Category: Recipes with Beans

OG Scrumptious Bombdiggity Vegan Enchiladas

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This is one of my favorites!!! I think I say that about all of the recipes that I blog about haha, but I only post the very best for you. My goal is to teach you how easy cooking whole food plant-based food really is. It’s amazing the flavor you can get when combining whole food with some delicious spices and some cooking techniques that are tried and true. It’s truly one of the best decisions my husband and I have made in this life. We feel better, are heart healthy and LOVE the delicious food we make. Give this recipe a try and tell me your thoughts. I would love to hear from you!

Recently, I took dinner to my neighbor who just had a baby and this is what I made for them. They are meat eaters so I was really nervous that they wouldn’t like a dinner without meat, BUT I got a text from her the following day and she said that they LOVED IT!!! WAHOO!!! IT MADE MY DAY!

This original recipe came from my daughter which was for sweet potato black bean enchiladas, but I like to change things up a bit, so I modified it and added some ingredients to make it better :). I loved the changes and I don’t even miss the cheese that is in the original recipe. This recipe has a lot of homemade ingredients so it takes a bit of time, but I do it in stages, so one day I’ll make the pinto beans in the instant pot and then use it for another recipe, like tacos and then I’ll bake the sweet potatoes earlier in the day so they cool off a bit before putting them in this recipe. Don’t get overwhelmed with it–just take it one step at a time. Please read the whole recipe before beginning.

Vegan Cauliflower Hamburger/Sweet Potato/Pinto Bean Enchiladas

You can make a bunch of these to feed a crowd. I like making two pans–one for me and one for a neighbor or you can freeze these in the pan after assembling them but don’t add the enchilada sauce until the end of the cooking time. This helps your enchiladas stay a little crispier instead of soggy. (Put aluminum foil on them before freezing and use within a few weeks)

For the Cauliflower Hamburger:

  • 2 packs of Frozen Cauliflower Rice (I get them from Costco), cooked for 3 min in microwave to soften
  • 1 small package of white mushrooms (grated in food processor)
  • 1/2 c. chopped walnuts
  • 1 T. Cumin
  • 2 Teaspoons Chili powder
  • 2 Teaspoons Salt
  • 1 Teaspoon Pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 Degrees. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. I like to wash my hands really good and mix it up with my hands. Taste it and make sure the spices are to your liking. Add a little extra of what you want. Take a cookie sheet and put a splat mat on it. Put cauliflower mix on top of the spat mat and cook for 15 min. Remove from oven and stir it on the mat and put it back in the oven for 15 min. When it comes out it should resemble hamburger–looks a little brown and delicious. Set aside.

While hamburger is cooking, cook the sweet potatoes one at a time in the microwave–poke holes in sweet potato with a fork all over the sweet potatoes (I prob do this about 4-5 times around the potato–cook 4 minutes for a medium one or 5 minutes for a large OR I like to cook the sweet potatoes earlier in the day or the day before to prep for this meal. Here is the oven instructions for cooking sweet potatoes:

Sweet Potatoes

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Poke sweet potatoes with a fork and put them on a cookie sheet with a splat mat on and bake for about 45-50 minutes until they are soft. I like to poke mine with a fork and if they are fork tender, they are done. I just have the urge here to say to you, “STICK A FORK IN IT!!!” LOL!! Set aside to let cool and then peel them and mash them with a fork. Sprinkle with cumin and chili powder and mix the spices in with a fork until it is well mixed. Taste and make sure the spice is on point to your liking.

Pinto Beans in the Instant Pot

  • 3 C. Raw Pinto Beans
  • 6 C. Vegetable Broth
  • 1/2 Onion, diced
  • 3 cloves Garlic, crushed
  • Jalapeño (optional), cut in very small dices
  • 1 T. Cumin
  • 1 -2 tea. Chili Powder
  • 2 tea. Salt
  • a few sprinkles of pepper

Rinse pinto beans and pick out the beans that are duds. Add a little of the broth to the instant pot and put on saute setting. When it is hot, add the onion, garlic and jalapeño (if using). Saute for about 5-7 minutes until onion is translucent. Add cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. The smell should be very fragrant and make your home smell so good! Just saute the spices for a couple of minutes and then add the beans and remaining broth. Stir well and turn off saute setting.

