Slow Cooker Bean & Cornbread Casserole

(Picture from That Was Vegan?)

This recipe was sent to me by Katie M. She found it at That Was Vegan?  She says it was "a nice, easy, cheap, tasty, make-ahead, crock-pot meal. Oh and SUPER filling!" 

Ingredients:

• 1 large green or red bell pepper
• 1 large sweet or white onion
• 3 cloves garlic (or more, if you’re a garlic fiend!)
• 1 can (16oz) red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1 can (16oz) pinto beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1 can (16oz) black beans (drained and rinsed)
• 8-10 oz tomato sauce
• 16 oz diced tomatoes with chilies
• 1/2 can cream corn
• 2 t chili powder (I used a “NM” blend, but any kind will work)
• 1 t pepper
• 2 t salt
• 1 t hot sauce
• 1/2 cup yellow corn meal
• 1/2 cup AP flour
• 1 1/4 t baking powder
• 1 t salt
• 1 T sugar
• 3/4 cups non-dairy milk
• 1 egg replacer mix of choice
• 1 1/2 T vegetable oil
• 1/2 can cream corn

Directions:

1. Chop onions and bell peppers, and mince garlic cloves.
2. Spray inside of slow-cooker with non-stick spray.
3. Sautee onions, peppers and garlic in water in a pan until tender, then add to the slow-cooker.
4. Add beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, 1/2 can of corn, spices and hot sauce.
5. Cover, and cook on high for about 1 hour.
6. In a separate bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and sugar, then stir in  the milk, egg replacement, oil and the rest of the corn.
7. Ladle over the bean mixture in the slow-cooker, making it nice and smooth.
8. Cover again, and cook for about another 1.5 hours, but sometimes my cornbread takes a little longer to cook all the way through. (ETA: This could take up to an additional 30 minutes, but you can slice into the cornbread to see if it’s cooked)

Makes 5-6 servings

Notes about this recipe:

1. I am afraid of making things too spicy so I only added a fraction of the hot sauce called for. It turned out mild and could have used a teensy bit more kick but was still yummy.
2. Also, it says to use your choice of egg replacer to the amount of one egg; one real egg works just fine too.

Roasted Chickpeas

The first time I heard of roasted chickpeas was when I found a recipe for Roasted Chickpea Fajitas, which I will definitely be posting soon. Then I needed them again for Cauliflower Power Tacos. And that's when I discovered how delicious these are just as a snack. After several attempts to get the flavoring to my satisfaction I have finally found the perfect combo.

Ingredients:

• 2-15 oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 Tb olive oil
• 3 Tb lime juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp chili powder

Directions:

1.  Put chickpeas in a medium bowl. 
2. Combine olive oil, lime juice, salt, cumin, oregano, and chili powder. Pour over chickpeas. Stir till all coated.
3. Pour out on a baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Then stir and return to the oven for 10 more minutes. If they aren't crispy enough for your liking at this point put them back in for another 5 minutes or so.
4. Cool on pan and enjoy!

Blueberry Muffins

I adapted this recipe from the muffin recipe in my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.

Ingredients:

• 1 c. white flour
• 1/2 c. wheat flour
• 1/4 c. wheat germ
• 1/3 c. brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 beaten egg
• 3/4 c. milk or rice milk
• 2 Tb. vegetable oil
• 2 Tb. applesauce
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 c. blueberries (frozen or fresh)

Directions:

1. Grease your muffin tin or line with paper liners. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Mix dry ingredients (white flour to cinnamon) in a medium bowl.

3. Mix wet ingredients (egg to vanilla) in a smaller bowl.

4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix until just moistened--batter should be lumpy. Fold in blueberries.

5. Spoon batter into muffin tin until each cup is about 2/3 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Apple Spinach Salad with Spiced Nuts

 (Photo from Redhead Recipes.)

This recipe was recommended by Katy L. She found it at Redhead Recipes. She paired it with White Pizza Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, which I will post as soon as I get permission from the blogger.

