3 Bean Vegetarian Chili

I love meals that are super easy and super delicious.  This is definitely one of those.  All you do is throw a bunch of stuff into a pot, let it get warm, and then enjoy!  Now that the weather is getting colder, this is the perfect type of meal to come home to.  

In other news, I'm a cheer coach at my school and this is the first year we have a cheer team.  Almost none of the girls had any prior experience and we just had our first game!  It was so exciting to see them out there cheering and they did a really great job.  I love that I became involved in this and I can't wait for more games.  This Friday we have a pep rally and the girl's are performing a cheer and a dance.  They're pretty nervous, but they are looking so great!  They have worked really hard and it is exciting to see them become so invested in something.  Today we have a practice and then a dinner where we are going to hang out about make some cheer bows!  It's gonna be awesome.  

So, although tonight I am having pizza with my cheerleaders, I still wanted to share this great chili recipe that I made recently.  Then, I can't wait to share how the bow-making goes and how the pep rally goes tomorrow!  The chili recipe is totally relevant because now that cheer is taking over my afternoons, I ahve less time to cook when I get home!  This chili recipe is going to be making quite a few appearances in our apartment in the near future...

3 Bean Vegetarian Chili

(adapted from Cait's Plate)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 red peppers, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup water

2 tbsp tomato paste

1/4 cup chili powder

3 tsp cumin

2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp southwest chipotle powder

salt and pepper to taste

1 can low-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can low-sodium kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can garbanzo, drained and rinsed

2 cups vegetable broth

Toppings: Crumbled Goat Cheddar Cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large pot, over medium heat, heat olive oil.  Add in the peppers and garlic and saute for about 5 minutes.  Add in the rest of the ingredients.  Bring the mixture to a boil and then lower heat and let it simmer for about 20 minutes.  

2. Serve with whatever toppings you want.

Enjoy :)

Farmer's Market Veggie Burgers with Chipotle Avocado Sauce

I have another great Kosher for Passover recipe and it's vegetarian! Bri and I recently went to the Soulard Farmers Market and we got: sweet potatoes, spinach, red peppers, onions, avocados, and a chipotle spice mix.  We then, made some Homemade Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers with a Chipotle Avocado Cream Sauce.  This was some delicious food and to keep the veggie burgers together we used a little quinoa and eggs.  Everything is Gluten Free and everything is healthy! It was an amazing meal and definitely a great option for your vegetarians on Passover!

I am also on Spring Break and so in between Passover Seders and getting some much needed sleep, I'm doing a lot of running, cooking, and applying for jobs.  So relaxing? It's a tad stressful, but I'm glad I have all this time to get some applications complete.  Anyone hiring teachers in the Chicago-land area?  I'm pretty good...and I make a mean veggie burger!

Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers with Avocado Cream Sauce

Ingredients:
For the Burgers:
2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
2 red peppers, chopped
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
1/2 lb. fresh spinach
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tsp chile power
2 eggs, lightly beaten

For the Avocado Sauce:
3 small avocados, peeled and sliced
1 packaged chipotle spice seasoning (about 2 tbsp)
1 cup non-fat greek yogurt (I used Chobani)
1/2 fresh lime juice

Directions:
1. Cook quinoa according to directions and set aside.
2. Place sweet potato slices in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for about 7 minutes or until you can pierce the pieces with a fork.  Smash sweet potatoes with a fork.
3. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a saucepan.  Place in minced garlic and onion.  Sautee until onion starts to become translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add in red pepper and wine.  Let cook until wine mostly evaporates, about 10 minutes.  Add in spinach and stir until wilted.  Season with salt, pepper and chile powder.
4.  Stir the sweet potato with the veggie mixture.  Add in the cooked quinoa and stir to combined. Stir in the eggs until mixture is well combined.
5.  In a non-stick skillet, form veggie burgers and cook for about 4 minutes on each side.  Burgers will be lightly browned and should stay together when flipped.
6. To make the sauce, puree the avocado in a food processor until creamy.  Stir in greek yogurt and spices.  Stir in the lime juice and serve with the burgers.

