easy yummy tuna patties

 

Nobody in my family likes tuna the way that I do so I made myself some tuna patties for lunch today.  I'm so glad I did.  They were really good and I have a few leftover for tomorrow.  I lightened up a recipe I found at allrecipes.com.

easy yummy tuna patties (allrecipes.com)

3 egg whites

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

5 tablespoons Italian-seasoned bread crumbs

3 (5 ounce) cans tuna, drained well

1 tablespoon dried minced onion

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

In a bowl, beat egg whites.  Add dried minced onion and stire well to combine.  Add parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, and black pepper and combine well.  Add the tuna.  Shape the tuna into 5 patties (I used a cookie scoop to make them as uniform as possible then flattened them out).  Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat; fry patties until golden brown, 5 minutes per side.  Serve with tartar sauce, ketchup or mustard.

chickpea shawarma salad

 

This is a GREAT salad.  Again, another hit with the family.  Some of us put feta cheese on ours and I'd say that put this recipe over the top.  I loved the hummus dressing; great idea!

chickpea shawarma salad (slightly adapted from minimalist baker)

1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teapsoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon salt

a pinch of black pepper AND ground coriander

salad ingredients

two heads romaine lettuce, torn

couple handfuls of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced and quartered

1/2 cucumber, peeled and quartered

pita chips, slightly crushed

feta cheese, if desired

hummus dressing

1 cup hummus (I used "everything" seasoned hummus)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teapsoons garlic, minced

water to thin

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Add washed and dried chickpeas to a mixing bowl.  Add olive oil and all seasonings and toss to combine.  Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 20-22 minutes.  Then set aside.  Prepare all salad ingredients and add to a bowl, reserving pita chips for later.  Prepare dressing by whisking all ingredients.  To serve, add chickpeas and pita chips to the salad with half of the dressing.  Toss to combine.  Serve in individual bowls with the remaining dressing.  Sprinkle with feta if desired.

the best vegetarian chili in the world

 

The chili was impressive!  My kids ate bowl after bowl.  My vegetarians don't like a lot of meat substitutions but I put the veggie crumbles in it for extra protein and they didn't even notice.  If you like meat, subsitute the veggie crumbles for lean ground beef.  A winner!

the best vegetarian chili in the world (slightly adapted from allrecipes.com)

1 tablespoon oil

2 tablespoons dried onion (if you're not trying to use up food storage use a real onion)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons salt

3/4 green bell pepper, diced

1 tablespoon garlc, minced

1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles

1 package vegetarian burger crumbles

2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained

1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained (I used great northern beans)

Heat oil in a large pot over meidum heat.  Stir in the onion and season with cumin, oregano and salt.  Cook and stir until onion is tender, then mix in bell peppers, garlic and green chiles.  When the vegetables are heated through, mis in the vegetarian burger crumbles.  Reduce heat to low and cover pot and simmer 5 minues.  Mix the tomatoes into the pot.  Season with chili powder. Stir in all the beans.  Reduce heat to low and simmer 45 minutes.

eggroll in a bowl and homemade hoisin sauce

 

A family favorite!  I made this version and a vegetarian version and it all got eaten up.  Delicous!  I didn't have hoisin sauce on hand so found a homemade version and it was great too.

eggroll in a bowl (the seasoned mom)

1 pound ground chicken

1 onion, diced

1 tablespoon sesame oil (I forgot this!)

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

2 teaspoons garlic

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 bag angel hair coleslaw

1 cup grated carrots

2 green onions, sliced (to sprinkle on top)

1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

Heat skillet over medium heat.  Add ground chicken.  Add onion, sesame oil and vinegar until the onion is ender.  Add garlic, ginger, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, coleslaw mix and carrots.  Cook 5-7 minutes or until cabbage is wilted.  Remove skillet from heat.  Stir in green onions and season with salt and pepper if desired.  Serve with an extra drizzle of hoisin sauce if desired.

homemade hoisin sauce (slightly adapted from daring gourmet)

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons black bean sauce (Can you believe I had this in the food storage pantry?  Random!)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Whisk ingredients together.  Makes 14 servings.  Will keep for at least a week in the refrigerator.

curry lentil soup

 

Everyone loved this soup and my son had TWO bowls which speaks volumes.

curry lentil soup (slightly adapted from the minimalist baker)

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup diced onion (I used 1 tablespoon dried onion)

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon dried ginger

1/2 jalapeno, minced

2 cup sliced carrots (I used a can of sliced carrots to use some food storage since we're moving!)

