BBQ Black Bean and Sweet Potato Patties [vegan, gluten-free, oil-free]

PepitaAvocadoSauce1This recipe came to me while I was working out, as many recipes do (I should be thinking about the workout and not food, I know!). I wanted to throw something together for an easy lunch and this is what I came up with.  They are easy to make but taste like they were a lot of work. They’re moist but hold together well.  Really yummy.  I like serving them with avocado and Sour Un-Cream, or my Toasted Pepita Avocado Sauce as pictured.

Low-Fat Cheesy Sauce [vegan + gf + no nuts + no oil]

cheesesauceI think I’ve finally done it and I’m really excited.

I have made a LOT of cheesy sauces over the years.  I mean, it’s crazy how many; recipes I’ve found and tweaked, recipes I’ve created, etc.  After all, mac-n-cheese was my favorite food before I went vegan 10+ years ago.  While I don’t crave the real thing, I still really love comforting foods like noodles with a creamy, cheese-like sauce.  Anyway, all the recipes I tried were similar to each other, all yummy, but all left me feeling like I wasn’t there yet;  that my quest for the perfect sauce wasn’t complete.  Getting the perfect combination of texture, mouth-feel, flavor and nutrient profile was beginning to seem impossible.

Sure, there are rich and amazingly delicious sauces out there but many of them call for a ton of nuts or a bunch of oil.  Any vegan food can taste delectable when adding a bunch of fat – there’s no creativity or skill in that.  The real challenge and test lies in making something that’s healthy, rich and delicious without exceeding your daily fat quota in one meal.

Yep.  I think I’ve finally done it.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Quesadillas (vegan, gluten-free*,soy-free, low-fat)

Doesn’t get much easier than this.

When I bake sweet potatoes, I usually do 1 or 2 extra for leftovers.  They are a quick, easy snack and great for dishes like this.

You can use whatever type of tortillas you like, but I really enjoy the brown rice tortillas.  I don’t need to eat a gluten-free diet but for the sake of variety and not wanting to overdo it on wheat, whenever I can I opt for the alternative, as long as it’s a healthy one.  Many gluten-free alternatives are filled with fat and have little to no fiber.  These brown rice tortillas I get from Trader Joe’s are really nice.

I made this for lunch one day and it took all of 10 minutes.  I couldn’t believe how good it was.  My girlfriend Lori, who likes to be difficult :), says I shouldn’t call these quesadillas because there is no cheese.  I wholeheartedly disagree.  We can eat pizza without cheese and it’s still called pizza, omelets without cheese and it’s still an omelet (though I don’t eat those anymore), cheese-less burritos….you get my point.  So, sorry Lori but these are being called Quesadillas and that’s that!

*gluten-free if you use gluten-free tortillas (i.e. brown rice).

Maple-Dijon Green Bean and Sweet Potato Salad (vegan, low-fat, gluten-free)

It was lunch time.  I opened the fridge and saw fresh green beans I’d gotten from the farmer’s market, and a Japanese sweet potato.  Those are the kind with purple/burgundy skin but are white inside.  Delicious.  Anyway, I thought to myself “what can I do with both those items to make an entree?”  This salad, which I ate warm, is what I came up with.  Very tasty.

I used my amazing pressure cooker for the sweet potato (cooked 2 mins), and the green beans (cooked 1 minute), but however you want to cook them is fine.   This dish is really quick and easy.

Sweet Potato and Chickpea Soup (vegan, oil-free, gluten-free, low-fat)

One of my favorite restaurants Native Foods has an African Peanut Soup that I adore.  It tastes very fattening though so I wanted to try and make something similar, but with less fat.  As well, theirs is a very smooth soup and I prefer chunkier soups – I like chewing! This version is thick and chunky, while still being creamy.  And this can vary depending on how much of it you want blended, using your immersion or regular blender. Feel free to play around with spices and amounts.  Those listed here result in a mild flavor.

Double Lentil & Sweet Potato Soup (vegan, oil-free, gluten-free)

As much as I complain about not enjoying cold weather and shorter days, I must admit the food that is most often consumed during those months, i.e., soups and stews, is my most favorite!  I made this soup in the crock pot recently on a rainy Saturday.  Perfect! I really like lentils so a soup that calls for two kinds – even better!

Enchilada + Burrito = Enchilito!

Never have I made these when they weren’t loved by all.  When I first created them, I couldn’t decide if they should be called burritos or enchiladas.  Ultimately I decided they were a combination, hence the name “enchilito”!  Several of the ingredients listed are brand specific but I’ve no doubt these would still be delicious regardless of the brand.

Since I advocate a primarily whole-foods diet, I’ve listed the meat (Soyrizo) and cheese (Daiya) substitutes as optional.  While these foods are tasty, they are processed and contain oils.  Use them sparingly, if at all, and save them for situations in which you’re serving to a meat-eating crowd or if you yourself are slowly attempting to move towards a more plant-based diet.  This dish is plenty flavorful without those ingredients, but for the transition process, small amounts of mock meats and cheeses can be helpful.

Delicious served with Avocado Cream Sauce.