Ben's Last Relaxing Weekend Until the BAR......

So Ben had one full week of Bliss this past week...video games, golf, home-cooked meals, movies...trying to cram in a summers worth of fun in just one little week! We had such a great time and on Saturday we even had a "lock-in" where neither of us is allowed to leave the house to ensure 100% quality time together!  I decided that although our house is usually Vegan, we could bend the rules alittle for Ben, because on Saturday, he requested cheese enchiladas as the meal we cooked (as long as the cheese you buy is organic and comes from a good farm where they treat animals humanely...thanks Horizon!)  I did not eat the enchiladas but figured Ben deserved alittle treat for working so hard for three years (and will continue to all summer!).  I decided this would be a great blog entry because I have been itching to share my mom's DELICIOUS salsa recipe.  Whenever we make this, everyone asks for the recipe, which there is no recipe, but on saturday I was determined to actually figure out the proportions.  My mom also does not usually add the grilled veggies, we added this as a twist. So if you are in a rush, you can make the same recipe sans veggies and its still GREAT!  Ben was also excited because he could be the Sous Chef in my blog, many of the pics are of Ben helping me out too! We made salsa, guacamole, enchiladas, Spanish Rice, and Caroline's Black Beans....DELICOUS! I'm getting hungry just remembering how great it all was....

Let's Start with the Guacamole....

Peel Four avocados and remove the pit......add the juice of two limes....

1tsp garlic salt.....

now mash the avocados......

add 1/4 small red onion diced, and about 6 cherry tomatoes diced......

stir and enjoy! YUM

Now the Salsa..... (don't forget these are Ben's hands haha NOT MINE!)

 cut all the vegetables in half and de-seed......

 spray your veggie halves with non stick spray or brush with olive oil....

 grill veggies about five minutes on each side......

 add a 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes to the blender....

 along with your grilled veggies chopped...

a generous handful of fresh cilantro leaves (a 1/2 cup??)

 2tsp garlic salt.....

 a large splash of jalepeno juice plus jalepenos to taste....we like ours spicy so we added about two big fork-fulls......

 2tsp agave nectar (or you could use splenda)

 blend until combined and chopped but still slightly chunky...and ENJOY! Thanks Mom for inventing the quick-cooking salsa!

Enchiladas.....

 A few ingredients plus the enchilada sauce ( I will imbed the link to my enchilada sauce below)

 dip your corn tortilla in the enchilada sauce so that it will soften and be more bend-able

 add cheese and roll.....

 pour remaining enchilada sauce over the enciladas.....

 sprinkle with cheese......

 bake in a 350 oven for approx 30 minutes and serve!

 Ben was so happy!!!!!

 And I was happy too! Just added some veggies to the corn tortillas YUMM-O!!

Guacamole

4 haus avocados

2 limes juiced

1tsp garlic salt

1/4 small red onion diced

cherry tomatoes diced

Combine and mash avocados, limes, and garlic salt. Then add onion and tomato. Mix and serve...SO EASY!

Salsa

1 bell pepper divided in half and seeded

2 jalepenos halved and seeded

1 white onion cut in half

28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes

2 tsp garlic salt

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves ( or large handful )

2tsp agave nectar

jarred jalapenos to taste

Spray all vegetable halves with non stick cooking spray.  Grill veggies or put veggies in a saute pan and cook for approx five minues on each side.  To blender, add veggies, crushed tomatoes, garlic salt, agave nectar, cilantro, and jalepenos. Blend ingredients until chopped but still slighlty chunky and serve!

Enchiladas

Enchilada Sauce

corn tortillas

Organic Colby Jack Cheese

Dip your corn tortillas in the enchilada Sauce.  Put in a small rectangular pan and fill with cheese and roll. Top enchiladas with leftoer enchilada sauce.  Top with ORGANIC cheese. Bake in 350 Oven for approx 30 minutes.....

Satisfying The Craving.....

