roll the burrito, and then roll it in the foil. You can label and date them with a sharpie.

Freeze them!
When you're ready to eat them, unwrap them from the foil, rewrap in a damp paper towel, and microwave 2-3 minutes on high. You can also bake them for 40 minutes at 450F, remove foil, and bake for another 10 minutes. OR you can let it/them thaw, and bake for 350F for 10 minutes.

Rice Noodles with Peanut Sauce and Tofu - gluten free & vegan

It's been a beautiful week here in the Pacific Northwest. Some have even complained about the heat. I can't bring myself to complain about heat AKA too much sun because of how miserable it was all winter and spring. So I've been doing the merry dance that is opening and closing windows when it's cooler and warmer, keeping the blinds closed, and drinking lots of iced tea.

It's only been in the low 80s, so it's definitely not too hot to cook, and having sunshine certainly makes it waaaaaay easier to photograph. I know it's miserable other places, so all you people, use your imagination, and consider coming for a visit.

Rice Noodles with Peanut Sauce and Tofu

Start the noodles:
soak 8-12 oz rice noodles in hot water for 15 minutes or so

Tofu & Peanut sauce:
1 package extra firm tofu, drained and cubed
hot red pepper flakes, to taste
4 garlic cloves, finely diced
2 tsp Chinese 5 Spice*
3 Tbsp peanut oil, or a neutral oil like grapeseed or corn
1 C almond milk, coconut milk, stock, or water
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp soy sauce, or more to taste
1/2 C peanut butter
1/4 C chopped peanuts (optional)

Fry the tofu in about 2 Tbsp of peanut oil in a large frying pan.  While the tofu is frying, put 1 Tbsp oil in another medium saucepan over medium hot. Add the red pepper flakes, garlic, and 5 Spice and cook for a minute or two.

Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 10-15 minutes. Taste the sauce. sprinkle some salt to taste and add more soy sauce if it's too sweet.

Put it all together:
Turn the heat down to low on the sauce and add the tofu. Drain the noodles and saute them briefly in the tofu's frying pan.

Tongs work really well to serve the noodles. Spoon sauce on top.

Notes:
*I got this in the bulk section of a natural grocery store in Southern CA, and I have no idea what's in it. Turmeric is a good alternative.

You can use chunky peanut butter instead of creamy if you'd like, or, to make the sauce less peanuty, use either peanut butter OR peanuts.

The key to frying tofu is to get all the water out of it that you can. Usually I drain it really well and then wrap it in a clean towel and press down. Then rearrange the towel so dry parts are touching the tofu, and press down from the opposite side. voila.

Vegan & Gluten Free Winter Stew

Official Taster and I just got home from a week in Hawaii. Yep, Hawaii. Yep, it was awesome. Yep, that's all of us I'm going to show you. But, on the plus side, there will be lots of pretty flower pictures in the future.

It was warm, it was sunny, there were sea breezes and surfers. Pretty perfect. You may now be understanding why posting was kind of thin last week. Sorry, Blogger, but I had better things to do! There were rain forests, waterfalls, beaches, volcanoes, mai tais, and luaus. We also ate and drank a lot, visited with family, saw a rainbow, napped, absorbed some Vitamin D (to make up for cloudy Seattle), read, slept in, and admired the ocean. It was an actual vacation.

So when we arrived back in Seattle, I wanted to cook. After a week of excesses I wanted healthy, delicious, and not over the top. Because we came back to cool, rainy weather, I wanted warm and filling. This stew type thinger seemed like a good solution, and it goes over rice or pasta, and I also made some bread to go along.

Apologies for the lack of photos, but the weather is not cooperating properly with my work schedule (it's only been good light when I'm unavailable for photography).

Vegan & Gluten Free Winter Stew
olive oil
1 extra large onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bunch celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
3 vegan sausages, sliced
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 C tomato sauce
1/2 C vegetable broth
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried Italian spices
bay leaf
salt to taste

In a medium or large stock pot or Dutch oven, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until starting to become translucent. Add garlic, celery, carrots, and vegan sausages. Stir occasionally. When the vegetables start to soften, add the remaining ingredients to the pot. Let everything simmer until heated through and serve over rice, pasta, mashed potatoes, or anything else you can think of. The stew will have more flavor the longer it sits in its own juices, so cooking it in the afternoon and waiting until dinner to serve it will impart more flavor.

Notes:
As I've said over and over and over again, experiment with ingredients, flavors, spices, etc. and you can make the same general dish over and over again without it tasting the same.

Pesto Tomato Risotto - vegan & gluten free

Risotto is a staple for Official Taster and me. I love it because it's so versatile and easily adapted to the season's vegetables. It's not something I make a lot in the summer because it does require the stove to be on for quite a while, but it's cool here in the mornings and evenings. In fact, morning air has fall's crisp edge, and nights are cool enough for a quilt.

Believe it or not, this was the first meal I've cooked in our new apartment. We moved a month ago! Cooking was such a relief! I've been subsisting on sandwiches, yogurt, and peanut butter because I've been home so little at night. I haven't baked here, yet, but I hope to soon.

For this particular batch, I used some of the pesto I made earlier this summer and some grape tomatoes that needed to be eaten. I've also used avocado, squashes, eggplant, tofu, peppers, pine nuts, and probably some others I've forgotten, as well as an assortment of fresh herbs. Risotto is also easily adapted to various diets and allergies. I use olive oil instead of the traditional butter, and the cheese is totally optional.

Basic Risotto Recipe
2 C vegetable or chicken stock
2 C water
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
salt
1 C Arborio rice
1/2 C dry white wine
1/2 C finely grated Romano cheese (optional)

1. Bring the stock and water to a simmer in a small pot. Once boiling, reduce heat so it's just high enough to keep the broth warm.
2. Add olive oil to a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sprinkle with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent (about 9 minutes).
3. Add the rice and stir frequently until the kernel ends are transparent. Add the wine and, stirring frequently, simmer until the wine is completely absorbed by the rice. Add a couple cups of stock, and stirring infrequently, cook until liquid is absorbed and the bottom of the pan is dry.
4. Add more stock, about 1/2 C at a time, as needed to keep the bottom of the pan from drying out. Cook, stirring frequently, until the grains of the rice are mostly cooked. Add vegetables/pesto/pre-cooked meat or whatever else you'd like, and cook for a few minutes more, until the rice is cooked through. Stir in cheese, serve, and enjoy!

Notes:
If you're adding fresh herbs, you can either mix them in at the very end or just sprinkle them over each serving.

For this batch, I used 3 of my pesto ice cubes (see pesto post), but more would have been better. Fewer, and the pesto taste wasn't really there.

Instead of romano cheese, you can use parmesan, or even types like mozzarella. Play around with flavors!