PINTO BEAN BURGERS AND QUINOA, ZUCCHINI, AND CORN MEDLEY

Yesterday I Made:

SOUTHWEST PINTO BEAN BURGERS WITH CHIPOTLE VEGENAISE and QUINOA,CORN AND ZUCCHINI MEDLEY for DINNER.

I've made this awesome burger many times and even posted it here.

It's still my all time favorite homemade patty.

It's spicy and just plain delicious.

I wanted to have a side dish that was fresh and healthy.

So, I decided on a tasty quinoa salad.

This recipe is different because it calls for raw zucchini,which we've never eaten raw.

It also contains green onions, corn, cilantro pine nuts, and an added surprise, HAZELNUTS!

The salad was dressed with a light orange, lemon dressing.

EASY HOMESTYLE CHILAQUILES

Today I Made:

EASY HOMESTYLE CHILAQUILES for BREAKFAST.

Chilaquiles are a traditional Mexican dish served for breakfast.

Tortillas are cut into quarters, fried, mixed with eggs, and then drenched with salsa.

Topped with Mexican cheese.

My mom taught me how to make a vegan version, which is easy to do just by omitting the eggs and cheese.

There are 3 ways of doing this:

1. Using chips from a bag.

2. Frying your own tortilla quarters.

3. Toasting the tortilla quarters in the oven.

This morning I chose to toast the tortilla quarters (obviously healthier). .

So here goes my mother's recipe:

Preheat oven to 350.

Stack 6 tortillas and cut into quarters.

Place in a bowl and drizzle some olive oil and mix.

Toast until lightly browned on one side, then turn and toast the other side.

And now you have homemade chips!

Heat skillet over medium heat and add tortilla chips.

Add 1 cup of salsa (homemade or store-bought) and toss until completely mixed.

If too dry add a few tablespoons of salsa or even water.

Just make sure not to add too much or else the chips will turn out soggy.

You want the final dish to be a mix of hard and soft chips.

I used my mom's homemade tomato-based salsa, medium-hot!

Let salsa heat thru.

Add diced red onions and chopped cilantro (which I forgot to add to ours).

Serve immediately with a side of pinto or black beans.

Our version proves that you don't need any of those animal ingredients, to make this tasty dish.

NO-BAKE CHOCOLATE-SWIRLED CHEESECAKES

Zoom in to see swirl effect.

Yesterday I Made:

NO-BAKE CHOCOLATE-SWIRLED CHEESECAKES for DESSERT.

Recipe from VEGETARIAN TIMES APRIL 2007 issue.

Chocolate cookie on the bottom layer, then layered with a Vegan cream cheese mixed with cocoa powder.

And to create the swirl effect an additional spoonful of plain cheesecake is swirled into the chocolate layer and then topped with raw cacao nibs (my own personal touch).

Husband liked it and that's all that matters to me.

The cheesecake is thickened with agar powder, a gelatinous substance derived from seaweed (thank you wikipedia).

SPAGHETTI WITH SPINACH AND MUSHROOMS

Yesterday I Made:

SPAGHETTI WITH SPINACH AND MUSHROOMS for DINNER.

Recipe from VEGETARIAN TIMES MAY/JUNE 2007 issue.

Whole wheat spinach spaghetti cooked in a broth seasoned with red chili pepper flakes and saffron.

And then mixed with spinach, mushrooms and garbanzo beans.

I've had this recipe for 2 years but I've never had the urge to make it.

Why? Because I dislike mushrooms.

My husband doesn't care for mushrooms but he'll eat them.

For some crazy reason, I decided to give this dish a chance.

Both my husband and I didn't love it, but we didn't hate it.

There's just nothing special about this dish.

So in conclusion, I would never make this again.

ICE PAN

So if you read yesterday's post, I mentioned that my husband and I shared a burger, fries, and shake at O Burger in West Hollywood.

We shared to make room for Ice Pan , vegan ice cream made right in front of your eyes.

They use all natural ingredients, nothing artificial.

After reading Quarrygirl's post raving about this place, I envisioned stuffing my face into a freshly made vegan ice cream made just how I like it.

You see, I've dreamt of being able to one day, visit a Coldstone and be able to order a vegan ice cream.

Well Icepan beat them to it.

Except this place is even more magical, because they literally make the vegan ice cream to order.

Nothing is premade.

They make a smoothie-type concoction mix with soy milk and any fruit you might want.

Then they pour it into an ice pan and mix it until it becomes firm.

And then, they lay whatever toppings you want and mix until combined and creamy.

They scoop it into a container and this is when you can add even more toppings.

My husband ordered the chocolate soy ice cream with mixed-in slivered almonds.

He LOVED it!!!

I ordered the vanilla soy ice cream with mixed-in mango chunks and topped with kiwi and strawberries.

I too LOVED it!!!

This place is amazing and I hope that they open up more locations, specifically in the San Gabriel Valley.

This location is conveniently located on the corner of Santa Monica Blvd. and La Brea Blvd. in West Hollywood.

O!BURGER

A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I decided to make the 20-something mile drive to West Hollywood to eat at O!Burger ( THANK YOU QUARRYGIRL!).

I've been craving a burger, fries, and shake In-N-Out-style and O!Burger sure filled it.

My husband and I decided to split the the classic O!veggie, O"fries, and O!vegan shake.

Unfortunately, I didn't take our camera and we ended up using our cell phones (hence the horrible pic).

And why did we split our meal, stay tuned tomorrow!!!

The O!veggie burger was THE best veggie burger ever!

A homemade patty with actual spinach, corn, carrots, and peas.

Also served with caramelized onions, fresh cucumber slices, pickles, finely shredded lettuce and a special sauce, on a toasted burger bun.

I'm drooling just thinking about it.

The O!fries were crinkle-cut and weren't greasy at all.

The O!vegan shake was a little disappointing.

Oat milk with the option of flavors: date, chocolate, or banana.

We chose chocolate and banana and it turned out runny and tasting like strawberries???

If you want a simple burgers and fries meal, look no further and make your way to WeHo to eat at O!Burger!

STUFFED POBLANO PEPPERS IN A CHIPOTLE SAUCE AND MEXICAN MILLET

Yesterday I Made:

STUFFED POBLANO PEPPERS IN A CHIPOTLE SAUCE AND MEXICAN MILLET for DINNER.

Stuffed pepper recipe from Body+Soul Magazine.

Mexican Millet recipe from Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.

Roasted poblano chiles stuffed with a mixture of white button mushrooms, quinoa, black beans, and corn, smothered in a spicy cilantro, chipotle sauce and baked until heated thru.

The millet recipe is a simplified version of Spanish Rice ( or Mexican Rice).

Toasted onion, millet, tomato paste, cumin, cooked in vegetable broth until millet is light and fluffy.

The millet turns out soft and crunchy and it even has a cheesy aftertaste.

Both recipes were awesome and will definitely make both again.

Poblano chiles are my all time favorite chiles.

They're good in just about any dish, from chilaquiles to soup to pasta to tacos!