Bobby Flay's Goat Cheese Enchiladas are on my Cooking Bucket List, and I thought about making them for Cinco de Mayo but didn't really want to go the high-fat route right now, since I ate more than usual on vacation and I'm trying to get back to my more disciplined way of eating.  So I compromised.  I made my version of Bobby's enchilada sauce, but instead of cheese enchiladas, I made spinach mushroom enchiladas with whole grain tortillas.  They aren't totally guilt-free since I'm still using a moderate amount of cheese (what would enchiladas BE without cheese?), but it's all about balance, right? If you want to go totally vegan and healthy, use agave nectar instead of the honey and eliminate the cheese altogether or use a non-dairy cheese.  If you have a non-dairy cheese that you love, please let me know about it!

I made the sauce a day in advance, and would recommend that since it takes a little while.  Plus, the flavor has a chance to develop overnight, and just makes it even better.  This sauce takes some doing, but I think it's worth it.  It's really delicious and has great depth to it.  Make sure that you use the Mexican oregano, not the usual Turkish oregano that you might have for Italian cooking.  The Mexican variety is not as sweet, and works great with the smoky cumin.  You can get a small jar of it at Penzeys for $1.49, so try to find it if you can.  You might be able to get it at the Latin foods market, which is where I found my dried ancho chiles.

Ingredients for the sauce

Enchilada Sauce
(adapted from Bobby Flay's Red Chile-Tomato Sauce)

3 ancho chiles
3 Tblsp vegetable oil
1/2 large red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 Tblsp ground cumin
1 Tblsp Mexican oregano
1 28-oz can crushed fire roasted tomatoes
4 cups vegetable stock
1 to 2 Tblsp honey
Salt and pepper to taste

Microwave 2 cups of water to boiling point, and carefully pour over ancho chiles in small bowl. Let soften for 30 minutes. Remove stems and seeds from chiles and puree in food processor or blender.

In a large saucepan or dutch oven, saute the onion in vegetable oil over medium heat until soft. Add crushed garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add cumin and oregano and cook for 1 minute. Add ancho puree and cook for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and stock and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and honey to taste. Leave chunky or use an immersion blender for a smoother consistency. This recipe makes a large quantity, so you may want to freeze what you don't use in this batch of enchiladas. Just don't let it go to waste!

The whole steaming pan

Spinach Mushroom Enchiladas

1 Tblsp butter
1/2 large red onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1-1/2 lb mushrooms, wiped clean and chopped
8 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach
Salt, pepper and Frank's Red Hot sauce to taste
1-1/2 cups shredded cheese of your choice (I used a mixture of monterrey jack and mexican blend cheeses)
8 multi-grain tortillas
2 cups Enchilada Sauce
Cotija cheese for garnish, optional

Melt butter in a large saute pan over medium heat.  Add onions, garlic and mushrooms and cook until they are soft and liquid has evaporated.  Add the spinach and cook until spinach is wilted and liquid has evaporated again.  Add salt, pepper and Frank's Red Hot to taste.  Mix in one cup of the shredded cheese.

Place 1/2 cup enchilada sauce in bottom of 9 x 13 pan.  Wrap the tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave for a few seconds until softened enough to roll.  Place a generous 1/4 cup of the spinach mushroom filling into the center of a tortilla and roll up.  Place in the pan, and repeat until all tortillas are filled, snuggling them in tightly.  Cover with remaining 1-1/2 cups of enchilada sauce, and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly throughout and cheese is melted, about 30-35 minutes.  Serve with a sprinkle of cotija cheese if desired.

One tasty serving

~BigSis

Posted under Food

Not only is hummus not a ‘real meal' in this house, neither is soup! I had a new soup recipe planned for Sunday night and SirHoney snuck off to the store and bought three slabs of ribs so he and BigT could have a rib throw-down!  So, I ended up making the soup anyway and we had it as a first course before the ribs, broccoli, and mushrooms.

