Quinoa Black Bean Taco Filling

Beef tacos? Yes. Make these instead and it'll be our little secret.

Quinoa Black Bean Taco Filling

1 cup inca red quinoa (regular quinoa would work too)
1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large carrot, shredded
1 cup water
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons salsa
1 cup garbanzo beans
1/2 cup corn kernels
1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
salt and pepper to taste

1- Rinse the quinoa on a strainer under running cold water for a couple of minutes.

2- In medium pot, heat oil and sautee onion and garlic for 5 minutes on medium-low heat. Add carrot and continue to sautee for another 5 minutes, or until the carrot is tender.

3- Add quinoa, water, broth, salsa, cumin, and paprika. Simmer covered for 20 minutes on med-low heat, until all the liquid is absorbed.

4- Toss in the beans, corn, oil, and cheese. Mix well.

Egg Replacers

For baked goods, I replace up to 3 eggs with the following formula:
1 teaspoon cornstarch + 1/2 teaspoon potato starch + 1/4 teaspoon baking powder + 1 tablespoon water + 1 tablespoon olive oil = 1 egg

For scrambled egg applications (such as breakfast taco filling), I saute 1 package crumbled firm tofu in 1 teaspoon olive oil until golden, then add 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon curry powder, and salt and pepper to taste, then toss it up with the usual scrambled egg accompaniments (potatoes, cheese, herbs, etc).

Vegetarian "Chorizo" Hash

Convenient pantry and freezer ingredients make this a good weeknight meal, or a hearty entree for any meal of the day. Double the "chorizo" hash recipe, and enjoy the leftovers as taco fillings or scrambled egg add-ins. Quinoa has a natural pest repellent that can be bitter when cooked, so be sure to rinse it well in a colander under running water for a couple of minutes.

For the "chorizo":
1 cup quinoa, rinsed well and drained
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup medium salsa
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 cup canned garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
1/2 cup choppped fresh cilantro

For the hash:
2 cups frozen hash-brown potato cubes, thawed
1 tablespoon canola oil
salt and pepper to taste

5 large Eggland's Best eggs
1 tablespoon water

1- In a medium pot, combine the quinoa, water and salt. Cover and bring to a simmer. Cook covered on medium-low heat for 15 minutes, or until quinoa has absorbed all the liquid. The resulting cooked grains should be loose, like couscous.

2- Add the remaining "chorizo" ingredients to the cooked quinoa. Toss well to combine and cook until heated through. Remove from heat.

3- With a potato masher or fork, roughly mash the "chorizo". Add the potatoes and toss until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4- In a large skillet, brush the canola oil and heat on medium heat. Crack the eggs into a large bowl and pour into the pan. Pour water over the eggs, cover, and cook for 1 minute, or until the eggs are cooked through.

5- In each plate, shape the hash into a 1-cup mound (a ramekin serves as a mold for a pretty presentation), and top each mound with 1 egg.

Makes five 1-cup servings.

Crockpot Mole Sauce

At long last, I found a recipe, tweaked it, and made it ICBINM friendly! Smother on!

Crockpot Mole Sauce

In 4-qt crockpot insert, mix all of the following:
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 can tomato sauce
3 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 squares of dark chocolate (I used World Market's Chipotle Chili Dark Chocolate bar; 2 Hershey's Dark mini bars would work here; all you want is a hint of chocolate)
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup raisins
1 whole dried ancho chili pepper

Cook on low for 8 hours. Remove the ancho chili. Cut and discard the stem of the pepper and return the rest of the pepper to the crockpot. Puree sauce until smooth.

Easy Weeknight Pasta II: Lentil Eggplant Fetuccine

Yes, I like to use tomato sauce straight out of the can as pasta sauce. I rarely buy "spaghetti sauce". I must be out of my mind. I mean, there is no way that the simpler, cheaper route is actually yummier, right? Nah.

Lentil Eggplant Fetuccine

The noodles:
1 lb whole wheat fetuccine

The veggies:
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small eggplant, cubed
1/4 cup dried green lentils
1/4 cup slivered almonds

The sauce:
1 8-oz can tomato sauce

The finish:
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup crumbled light feta cheese
5 large basil leaves (thinly sliced)

1- Boil lentils in water for about 25 minutes, until tender. Set aside.

2- Boil the pasta until tender.

3- In large skillet, heat oil. Saute garlic in oil until golden.

4- Add eggplant, lentils, and almonds. Saute on high heat for about 5 minutes, tossing frequently. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5- Add noodles, sauce, and finish ingredients and cook on high until heated through, tossing constantly.

Tofu Bahn Mi

Mmmmm... Just like the sandwiches you get at the Vietnamese Pho restaurants.

Tofu Bahn Mi

1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup carrot, finely shredded
1/4 cup cucumber, finely shredded
1/4 cup onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon five-spice powder
1 batch Marinated tofu, thinly sliced
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1 French baguette, warmed

1- Combine vinegar, sugar, garlic, and salt and mix well. Add carrots, cucumbers and onions and mix well.

2- Slice the baguette in half. Spread mayonnaise on one half and sprinkle the 5-spice powder evenly.

3- Layer tofu, carrot salad and cilantro, and top with other half of baguette.

Easy Weeknight Pasta I: Noodle Stir Fry

With an 8- and 6-year-old in the house, so much is at stake with every meal... Not only does there need to be enough nutrition, but every meal is also an opportunity to develop good manners, good attitudes about food, and general family bonding. There are so many expectations, and so little time. I somehow manage to do enough to keep everyone fed and fuel my culinary passions, but part of my sport is to also make meals that don't consume too much time.

Pasta is a definite go-to at dinner time. No matter what I do to it, I seem have one less food battle on my hands whenever I make pasta.

Welcome to the first of a series I like to call Easy Weeknight Pasta! For this installment of EWP, I took my inspiration from one of my favorite noodle dishes, Pad Thai. Noodles are stir-fried with vegetables, a handful of beans, a handful of nuts, and a flavorful sauce, and finished with aromatic herbs. My version does not claim to replace the Pad Thai of the world, but it definitely fills a void of flavorful stir-fried noodles on a busy Wednesday night...

Noodle Stir Fry

The noodles:
1 lb whole wheat gemelli pasta

The veggies:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 onion, chopped (1 cup)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small eggplant, cubed (1 1/2 cup)
a handful of shredded cabagge (1 cup)
a handful of sliced cremini mushrooms (1 1/2 cup)
a handful of garbanzo beans (1 cup)
a handful of slivered almonds (1/2 cup)

The sauce:
1/2 cup ketchup
2 teaspoon store-bought curry paste
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

The finish:
1 beaten egg
3 large basil leaves (thinly sliced)

1- Boil the pasta until tender.

2- In wok or large skillet, heat oil. Saute onions and garlic in oil.

3- Add all veggies and saute until golden, tossing frequently. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4- In a small bowl, combine all sauce ingredients and mix well.

5- Add noodles, sauce, and finish ingredients to the vegetables and cook on high until heated through, tossing constantly.