Ingredients and Directions: 

Apple Spinach Salad with Spiced Nuts

• 1 bag prewashed spinach
• 1-2 granny smith apples, cored and sliced thinly
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup spiced caramelized nuts (recipe below)

Place all ingredients in a bowl. (Now that's a difficult recipe!) And top with apple cider vinaigrette (see recipe below)

Spiced Caramelized Nuts

• 1/2 cup pecans (or favorite nut)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 small pinch of cayenne (don't get scared!)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Combine sugar, cayenne, cinnamon, and nutmeg thouroughly. Place in skillet over medium heat. When sugar starts to melt stir in nuts. Stir occasionally. Once all sugar has melted and nuts are coated, place nuts on parchment paper to cool. Eat plain, in a salad, or on top of ice cream.

Apple Cider Vinaigrette 

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp dijion mustard
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• salt and pepper

Place all ingredients in a curet and shake.

Roasted Chickpea and Avocado Salad

Roasted chickpeas add a fabulous bit of crunch to this salad. Roast a batch and you can use it on various salads for the week.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cucumber, sliced
• 1 roma tomato, sliced
• 3-4 large handfuls of chopped romaine lettuce
• 1/4 c. to 1/2 c. roasted chickpeas

Roasted Chickpeas

• 1 can (14.5 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed.
• 1 Tb olive oil
• 1 1/2 Tb lime juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp oregano

Directions:

1. Start by roasting your chickpeas. Mix the olive oil, lime juice, salt, chili powder, cumin, and oregano together. Put chickpeas in a bowl and pour mixture on top. Stir to coat. Then pour the chickpeas onto a pan. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Stir on pan, then put back in the oven for 10 more min. Stir again, and do 5 more minutes in the oven. Take them out and let cool.
2. Put romaine lettuce in a bowl, and top with the cucumbers, tomato, and roasted chickpeas.

Banana Muffins

I adapted this recipe from the muffin recipe out of my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 c. flour
• 1/2 c. wheat germ
• 1/3 c. brown sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. cloves
• 1 beaten egg
• 1/2 c. milk or rice milk
• 3/4 c. mashed ripe banana (if you have a little more than 3/4c. that's ok too)
• 2 Tb. vegetable oil
• 2 Tb. applesauce

Directions:

1. Grease your muffin tin or put paper liners in. Set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl combine all the dry ingredients (flour to cloves).
3. In a smaller bowl combine all the wet ingredients (egg to applesauce)
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just moistened--batter should be lumpy.
5. Spoon batter into muffin tin, filling about 2/3 the way full. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Pumpkin Soup

(Picture by Karen Madsen)

This recipe was sent to me by Brittanie S. She says it's a family favorite. And it's just in time for Autumn!

Ingredients:

• 2T Olive oil
• 3 C vegetable stock (I use chicken broth or base)
• 1 15 oz can drained black beans
• 1 c heavy cream (we often use whole milk instead)
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 med. onion, chopped (or sub 1 to 2 Tbs dehydrated onion)
• 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 15 oz cans pumpkin puree
• 1 T curry powder
• 1/2 tsp chili powder

Directions:

Saute onions; add broth, tomatoes, beans, and pumpkin. Bring to boil. Reduce Heat. Add rest of ingredients. Simmer.

Serve with tortilla chips, optional: sour cream and chives.

Apple Nectarine Cashew Spinach Salad

Well, Salad September slipped by with only two posts about salads. Next year we'll try for more. I do have some more salads to put up...it just isn't September anymore.

Ingredients:

• 1 crisp apple, preferably Fuji
• 2-3 tsp lemon juice
• 1 nectarine
• about 1/4 c. cashews 
• 3-4 large handfuls of spinach

Directions:

1. Cut apple into bite sized chunks. Put in a seal-able container or bag with the lemon juice and shake until all the apples have been covered in lemon juice. (This helps your apples to stay fresh and not brown.)
2. Cut the nectarine into bite sized chunks.
3. Put the spinach in a bowl. Put apples, nectarines, and cashews on top. 
4. Enjoy!