When I'm making a tortilla soup or any kind of chicken noodle or vegetable, I always boil the chicken, but this time, I sauteed the chicken instead and I really like how it turned out.  This is my version of Chicken Enchilada Soup.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

1 T. Olive Oil
4 skinned, boned chicken breasts, cubed (not too small)
3 T. flour
1 c. low sodium tomato sauce
1/2 c. skim milk
1 32 oz. box organic free range chicken broth (it's lower in sodium)
1 t. fresh ground pepper
1 1/2 t. chili powder
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. garlic powder
Dash of red pepper flakes
1 (15 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
1 c. corn
1 small can chopped green chilies (optional)
1/2 c. – 1 c. grated cheese (I prefer to mix Monterrey jack and cheddar)
1 minced jalapeno pepper (optional)
4 – 6 flour or corn tortillas

Cut tortillas into very thin strips, place on baking sheet and sprinkle with a little chili powder. Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes or until crisp, set aside.

Put olive oil in a good size sauce pan (I like to use a 6 quart). Place over medium high heat until hot. Season chicken with fresh ground pepper and add to hot pan.  Saute 5 minutes or so stirring until all chicken is lightly browned. Add flour, and cook, stirring constantly for a minute or two.  Gradually stir in tomato sauce, milk and chicken broth. Stir in chili powder, cumin, salt, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes. (You can adjust these seasonings to taste).

Add diced tomatoes, corn and green chilies. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To serve, ladle into bowls and top each serving with grated cheese, tortilla strips and, if desired, jalapeno pepper. I think  a spoonful of sour cream on top would be awesome on this soup!

I was going to eat this bowl so I left the cheese off. Sorry!

I know, chicken enchiladas don't have corn in them. I just like it in this soup. I'm also one that puts corn in my chili.

I have to say that this soup tastes better than it looks. I didn't have any green chilies on hand, so this soup didn't have chilies. I think the little bit of green color would have jazzed up the photo a bit.

The next day, I noticed that most of the chicken was gone, but that I had enough of the yummy broth and veggies leftover, so I heated that to a boil and added about a cup of large pasta shells. HayHay gobbled that down for his after school snack.

~LilSis

Posted under Food

I think that if you looked at my genetic makeup under a microscope or DNA viewer or whatever the heck you would use for such a purpose, you would see that I'm 1/8 Choctaw and 7/8 Chickpea!  I eat SO many chickpeas, I'm sure I'm close to turning into one!  I honestly eat a chickpea in some form or another at least 4 times a week.  If it's not hummus, then it's one of these other two go-to lazy vegetarian girl dishes:

• Marinated Chickpeas – Ok, pay close attention because this is super-duper complicated.  Take a can or two of chickpeas.  I actually wouldn't even bother with just one can because I'm such a chickpea piggie.  Dump the chickpeas into a colander.  Rinse them with cool water to get rid of all the slimy gross liquid they've been swimming around in since they were canned.  Drain them well and pour into a bowl.  Add fresh lemon or lime juice, extra virgin olive oil or your favorite delicious healthy oil (could be macadamia or walnut or whatever), sea salt, fresh pepper, and voila!  You're done!  If you want to get fancy, add other seasonings, like Frank's Red Hot Sauce, lemon pepper (Penzey's is my choice), fresh herbs, or even parmigiano reggiano shreds.  Eat it up asap or let it sit for a while.  I'm addicted to this as much as I am to hummus.  You can crush the peas a little bit if you want, or leave them whole.  I like this at room temperature.

• Not-Tuna Chickpea Salad – Here's another high-difficulty gourmet recipe.  Rinse and drain the chickpeas, and then whir them around in a little food processor or chopper til they're crushed up some but still have some texture.  I don't like them completely pureed.   You may need a little olive oil or lemon juice if the mixture is too dry, but usually they mush up fine.  Then, basically make your usual  tuna salad recipe with whatever you like, substituting the chickpeas for the tuna, of course.  I like a dab of mustard, some mayo (dairy-free would be fine), dill pickle relish, a little lemon juice, Frank's Red Hot, lemon pepper, and sea salt.  Pile it onto whole grain bread or crackers, fill a pita, or just gobble it up with a spoon.  It would also be good wrapped up in some lettuce leaves or piled into a hollowed out tomato for lunch.  You may say “weird” right now, but try it and you'll say “hmmm, BigSis was right.  This is yummy!”

That's it guys and girls…two of my easy, healthy, vegetarian staple chickpea dishes.  Certainly not on the menu at LilSis' house, but at Casa BigSis, it's a scrumptious meal!  You know, I like to eat healthy but I don't usually have much time for cooking in the evening so I need fast food that isn't junk food.  I'll have more easy meatless recipes for you later.  Have a tasty day!