Enjoy :)

Guest Post-Cooking with Pulses

Today I have some very exciting news! Lily Anderson is a writer who works with a licensed online pharmacy   She is strongly interested in promoting a healthier lifestyle through the promotion of exercise and eating well.  I am a big fan of both of these things and she contacted me as being interested in contributing to this blog! Please enjoy this lovely guest post from Lily about the benefits of cooking with pulses and a great recipe!

Cooking With Pulses – Make It a Regular Thing

It’s no longer unusual to be vegetarian or even vegan for that matter – there are over 7 million people in the United States who don’t eat meat and 1 million of these avoid all produce from animals. However, for the rest of us who still choose to eat meat, we’re being encouraged to eat less to benefit our health. A high intake of red meat and especially processed meats such as ham and bacon, are linked with an increased risk of bowel cancer; additionally processed meats tend to be high in saturated fats, the fats that raise cholesterol level and increase our risk of heart disease. Meat lovers, who are sceptical of the need to reduce their meat consumption, usually play the card that red meat is essential for iron to keep anaemia at bay. While it is true that red meat is a very good source of iron, there are plenty of other foods in the diet that can provide us with iron – eggs, fortified breakfast cereals, green leafy vegetables, dried fruit, nuts and pulses. It’s the last one that we're going to focus on. Peas, beans and lentils are often an overlooked part of the diet – not so much by vegetarians, but certainly by most of us who eat meat. It’s a shame, as not only are they a very healthy option, they’re also very versatile, so can be used in all manner of dishes.

Why eat pulses?

Peas, beans and lentils are a great source of vegetable-based protein, needed for growth in children and for your body to continuously replace old cells and carry out repair to tissues like skin and bone. Not only are they very low in fat, but they are high in fibre, so make a filling option – ideal for anyone who finds that they get hungry soon after a meal – and are beneficial for digestive health. They contain a type of fibre known as soluble fibre, which can help to keep your cholesterol level in check. Soluble fibre can also help to balance blood sugar levels – something which can become a daily battle for the millions of people who live with diabetes and who know the consequences if they don’t keep them under control; the prospect of blindness, kidney failure, nerve damage and in men, erectile dysfunction, necessitating the need to take the likes of Cialis med. Although not as high in iron as meat, pulses make a useful contribution to your daily intake; to aid iron absorption just make sure you include some fruit or vegetables rich in Vitamin C when you eat pulses - citrus fruits, berries, kiwis, green vegetables, peppers and tomatoes are all good for this - and avoid drinking tea or coffee with the meal.

Which pulses to choose?

Beans on toast isn’t a bad meal, but you’d soon get tired of having it week in week out. With so many pulses to choose from – black-eye beans, borlotti beans, cannellini beans, chickpeas, kidney beans to name just a few – there’s no need to limit yourself when you have such a selection widely available in the grocery store. Most pulses can be bought dried and in cans. The dried pulses although cheaper, need to be well soaked for a day and cooked for an hour or more, so the canned variety represent a much more convenient option.

How to include more pulses in meals?

As a general rule for any dish where you have meat in a sauce or gravy, you can replace all or some of the meat with pulses. Good examples would include curries, soups, stews, cottage pie, spaghetti Bolognese, chilli and lasagne, but there are so many more possibilities. Pulses also work well in stir-fries and salads. Another way that they can be used is to make them into a pâté-style spread; all you need do is blend a can of drained pulses of your choice with a little non-fat fromage frais, some garlic, a drop of lemon juice and whatever herbs, spices or seasonings that take your fancy.

If you still aren’t convinced, try this quick and easy recipe for a kidney bean curry to see how good meat-free dishes taste.

Kidney bean curry (serves 4)

Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1tsp ground ginger

1tsp chilli powder

1 large onion, chopped

1 red and 1 green pepper, cut into strips

2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes

1x 400g tin kidney beans, drained

1. Heat the oil in a pan and soften the onion for 5 minutes.

2. Add the garlic, curry powder and all the spices, cooking for a further minute, stirring throughout

3. Add the pepper strips and cook for 5 minutes, stirring periodically.

4. Pour the tinned tomatoes into the pan, thoroughly combine and simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Lastly add the kidney beans and simmer for a further 10 minutes.

6. Serve with boiled rice or a chapatti.

Enjoy :)

Foodie Friends Friday-Crockpot Party!