Put lid on instant pot and cook on regular pressure cooker setting for 55 minutes. After beans are done cooking let them sit for about 15 minutes before releasing the pressure.

Now you are ready to assemble the enchiladas.

These are the items you need to have in an assembly line to make the process streamlined:

Tortillas (I like the flour kind from Costco, but make sure you cook them well so they aren’t soggy, but you can use corn for these too if you need gluten free)

Sweet potato

Cauliflower hamburger

Pinto Beans

1 Brown Rice Package or as many as you need, cooked in microwave for 90 seconds (see picture)

32 oz. Green Enchilada Sauce, mild (I like LaVictoria or any other brand that is a favorite)

Put a bit of the enchilada sauce in the 9×13 pan–enough to cover the bottom of the pan.

In each enchilada put a little of the sweet potato mixture, a little of the cauliflower, pinto beans and brown rice and with a large spoon put a spoonful of enchilada sauce on top and roll up by tucking all of the ingredients in and roll it up.

Add rolled tortillas to pan and bake for 30 min on 400. Add remaining enchilada sauce on top of the enchiladas after 30 min and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and top with your favorite toppings.

Here are a few of our favorite toppings:

Pico

Cashew Cream:

  • 1 C. cashews
  • 1 tea. apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tea. lemon juice
  • 3/4 tea. salt
  • 3/4 C. water

Mix in high speed blender until well blended. This is delicious and one of my very favorite foods!!!

Avocado

Fresh tomato

Mateos Salsa (from Costco)

Corn and Chile Salsa (Trader Joe’s)

This is amazing Salsa!! I hope you enjoy these enchiladas. They are a lot of work, but trust me–THEY ARE AMAZING!!

Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

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This week I have been thinking about some creative dinner recipes that I could publish on my blog. Maybe it comes from not having so much to do because of being isolated and 6 feet apart from everyone in my world haha. The struggle is real folks! I hope all of you are doing well and filling your time with the people you love (virtually and real life) and some things that you have time to now do.

Today I am bringing you an original and with this recipe you can get creative yourself and use a different bean other than garbanzo, such as pinto beans (try my instant pot pinto bean recipe) and give it a Mexican twist.

Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms (an itsapegslife original 🙂

Serves 3-4 people

  • 6 portabella mushrooms, washed, gills and stems removed
  • 1 sweet potato, baked, sprinkle with a little cumin and chili powder and smashed
  • 1/2 green pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 red pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 white onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 bunch of green onions, sliced thin
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 cup raw quinoa, cooked in veg. broth (1/2 c quinoa to 1 c veg broth, bring to boil, cover, and cook on med. low for 20 min.)
  • 2 cans any type of bean. I did a garbanzo bean mixture with sauted onion and garlic, salt, pepper and tumeric and slightly mashed them.
  • 1 can vegan refried beans
  • 1 sliced avocado

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and once it is up to temperature, put mushrooms gill side up on a baking sheet lined with a splat mat or parchment paper. Bake for 15-20 min while you get the remaining ingredient together.

While mushrooms are cooking saute garlic, onion, red pepper and green pepper on medium high. To do this, first add a little veg broth to the pan and let it get hot, then add garlic and onion. Saute for 2 minutes and then add peppers. I like to add a few shakes of cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper to taste (1/2 tea. each approx.) at this point. Saute until peppers are cooked through (about 10 min).

Add whatever bean you want to this mixture.

After mushrooms are done cooking, remove from oven and let sit while you get your ingredients in order for the “stuffing.” This is also a great way to use up some of the leftover stuff in the fridge. For example, the sweet potato, garbanzo mix and refried beans were leftover from other meals that I had prepared last week.

