Hawaiian Haystacks

This is probably my favorite summer dish.  It is a fun one to do with your kids or when you have friends over.  It is kind of like visiting a salad bar, or baked potato bar - so many yummy things to stack on your plate.  My kids like being able to decided what goes on there plate and how much. This recipe is a good starting place, but feel free to add to or decrease the amount of each ingredient according to your family's taste. You can also use your own favorite gravy if you want. 

It is a nice, light dinner for a hot summer day and filling.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Hawaiian Haystacks
Serves 4

1 cup brown rice (or favorite grain - quinoa is also really good!)
1 15 oz. can navy beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups crunchy chow mein noodles
1 tomato, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup green onion, or chives are good also
1 20 oz. can pineapple chunks, drained
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup shredded coconut
shredded vegan cheese, optional

Gravy
1 cup water, plus 1/4 cup cold water
1 tsp vegan chicken bouillon
2 Tbsp flour
salt and pepper to taste

Cook rice according to your package's directions.

To make gravy, pour 1 cup water into sauce pan.  Stir in bouillon.  Mix 1/4 cup water and flour in a small bowl and whisk together.  Pour into the broth.  Heat to boiling, stirring constantly.  Boil and stir for 1 minute.  Take off heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To make your haystacks spread rice out on your plate.  Then stack the chow mein noodles, beans and gravy.  Add tomatoes, celery, bell pepper, and green onions.  Top with pineapple, cheese (if using), almonds and coconut.  Then dig in and enjoy!

Dilly Stew With Rosemary Dumplings

The wind is blowing and it is snowing.  On days like this I want something warm and comforting for dinner.  I have discovered a dumpling stew from one of my favorite blogs Post Punk Kitchen.  There are many yummy recipes to be discovered there!  Anyway, this is one of my favorite, newly discovered recipes and it provides a lot of comfort.  In fact my whole family enjoys the comfort from this stew - even the kids!  You don't have to be vegan to fall in love with this.  I encourage you to check out the other recipes from Post Punk Kitchen too! http://www.theppk.com/recipes/  I did make a couple changes, only because I didn't have fresh herbs on hand, but I had dried.  For the fresh thyme I used 1 tsp. dried and for the fresh dill I used 2 tsp. dried.  I didn't have sweet paprika so I just used plain old paprika.

Dilly Stew With Rosemary Dumplings
by Isa Chandra
serves:  6-8
time:  1 hour

For the stew:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 medium sized sweet onion (like Vidalia or Walla Walla), quartered and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups vegetable broth, at room temperature
2 stalks celery, tops removed, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 1/2 pounds potato, in 3/4 inch chunks (peel if they’re russets)
1 cup baby carrots (see note)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
Fresh black pepper
1 15 oz can navy beans, rinsed and drained (about 1 1/2 cups)

For the dumplings:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoons dried rosemary, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or soy)
2 tablespoons olive oil

First we’re going to make a roux, but it has a little less fat than a traditional roux, which means it doesn’t get as goopy. If you’d like a more traditional roux, just add extra oil.

Preheat a large, heavy bottom pot over medium-low heat.
Add the oil and sprinkle in the flour. Use a wooden spatula to toss the flour in the oil, and stir pretty consistently for 3 to 4 minutes, until the flour is clumpy and toasty.

Add the onion and salt, and toss to coat the onions completely in the flour mixture. As the onions release moisture, they will coat more and more. Cook this way for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic and stir for 30 more seconds or so.

Stream in the vegetable broth, whisking constantly to prevent clumping. Add the celery, potatoes, carrot, dill, thyme, paprika and black pepper, then turn the heat up and cover to bring to a boil. Keep a close eye and stir often, so that it doesn’t clump or boil over.

Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and let cook uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the stew is nicely thickened and the potatoes and carrots are tender.

In the meantime, prepare the dumplings.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the rosemary. Make a well in the center and add the milk and olive oil. Use a wooden spoon to mix together until a wet dough forms.

