Spicy, Cheesy, Black Bean + Sweet Potato Quesadillas

It’s funny- I  really don’t like foods that are too spicy.  Currently giving myself a lil pat on the back for successfully making a dish with some definite kick, that I can eat without, you know, crying. This is one you’ve got to share with friends. Have fun, sizzle sizzleee

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Quesadillas

Makes about 4 quesadillas

Ingredients

• 8 whole grain tortillas, 9 inch (I used these gluten free brown rice ones)
• 1 medium sized sweet potato, boiled and skin removed (save the skin to eat later)
• 3/4 cup no-salt-added canned diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup cooked black beans, drained and rinsed (no salt added if using canned)
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp. chili powder
• 1/4 – 1/2 jalapeno pepper, minced
• 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, minced tiny
• 1/3 cup mushrooms, chopped
• 1/3 cup red bell pepper, chopped
• oil for cooking (like unrefined coconut or olive oil)

Steps:

1. Using a large frying pan, heat ~1 tsp. oil over medium and sauté onions and garlic for about 5 minutes. Add in mushrooms and red bell pepper and sauté for another 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a separate bowl when finished cooking
2. In the meantime, using a large bowl, mash boiled skinless sweet potato with a fork with diced tomatos and add in nutritional yeast, cumin, chili powder and mix well to combine. Stir in black beans, jalapeno, and cilantro.
3. Using the same frying pan as before, heat and spread ~1 tsp of oil over medium heat. Place a tortilla flat on the frying pan and spread ~1/2 cup of sweet potato mixture evenly over the tortilla, then spread ~1/4-1/3 cup of sauteed onion vegetable mix on top of that so it looks kinda like this:
4. Place another tortilla on top, flip after ~3 minutes of cooking (to flip I placed my plate on top of the second tortilla and flipped it into my plate and slid it from the plate back onto the frying pan)
5. Using a pizza cutter, cut into 4 sections.  Serve with salsa and guacamole.  I made avocado cream with 1 mashed avocado and the juice from 2 limes, mixed well.  So good! Go pats!

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Barbecue Black Bean Burger. Easy. Cheap. Vegan. Irresistible.

I know, eating heart healthy is hard. You just. You love meat way too much, you can’t give it up.  I know the feeling.  Like a meatless meal is a deprived, sad, flavorless, unsatisfying sounding situation, right?  Well- these burgers and fries.. you’ll never look back.  Welcome to the earth shattering world of f*ing BOMB healthy food!!

BBQ Black Bean Burgers

Adapted from the incredible Minimalist Baker. Easy Grillable Veggie Burgers.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 1 cup raw walnuts
• 1/2 Tbsp unrefined coconut oil or olive oil
• 1/2 white onion, finely diced
• 1/3 cup mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp each: chili powder, cumin, and paprika
• 1/2 tsp each: salt and black pepper
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, well rinsed, and drained
• 1/3 cup ground rolled oats (throw some oatmeal in the blender)
• 3-4 Tbsp vegan BBQ sauce (reach for one without high fructose corn syrup that has <140 mg sodium per serving)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. (These also work well cooked on skillet or grill)
2. If your brown rice isn’t cooked yet, I have learned in my nutrition classes that vitamins are lost when cooked in excess water or when water is drained off.  Thiamin, (aka vitamin B1) is lost as temperature or pH rises but it is more heat stable in acid, so it would be a good idea to cook rice with some lemon or lime juice, adding acidity to help retain nutrient content. Cook in amount of water that will be absorbed during cooking : 1 cup rice, use 2 cups of water.
3. Heat a skillet over medium with 1/2 Tbsp oil, onion, garlic, and mushrooms. Saute for 3-4 minutes, until onions are translucent. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. To a high speed blender or food processor, add walnuts, chili powder,  cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, and blend until smooth, but not butter.
5. To a large mixing bowl, add drained black beans and mash well with a fork (nice work out, takes about 3-5 minutes, if you don’t feel the burn, you ain’t doing it right! Gotta love it.) Leave some whole beans for good texture though.
6. Add cooked rice, spice-walnut mixture, sauteed onion mushroom garlic mix, maple syrup, ground oats, BBQ sauce, and mix thoroughally with a wooden spoon until moldable dough forms.  If too dry, add a tad more BBQ sauce, if too moist, add more ground oats.  Taste and adjust seasoning as you’d like.
7. For larger burgers, divide into 5 patties (~1/2 cup in size) or form 10 smaller burgers (~1/4 cup in size). To help form the patties, line your 1/2 or 1/4 measuing cup with plastic wrap and pack with burger mix. Press down to pack firmly, then lift out by the plastic wrap’s edge, and use hands to flatten slightly on the parchment paper, forming a 3/4 inch thick patty.
8. Bake for about 15-20 minutes on each side for a total of 30-40 minutes cooking time.
9. Serve over a toasted bun with kale, super thinly sliced cucumber and red onion,  avocado, and another drizzle of BBQ sauce. The cooling cucumber and avocado complement the heat from the BBQ sauce deliciously.

