Black Bean Dip

Bob likes chips and dip or salsa during football on the weekends. So I use Chef AJ's tip for making my own tortilla chips. After I cut the corn tortillas into 8ths and put them on the cookie sheet, I spritz them with water and barely sprinkle a little sea salt. Here's the link to the episode on her website. Chef AJ's Tortilla Chips  What we've bought in a bag in the supermarket can't even come close to the taste of these babies! We love the fresh salsa from Publix (in the produce section) and we have some, but I wanted some hummus. When I looked in the pantry I saw the black beans and just "knew" what I was going to do. Oh my goodness...so much deliciousness and so little pouch room! LOL!

Black Bean Dip

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
vegetable broth
bell pepper (any color or mix of colors - I used frozen mixed slices)
sea salt
black pepper
cumin
garlic powder *
onion powder *
1-2 tablespoons bbq sauce (Kraft Light Original is very low sugar)

Put all the ingredients in a food processor. Add just enough vegetable broth (any broth if you're not vegan) to help the beans get creamy. Put in fridge to chill. Top with a pinch of cilantro or parsley to serve.

* I used powders because I wanted to get back to the living room to watch the game. Use fresh for even better dip! ;)

Note: This dip does not taste like barbeque. The bbq sauce just gives the dip a little zip!

Pizza!

As a vegan, I can't just go to the supermarket and pick up a pizza when I want one...they all have cheese. So I've been looking for a recipe for whole grain pizza dough and haven't been able to find one. Maybe because I'm actually to lazy to kneed dough and make one myself. LOL! Which brings me to my new discovery! Pre-made pizza crust!!! Yes, I know they have them in supermarkets everywhere, but they are not whole grain or vegan. Thanks to the wonderful people at Earth Fare yesterday, I found one! Yay! So of course, last night we had pizza...oh so good! The vegetables I have listed are the ones we wanted...feel free to put whatever you want on yours.

Pizza

1 California Style Pizza Bread
pasta sauce
1 tomato, very thinly sliced
baby spinach
kale
1 onion, very thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, medium diced
fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
Italian Seasoning

Preheat your oven to 450F. Place pizza crust on baking sheet. Spread a generous amount of pasta sauce over the bread then pile on your vegetables. Bake for about 10 minutes. This pizza is very filling since the crust is whole grain (sprouted wheat berries). Enjoy!





Pizza Bread Front

Pizza Bread Nutritional Information

Loretta's Beets

I grew up eating this dish. I think she invented it because everyone just called them Mom's beets. Of course, as a good southern cook, my Mom used "good and plenty" oil for sauteing! I'm also a good southern cook, but I saute in water. It's still tastes just as good! I was getting the beets prepped this morning to get them boiling and I realized that Mom never used the beet greens; she just threw them out. Since Bob and I became vegan I have been trying to incorporate greens into our meals as much as possible (I have started actually craving greens! Who'da thunk it!) So I added them and they were great! They will not be a permanent addition to this dish!

Loretta's Beets

3 medium beets
3-4 small to medium russet or red potatoes
1 medium onion, diced
1/4 cup water
salt and pepper, to taste

Beets: Cut the stems off of the beets, leaving about an inch of the stem attached to the beets. Put in boiling water and boil on medium-high until a fork can be easily inserted. Rinse in cool water until cool enough to peel; the skin will just slide right off. Cut off the stem end and root end. Dice into large diced pieces and place in bowl.

Potatoes: Scrub well and poke holes with a fork. Place in microwave and bake until fork tender. Cut into large diced cubes and place in bowl. (You can boil the potatoes, but then you lose some of the nutrients from the skin into the water)

Beet Greens: Remove greens from skin and tear into smaller pieces. Rinse and dry.

Onions: Put the water and the onions in a skillet on medium-high heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Saute until onions are tender and starting to turn golden. Add beet greens and cover. Cook a few more minutes to let the greens wilt. Stir. Add to bowl of beets and potatoes. Stir and check seasoning. Serve warm.

This makes 4 regular or 8 wls servings.