First blot dry the inside of each mushroom with a paper towel to absorb the moisture. Now for the assembly–

  • Refried beans
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Bean, pepper, onion mixture
  • Quinoa
  • Green onion

Put back in the oven and bake for 10 min on 425. Remove from oven and enjoy. I like to serve this with some greens. So delicious. Please let me know if you make these and tag me at itsapegslife.

You Won’t Believe Its Vegan Chili

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Recently I set on a quest to perfect my chili recipe so those who are not whole food plant based people, would not miss eating meat in their chili. This original chili recipe came from https://eathealthyeathappy.com/killer-vegan-chili/ but I modified it a little bit. It’s quite a process to make but just like most anything in life that takes a lot of time—it’s sooooo worth it!!

I cooked the recipe for my pinto beans in the instant pot the night before. The recipe link is here https://itsapegslife.com/2019/03/09/delicious-instant-pot-pinto-beans/ They are my family’s favorite, so I thought the added flavor of these beans would just enhance the taste of the chili.

Next step is to make the cauliflower hamburger recipe as follows:

  • 1 head cauliflower, grated in food processor or you can just use your blade, whatever works best for you to make the cauliflower the size of rice grains
  • 6 oz. of button mushrooms, washed, dried and grated/blade in food processor
  • 1/2 c. walnuts, chopped medium (again you can use your food processor)
  • 1 -2 T. cumin
  • 1-2 tsp. chili powder
  • salt and pepper as needed

Put all ingredients in a large bowl and mix together well. I like to use my hands and mix it really good. Taste the mixture to see if it is to your liking. Spread mixture out on a cookie sheet with a splat mat or wax paper on it. If you don’t have a splat mat or wax paper, just spray the cookie sheet with Pam and spread a thin layer of cauliflower mixture on it. I like to use two cookie sheets so the layer isn’t too think.

Cook on preheated 425 degree oven on the upper rack so it’s close to the element for 15 min and then turn the mixture. Cook again for another 10-15 min. And there you have it–cauliflower hamburger. Let cool.

Now for the Chili—–

You Won’t Believe Its Vegan Chili

Ingredients:

  • 2 medium onions, chopped
  • 2 1/2 Tbs chili powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp dried basil
  • 1/4 tsp chipotle powder
  • 2 Tbs cumin
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock)
  • 2 c chopped bell pepper, any colors

45 oz. cans Pome chopped tomatoes (you can find these at your Harmon’s for those of you that live in Utah)

  • 2 Tbs brown sugar
  • 2 Tbs low sodium tamari or soy sauce
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
  • 4 c water
  • 2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
  • 1/3 c uncooked quinoa (wash throughly)
  • 2-3 c cooked pinto beans (the homemade beans above)
  • 1 15 oz. can of kidney beans
  • 1 15 oz. can of black beans
  • 1 can sweet corn

Toppings like fresh homemade cashew cream, cilantro, avocado or vegan cheese shreds (optional)

Instructions

  1. Add a small portion of the broth to a large lidded cooking pot. Add onion and saute over medium heat for about 3 minutes.
  2. Add the chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, basil, chipotle powder, cumin, oregano salt and pepper. Add a few splashes of the veg. stock to deglaze the pan and simmer 3-4 minutes. Reduce the heat slightly and/or add more if the spices are burning at all.
  3. Stir in the bell and poblano peppers and the rest of the stock. Simmer about 7 minutes.
  4. Add the Pome tomatoes, brown sugar, soy sauce, salt, liquid smoke and water. Loosely lid the pot and simmer about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Stir in the lemon juice, quinoa, beans, and corn. Reduce the heat to medium low, lid the pot and simmer about 60-70 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add enough water to make it the consistency you like as you need to.
  6. When soup is done simmering add cauliflower mixture. I like adding about half of it but you can add as much as you want.
  7. Serve with your favorite toppings.

I like to make this the night before I serve it and then reheat in the slow cooker. Sooooo good!

Delicious Instant Pot Pinto Beans

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Delicious pinto beans with no overnight soaking needed.

