Cauliflower Rice n' Greens Black Bean Bowls

I really, really love rice and beans. Really. Sometimes I think I should have been born in Brazil because I'm just crazy about it. When I was in college, one of my roommates introduced me to her family's favorite recipe for rice and beans and I was immediately hooked. It called for rice, beans (duh), lime juice, salt and pepper, avocado, and green onions. It was simple, tasty, and really easy on my college budget. I may even admit to eating it EVERY DAY for a week or so. (Poor college student, remember?)

I still LOVE to make up this black beans and rice recipe, but nowadays I have to scale back a bit on the rice consumption. This particular recipe was born when I came home after a particularly long day to a particularly empty fridge. All I could think to make was rice and beans, then it dawned on my that cauliflower rice would be a much better alternative. After Claire posted her excellent tutorial on making cauliflower rice, I started making up a really simple cauliflower rice and greens dish and I knew it would complement the dish well. Fortunately I had a package of cauliflower rice squirreled away in the freezer and a few handfuls of leftover greens. Thank heavens for hoarding tendencies.

The recipe is really simple and perfect if you are cooking single servings. I live alone and it can be really tricky to find recipes that don't leave you sitting with gallons of leftover chili (or whatever). I don't know about you, but there are only so many days I can gag down leftovers before throwing in the towel and ordering pizza.

"BRC" Burrito Bowls

Today I have another budget friendly meal for you on the table.  Growing up my mom’s go-to fast food was usually on the way home from soccer practice, stopping by El Pollo Loco and getting about 15 “BRC’s” (Bean, Rice, and Cheese burritos) to feed the family. She has obviously come far since the fast BRC runs for the family, but the BRC will always hold a nostalgic place in my heart.

The premise of the dish is very simple, just layering beans, rice and cheese (and salsa!) in a bowl. But its delicious, cheap, AND filling (an important part in my household for my manly man).

Savory Apple Cheddar Cobbler

Several years ago I ran across this recipe for apple cheddar soup. It sounded a little weird, but I thought it was worth a try. It became a fall staple and I look forward to making it every autumn.

I've been really interested in making a savory cobbler for the past few months but hadn't gotten around to it. This year I was buying the ingredients for my favorite apple cheddar soup and wondered if it might make a tasty cobbler.

Well folks, I'm pleased to tell you that the answer is yes. I've been toying around with this recipe for the past month (and eaten A LOT of cobbler as leftovers), but I'm really happy with how it turned out.

Veggie Packed Taco Salad

When my husband and I first got married, it also happened to be the time that Taco Bell released their new green “Salsa Verde” sauce. I have always had a strange love/hate relationship with the food chain, but after that green sauce came out, it was definitely leaning towards more of a love thing.

We only went to the food chain about once every quarter, but we would always get massive amounts of the little green packages. Some to take home, and others to pour all over our iceberg lettuce topped taco-bell meals (like tostadas, hard tacos, and seven-layer burritos). Mmmmmm. Those were the days.

I has been about about two years since I’ve been to Taco Bell and the other day I was thinking about it and I got this strange craving for a ground beef taco covered in crisp iceberg lettuce and a drizzle of sour cream. There is just a distinct smell and taste that comes with that combo, and I was craving it something fierce.

The following day my sister Natalie texted me about an amazing ground beef taco filling she had created; about 10 minutes later I stumbled upon Taco Salad Skillet dinner from Budget Bytes. It was like the world of Mexican food was speaking to me, and so this dish was created.

Easy Zoodles with Garden-Fresh Tomato Sauce

Behold the great Zoodle!

 

We love zoodles at our house. Especially since we got my new favorite gadget: the spiralizer. 

I picked mine up on a super sale on Amazon last year and have been spiralizing everything I can get my hands on. 

Zoodles can be very wet and watery, so my fool-proof version with a garden-fresh tomato sauce is a real hit. The key is to saute the zoodles, add lots of flavor with herbs, and (most importantly) to strain them like you would pasta to take out the excess moisture. 

