Chickpea and Date Tagine (Vegan)

This is a North African dish from Vegetarian Times.

1 large onion, diced
1 TBSP olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin (I also added some cumin seeds.)
1 tsp ground coriander (I also added some coriander seeds, I like the pop of flavor they give)
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 15 oz cans crushed or diced tomatoes
2 15 oz cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 cup whole wheat couscous
1 cup pitted dates, halved or chopped
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 c cup chopped cilantro (optional)

Saute onion in olive oil. Add garlic and spices, stir.  Add tomatoes and chickpeas with 1/4 cup water. Simmer 10 min to soften chickpeas. Stir in lemon juice and dates and warm. Prepare couscous. Serve over couscous with chopped cilantro on top.

Random Vegan Meal #1

I decided to post some of my "throw together" dinners that are not planned, they just appear with what I happen to have in the fridge. I am not organized enough to plan every night of the week, plus I think I just like the spontaneity of tossing stuff together. However, we do get some random combinations. Like tonight for instance! I wouldn't have planned to put all these flavors together, but it ended up being a satisfying meal.

 1. Sautéed cabbage and kale with onion and facon (fake bacon). Sauté chopped onion, chopped cabbage and chopped kale. Add 1/4 - 1/2 cup vegetable broth and simmer for 10 min until soft. Add chopped up fake bacon (I like Morningstar) for delicious flavor.

 2. Hummus with whole wheat flour tortillas. (I do make hummus to have on hand sometimes, but tonight I bought it)

 3. Baked sweet potato mash. Bake sweet potatoes at 400 for one hour. Peel off skin and mash. For vegan dish, add orange zest or 2 TB orange juice concentrate to give it a fresh flavor. For non-vegan dish add 1TB butter and sprinkle of brown sugar.

 4. Quinoa salad.
Mix together:
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 15 oz can black beans
1 package frozen corn kernels
1 small purple onion, chopped small
(Optional diced red pepper.)
Dressing:
3/4 c seasoned rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 TBs agave nectar

 5. Dessert: Fresh berries!

Cherry Tomato and Yellow Squash Crumble

Credit: Vegetarian Times, August 2012

 I think what made this so delicious was that I made fresh bread crumbs for it. I used Prairie Grain Honey Whole Wheat bread and processed it in my handheld mini-processor (love that thing!) and they are so moist and crispy after baking - yum!

 Preheat oven to 400 F and spray a baking dish with cooking spray. I used two glass pie pans and made one vegan and one vegetarian.

Add these to processor and process together:
3-4 slices of bread
2 TBs parsley
1 tsp olive oil
Set aside.

Saute until soft:
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups (about 4) yellow squash, diced

Add until warmed:
3 cups cherry tomatoes
1 clove garlic, minced

Season with salt and transfer to prepared dishes.
Add:
1/2 cup grated swiss cheese to vegetarian dish.

Layer breadcrumb mixture over both dishes and bake 30-35 min.

Vegan Chimichurri Tacos

Credit: Vegetarian Times, Chef Chloe

 These were Delicious! I think the fresh herbs are the key.

 Taco Filling:
1 onion, chopped
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
15 oz can of black beans 

Saute onions and mushrooms and drain off water. Add beans and warm.

 Chimichurri Sauce: (I made this in my little cuisinart food processor that came with my immersion blender.)
 4 cloves garlic, peeled (mince this first in the processor, then add the other stuff)
1 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 cup italian parsley leaves
1/8 c olive oil (I decreased this from the original recipe)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 TBs agave nectar
1 tsp salt
1/2 ground cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper

 Process until consistency of a sauce. Pour sauce over filling and serve with warm tortillas. Reserve some sauce for extra on the table. Serve with Spanish rice.