~BigSis

Posted under Food

When I was making tonight's Sunday Supper, it occurred to me that my plate was a lot like the presidential race this year.  There are some similarities on each side, but there is a wide gap in-between the two parties and the two philosophies.  And, yes, I do have an opinion about the race.  A pretty strong opinion I would say, but no, I'm not about to say what that opinion is.  We'd all fight and argue about it, somebody would get mad, and guess what – no one's opinion would be changed.  So I'll keep mine to myself.

Back to the supper.  I always enjoy the edamame corn salad that you can get at Whole Foods, because it's tasty and easy, and pretty healthy.  But it's a tad too raw-oniony for me, and it just seems silly to pay whatever it costs per pound when it's only corn and soybeans and a few dressing ingredients.  You can't put together a dish for less than this little baby costs if you do it yourself.

I was craving the salad today, and decided to try two different variations of it tonight since I had the corn and edamame in the freezer.  One version is Asian-inspired, and one Southwest-inspired.  But, man (or woman) can't lived on soy and corn alone, so I made a lettuce, tomato and avocado salad to go with it.  In the little political/salad scenario going on in my head, the two edamame corn salads are the democrats and republicans, and the LTA salad is in the gap between them.  Ok, so it's a little goofy to compare beans and corn to the dems and the reps, but life can get too serious, right?

BigSis Supper October 5

Both of the salads started with sauteed red onion and garlic. The asian variety added toasted sesame oil, olive oil, rice vinegar, lemon juice, garlic chili sauce, and salt, plus cilantro, wasabi powder, and shallot pepper all from Penzey's.  The southwest version had lemon juice, cider vinegar, olive oil, and salt, with more Penzey's specialties: shallot pepper, lemon pepper, and  Southwest seasoning.  I have to say both were really good, although I expect they will morph a little bit as they sit overnight.  The flavors will blend, and my lunch experience tomorrow may be a tad different story than my dinner tonight.  I'm slightly fearful that the wasabi powder will rear it's ugly little green head overnight and come back to bite me in the fanny tomorrow.

And just in case you're wondering, yes, that whole ding dang plate of food was just for one person! You may have heard that vegetarians eat like birds, so let me dispel that myth right here and now.  We eat!   I ate the whole thing!  My tummy was full to the top, but it was a guilt-free full.  This meal was vegan except for Newman's Own Caesar Dressing.  It was full of fiber and protein, and a plethora of antioxidants and other goodies for my bod. I eat this way a lot of the time.  I'm not a twig by any means, but I'm not overweight either.  I try to eat for health and energy and fuel most of the time, and don't worry about a big plate of vittles if it's good stuff.  Which isn't to say that I don't have my crazed Kettle potato chip episodes, because I do!  Life's about balance, right? Eat well most of the time, and then don't freak out about your little splurge!

On a serious note, can I just say thank you to Paul Newman for so many wonderful high-quality organic products? And for living a life with a purpose, and apparently without scandal? God bless you, Paul; rest in peace.

~BigSis

Posted under Food

If you were reading a couple of days ago, I mentioned that I would share with you my some of my favorite healthy snacks. I've recently cut out a few that were too high in calories and/or fat and have narrowed down my favorites to these snacks that are all between 100 – 200 calories. Here's my Top Ten:

• Mott's Healthy Harvest Granny Smith Applesauce (mid-morning snack) (1 cup; 50 calories, 0 fat)

• Boiled or scrambled egg with Frank's Red Hot Sauce  (mid-morning snack) (1 large egg, 70 calories, 4.5 g. fat)

• Trader Joe's Multi-Grain Pretzel Nuggets with Sesame Seeds  (22 pretzel nuggets; 110 calories, 1 gram fat)

• The Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss Wedges or Cheese Bites  (1 wedge or 5 cheese bites; 35 calories, 2 grams fat)

• Weight Watchers Natural Light String Cheese (1 stick; 50 calories, 2.5 g. fat)

• Shelled Edamame (1/2 c. serving; 110 calories, 3.5 g. fat)

• Trader Joe's Everything Pretzel Slims (23 slims; 110 calories, 1/2 g. fat)

• The Laughing Cow Mini Babybel Light (1 piece; 50 calories, 3 g. fat)

• Trader Joe's Parmesan Garlic Pita Chips (1 oz.; 130 calories, 4 g. fat)

• Trader Joe's Roasted Garlic Hummus (2 T.; 50 calories, 3.5 g. fat)

I love to combine the pretzel nuggets with the cheese bites and the pita chips with the hummus, so I reduce the quantity of the pretzels and the pita chips in an effort to keep each snack around 150 calories.

