Colorful Beet Burrito Bowls

Living in Southern California, things like burrito bowls are a staple in the kitchen as well as when eating out. It's really the perfect meal because you have a grain, protein, and vegetable. We make them often and with a variety of ingredients if we aren't chowing them down at places like Chipotle.

Beets are a favorite around here. They are bright pink and absolutely beautiful but there's something special about their flavor. Mildly sweet and tender, and also fresh tasting and an interesting addition to any dish. I had a few beets hanging out in the fridge, so I thought, why not? Let's put them into a burrito bowl and call it a meal. A last minute dinner decision turned out to be a hit and one of our favorites.

Beet Burrito Bowls

Ingredients:
-3 medium sized beets, peeled and diced
-1 half large onion, diced
-2 medium to large zucchini, diced
-4 cloves chopped garlic
-2 cups cooked rice
-1 can of black beans
-olive oil
-salt and pepper
-1 lime
-optional: red pepper flakes or salsa

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 F and be sure to get your rice cooked according to the package directions (usually 1 cup rinsed rice in 2 cups water, bring to a boil and then simmer until the water is absorbed) while you chop up the vegetables. Be sure to peel the beets first. The smaller the pieces of beets, the softer they will be once cooked. Mix the beets, onion, and zucchini in a casserole dish with several tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Bake for 20 minutes. Stir well and add garlic and the juice of one half of the lime. Bake for an additional 20 minutes.
3. Serve on top of the rice and squeeze more lime on top. Enjoy!

Polenta Lasagna with Lemon Cashew "Ricotta"

Growing up Italian, we always had some kind of delicious baked pasta dish for every holiday and special occasion. Thanksgiving? Lasagna. Christmas? Stuffed shells. Easter? Baked ziti. These were dishes that were also made on weekends every now and then, but they were still special.

When we decided to go vegan, my husband and I wondered how we could still eat these favorite dishes. Not only were they dear to my heart because I grew up with them, my husband discovered what a real feast was with these baked dishes. It was important to us to continue the tradition of a special meal made complete with a hearty Italian dish. The solution was cashew cheese.

To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of cashews in some recipes because I don't particularly like the flavor. However, when put into a dish with a rich tomato sauce, only the creaminess and cheesy texture stands out. With a pop of lemon, it tastes fresh and rounds out the flavor profile.

This particular dish was created because I ran out of lasagna noodles but really wanted something similar. I had gotten a tube of polenta to make baked polenta fries (also delicious), so I substituted the noodles with it. The polenta added an extra richness and some pleasurable texture. It was a huge hit with the husband and toddler.

Below is the basic recipe for a quick meal. Homemade sauce would be even better, but I used jarred to cut down on dishes and time. Also, feel free to substitute or add vegetables to the layers.

Polenta Lasagna with Lemon Cashew "Ricotta"

Ingredients:
-1 tube polenta
-1 jar marinara sauce or homemade sauce
-2 Tbsp olive oil
-2 large zucchinis or other vegetables

For the cashew ricotta:
-1 cup cashews, soaked for several hours in 2 cups water
-juice of 1 lemon
-1 garlic clove
-2 tsp dijon mustard
-4 Tbsp nutritional yeast
-1 tsp salt
-1 tsp Italian seasoning
-3-4 Tbsp olive oil
-1/4 cup water

Directions:
1. Make sure the cashews have been soaking ahead of time. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Slice the polenta and vegetables into medallions about 1/2 inch thick. The polenta is pretty delicate and may crumble a bit, that's okay, just save the crumbles to fill in holes in the casserole.
2. Put all the ingredients for cashew cheese in a high powered blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Add water if it's too thick or dry.
3. Grease a small casserole dish with olive oil and layer as follows: 9 rounds Polenta, 1/3 of the cheese, even coating of sauce, enough zucchini to cover in one layer...etc. until everything is used up. Pour the rest of the sauce on top.
4. Bake uncovered for about 40 minutes, until nice and bubbly. Serve immediately with bread and light salad.