This week Foodie Friends Friday is hosting a Crockpot Party! I love cooking with my crockpot and it is one of the things I miss most while I am away at college (after my stand mixer and ice cream maker).  I just don't have the space for it in my room! It's very sad.  I love to get re-acquainted when I go home.  Some of my favorite recipes are Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers, Vegetarian Lasagna, BBQ Pulled Apple Chicken, and Vegetarian Chili.  I've linked them all up to celebrate this week's party!

Onto the business/fun stuff! Last week TWELVE lucky winners won awesome items from all the great sponsors!

And here are the winner's from last week's party!

Most Votes:

1. Caramel Apple Cupcakes

2. Peanut Butter Pumpkins

3. Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Most Clicked:

1. Pumpkin Bundt Cake

2. Peanut Butter Pumpkins

3. Loaded Potato Soup

This week is sponsored by Cotton Commotion and two randomly picked, lucky winners will win Crockpot Carry Bags!

But first, here are this week's co-hosts:

Foodie Friends Friday http://www.foodiefriendsfriday.com

Tracy at Busy Vegetarian Mom http://www.busyvegetarianmom.com

Robyn's View http://www.robynsviewathome.blogspot.com

Marlys at This and That  http://marlys-thisandthat.blogspot.com/

Lois at  Walking on Sunshine http://wifeofthecolonel.blogspot.com/

Lindsey at Family Food Finds  http://www.familyfoodfinds.com

Cindy at Cindys Recipes and Writings  http://www.cindysrecipesandwritings.com

Michelle at  From Calculus to Cupcakes http://www.fromcalculustocupcakes.com

Cynthia at Feeding Big  http://www.feedingbig.blogspot.com

Jodie at Binomial Baker http://www.binomialbaker.blogspot.com

R Dawn at Spatulas on Parade http://www.spatulasonparade.blogspot.com

Angie at A lil Country Sugar http://www.alilcountrysugar.blogspot.com

HungryLittleGirl http://www.hungrylittlegirl.com/

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Light Vegetarian Slow-Cooker Chili

My litter bro is all grown up! Today he turned 18 and I just can't believe it.  It makes me feel old and I am aware that I am nowhere near being old.  But still, it's pretty crazy to think that he is not an "adult."  I mean, he got to purchase a lottery ticket! Also, he is leaving for college in the fall! What?!?!? How did that happen? That means I'm going to be a SENIOR in college.  And that, my friends, is truly terrifying.

For the little guy's birthday, my family and I spent the day being tourists in our own city.  The great city of Chicago always has something interesting to offer up. We went downtown to the Museum of Science and Industry to see the Myth Busters exhibit.  Unfortunately it was sold out, but we hung out there anyways.  There were a lot of cool things to see and it was fun to be at the museum.  Afterwards, we headed out for dinner.  We were a little early for our reservation so we stopped at Kafein in Evanston for a little pick-me-up.  Fortunately, Kafein was also right next to Tapas Barcelona, our dinner!  Tapas Barcelona was fantastic and I would definitely go there again.  It was so fun to try a bunch of different small dishes and they were all amazing!

Also, my boyfriend was able to come in town to celebrate with all of us before we leave to go to St. Louis.  It is my spring break and so I am spending the first day at home for my brothers birthday and then I am going to St. Louis with Bri to spend some of my break with him!

Vegetarian Chili (slightly adapted from Green Lite Bites)

Ingredients:

1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 15 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed (we used low-sodium)

1 15 oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (also low-sodium)

1 (about 15 oz) can of whole kernel corn

1 (about 15 oz) can diced tomatoes (we used the basil flavored one)

1 6 oz can tomato paste

1 red pepper, chopped

1 small white onion, chopped

1/2 tbsp chili powder

1/2 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp dried cilantro

1/2 tbsp nutmeg

Directions:

1. Put all the ingredients in your slow-cooker and turn on low for 5 hours. That's it! Serve however you want! We used a little low-fat cheddar cheese and made some healthy corn bread. 

Enjoy :)

Yum!

This recipe is featured on Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party!