You are going to LOVE these flavorful and delicious pinto beans. They are so so easy to make in the instant pot and NO SOAKING NEEDED! WOO HOO!

Ingredients:

  • 5 C. Pinto Beans, rinsed with water
  • 1/2 Anaheim Pepper or 1/2 Jalapeño Pepper
  • 1 T. Minced Garlic
  • 1 Large Onion, Chopped
  • 3 T. Cumin (I love cumin so if you don’t, add just 1 T.)
  • 2 tsp. Chili Powder
  • 2 tsp. Salt
  • 10 C. Vegetable Broth or enough to cover 1″ above pinto beans

Put a little vegetable broth in the instant pot and turn pot on the “sauté” setting. When pot is hot, add garlic and cook until fragrant (approximately 2 minutes). Add pepper and onion. You may need to add more broth here so it doesn’t burn. Sauté for approximately 5 minutes and then add cumin, chili powder and salt. Cook until you smell that luscious smell of spice. OOOOO do you smell it? I LOVE that smell.

Add beans, stir with a large spoon, and then add the broth. Stir again. Turn instant pot off and then push “manual”. Set the time to 55 minutes. When instant pot beeps and it’s done cooking for the 55 min, release the air vent out after 10-15 min. Taste beans to make sure they are spiced to your liking and add more salt if needed.

For this burrito, I layered it with mashed sweet potato, quinoa, and beans. Roll it up to eat like this. Or, to make a taco salad out of it, top with avocado, lettuce, salsa, vegan cashew sour cream, and your favorite vegan dressing. Enjoy!

Pita Pockets with Black Beans, Brown Rice and Sweet Potatoes

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Looking for a quick lunch idea? Here is an easy one………

Pita Pockets with Black Beans, Brown Rice and Sweet Potatoes

(Inspired by my daughter, Natalie 🙂

Makes 3 or 4 Pitas

INGREDIENTS

2 c. choice of greens

1 sweet potato, cooked and cut into small cubes

1 cooked brown rice bowl (see picture below)

salsa

1 can black or pinto beans

favorite brand of pita pockets (I love Trader Joe’s whole wheat)

Directions:

Place a 1/4 of the greens and sweet potato in the pita. Add salsa, beans, brown rice and I like more salsa. I love it. Enjoy!

Chipotle Black Bean Sweet Potato Burgers

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My daughter shared this recipe with me last week and I made them on Saturday when we had a barbecue with family. Since we have been on the whole foods plant based diet, I have needed to make adjustments for us when eating with my meat eating friends. 😜 Needless to say, I did not miss the regular beef cheese burger and this is much better for our healthy heart :).

I tripled this recipe so I would have patties to freeze.

Chipotle Black Bean Sweet Potato Burgers

Prep Time: 50 min. Or make them the night before and keep them in the refrigerator overnight.

Cook Time: 20 min.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 med. (1 lb.) sweet potato

1/2 c. Frozen or canned corn kernels

1 15 oz. can black beans

1 whole chipotle pepper in adobo sauce

1/2 c. cornmeal

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 bunch cilantro (optional)

1-2 T. vegetable broth if using frying method of cooking

4 medium thin sliced whole wheat buns

1 medium avocado

1/4 c. Just Mayo

INSTRUCTIONS:

Wash the sweet potato well and poke it several times with a fork so steam can escape while it cooks.

To cook it in microwave: wrap it loosely with a paper towel, set it on a microwave safe plate and microwave in high for 5 min. Carefully squeeze the potato to make sure it is soft all the way through. It may need a couple more min to cook.

To cook in oven: heat oven to 400 degrees and place the potato directly on the rack or on a baking sheet. Bake the potato for 45-60 min or until it is soft all the way through. This is my preferred method. I like the texture better when it is cooked in the oven but maybe I’m weird. Haha.