Rainbow Pasta Salad

It's feeling more and more like summer now that we have had weeks of warm weather and all the schools are out for the year. Over the weekend we took Dominik for his very first dip in the pool! The pool was warm, but it was still a little chilly for him. So, we only stayed in the water for a short time. But he loves being in water in general and I plan on taking him into the pool many more times!

The pool is at my father in law's house and because they were also having a small cook-out, I brought a pasta salad. Pasta salad is an awesome summer food because it's a cold dish, but it's often very heavy with mayonnaise or cheese. So I created a fresh, colorful pasta salad using a vinaigrette recipe that I use on my other salads. It turned out better than I anticipated, even my meat eating brother and sister in law (both are still very young) requested leftovers to pack in their school lunches!

Rainbow Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

-1 lb multicolored pasta (any pasta with do)

-half red onion, chopped

-1 bell pepper (red, yellow, or orange) diced

-1 zucchini, diced

-1 yellow squash, diced

-2 Tb olive oil

-salt and pepper

-Maple mustard vinaigrette*

*recipe below

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside to cool.

2. Meanwhile, combine the vegetables in a pan and drizzle with olive oil. Add salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cook for about 20 minutes in an oven preheated to 400 F.

3. Once everything has cooled, mix veggies and pasta in a large bowl. Add vinaigrette and refrigerate until chilled.

Maple Mustard Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

-1/4 cup olive oil

-4 Tb maple syrup

-4 Tb mustard of your choice

-juice of 1 lemon

-splash of apple cider vinegar (tablespoon or two)

-1 tsp garlic powder

-salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Whisk ingredients until smooth, that's it!

Enjoy!

Orange Soba with Tofu

Oh my has this been one crazy week! My mother in law as well as my grandmother in law came to stay with us from my birthday (Thursday, May 8th) through the following Monday (May 12th). I tried to get the house as clean as possible while caring for Dominik. The week before we had a heat wave on top of a case of mastitis that gave me an 103 F fever. That type of infection is no joke and I could do little more besides lay in bed shivering from the chills. Luckily, I was able to knock it out quickly by feeding mostly from the infected breast.

My birthday and first Mother's day were very busy, but nice. Both were spent at home with the visiting family, which is stressful but at the same time very nice to be surrounded by family. It was a bit overwhelming at times, especially for Dominik, because we did quite a bit of touristy things outside of the house. But he did great being carried around everywhere and now we are slowly getting back into a routine.

This week we have had another intense heat wave that has fueled NINE wildfires in my area. Yup, San Diego's on fire again.  We can see the smoke billowing from our house, but the fires are still quite a ways in the distance (knock on wood). At this point all you can really do is keep the news on and hope that nothing starts in nearby. It's incredibly heartbreaking to see so many people loose everything they have. I am so grateful that no one has been seriously hurt and the fire department is staying so on top of everything.

With a particularly crazy and stressful week, I was even more inclined to do as little cooking as possible. And so this recipe was born! It's incredibly easy, very little prep and chopping (you could even substitute the chopped garlic with powdered and do no chopping at all). 

Orange Soba:

Ingredients:

1 package soba noodles

1 package frozen vegetables

1 cup orange juice

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 cloves garlic chopped finely

2 Tbsp arrowroot powder or cornstarch

2 Tbsp oil (either olive or canola will be fine)

*optional: a few Tbsp of sriracha 

Directions:

1. Cook soba noodles according to package directions and set aside.

2. Mix orange juice, soy sauce, garlic, and arrowroot powder in a bowl. 

3. Pour orange/soy mixture along with the frozen veggies and oil into a large pan and saute until vegetables are heated through and sauce has thickened.