Based on one out of five burgers made:
Calories	337
Protein	10 grams (1 egg has ~6 grams)
Carbohydrate	37 grams (2.5 diabetic exchanges)
Total Fat	18 grams of healthy plant based fat!
Fiber	6 grams
Cholesterol	0 grams

^estimation based on USDA’s http://www.supertracker.com

For a side of fries, I have been loving my Deliciously Ella cookbook and recommend trying her Perfect Potato Wedges or Cinnamon and Paprika Sweet Potato Wedges

Picky Eater Approved Macaroni and Peas: The Creamiest, Easiest, Healthiest Mac ‘n’ Cheese Recipe Out There

Mmmm macaroni and cheese.  …It always gave me a stomach ache. -_-  I remember as a kid (my mother and sister are cheese hounds!) my mom would make this incredible baked gourmet mac n cheese. The kind with like 7 kinds of expensive cheese in it and the perfectly herbed bread crumbs on top. Oh ya.. and I remember it used to give me such a bad stomach ache that I would actually only give myself a portion if it was on top of a pile of mixed greens, just too decedent for me I guess.  More power to you if you can stomach the stuff.  If you’re like me and would like to try a healthier alternative that the entire family will love, I am confident that this recipe will not disappoint!

This was the most popular special ever at the organic vegan restaurant I work at in Boston, Organic Garden Cafe. I made it for a friend for their family Christmas party (huge family with lots of kiddos!). Toss your qualms of handing over two massive casserole dishes of cauliflower based  “mac ‘n’ peas” out the window! This stuff is GOOD! Clean plate club, UNITE! (Just wait until after they tell you they love it to say each serving has 2 1/2 servings of vegetables 😀 )

Serves about 6:

• 1 cauliflower, rough chop into large florets
• 1 yellow onion, discard outer layer and chop into quarters
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 1-2 garlic cloves
• Juice of 1/4 lemon
• 12 oz dry elbow macaroni pasta (I like using brown rice pasta!)
• 2/3 cup frozen peas

1. Steam onion and cauliflower until soft and translucent (about 15 minutes)
2. Combine steamed vegetables with salt, pepper, olive oil, and nutritional yeast in a food processor S blade or high speed blender and blend until smooth
3. Boil macaroni according to manufacture’s instructions and mix with peas. Pour sauce over macaroni and peas and mix well. Transfer to casserole dish for serving
4. Top with rawmesan:

• 2/3 cup cashew
• 2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
• 1 very small garlic clove (or 2/3 of a medium one)
• Paprika to garnish

1. Grind in blender to parmesan consistency
2. Sprinkle on top of macaroni n peas
3. Garnish with paprika and extra love ❤

1 Serving Mac N Peas with Rawmesan (based on 6 servings)
Total Calories	487 calories
Protein	17 grams
Carbohydrate	76 grams (5 CHO exchanges)
Total Fat	13 grams:
Monounsaturated Fat	7 grams
Polyunsaturated Fat	2 grams
Linoleic Acid Saturated fat	2 grams 2 grams
Fiber	7 grams
Cholesterol	0 mg