Jerk Kabobs

Summer's here and the time is right for...grilling. Gosh how my family loves to grill! They often go for the tried and true, but every now and then I can convince them to try something new or different. Like these kabobs...

Jerk Kabobs

One red onion, cut into chunks
One yellow, green, or red bell pepper (or all!), cut into chunks
One zucchini, sliced into thick coins
Whole mushrooms
Cherry or grape tomatoes
1 t. thyme
1 t. sugar
1 t. salt
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. onion powder
1/2 t. cayenne
1/2 t. ground allspice
1/2 t. smoked paprika
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 t. black pepper

Mix all the spices together. Thread the vegetables on skewers. If you are using wooden skewers, like we do, soak them in water first. Once all the skewers are threaded, brush the kabobs with olive oil, then sprinkle on the spices, being sure to to coat well. Cook over a hot, oiled grill, about five minutes per side, or until done. Serve. Enjoy!

Crockpot Pepper Steak

Any time my husband and I either visit a Chinese restaurant or order takeout, I can pretty much bet money he will order pepper steak. A creature of habit, my hubby.

The other day while out shopping with my daughter, I came upon the gardein sizzling szechuan beefless strips and had to buy them. I knew exactly what I was going to make with them.

Crockpot Pepper Steak

One package beefless strips
1/4 c. soy sauce
One onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 t. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
1/4 t. ground ginger
One can diced tomatoes, drained
2 green bell peppers, cut into strips
1/2 c. water
1 T. cornstarch

Place all ingredients, except water and cornstarch, into the crockpot. Cook on low for 5 hours. Remove the lid, combine the water and cornstarch to make a paste, and stir into the liquid in the crockpot. Heat through. Serve over rice. Enjoy!

Pete's Nacho Awesomeness

I have to say it - my youngest is pretty awesome. He will often come home from work and offer to cook. How many kids do that? And the beauty of it is, he's really pretty good! Not only is he gorgeous, but he can cook, too!

One of his specialties is a very simple nacho dish. We eat it a few times a year, and he decided to make it the other day. I can't explain it, but for some reason, this time he made it it just seemed exceptionally good! I told him we were officially changing the name of the recipe to Pete's Nacho Awesomeness!

One bag of corn chips
One green bell pepper, diced
One bunch of green onions, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
2 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
One can of sliced black olives
2 avocados, diced

Lay the corn chips on a baking sheet and top with the green pepper, green onions, tomatoes and black beans. Broil about 7-10 minutes, but watch closely to make sure the corn chips don't burn. Top with olives and avocados and serve.

You can sprinkle some Daiya shreds on it you like, or add some vegan sour cream. You can do this, of course, but honestly these nachos are so good without them you might decide not to.

Have extra chips on hand, because you won't want to lose a bit of the tasty veggies.

Enjoy!

Loaded Chili

If you live in Texas, you know there seems to be a great deal of debate as to whether or not chili should contain beans. If you are vegan, this is a no brainer. OF COURSE it contains beans! LOL!

Loaded Chili

Olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
One onion, chopped
One jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite sized cubes
2 c. broccoli florets, cut into bite sized pieces
3 T. chili powder
1 T. cumin
1 T. oregano
1 t. paprika
1/2 t. each salt and pepper
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 c. frozen corn
2 28 oz cans diced tomatoes
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

In a Dutch oven over medium heat, saute garlic, onion and jalapeno in the olive oil, until softened. Add the sweet potato, broccoli and spices and stir until everything is well coated with the spices. Add remaining ingredients, stir well, and let simmer about 30 minutes. When the sweet potatoes are fork soft it is ready to eat.

Good and spicy and delicious! While you might wonder at the addition of things like sweet potatoes and broccoli to chili, trust me, you'll like it.

Japanese Fried Rice and Seaweed Salad

A few weeks ago my kids and I happened upon a sushi place and decided to check it out. Some of the food was served conveyor belt style and you just grabbed the dish as it went by. One item we tried and fell absolutely in love with was the seaweed salad. Another item that we had to order off the menu was their Japanese fried rice. We agreed it was the best rice we have ever had. If we do fried rice takeout, that is the place we are going to go!

So the other night I'm home alone and craving the rice and seaweed salad. As luck would have it, I had all the ingredients in my pantry! So here are my versions of Japanese fried rice and seaweed salad.

Japanese Fried Rice

6 c. cooked rice
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 bunch green onions, cut up, green parts also
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 t. ground ginger
Soy sauce to taste
Sesame oil

Saute the green pepper, green onions and garlic in the sesame oil. Add rice one cup at a time, mixing well.  Mix in the ginger. Sprinkle in soy sauce to taste.

I thought later how bean sprouts would have been nice, but I didn't have any. I'm not sure what makes this Japanese, as opposed to Chinese fried rice. I did later come upon some recipes that included sake. Maybe that is the secret, but I rather doubt the restaurant used it in their fried rice. I really want to go back now and see if I can figure out if and how their's may have differed.

Seaweed Salad

One package dried wakame seaweed, shredded
4 T. rice vinegar
2 T. sesame oil
4 T. soy sauce
1 t. ground ginger
1 t. sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 T. white sesame seeds, toasted
1/2 T. black sesame seeds, untoasted

Soak seaweed in warm water for 5-6 minutes until tender. Meanwhile, combine vinegar, sesame oil, soy, ginger, sugar, green onions, and garlic. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Toss drained seaweed with dressing and sesame seeds. Let sit for 10 minutes for flavors to blend.

This stuff sells for about $5 at the grocery store for the equivalent of a single serving. I made my own for much less and got a lot more.

Jeweled Rice

Rice is so versatile. Have rice, can cook.

Jeweled Rice

One onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 t. salt
Olive oil
One package firm tofu, drained and cut into little bite sized pieces
One green bell pepper, sliced small
One package frozen chopped broccoli
2 carrots, sliced
One small can mushrooms stems and pieces, drained
2 cans kidney beans, drained
1/2 t. dried basil
1/2 t. dried oregano
black pepper to taste
cayenne pepper to taste
1-1/2 c. basmati rice
2 tomatoes, chopped
One can small black olives, drained

Saute the onions, garlic and salt in the olive oil, until onions are softened. Add tomato juice, tofu, bell pepper, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms and beans. Stir gently but well. Add basil, oregano, black pepper, cayenne pepper and rice. Add water if necessary to make sure the rice will cook. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 30 minutes, longer if needed to ensure rice is cooked. Add the tomatoes and black olive, stir. Serve when the liquid has all been absorbed. Serve. Enjoy!