In case some of you are just now reading my blog it is important to note that I went Vegan for lent and really loved it so much that I decided I am officially a vegan!  However, Ben is still a meat eater.  His challenge for me is that our house can stay vegan/vegetarian IFFFFFF I keep cooking delicious meals :).  I like a challenge I know that really excites you all haha! But lately, all I can think about is a BURGER!?!??!?! I really don't want to "cheat" so I have been looking for veggie burger recipes that actually look like burgers, but most have looked well, not like a burger.....until now! In Gwyneth Paltrow's cookbook, My Father's Daughter, she has a recipe, which I put my own twist on, and they are DELICIOUS!!!  So I challenge you to pick a day of the week to go meatless and cook these, I guarantee you will not be disappointed! Here it goes, Veggie Burgers and Oven Potato Chips!

The most simple of Ingredients.....

 First cook your rice, you will need about 1.5 cups cooked. I used instant brown rice so I wouldn't be waiting on the rice to be done.....

 Preheat your pan with 1TBS olive oil at medium High heat.  Add your diced onion....

 Diced garlic......

 and a half can of chopped green chiles.....

 Saute until clear and soft...about 5 minutes....

 add 1tsp chili powder....

 1tsp cumin....

 1tsp garlic salt.......

 and saute another minute.....

 add 2 regular sized cans of drained/rinsed black beans.....

 add your cooked rice and begin to mash with a potato masher.....

 until mixture looks about like this! transfer to container and let cool in refridgerator for approx 30 minutes.....

 Now you can make your oven potato chips!

 I used a mandolin to slice my potatoes, but you could also thinly slice them with your knife.....and notice I did not use the protective plate......

 Which was a TERRIBLE IDEA....now I will have band-aid pics in my blog until it heals :( They give yout he protective plate for a reason people.....

 lay out slices on a cookie sheet, spray both sides with olive oil or pam, and sprinkle with salt. Put in an oven at 375 for five minutes....checking often and flipping half way through....

 Now back to the burgers b/c they are chilled now....put white flour on a plate (I used wheat for this once and it just didnt work...)

 heat 2TBS oil in a pan on medium high heat.....

 Use an icecream scoop to form your mixture into patties and then flatten with your hands....

Lightly flour both sides of the patties.......put in your pan and let cook on both sides for approx 1 minute per side....

 Use this time to gather your burger "fixins"

 And when the patties look like this....they are done!!

 DELICIOUS.....

 Ben agreed the Vegan only Household challenge could continue.....

Veggie Burgers
3TBS Olive Oil Divided
1/2 large white onion diced
3 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 of small can (idk the ounces!?!) of chopped green chiles
1tsp cumin
1tsp chili powder
1tsp garlic salt
2 regular sized (don't remember the ounces on these either!)cans of blk beans drained and rinsed
1 1/2c quick cooking brown rice cooked
2TBS White flour
Hamburger Buns
Veganaise (or mayo)-optional
avocado (optional)
tomato slices (optional)

Preheat a pan over medium heat with 1TBS olive oil.  Add your onion, garlic, and chiles and cook for five minutes. Add cumin, chili powder, and garlic salt, cook for an additional minute.  Add black beans and rice. Cook for 2-3 minutes then mash with potato masher. Transfer ingredients to a container and allow to cool in fridge or freezer for faster time for approx 30 minutes.  After cooling, use an icecream scoop to help make patties (this makes about 8 medium sized patties) Lightly flour both sides and put into a preheated pan with 2TBS olive oil at a medium high heat.  Cook both sides for approx 1 minute on each side. Serve with your favorite hamburger fixins!

Oven Potato Chips
Pam or about 2TBS olive oil
2 Baking Potatos
Salt approx 1tsp

Mandolin or thinly slice your potatoes. Lay out on baking sheets and spray with Pam or brush both sides with olive oil.  Sprinkle potatoes with salt and put in oven at 375 for approx five minutes. Check often and flip midway through. Voiila, guilt free chips!