Chili-Macaroni Bake

This recipe is from the cookbook Vegan Planet by Robin Robertson.

 

Recipe: see page 376 of Vegan Planet.

This dish combines two popular American dishes, chili and macaroni and cheese. The vegan 'cheese' in this case is made by Daiya and contains no dairy.

I liked this because it was easy and I was able to use the leftovers of the Three-Bean Chili recipe on page 314 that I made the day before. The macaroni is added to a roux made from flour, onions, salt and cayenne, and that forms the bottom layer. Then the chili and vegan cheddar 'cheese' are layered on top of that and baked in the oven until the 'cheese' melts.

This was the first time I have tried Daiya cheese, and I was impressed. A couple of the local pizza chains, Red Brick Pizza and zPizza, offer vegan pizzas made with Daiya brand, so I thought I would give it a shot, thought I'm not a fan of vegan 'cheeses'. I don't know if I would be hungry enough to eat it straight out of the package, but it combined with the other flavors in the dish and melted nicely.

Ingredients: (Three-Bean Chili, page 314) sweet yellow onion, green bell pepper, garlic, hot chile (serrano used here), tomato paste, chili powder, crushed tomatoes, black beans, pinto beans, dark red kidney beans, water, salt, black pepper. (Chili-Macaroni Bake, page 376): elbow macaroni, olive oil, onion, unbleached all-purpose flour, soy milk, salt, cayenne,vegan cheddar cheese (Daiya used here), vegetarian chili (the Three Bean Chili on page 314 is used here).

Portobellos Stuffed with Chickpeas and Chard

This recipe is from the cookbook Quick-Fix Vegan by Robin Robertson.

 

 Recipe: see page 147 of Quick-Fix Vegan.
This is another very tasty, and healthy, recipe from this cookbook. So far, I have liked everything I have made from Quick-Fix Vegan. The stuffing has an asian-style flavor that comes from the fresh ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil and greens. The mashed chickpeas bring a lot of protein, and along with the cooked chard, a soft texture that is contrasted by the crunchiness of the panko bread crumbs on the topping. This might be a good dish to serve on Thanksgiving. Even if you don't include the portobellos, the stuffing is great on its own.

Ingredients: portobello mushroom caps, onion, chickpeas, chard, panko crumbs, garlic, fresh ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, black pepper.

Red Bean and Sweet Potato Curry

This recipe is from the cookbook Vegan Planet by Robin Robertson.

 Recipe: see page 286 of Vegan Planet.
This is a very healthy recipe that is also easy the prepare. It is mildly sweet from the sweet potato and onion, and spicy from the cayenne and curry powder.

Ingredients: sweet potato, dark red kidney beans, green bell pepper, ginger, diced tomatoes, garlic, yellow onion, curry powder, coriander, cumin, turmeric, cayenne, vegetable broth, salt, black pepper.