When the stew is ready, mix in the beans and plop dough right on top of the stew in spoonfuls. You should get about 14 dumplings. Cover the pot tightly and cook for about 14 more minutes. The dumplings should be nice and firm. Use your ladle to dunk them into the stew to coat.

Ladle stew into bowls, topped with dumplings. And serve!

Recipe Notes:
~If your baby carrots are the plump kind, then slice them in half on a diagonal. If they’re thin, don’t bother. And if you’d like to use adult-sized carrots, peel and slice them in 1/4 inch diagonal pieces.
~I use a Le Creuset Dutch oven for this. You don’t need to use cast iron, but the wider the pot the better, because you need lots of surface area to make the roux and cook the biscuits later. If you don’t have a wide pot, then using a large, deep pan will work, too.

Breakfast Tatortot Stir-fry

I love to eat oatmeal with fruit and nuts for breakfast, but my favorite is eating breakfast stir-fry.  My hubby, Greg, started making it for us several years ago and at first I thought he was crazy (probably what you are thinking also).  It isn't the typical breakfast food, but it is such a great way to start your day.  You are giving your body lots of protein, nutrients and vitamins to start your day.  We also like to cook it in our cast iron skillet so we get some extra iron.  I always feel best if I have stir-fry for breakfast.  Greg and I take turns making our own version of it.  Mine actually started as more of a hash brown dish back when we were eating eggs and ham, but now I have cut out the eggs and ham and put in yummy veggies along with a grain and beans.  So delicious and satisfying!  The fun thing about this breakfast is you can mix it up each time you make it.  I try different beans, grains and vegetables each time.  I love to put barley and frozen peas in it though!  So feel free to put the things you love in it and play around and have fun.  Also, play around with your own favorite seasoning and such.  Greg and I like to sprinkle ground flax seed before we eat it and I love to put hot sauce on mine! Be brave and give this a try.  Your body will thank you!  One more note, I don't use salt and pepper in this recipe, but feel free to add it if you want it.

Breakfast Tater tot Stir-fry
makes 2 large servings

20 tater tots
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced red pepper
3/4 cup green beans
3/4 cup barley
3/4 cup navy beans
handful of spinach, chopped
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp curry powder
1 tbsp black bean garlic sauce
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
handful of spinach, chopped

Put tater tots in skillet and cover.  Cook on medium-high heat until soft enough to mash with the back of a spoon, stirring or shaking skillet occasionally.  When tater tots are soft, mash them up and add garlic, onion, pepper, green beans and barley and navy beans.  Stir it for about a minute. Add chili powder, curry powder, black bean paste and hoisin and stir it all into the vegetable well.  Stir-fry for a couple minutes until everything is heated through.  Turn off the heat and stir in spinach.  Let it sit for a minute to heat the spinach and then it is ready to serve. 

Bean Salad Sandwich

Ok, I've been seeing ads everywhere for chicken salad sandwiches lately.  The apples and grapes on the sandwiches look so good!!  But no chicken for me!  So... I have decided to create my own sandwich.  It actually turned out very well, at least in my opinion.  I am usually the only one around for lunch, but my husband took a bite the other day and thought it was good!  So here is an adventurous sandwich for all of you to try if you are brave enough.  I have made it a few times and can't wait to have it again soon!  A little note:  I have found this can be messy if you put too much on your sandwich -  pitas would work really well for this sandwich.

Bean Salad Sandwich
Makes 2 sandwiches (or 1 large sandwich)

1/4 cup chopped apple
12 grapes cut in 1/2
1 1/2 Tbsp. chopped walnuts
1/3 cup navy beans
1 1/2 Tbsp. chopped celery
1 tsp chopped parsley
1 Tbsp. finely chopped onion
1 Tbsp. veganaise (more if you like)
salt and pepper to taste
handful of spinach

Mix all the ingredients together except for spinach.  Spread it on your favorite bread (pita would work really well with this because it can be a bit messy).  Top with spinach and enjoy!