Lentil Sandwich

Today, I sat through 4 classes thinking about making this for lunch.

Cooking the lentils took about 20 more minutes after I got home, but it was welllllll worth the wait!

I just put some lentils, shredded carrot, cucumber, tomato and banana peppers on one slice of bread, and mayo and avocado on the other slice. I can't wait to make this again!

Texas Caviar Salad

I've made Texas Caviar for several parties and potlucks this summer. This past week, I brought it to the Aquarena employee potluck and (luckily) had some left over. The combination of that potluck and a trip to Torchy's the next day meant that I was totally burnt out on chips-and-dip for the week. 

So I decided to put the leftover dip over a salad for dinner tonight. It worked perfectly, since the dip is made of raw onions, tomatoes, and peppers, beans, and zesty italian dressing.

Blended Coffee Drink

I have to give credit to Miss Christina Korpik for this delicious idea. In the back-to-school edition of the University Star, she wrote an article about ways to stay cool on a budget. One suggestion was to freeze leftover coffee in ice trays and blend the cubes with milk for a frozen coffee drink. 

I'm excited about this for several reasons. Erin and I always have leftover coffee and usually end up just pouring it out. Also, hot coffee doesn't usually sound appealing when you're walking to class in 100-degree weather.

For my drink, I just used coffee ice cubes, almond milk, splenda, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. I'm pretty sure you can't mess this one up though, so I'm looking forward to experimenting.

"Tuna" Sandwich

1 can chickpeas, drained

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tbsp dijon mustard

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 stalk celery, chopped

2 green onions, chopped

pepper

cayenne pepper

Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins

In a large bowl, mash chickpeas with a fork. Add the other ingredients and stir. Serve on wheat bread and store leftovers in the fridge.

Sloppy Joes

1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained
cumin
coriander
1 can fire roasted tomatoes, drained
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp worchestershire sauce
juice of 1 lime
hamburger buns or sandwich thins


Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a skillet, and add the peppers, onion, and garlic. Cook for at least 5 minutes, until peppers are softened. Reduce heat slightly, and add the black beans, cumin, and coriander. 
Let flavors combine, then add the tomatoes, brown sugar, worchestershire sauce and lime juice. Simmer a couple more minutes, until most of the excess liquid is gone. Serve on toasted bread of your choice.

Chipotle Black Bean Burgers

1 large can black beans, mostly drained

1/2 cup frozen corn
2 cups dry bread crumbs
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, roughly chopped
3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce + 1 tbsp adobo sauce
paprika
cumin
coriander
1 tbsp worchestershire sauce
hamburger buns

Place beans, bread crumbs, corn, chipotle peppers, and adobo sauce into a mixing bowl and mix together with your hands. Saute onions, garlic, celery, and mushrooms in oil until mostly softened. Add sauteed vegetables to ingredients in mixing bowl, and season to taste with cumin, coriander, worchestershire sauce, and paprika.

Form patties on a large flat surface, then transfer to a skillet of hot oil. Cook about 5 minutes, then flip. If patties fall apart during the flipping, just use the spatula and another utensil to press them back together. Unused mixture can either be refrigerated for fresh burgers the next day, or you can make the burgers and refrigerate or freeze them. Serve on toasted buns with whatever you would normally put on a burger.

Kale and Tofu Burritos

Kale is one of the highest ranked vegetables out there! Uncooked, it's still growing on me. I need a little more time to get used to it's tough texture. But steamed and softened in the wok and wrapped up in a tortilla, it's just another delicious leafy green vegetable. I'm looking forward to the cold weather when I can use it in my (well, Rachael Ray's) Red and Green Winter Stoup.

Sauce:

1 tbsp Dijon Mustard

1 tsp red wine vinegar

juice of 1 lime

paprika

Filling:

a couple handfuls of kale leaves

1/2 package of extra firm tofu

1 carrot, grated

1/2 cup frozen corn

2 green onions, chopped

1 clove garlic

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce

tortillas

Make the sauce first. Combine all four ingredients in a measuring cup, then add water to the 1/3 cup line. Adjust this to taste, because my measurements are really rough guesses. Set the sauce aside.

Cut tofu into small cubes and cook in the wok with garlic. Once it's slightly brown, add chipotle pepper and about 1 tbsp of adobo sauce and cook for another few minutes. Remove from wok and set aside.

Add the rinsed kale, stems removed, to the wok and cover to steam. Add the carrot and corn, and re-cover. Once the corn is cooked, add the green onion, tofu, and the Dijon/vinegar/lime sauce. Let flavors combine, then add mixture to a warm tortilla.

Ultimate Summer Meal

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1 mango, diced
1 jalapeno, chopped
1 can corn
1 can black beans
1 lime
1 avocado


Mix together the first 7 ingredients in a large bowl and add the juice of 1 lime. Refrigerate for a couple hours to let the flavors mix. Add fresh avocado before serving.

Quinoa and Pesto

1 cup uncooked, rinsed quinoa + 2 cups water
1 red bell pepper
1 Tentation or Golden Delicious apple
handful of roughly chopped almonds
handful of pumpkin seeds
handful of cranberries


Combine rinsed quinoa and water and bring to a boil. Cook, covered, about 10-15 minutes. Drain any excess water and add desired amount of pesto. Cook pepper, apple, and almonds in hot oil until the peppers are soft and the apple is a little brown. Combine in a bowl with quinoa and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and cranberries.