Tex Mex Vegan Lettuce Cups

It's the last day of September and still hot in Scottsdale, AZ so I'm making salads!  Impress your dinner guests with this pretty little salad!

Ingredients:
1 head iceberg lettuce
3 fresh corn cobs, corn shaved off
3 cups chopped heirloom tomatoes
13 oz. can organic black beans, drained
1/2 cucumber diced
1 ripe avocado, diced
1/2 Poblano (Pasilla) chili, chopped
2 scallions, diced
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of 2-3 limes
*Optional- chopped vegan jalapeno cheese

Directions:
Remove heart from lettuce head and run cold water into the hole left by the heart....that sounds rather cruel...This will loosen the leaves and make them easier to pull apart.  Separate the leaves and set aside to drain.  Mix the remaining ingredients and drizzle lime juice into the mix.  Season with salt and pepper.  Place lettuce leaves into bowls and spoon in salad mixture.  Serves 6-8.

*Citrus accelerates saltiness.  After you mix in lime juice, use salt sparingly and taste as you add salt.

Harvest Kale Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Kale rocks!  It's a super food!   No really, it is one of the super foods.  Here are some facts about Kale:

Kale is rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, B6, manganese, calcium, copper, and potassium! One cup of kale contains 192% of the daily value of vitamin A and 90% of your RDA for vitamin C. Vitamin C also reduces cancer-causing free-radicals.   

Instead of using Kale for garnish, use it for a salad!  We cut it in strips like cabbage slaw and in this Waldorf-inspired recipe, we prefer the light green curly kale which is the most common in grocery stores. BTW- We are IN LOVE with apple cider vinaigrette!  

Ingredients:

1 bunch kale, thoroughly washed and cut into strips

1 cup red, seedless grapes, halved

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 Granny Smith apple cut into cubes

3 celery stalks, diced

red onion slices

Apple Cider Vinaigrette

1/2 cup apple cider

1/4 apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp honey
1 tsp pepper
Salt to taste
2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 cup grapeseed oil

Salt/Pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix salad and dress with apple cider vinaigrette.

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa with Purslane

Who knew?  I remember this stuff growing up on the farm in the Yuma Valley and it was a weed! It grew all over and annoyed my dad.  

Our favorite stand at the Pima Crossing Saturday Farmer's Market is Guy Gillespie who owns On the Vine. We call Guy the "Sam Malone" of Scottsdale's Farmers Market because you can stop by and have a nice chat, buy awesome fresh produce AND get great ideas for cooking too! Check out On the Vine's Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/onthevinearizona

Guy introduced us to purslane and made believers out of us! It is a versatile little weed- you can use it in salad, on sandwiches, pestos, and here I've used it in a salsa.

Purslane is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and Vitamin A.   It has a salty, tart, leafy taste.  Here's a great website to learn more about purslane:

 http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/purslane.html

Ingredients:

10 fresh tomatillos, peeled and halved

1 tbsp oil

1/2 medium onion

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

1 clove garlic

1 chopped poblano chili

1 cup purslane, larger stems removed

Juice from 2 limes

1 tsp honey

Salt/Pepper to taste

1 tsp Italian red pepper flakes

Directions:

Line cookie sheet with foil.  Spread oil over the surface of the foil.  Placed halved tomatillos, flat side down cookie sheet and broil for 5-7 minutes until skin begins to blacken.  Add remaining ingredients to food processor or blender and puree until mixture is finely chopped.

Chill.  Serve with chips, or top veggies, or do like me...stand over the sink and eat with a spoon.  ((  :

Hatch Chili Chicken Cordon Bleu

I'm officially all out of Hatch green chilies!  Maybe it's a good thing because I'm sleep deprived and they have taken over my life!




I hope you like this last recipe and if you would like to send me YOUR ideas for cooking with Hatch chilies, I would love it!

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless organic chicken breasts
2 Hatch chilies, roasted with skin and insides removed
2 slices vegan cheese- I prefer the jalapeño flavor because I like it spicy.
2 egg whites
*1 pkg. McCormick Crispy Chicken Tenders Seasoning-To this pkg., add 1 tsp herbs and 1/2 cup pureed almonds or make the following:

Panko crumb breading mixture:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp paprika
1 cup whole wheat panko crumbs
1 cup sliced almonds (nut allergies: substitute  additional cup of panko crumbs for almonds)
3 cloves crushed garlic
2 tsps dry mustard
2 tsps. salt
2 tsps pepper
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsps chopped fresh rosemary, thyme or another savory herb
*Optional: 1 tsp red Italian pepper flakes

Directions:
I used the same crumb recipe that I used for chicken tenders so if you took my advice (he-he) and made extra, this recipe is a snap!

Pound chicken breasts with a meat mallet to thin them to about 1/3-inch thickness.  Cut chili in half and place at the edge of the chicken breast.  Add 1/2 slice of vegan cheese and roll into a cylinder.  Dip in egg whites, then in crumb mixture, skewering with a toothpick.  Place in shallow dish, repeat for remaining chicken breasts and bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes.

Here's a link to one of my favorite vegan cheese companies:

http://www.galaxyfoods.com/galaxy-products/rice/

Hatch Chili Avocado Omelets with Egg Beaters

Still going...but I'm running out of Hatch chilies!  )  :  Can't use real eggs anymore, but egg beaters are allowed.