Chipotle Sweet Potato Shepherds Pie

For a few weeks this summer my husband went to Rhode Island for his Navy Officer school. While he was gone I ventured out on some trips and ended up in Las Vegas with my parents for the last few weeks. My mom is gluten free and has a wonderful America’s Test Kitchen Gluten Free cookbook, which I frequently used. One night I was flipping through the book and saw a shepherd’s pie that looked absolutely delicious. It was a success, but as I was eating it I instantly came up with ideas to lighten and spruce it up a bit!

Summer Tuna Salad

A few years ago I was spending about 3 days of every week doing business in NYC. I became very familiar with the local hot spots of mid-town Manhattan. Every time I had a meeting at Rockefeller Plaza around lunch-time I would try to sneak into Dean and Deluca. One summer I discovered their tuna salad sandwich and my life was changed (yes, I am that dramatic). It had a nice crunch with carrot and red onion and I became obsessed.

I set out to duplicate, and even hunted down the recipe from the Dean and Deluca Restaurant cookbook, but, quickly realized it need to be heathified...stat. My version is loaded with peppers, kale, celery, carrot, parsley, and much more. The base cuts out much of the heavy mayo (does anyone else hate mayo like I do??) and adds in pickle. It is delightful and much easier on the waistline.

Try it with fresh watercress, avocado, and extra sliced pickle. My favorite way to enjoy...on a bed of buttery Boston lettuce and sliced avocado.

Veggie Stuffed Twice-Baked Potatoes

I have a shameless love affair with most anything that is potato based. Add in a bit of cheese (my favorite food and word), and I'm done for. I blame it on my Idaho roots. Having said that, I rarely enjoy twice-baked potatoes. It's sad, really. I always want to like them, but I can't get past the gloopy, fatty mess of a filling that typically bears little resemblance to an actual potato.

A few years ago my mother passed along a recipe for twice-baked potatoes, but ones that actually looked pretty good. The recipe included lots of vegetables and I liked the idea of combining a vegetable-herb sauce with the potato flesh (that word just sounds so gross to me every time I type it). However, something about the recipe just wasn't quite right. It did not have quite enough veggies and there was a shocking lack of dairy.

After a lot of tinkering I hit on a combination of vegetables and mushrooms that was just perfect. I also mixed sour cream with the potato innards (is that word better?) because sour cream is everyone's favorite part of a baked potato, right? I added a dusting of paprika - 'cause it's pretty - and of course, I had to top it off with cheese. Potatoes and cheese - I think it's the law or something.

Southwest Soufflé

My sister, Natalie, is a chicken whisperer. She keeps about 7 chickens in her backyard coop. She has a constant supply of amazing fresh eggs and when she recently brought me a fresh batch, I knew what I had to make.

I made my first soufflé about 6 months ago. I love to cook...but a soufflé? That is chef-level culinary skill. I was intimidated. What if it fell? What it if did not have that subtle buttery outer-layer? Also, how do I get more veg in that rich and decadent dish? Well, I did it. I was so proud of myself that I started making soufflés as often as I could. My first was a watercress and feta soufflé...delicious. I dabbled with all different versions that I could make up. I finally landed on my all-time favorite version. The best part, it was significantly more healthful (almond milk and less cheese and loaded with veg). You are welcome. :)

This recipe is totally customizable and is a great way to get in small diced or chopped veg into a yummy package. It uses whole wheat pastry flour and almond milk and much less cheese than normal. It's a great way to bump up the nutrient content and still have a impressive and decadent dish. Bonus, this is very friendly on the grocery budget. Eggs can be inexpensive and so is veg, so win-win!

Don't be intimidated by this dish. If you can beat egg whites, not open the oven door, and use a wisk...you can make a soufflé. I challenge you to challenge yourself and try something new.  You can make a soufflé!

Asian Steak Lettuce Wraps

My mom and several of the older sisters were able to travel to Korea for a "sister city" high school exchange program a number of years ago. On their travels they fell in love with the traditional Korean BBQ beef, bulgogi. In my moms traditional fashion she was wanted to recreate this dish for her whole family when she got back,  not being Korean or having any Asian culinary experience she created her own version which became a fast favorite in our family. We loved these tasty lettuce wraps and the versatility of them. I still request them for my birthday every year, so my husband has become a "Wixom-style bulgogi" master. I should give him credit for this post because all these pictures were taken when he actually made them.