VIProgressive

Let me start by saying I have the world's greatest campus job.  I work for VIP which stands for Visitor & Information Programs and I am an Information Guide (IG).  This campus organization helps with campus tours, staffing the front desks of various locations, and general customer service to anyone on this campus.  As an IG I get to staff the front desk at Union South, the Welcome Center, and the Discovery Building.  I help people who are visiting, hanging out, calling campus, e-mailing campus, chatting campus, and so on.  As an IG I get to be one of the "faces of the university" who is responsible for welcoming visitors to campus and providing the best information to anyone who needs it.  This is a great job because I love to help people out and I love my university.  Also, I LOVE my fellow IGs.  The people I get to work with are absolutely amazing!  Every time I work I leave feeling as if I just made 2 or 3 new best friends.  Everyone is just fantastic.

One of the fantastic traditions that we fantastic people take part in is the Progressive Dinner.  It's simple: 4 locations, 4 dinner courses (Drinks, Appetizers, Main Course, and Dessert), and of course, a theme!  Tonight is Progressive Dinner and the theme is high school cliques.  When I found this out I was thrilled.  I am going to get even more use of my old cheer uniform!  I also get to show off some of my culinary skills :)

I am making a Reese's Pieces Cake.  I found the recipe on Tasty Kitchen and I fell in love with the simplicity of it.  I knew that my day was going to be busy and I wouldn't have all the time in the world to bake, so I picked this guy.  Also, this cake represents a food that I just can't live without: Peanut Butter.

In my opinion, Peanut Butter should just be it's own food group.  You can eat it with any meal and it's good for you.  I can't wait to try this cake at our last stop tonight!!!

Reese's Pieces Cake

Ingredients:
For the Cake:
1 18 oz box of chocolate cake mix
Ingredients specified on box, but instead of oil, replace with peanut butter (I used Natural Creamy)
3/4 cup of chopped reese's pieces
For the Frosting:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups Creamy Peanut Butter
3/4-1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
1. Make cake as directed on box, replacing the oil with peanut butter and then stir in the lightly copped reese's pieces.  Bake as directed on box.
2.  Make the frosting: Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and peanut butter until light and fluffy.  Slowly beat in powdered sugar and beat until well combined.  Spread on top of the cooled cake.
Enjoy :)

And here begins the fun part.  Because it is Progressive Dinner, I figured I would share with you the recipes/pictures from all the IGs who are cooking/baking for tonight's event.

Stop 1: Appetizers: Apples, Grapes, Southwestern Black Bean Hummus, and Brownies (they can be an appetizer too!)

The Apples and Grapes were simple and obviously don't have a recipe, but seriously they made the start of the night great...who doesn't love fruit?

Southwestern Black Bean Hummus
By: Melanie

Melanie is another IG with a fabulous food blog.  Seriously, head over to her site, Melanie's Mixtures, and check out all of her amazing recipes.  This dip was great and you gotta try it.  Plus, you don't need a food processor! In fact, I am not going to post the recipe because I really want people to head over to her site.  Just follow the link and enjoy :)

Stop 2: More Appetizers: Greek Dip, Stuffed Peppers, Empanadas, and Cinnamon Sugar Kettle Corn

Stuffed Peppers
By: Max

Source: Food Network

Ingredients:
15 assorted mini bell peppers (red, orange, and yellow)
1/2 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup goat cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil

Directions:
In a bowl, mix the cream cheese, goat cheese, garlic, and basil until well combined.  Cut off the tops of the peppers and clean out the seeds.  Fill each pepper with the cheese mixture.  Enjoy!

Chicken Empanadas (from Food Network)
By: Paul

Source: Food Network

Ingredients:
3 cups chopped, cooked chicken
1 8 oz bag of shredded Colby and Monterey Jack cheese
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 jalapeno, seedless and chopped
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 15 oz package refrigerated pie crust


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2.  In a bowl, mix chicken and the next 7 ingredients.
3. Unroll pie crust and, using a 3 inch circle cookie cutter, cut out rounds from the pie crust.  Reroll and continue to make rounds until you have 12-15.
4. Assemble the empanadas by laying the rounds flat on a clean surface, brush the edges with water, place a heaping teaspoon of the chicken mixture in the center, and then fold the dough over and press the edges of the crust together.  Using a fork, press the edges together and make little indents in the sides.
5.  Arrange the empanadas on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

Cinnamon Sugar Kettle Corn
By: Lauren

Ingredients:
1/3 cup popcorn kernels
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
salt

Directions:
If you have an oil popper: Put the kernels and the oil in the popper.  Once the oil starts to boil (or once the first kernel pops) sprinkle the sugar all around the pan.  The popcorn will pop in the sugar/oil glaze. Dumb into a large bowl.  Salt once popped (be careful, it's hot!).  I usually take a knife to turn the popcorn and break away any clumps as I mix.