You'll notice that several of my favorites are from Trader Joe's and I do know that not everyone has a Trader Joe's nearby, but you can definitely find similar products made by different companies. Rold Gold has some Harvest Wheat Pretzel Twists that are low in calories and fat and there are plenty of brands of pita chips and hummus. Or, when you have time, why not make your own pita chips and hummus?

And, you can also tell by my list that I don't crave sweets at all. But if I did, I'd be snacking on sugar free Jello snack packs, which only have 10 calories and zero fat per serving. You can't go wrong with that!

I would love to hear from you if you have a favorite low calorie, low fat snack! Come on…it's nice to share.

~LilSis

Posted under Food

I love my Pink Clarisonic Skin Cleansing System.  No, that's a lie.  Let me be completely honest.

I'm actually addicted to my Clarisonic and use it every single day.  Sometimes twice a day.

It helps me keep my persnickety skin clean and smooth.  It enables my serum and moisturizer to work better, since the skin is clear and able to absorb products easier.  I think of it as lessening the barrier of product build-up, dead skin cells and makeup.  Without that barrier, my products have an easier time of getting down into the skin to do what they're supposed to do.

There's only one thing wrong with my beloved Clarisonic.  It's not pink!  It's white!

Clarisonic Skin Cleansing System in Graphite Gray, Pink and White

I know, it's shocking that there is a pink product on this planet that I don't have.  I truly am the Queen of All Things Pink.

But I don't have a pink Clarisonic.  And I'm just the teeniest tiniest bit pouty about that.

Do I need a pink Clarisonic?  No, my white Clarisonic works perfectly.

Do I want a pink Clarisonic?  Uh, YEAH, of course I do!

Now, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and you don't have to wish and pine for a pink Clarisonic like I am.  You can get your very own Pink Clarisonic Skin Cleansing System and donate to breast cancer research at the same time.  Plus you can get it with free shipping!  AND you can add free engraving to your Clarisonic to make it absolutely your own.  Add your name, a nickname, or a fun or motivational phrase.

How would I engrave my pink Clarisonic?  “Queen of All Things Pink”, of course!  😀

~BigSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care

Origins has a Valentine's Gift for You!

I received an email from Origins this morning about this offer so I had to share it with you. It just wouldn't be nice to keep it to myself; would it?

From February 11th – 14th, order any two products from Origins online or in any Origins store and you'll receive a free full-size lip gloss as a Valentine's Day gift from Origins.

Why wait til the 14th to get yourself a treat? Order now as supplies may be limited. And shipping is also free on any orders over $50.00. Sweet!

~LilSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care

Summer is gone for most of us, and has taken swimsuit season away with it for a few months. However, being the well-groomed, sophisticated women that we are, we still have to shave our legs, right? We can't let a ding dang forest grow on our legs just because we aren't going to the pool, or running around in shorts.

I do it every morning whether I'm wearing a skirt or not; it's just part of the daily routine. Over the years, I've tried bunches of different shave creams and gels, and have a real favorite line that you might not know about since I find it frequently in the men's shaving section.

The best shave gels on the market, in my opinion, are made by Aveeno. I like two of them equally well. The Positively Smooth Shave Gel has soy and emollients, and is supposed to help you shave less often and get fewer nicks, cuts and razor bumps, which makes sense as using shave gel is one of the tips for getting smooth armpits as mentioned in this article. It has a very light and pleasant fragrance.

The other gel I like is the Therapeutic Shave Gel. It contains oats and allantoin, and is formulated for sensitive skin and is supposed to soothe and moisturize easily-irritated skin. It is fragrance-free.

You can find these at most discount stores and drug stores for under $5 usually. I find them both to work extremely well at what they claim to do. They are both moisturizing, and provide a close irritation-free shave without the red bumps. I don't know if the Positively Smooth Shave Gel does reduce hair growth or not, and it doesn't really matter to me. It's an excellent gel and smells great.