3 cups vegetable broth

1 can light coconut milk

1 cup rinsed lentils

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon curry powder

Heat a large pot over medium heat.  Once hot add water and onion.  Saute until softened and lightly browned.  Add garlic, ginger, jalapeno and saute 2-3 minutes.  Add a pinch of salt and carrots.  Cook 1-2 minutes.  Add broth and coconut milk.  Bring to a low boil.  Add lentils and stir.  Once the mixture comes to a low boil, reduce heat to low until you get a gently simmer.  Add soy sauce and curry.  Simmer uncovered 12-16 minutes until lentils are soft. 

chicken or black bean buddha bowls

 

Buddha bowls are SO DELICIOUS!  Mine has grilled chicken but my vegetarian daughter's had black beans instead.  Bowls are great because everyone can pick and choose what they want in them.   I love to drizzle tahini sauce over the top.  A little teriyaki sauce would be great along with it.

chicken or black bean buddha bowls (inspired by the minimalist baker)

2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained and heated

grilled chicken thighs

4 cups cooked brown rice (I used  leftover cilantro lime rice and it was so good!)

3 sweet potatoes, diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

sprinkling of salt and garlic powder

1 small bundle kale, stems removed and leaves torn

kimchi

sliced green onions

1 avocado, sliced

sesame seeds

gingery lemon tahini sauce (see below)

Prepare one batch of the gingery lemon tahini sauce.  Prepare the roasted sweet potatoes by combining them with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and garlic powder.  Pour the sweeet potatoes on a prepared cookie sheet and roast at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Prepare the rice and black beans.  Steam the kale (I put the torn leaves in a bowl with a little water and microwaved it 90 seconds).

Assemble the bowls using the ingredients you love in a way that looks asthetically pleasing and drizzle some gingery lemon tahini sauce over the top.  You'll want to eat two bowls for dinner, not one.

gingery lemon tahini sauce

1/3 cup tahini

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teapsoon sea salt

1 teaspoon ground ginger

water to thin

Whisk the ingredients until a nice sauce forms.

curried chickpea soup

 

One of my daughters declared this soup Hall of Fame!  I was flattered.  More so, I was just grateful for another vegan recipe we can repeat to please everyone.  I made some salmon and steamed brocolli for those of us who like something a little more hearty.

Note:  Once again, for a gourmet-looking photo, see The Minimalist Baker.

curried chickpea soup (the minimalist baker)

2 tablespoons oil

1 cup diced onion

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced (I used 1 teaspoon dried)

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons garlic, minced

2 cans (15 ounces each) chickpeas, drained

1/2 teapsoon salt

2 tablespoons curry powder

2 cans light coconut milk

1 cup vegetable broth

1-2 teaspoons honey 

1-2 tablespoons lime juice

Heat a large pot over medium heat.  Add oil, onion, ginger and red pepper flakes.  Saute 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes.  Add chickpeas, salt and curry powder.  Saute on medium-low for 5 minutes to slightly brown the chickpeas.  Add coconut milk and vegetable broth and stir to combine.  Bring back to a simmer over medium heat then reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes.  Add honey and lime juice.  Adjust the flavor if needed.  Serve hot.

buffalo chickpea salad

 

I tried this recipe because my vegetarian daughter needs to try a lactose free diet.  You know what that means.  Vegan diet (insert scream)!  I've done this before but I needed some new recipes up my sleeve for the week.  I can do this for a week. :)

Note:  For the non-vegans I provided some grilled chicken, cheese and Doritos and every member of the family was in HEAVEN.  Everyone loved the chickpeas.  GREAT recipe that works for families with mixed dietary needs.

buffalo chickpea salad (veggies save the day)

1 tablespoon vegan butter

1 can (14.5 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and dried

1/4 cup Frank's Red Hot

1 head romaine lettuce

1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered

1 avocado, sliced

other veggies:  sliced green onion, diced cucumbers, cilantro, etc.

tortilla chips

vegan ranch dressing

Melt the vegan butter in a skillet on medium heat.  Add the chickpeas (and I added 1 tablespoon minced dried onion).  Stir until the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.  Assemble the salads with veggies and divide the chickpeas among the bowls. Sprinkle with tortilla chips and drizzle with ranch dressing.