Here is another super-quick Mexican inspired recipe to make when you don’t have much time – or ingredients on hand. It uses 3 basic ingredients and is very inexpensive and easy to make (your teenager could easily make it!). Make a dang quesadilla, Napoleon!
Sweet Potato & Bean Quesadilla
Ingredients:
2 medium sweet potatoes
4 whole-wheat tortillas (8 inch)
3/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup shredded vegan cheese (or cheddar if you aren’t vegan)
3/4 cup of salsa
1 Avocado (for slicing or guacamole)
Directions:
Scrub sweet potatoes: pierce several times with a fork. Place on a microwave-safe plate and microwave, uncovered, on high for 7 – 9 minutes (or use your “baked potato” auto cook button)
When cool enough to handle, cut each potato lengthwise in half. Scoop out pulp and spread onto one half of each tortilla. Top with beans and cheese (if using). Fold other half of tortilla over filling. I like to sprinkle a little bit of seasoning over the beans – like garlic salt or greek seasoning.
Heat a griddle or a skillet over medium heat. Cook 2 – 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown and cheese is melted.
Serve with your choice of toppings: sliced avocado/guacamole, shredded lettuce, salsa, sour cream.
Nutritional info: 306 cal. 8 g fat (3g sat. fat – if using cheese), 15 mg cool., 531 sodium, 46g carb, 6g fiber 11 g pro.
This is my new summer favorite vegan dish! It is simple and quick to make – and it uses some of my favorite ingredients: avocado, quinoa and black beans. It is perfect for hot summer nights when you don’t want to cook over a hot stove. It is great for left-overs too (in fact, I like it cold). Again, all these ingredients can be found at Aldi which makes this a reasonably priced and quick vegan meal that your whole family will enjoy!
This dish can be found on page 44 of “One Dish Vegan” and it serves about 4. It usually takes me about 20 minutes or less. For mine I like to substitute black beans for the pinto beans. Enjoy!
Quinoa-Avocado Salad with Black Beans and Salsa
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of water
salt
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups cooked pinto or black beans or 1 (15.5 oz) can of pinto or black beans – rinsed and drained
1 cup tomato salsa (our favorite is Newman’s Own Peach Salsa)
2 ripe Hass avocados, pitted, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro (opt)
2 scallions, minced (opt)
Juice and zest of 1 lime (about 2 Tbsp. lime juice)
Freshly ground black pepper
Torn mixed salad greens for serving (opt)
Directions:
Place water in a saucepan, add 1/2 tsp salt, and bring to a boil. Add the quinoa, return to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until the quinoa is tender and the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a large bowl to cool. (I like to pop the bowl into the refrigerator until the other ingredients are ready to add).
Add the beans and salsa to the the bowl, and toss to combine. Add the avocados, cilantro, scallions, lime juice and zest, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss gently to combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed.
If serving as a salad: arrange the salad greens on plates, top with the quinoa-bean mixture and serve.
Who doesn’t like to get a quick bite at Chipotle for some yummy Mexican? I was looking for more ways to use my 49 cent avocados from Aldi and I thought – how about a burrito bowl? We really enjoy their burrito bowls with beans, rice, lettuce and chorizo (plant-based protein). I’ve run across a few recipes that are really delicious and quick to make when we are craving Mexican. Our new favorite is the vegan burrito bowl, taken from Forks over Knives. I’ve added some of our customizations in italics.
Vegan Burrito Bowl
Vegan Burrito Bowl
By Heather McDougall. Serves 2 – 4 Ready in 30 minutes or less (depending on the use of pre-cooked beans, grains and chips).
Ingredients:
Baked tortilla chips (see notes)
2 – 4 cups of cooked grains (see notes)
2 – 4 cups chopped romain lettuce or steamed kale
2 – 4 chopped tomatoes
1 – 2 chopped green onions (opt.)
1 – 2 cups corn kernels (see notes)
1 avocado, chopped
Fresh salsa (our favorite is Newman’s Own Peach Salsa)
Vegan sour cream (optional)
Instructions:
Break a handful of the chips into pieces in the bottom of each serving bowl.
Spoon some of the cooked grains over the chips followed by some of beans, then layer on the rest of the toppings: lettuce or kale, tomatoes, onions (if using), corn, and avocado. Top with the salsa and a spoon full of vegan sour cream if desired.
Notes:
Chips: Read labels carefully to find baked chips without added fat, or make your own chips from soft corn tortillas: Cut them into wedges, spritz with water, and bake at 300 degrees until crisp.
We found some great healthy chips like these Veggie and Flaxseed Corn Tortilla chips from Aldi (right). We also really like the organic blue corn chips from Meijer. You can find a variety of options in the health health food aisle of your local grocery store. Make sure to check the nutrition label for added sodium and fat.
Grains: If you have leftover cooked grains and beans in your refrigerator, this can be a really fast meal. We like to use the Simply Nature Seven Grain pre-cooked blend from Aldi or the Birdseye Protein Blends Southwest Style (does contain a small amount of skim milk – see packages ingredients below).
Beans: You can slow-cook your own beans, cook them in a pressure cooker in a fraction of the time, or use canned beans (we like organic black beans from Aldi).
Chorizo: We found this Loma Linda Chorizo (plant based protein) at our local grocery store and gave it a try (see below). It isn’t bad – but it was saltier and not as light as Chipotle. Give a try if you want the feel of meat in your burrito bowl.
Burrito Bowl with Chorizo
Corn: I usually use frozen organic corn kernels thawed under cold running water until tender and then drained well.
Vegan Sour Cream:We found that we liked Tofutti vegan sour cream as a toping (pictured below) – available from Whole Food and some other food stores.
This recipe is very flexible and may be different every time you make it depending on the ingredients you have on hand. Enjoy experimenting with it and let your kids pick and choose what they want in their burrito bowl.
When we decided to cut meat and dairy out of our diet I had to search through my existing cookbooks to find recipes. This one, Penne with Veggies ‘n’ Black Beans came from Taste of Homes’ Healthy Cooking Annual Recipes (2015). Since we had just become “empty nesters” I turned to the ‘Table for Two’ section and found a photo of a meal that looked appetizing and super simple to make.
Since it was June – all of the ingredients were in season and it did not require any special ingredients that were hard to find (except maybe the Nutritional Yeast – which is used as a substitute for the parmesan cheese).
Recipe for: Penne with Veggies ’n’ Black Beans
Estimated time to prepare: 25 minutes. Makes: 2 servings (double for 4)
Quick tip: use a bag of your favorite pre-cut frozen veggies if you are in a hurry.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup of uncooked penne pasta (substitute with a bean pasta if gluten free)
1/3 cup of sliced zucchini (about one medium)
1/3 cup of sliced carrot (about 2)
4 medium mushrooms sliced
1/2 small green pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 yellow or red pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 onion thinly sliced
1 small garlic clove, minced (I used minced garlic from a jar)
1/4 teaspoon of each: dried basil, oregano & thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained (15 oz can is ok)
1/4 cup chopped seeded tomato (canned and drained is ok)
2 Tablespoons shredded Parmesan (substitute with Nutritional Yeast)
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, sauté all the vegetables, garlic and seasonings in 1+ teaspoon of oil until tender-crisp. Stir in the beans.
Drain pasta; add to vegetable mixture. Add tomato and remaining olive oil; toss gently. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (or Nutritional Yeast) and parsley.
The Practical Vegan 