While the sweet potato is cooling, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Place the corn in a large bowl after draining it, if you use canned corn. Drain and rinse the black beans and let the excess water drain and then add them to the bowl with the corn. Roughly chop the cilantro (if using. I did not) and add to the bowl. Add 1/4 c. of the cornmeal, garlic powder, cumin and salt. Take one chipotle pepper out of the can, mince it, and then add it to the bowl along with about 1 tsp. of adobo sauce from the can. When I tripled this recipe I added 3 chipotle and 2 tsp. sauce from the can.

Once the sweet potato is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and add it to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Stir everything together and then either use a potato masher or the back of a fork to slightly mash the beans. Cover and chill mixture overnight or for 30 min to allow the cornmeal to absorb some of the moisture. I made some patties after having them refrigerated for 30 min and then I had some of the mixture left over to make the following day and I found that having them refrigerated overnight made them easier to handle.

Divide the mixture into 4 patties or if you would like smaller patties divide into 6 equally sized portions. Shape into a patty with your hands until they are approximately 3/4 inch think. Use the remaining 1/4 c. or more cornmeal here to coat the outside of the patties. I found it was easier to pat this mixture on each side of the patty rather than dredging it. This will provide a nice crunch to the burger.

Methods of cooking:

Broil (my preferred method)–preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line the baking sheet with a splat mat or parchment paper. Bake for 10-12 min then CAREFULLY turn and bake for another 10-12 min or until they are golden brown on both sides.

Cook patties in a skillet. Heat nonstick pan on med high heat and put 1 T. vegetable broth in pan, place in patty and cook for 10 min on one side and then CAREFULLY turn and cook 10 min on the other side until golden brown. You may need to add a little more broth but don’t add too much or you won’t get the crispness.

Grill: place patty on med high heat grill and cook for 10 min on med high and turn cook the other side for 10 approx.

Spread 1 T. just mayo on bun and top with sweet potato patty. Slice avocado and place 1/4 of the slices on top of each burger. We also used barbecue sauce and that was delicious too instead of the mayo.

Enjoy!

Peanut Sweet Potato Curry with Veggies and Peas

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SWEET POTATOES AHHHH they are one of my favs, so I love to use them any way I can, whether it’s a Mexican recipe, Indian, Asian or just a plain sweet potato, they call my name. I know, that’s a little weird, but the flavor is so satisfying and a comfort food for me.  This recipe is based on a recipe from veganricha.com.  I served it with Jasmine rice and it was SCRUMPTIOUS!  Here is the recipe:img_0633

Peanut Sweet Potato Curry with Veggies and Peas

1 C. Onion, chopped

5 Cloves of Garlic, minced

1/2 inch Ginger, minced (optional, I did not use it)

2 C. Cauliflower florets, coarsely chopped

1 small Red Pepper, chopped

1 med to large Sweet potato, peeled and cubed

1 tsp. Curry

1 tsp. Garam Masala

1 tsp Salt

1/3 C. Peanut Butter

1 can Chick peas

2 T. Lime juice

2 T. Maple Syrup

1 tsp. Distilled white vinegar

1/2 tsp. Garlic powder

1/4 tsp. Pepper flakes

2 C. Light coconut milk (1 poured the can into a 2 cup container, which is a few ounces shy of 2 cups and then filled it the rest of the way with water to make 2 cups exactly.)

3/4 C. Frozen peas

Black pepper to taste

Lemon juice and Cayenne

Basil and peanuts for garnish

Put a small amount of water in a Dutch oven or skillet over medium high heat.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, add onion and cook until translucent.  Fold in ginger.

Add peppers, cauliflower, sweet potato, curry powder, garam masala, and a dash of black pepper and cook for 3 min. or until spices are very fragrant.

Add the rest of ingredients until frozen peas and stir well. Partially cover and cook for 15 min.

Taste and adjust salt, sweet and heat.  Add a dash of lemon and cayenne if needed.  Add peas and simmer another few min until the vegetables are cooked to desired doneness.  Adjust consistency if needed, such as more coconut milk or water if its too thick.

Serve over rice.  This could also be served as a soup by adding more water and adjusting the spices to your liking.  Garnish with basil and peanuts.  Enjoy!