4. Stir in the noodles and cook until everything is well combined and heated through. Serve with simple tofu.

Simple Tofu

Ingredients:

3-4 Tbsp oil

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup orange juice

2 tsp garlic powder

1 package firm tofu

Directions:

1. Slice tofu and arrange on an oven safe platter/pan.

2. Mix the rest of the ingredients and pour over tofu. Let marinate at least 30 minutes.

3. Bake at 375 F for about 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Grandpa's Enchiladas

Growing up, my dad would make us enchiladas as a special treat. My sister and I would look forward to this momentous occasion because these enchiladas are...amazing. My dad uses the recipe that my grandfather used (and gained a bit of fame for here on the west coast). My grandpa made these enchiladas with turkey, cheddar cheese, and salsa while my dad used chicken instead of turkey. As the generations continue to change, I use beans and veggies to replace the meat. It's a bit of a long process so this is a special occasion or day at home meal.

*Remember: this is a family recipe that is "eyeballed" so the exact amount of these ingredients depends on the taste of the enjoyers :)

Grandpa's Enchiladas (Veganized):

Ingredients:

- One can of enchilada sauce (I like La Victoria brand)
- About one cup of salsa
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 large tomatoes, diced
- 1 bunch of cilantro
- Around 10 corn tortillas (more or less depending on how you fill them)
- Canola oil
- 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
- veggie of your choice (I used three zucchinis)
- optional: vegan cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Prehead the oven to 350 F. Dice the onion, cilantro, and tomatoes and mix in a large bowl with the salsa. In another bowl, mix the beans and veggie of your choice.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium heat. In a saucepan, pour the enchilada sauce and turn the burner on the lowest setting. Be sure to have your casserole pan ready.
3. Fry one tortilla at a time, making sure that each side is golden. Immediately dip the tortilla into the enchilada sauce to coat well. Transfer to the casserole dish and fill with the salsa, veggie and bean mix and any other fillings you like (such as the cheese). Gently roll the tortilla around the filling and tuck tube into the casserole dish.
4. Once the casserole dish is filled, drizzle the top with enchilada sauce (no more than 1/4 of a cup or you will have soggy enchiladas) and if you choose, vegan cheese.
5. Bake uncovered for about 10-15 minutes or until heated through and gently crisped on top.
6. Serve hot. Leftovers are good too!

Smashed Avocado Pesto

We've recently planted a whole bunch of new goodies in our garden. Tomatoes, crookneck squash, swiss chard, lavender, strawberries, pumpkins, red bell peppers, spinach, jalapenos, and basil. Well, my husband takes care of them while I cook what we harvest. I am notorious for killing any and all plants, mostly due to the fact that I forget to water them and then over-water to make up for it. Our basil and swiss chard seem to be doing particularly well so I've been using them quite a bit.

But to be honest, I'm not a huge fan of swiss chard. It really needs to be the right recipe, otherwise it tastes bitter and tough or slimy (if cooked incorrect). I've found that a great way to use it, so that our bodies get the maximum benefit from it as well, is to blend it up. You can blend it with some sweet fruit to make a green smoothie (warning: still a bit bitter) or with basil to make a pesto.

Pestos are so convenient and delicious and most importantly, quick. You can also pretty much put pesto on any type of grain, not just pasta. Pesto with quinoa is particularly yummy. When I decided to make a pesto, I was craving something creamier, so I mashed in some avocado. The extra healthy fats were a bonus!

Note: when making a pesto, there's honestly no set recipe. It's up to you (and also what you have on hand) how your pesto turns out.


Smashed Avocado Pesto:

Ingredients:
-1Ib pasta or any grain you want
-about 1 cup fresh basil leaves *throw in some swiss chard leaves or kale if on hand
-1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
-2 Tbsp lemon juice
-1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
-pinch of pepper
-scant 1/4 cup raw cashews
-1-2 small/medium garlic cloves
-ripe avocado

Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions or if using another grain, prepare it.
2. In a food processor, blend all ingredients except the avocado until well mixed (basil, swiss chard if using, salt, pepper, olive oil, cashews, lemon, and garlic)
3. In a separate bowl, smash the avocado with a fork until nice and creamy.
4. Mix both the pesto and the avocado with the pasta and enjoy!