Ingredients:
Two 4-oz cups Egg Beaters
2-3  tbsps grape seed oil
2 roma tomatoes
1/2 medium onion
1/2 bell pepper
2 ripe avocados
Juice from 1/2 lime
1 tbsp. chopped jalapeño or poblano chili
Salt to taste

Directions:
Chop vegetables.  Saute' veggies in 1 tbsp. oil for approx. 5 minutes.  Scoop out ripe avocado into small bowl. Mash and add finely chopped chilies, lime juice, and salt to avocado.  Set aside.  Heat 1 tbsp oil in non-stick omelette pan.  Pour one 4-oz cup of Egg Beaters in pan.  Heat on medium until Egg Beaters start to bubble- about 30 seconds.  Spread 1/2 veggies over half the omelette.  Cook for 1 minute then spread 1/2 of the avocado mixture on top of veggies.

With a large spatula, fold over the other half of Egg Beaters to cover the omelette.  Repeat with second 4-oz cup of Egg Beaters, adding more oil to omelette pan if needed.  This makes 2 large omelets with enough to serve 4.

No Dairy Cream of Hatch Chili Soup

The Arizona Republic published a recipe today from Crazy Ed at the Satisfied Frog Restaurant called Cream of Green Chili Soup.  The ingredients are to die for!  Literally...for those who have cholesterol issues but they sound divine.  Butter, cream, and cheese...those were the days, my friend!

All due respect to Crazy Ed but we have to be heart healthy at my house.  I substituted cashews for the cream, added a few extra ingredients and garnished it with chili powder and tomatoes.  My soup is spicy, creamy, and so EASY.  I am fortunate to have a super blender. I bought a Blendtec and it makes awesome pureed soups.

Ingredients:
3 large Hatch chilies, roasted with skin and insides removed
3 cups vegetable broth
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp. Mexican oregano
Chopped tomatoes and chili powder for garnish
Salt to taste

Directions:
Puree in blender or food processor, garnish with tomatoes and chili powder.

Baked Chicken Tenders with Honey Mustard Sauce

Fast food Chicken Nuggets, Tenders, Fingers, or whatever they call them are NOT healthy for your family.  Cook them at home using healthy ingredients and not only do you control the ingredients, but you control the calories as well! I always make extra breading for my chicken tenders, so cooking them doesn't take hours in the kitchen.

One serving (3 chicken tenders) of this recipe is approximately 174 kcal.  For the same amount, Chili's Crispy Honey Chipotle Crispers are 1930 kcal per serving and McDonalds weighs in at 250 kcal per serving.

Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken tenders
4 large egg whites
Canola oil spray
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp paprika
1 cup whole wheat panko crumbs
1 cup sliced almonds (nut allergies: substitute  additional cup of panko crumbs for almonds)
3 cloves crushed garlic
2 tsps dry mustard
2 tsps. salt
2 tsps pepper
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsps chopped fresh rosemary, thyme or another savory herb
*Optional: 1 tsp red Italian pepper flakes

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray.  Add almonds, flour, paprika, garlic, spices, and herbs to food processor and puree for approx. 1 minute.  Drizzle 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil into food processor and continue to puree. Move some of the pureed mixture to medium bowl.  Whisk egg whites in small bowl.  Dredge each chicken tender first in egg whites, then in crumb mixture.  Place on baking sheet.  Bake chicken tenders until golden brown, turning once.  Dip in honey mustard sauce:  ¾ cup deli mustard and 1/3 cup honey.

Save extra crumb mixture in a ziploc bag and freeze.

Almost Vegan Hatch Chili Rellenos

We haven't had chili rellenos in a long, long time.  Not allowed on our diet...but with all the new vegan products out there, I couldn't resist a challenge!  Especially since I have still have Hatch chilies left!  My only departure from being totally vegan is using egg beaters.

Ingredients:
12 oz. beefless crumbles (I like Trader Joe's Soy Crumbles)
1/2 large onion, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp. grape seed oil
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tsps Mexican oregano
8-10 Hatch chilies, roasted-skin and insides removed
4 oz. vegan cheese- pepper jack flavor is best
8 oz. Egg Beaters
1 tbsp. chili powder
1/3 cup grape seed oil
Salt/Pepper to taste

Directions:
Saute' soy crumbles, onion, tomatoes in 2 tbsp. oil until onion is translucent.  Add salt/pepper to taste and chili powder.  Add vegan cheese.

Put a dollop of meatless mixture into each chili.

After filling all the chilies, mix flour, oregano, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper together in a medium mixing bowl and dredge each chili in the flour mixture.

Dip chilies in egg beaters.

Brown chilies in 1/3 - 1/2 cup of grape seed oil, turning once.

Voila!  We did it!  Heart healthy chili rellenos!  Here they are with or without salsa.

Hatch Green Chili Papas

Some fond childhood memories for me were the occasions when my dad made Chili Papas for breakfast.  The smell was enough to bring me running for breakfast because there was no doubt Daddy had commandeered the kitchen!  He fried chopped potatoes and onions in a pan then added green chilies and tomatoes.  I thought he called them "Chili Papas" because he was the Papa!  Of course, the Spanish word for potatoes is "papas."  Here's my latest Hatch Green Chili idea:

Ingredients:
3 lbs. potatoes cut into 1/2-inch pieces
*1 medium chopped sweet potato-this was my idea!  (( :
1/2 coarsely chopped onion
4 Hatch green chilies- roasted, skin and insides removed, chopped
1 cup chopped tomatoes
3 tbsp. grape seed oil
Salt/Pepper to taste

Directions:
Saute' potatoes and onions in frying pan until slightly browned.  Turn stove to medium low, cover and continue to cook until potatoes are soft.  Add chopped Hatch chilies and tomatoes and cook for an additional 3 minutes.

*Optional:  My dad added 3-4 scrambled eggs with the chilies and tomatoes.