Cauliflower Steak and Frites

As one last homage to cauliflower, the wonderful winter cruciferous vegetable, I thought I'd share this nostalgic and elevated comfort food with you all. If you've ever been to France or Belgium, you'll recognize from whence this dish came (steak-frites). My husband and I did a home exchange in France a few years before our two-year-old son was born. Needless to say, these are flavors that we fell in love with and I was happy to find a way to recreate this dish at home without the heavy and buttery steak. But don't you worry, this is a flavor explosion.

This vegetarian re-mix is the ultimate comfort food features hearty cauliflower steaks that are roasted, bursting with flavor topped with a warm sage mushroom gravy (vegetarian!) with oven-baked crispy potato and sweet potato frites (really just ultra thin and crispy fries) on the side. Every taste bud will do a dance on your tongue with this warm and flavorful favorite.

One of the things I'm loving about this dish is that it is totally customizable. If you prefer a real jus or meaty flavored gravy, use beef stock. if you like steak, try a bit served over the cauliflower as a garnish. If you do not like mushrooms (sacrilege!!), make the pan gravy sans mushrooms. The real star in this dish is the cauliflower and the sage. The adults in your family will love this grownup meal with mature favor profiles and the kiddos in your family will appreciate something new and different. Plus, what kid does not like a fry with something to dip it in. You poutine lovers can go the extra mile and add a bit of curd if you'd like. Have fun making this a new family favorite.

Baked Chimichangas- Two Ways

At Everyday Veggies we are big fans of adapting favorite dishes into healthier versions. These chimichangas are made without the deep fryer and will rock your world. My old roommate and good friend Katie used to make baked chimichangas for us in college. I'm not sure if it was the starving student without a home cooked meal in weeks that created the love for these crunchy burritos, but I love these. In memory of those great college days here are not just one but two adapted versions that are a major hit at our house. I have a chicken version and veggie version that are equally as good (our favorite is a mix of both the chicken and the veggie together).

Black Bean and Spinach Enchilada Bake

It has been very cold here for the past few days and I've been thinking a lot about warm and cozy comfort food. On cold, dark evenings there is something about undeniably comforting about sitting down to a steamy, cheesy mess of a casserole straight out of the oven.

Vegetable Pot Pie

In honor of the impending holiday, I thought I'd share one of our fall and winter family favorites: made-from-scratch pot pie. What I love about this recipe is how versatile it is. You can really do just about anything with it, and it is especially awesome for thanksgiving leftovers (think left over turkey, for you omnivores and carnivores), for a holiday lunch, or for a special Sunday night dinner. This is loaded with wonderful, vitamin-rich vegetables, no cream or butter is used to thicken the filling, and is certainty lightened up.

This recipe is a bit more time consuming, about 45-60 minutes plus bake time, but it is so worth it for a special occasion meal. This is full of fall flavors like, thyme, sage, rosemary, and the crust. Oh that crust. It is tender, flaky, salty, buttery, tangy and has a few sneaky tricks (like Greek yogurt).

Sweet Potato Corn Chowder

 This recipe will rock your soup world. My family loves a good creamy soup but they usually contain gallons of cream and lots of flour for thickening. I created this recipe using only pureed sweet potatoes to thicken it and is completely delicious. It will look like you added loads of processed cheese product like many chowder recipes call for, but 'oh my delicious' its just veggies! When I first made this my family said "This is amazing, what is in this? It looks and tastes like a cheesy soup, but knowing you, that is probably the furthest thing from the case." This sweet potato base is now my go to for any cream or cheese based soups. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Honey Mustard Chicken

My mom would make honey mustard chicken all the time growing up and now I see why. It is tasty, easy, and everyone loves it! It is a great recipe to use everything in your pantry without lots of ingredients or steps. This is my "go to" meal when I didn't have anything planned because I always have the ingredients. I know people that don't like mustard or curry but don't let this turn you away! Trust me when I say it is very sweet, not mustardy and the curry is not heavy or overpowering.