Wheat Berry Chili
They wont miss the meat in this chili with it’s chewy texture from the sprouted wheat berries, not to mention the delicious flavor. It you can’t eat gluten or don’t want to take the time to sprout, use quinoa, rice, or other non-glutenous grain. You could use the wheat without sprouting but it would take much longer to cook. This chili is cozy and warming on a cold winter night!
This recipe is from my cookbook Whole Food Goodness.
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
1 medium sweet potato, cubed 1/4 inch
4 cups chopped broccoli
2 cups chopped mushrooms
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 – 6 oz can tomato paste
¼ – ½ cup diced green chilies
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp onion powder
1 ½ cups cooked sprouted wheat berries* (or rice, quinoa or other grain of choice)
1 ½ cups red kidney beans
1 cup mashed pinto beans
½ cups fresh cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
Saute onion over medium-high heat until it starts to brown. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Add 6 cups water, sweet potato and broccoli. Cook 10 minutes then add mushrooms. Cook until potato is tender. Add remaining ingredients and cook 5 more minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
*To prepare wheat berries, soak 1 cup in water for 8 hours. Drain and leave to sprout for a day or two, rinsing twice a day. In a small sauce pan, bring them to boil in 2 cups of water, reduce heat to low and cook for 40 minutes or until tender.
Use either or sprouting jar or just use a large strainer to rinse your wheat.
Sour Cream Frosting
This frosting goes perfect with Vegan Carrot Cake but could be folded into a fruit salad. Leave the lemon out for a delicious “whip cream” for Vegan Pumpkin Pie.
1 cup light colored sweet potato (not orange “yam”)
15 small pitted dates soaked in ¾ cup water
1/4 cup raw cashews
Juice from 1 lemon (add zest if you like more lemon flavor)
Blend all ingredients until smooth. Use just enough water to make it a thick cream. You will need more water is using pecans.
Zoodles Marinara w/ Millet
Home Made Marinara
Make this sauce a day ahead so the flavors will meld and taste amazing!
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds vine-ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 t oregano (use fresh if available)
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
Saute’ onion in a dry sauce pan over medium-high heat until it starts to brown. Add minced garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add mushrooms and tomatoes. Bring to boil. Lower heat to medium and cook for 1/2 hour to 1 hour over medium low heat. The more you cook the tomatoes, the more concentrated the sauce will be. Add fresh herbs the last 10 minutes of cooking.
Cooked Millet
Bring 2 cups water to boil in a sauce pan. Add dry millet, turn heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 – 20 minutes until tender.
Zoodles (“noodles” made with zucchini)
Spiral slice 3 medium zucchini into a large saute pan and cook over medium high heat until desired tenderness, adding a bit of water as needed to keep from sticking to the pan.
Once the “Zoodles” reach the desired tenderness, pour the marinara over the Zoodles and stir well. Mix in desired amount of cooked millet.
Note: Cooked quinoa can be used in place of millet but I prefer the hardiness of the millet.
Thanksgiving Chic Pea Loaf
I should probably change the name of this recipe to “Garbanzo Stuffing” because it reminds me of Stove-Top Stuffing but way better! This recipe is Adapted from fatfreevegan.com.
1 – 2 yams or sweet potato (need 2 cups cooked)
1 medium onion
2 cups chopped mushrooms
2 ribs celery
1 medium carrot
2 cloves garlic
4 cups cooked chic peas (garbanzo beans)
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3 T balsamic vinegar or 2 T tamari or soy sauce
2 T tomato paste
1 T spicy brown mustard
1 1/2 t onion powder
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t dried sage
1 1/2 t dried thyme
1/2 t dried rosemary, crushed
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 t Real Salt or sea salt, or to taste
1/2 t black pepper
Bake sweet potato in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour – 1 hour 15 minutes or until soft. Set aside to cool.
Sauté vegetable in ¼ cup water until soft. Transfer to large mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients, including cooked yam, and mash with a pastry cutter until the mixture become sticky and will hold together. Press into a 9 X 13 baking pan and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Loosely cover with aluminum foil and continue to bake an additional 25 minutes. Uncover and brown for 10 minutes if desired. Let set for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Green Burrito
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, cut in half lengthwise and sliced
1 small bunch kale or collard greens, chopped
2 cups broccoli, coarsely chopped
2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
1 medium zucchini squash, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
1 tablespoon cumin powder
2 teaspoon oregano
4 cups cooked pinto beans
Green Chili Cheeze Sauce (recipe below)
Sea salt
Whole-wheat flour tortillas
Saute onion in 1/4 cup water for 2 minutes. Add garlic, carrots, greens, and 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook 5 minutes.
Add broccoli, mushrooms, and zucchini. Cook 5 minutes.
Add spices and beans. Cook until vegetables are tender.
Stir in 1 1/2 cups Green Chili Cheeze Sauce. Salt to taste. Add 1/4 cup water to remaining cheeze sauce.
Roll burritos and drizzle remaining cheeze sauce over them. Garnish with chopped fresh tomato, avocado and cilantro.
Green Chili Cheeze Sauce
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup chopped green chilies, bottled or canned
6 T lime or lemon juice
1/2 t garlic powder
1 t onion powder
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender until smooth. If needed, soak seeds in water for 4 hours to soften and ease blending.