Since I've found these two shave gels, I'll never go back to the strawberry-kiwi or peach-mango scented gels…you know the ones I mean! They aren't nearly as nourishing to the skin as the Aveeno line, and don't cost much less.

Shave on, girls! If you use these gels, let me know what you think about them!

~BigSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care

Most MAC Eyeshadow fanatics know about the MAC Cosmetic Recycling Program! It's such a happy, happy day when I discover that I've just emptied my sixth eye shadow container.

Six beautiful little empty pots! It's a Happy, Happy Day!

It's simple. I return the six empties to any MAC counter and in exchange, I get to choose a free lipstick! I  also just ran out of both my MAC Select Moisture Cover Concealer and my MAC Select Sheer Loose Powder at the same time! Now, I had no choice but to go to the MAC Counter today!

BigSis just mentioned how much she loves the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion. I've never tried it because I've been happy with my MAC Prep + Prime Eye. I might have to give the Urban Decay a try just to compare the two, since BigSis likes it so much!

I haven't yet had a chance to mention the beautiful new MAC Eyeshadow color that Bo gave me for Christmas. It's called Wintersky and it's a gorgeous color. It's amazing that she was able to choose a color that I didn't already have. So, while I was at the  MAC counter, I purchased another Wintersky since it's a limited edition shade. I also picked up a new color called French Cuff! Lucky for my wallet, I was in a huge rush when I ran into Macy's so I couldn't linger over all the lovely new shades! I'll save that for another day.

It's so much fun to go pick out a FREE lipstick; so, whatever you do, DO NOT throw away those MAC eyeshadow empties!

~LilSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care

Before I went vegan a couple of years ago, I had been vegetarian for over 16 years and had consumed more than my share of Morningstar Farms frozen meat substitutes. I don't really do that any more since I try to eat as few processed foods as possible and less soy, and most of the frozen veggie burgers, patties, and sausages aren't vegan anyway. I'm not really a fan of most of the ones that are vegan, so it works out.

I do get plenty of protein, thank you for wondering. 🙂 One of the ways I do that is through beans, so I was intrigued by this recipe for a burger made with white beans. It's from one of my cookbooks called The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions by Celine Steen. It's a fabulous little cookbook that I've glanced through several times, but this is the first time I've made anything from it.

Celine calls this recipe White Bean Cutlets, and says you can use any white bean. In honor of Memorial Day, I made this with navy beans, and am proclaiming it the U.S. Navy Bean Burger!

This is my own little tribute to my nephew and niece-in-law who are serving in our Navy right now. At this minute, they are separated from each other and from their little baby boy, so a big thank you and God bless you goes out to them.

Now for the burgers…

U.S. Navy Bean Burgers (vegan, soy-free, corn-free)

1 15 oz can navy beans, drained and rinsed
1 tblsp minced garlic
1 tblsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp Beau Monde
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup panko bread crumbs
Oil for sauteeing

In a large mixing bowl, combine the beans, seasonings and olive oil. Mash all together with a fork until few whole beans are seen. Add in the panko and mix together well. Let the mixture sit for 20 minutes.

Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions, and shape into burgers. Saute in a small amount of oil over medium heat for 4 or 5 minutes per side, until golden and crispy on the outside.

I loved these burgers! You can tell how quickly the recipe comes together. In literally 30 minutes (including sitting time) you can have dinner on the table. You've also spent maybe $2 on entrees for 4 people. You can't even do that at Taco Bell!

My cooking style is usually pretty spicy with big flavors, so this mild flavored burger was a departure for me, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The recipe lends itself to a wide variety of variations. I think you could add some cooked chopped mushrooms to the mixture, along with any spice combination you like. I followed Celine's recipe pretty closely this first time, just subbing Beau Monde for celery salt, and omitting 1/4 cup of water I didn't need.

So how do you serve these? I'm not big on bread these days (these already have bread crumbs in them too), so I'm into making collards wraps with anything I'd put in a sammie or on a bun. The bean burgers are delicate in flavor, almost like a fish would be, so I added some Veganaise tartar sauce to my wrap, along with avocado and tomato. With a sprinkle of salt and a dash of Frank's Red Hot Sauce, this is a delicious, quick, inexpensive, and healthy lunch for 4.

I'll be back tomorrow with another Memorial Day vegan burger that's the polar opposite of this one. Did I like it as much? Hmmm…we'll see!

~BigSis

Posted under Food, Holidays