If you are using the cinnamon, mix the cinnamon and sugar together beforehand.  Make sure to mix well! Then, add as normal.

To stove pop: Put the kernels and oil in a big kettle with a top.  Once the oil starts to boil (or once the first kernel pops) sprinkle the sugar all around the bottom.  Make sure to shake the kernels back and forth in the pan so they don't burn! Pour into a bowl and salt with instructions above.
Enjoy :)

Source: Simply Recipes

Stop 3: Main Course: Cheesy Spinach and Tomato Quiche, Couscous with Chicken and Veggies, Chili, and Spaghetti-Pizza Style

Cheesy Spinach and Tomato Quiche (from Heather's Dish)
Made by: Leigh

Source: Heather's Dish

Ingredients:
1 whole russet potato, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
8 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 Roma tomatoes, cut into thin rounds
3 cups packed fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup cubed cheese (white cheddar, feta, Parmesan, or asiago are good)
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray.
2. Place the potato slices on the bottom and sides of the pie pan. Bake the potatoes for about 10 minutes or until they start to look translucent. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and milk until smooth.  Whisk in the seasonings until well combined.
4. Layer the spinach on top of the potatoes and then the cubed cheese on top of the spinach in the pie pan.  Pour the egg mixture into the pie pan and then lay the tomatoes on top of the egg mixture.
5.  Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the middle is no longer jiggly.  Sprinkle with the Parmesan and broil until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve immediately.

Couscous with Chicken and Veggies
By: Kaitlin

Ingredients:
Your favorite couscous (She used Near East)
1 cup of chopped, cooked chicken
1 cup of cooked broccoli
1 cup of chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper for taste

Directions:
Make the couscous.  In a large pan, mix in the rest of the ingredients and season with salt and pepper.  Serve immediately.  So easy and so good!

Chili (slightly adapted from All Recipes)
By: Briana

Source: All Recipes

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
3/4 cup diced onion
3/4 cup diced celery
3/4 cup diced green bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 10.75 oz cans tomato puree
1 15 oz can kidney beans, with liquid
1 15 oz can kidney beans, drained
1 15 oz can cannellini beans, with liquid
1/2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
a dash of hot pepper sauce
1 16 oz box of elbow macaroni, cooked according to box

Directions:
1. Cook the beef in a medium skillet until browned.  Drain the grease.
2. Place beef in a slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients.  Cook covered on low for 8 hours.
3. Mix in cooked macaroni and serve!

Spaghetti-Pizza Style
By: Maria

Source: Busy Cooks

Ingredients:
1/2 lb thin spaghetti or a little more
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
24 oz or more of spaghetti sauce
1/2 lb ground beef
1/4-1/3 lb sliced pepperoni, cut in quarters and separated
1 cup shredded cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan.
1. Prepare spaghetti according to box and drain.
2. In a saucepan, cook the beef until browned.  Drain the grease.  In a bowl, mix the beef with the sauce and the pepperoni pieces.
2. Spread spaghetti in a lightly greased 9x13 inch pan.  Top with the sauce/meat mixture. Sprinkle the cheese over the top.
4. Bake for 30 minutes covered and then uncover and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is lightly browned. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!

Stop 4: Dessert: Reese's Pieces Cake, Cookie Dough Cupcakes, and more Brownies

Cookie Dough Cupcakes
By: Sami

Sami is another IG with a cooking blog.  Seriously, we need to all get together and have a giant cooking party.  But anyways, Sami  made FANTASTIC cupcakes for last night.  She blogged about them a while back and you can find the recipe here.

Accidental Brownies
By: Jiawen

Ingredients:
1 box of chocolate cake mix
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 eggs

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a pan with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, beat cake mix with water, butter, and eggs.
3. Bake according to the directions on the box, about 30 minutes.
These were supposed to be cake bars, but ended up being more dense and like brownies...they were great!

Such a fun time!