Flash Fire Nachos – A Vegan Recipe

Food styling and picture by Ms. E of the VeganAsana family.

Food styling and picture by Ms. E of the VeganAsana family.

Mmmmm… nachos. Yay… pressure cooker! We like beans. Had you guessed?

Ingredients

IMG_1065web1 lb pinto beans
1 medium onion chopped
1-2 
jalapeños, halved
1-2 stalks celery, chopped
2 T turmeric
2 T chili powder
2 T cumin
2 T vegetable broth powder
Water
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
2 T olive oil
Salt to taste
Nacho chips
Romaine lettuce
Salsa

Process

Throw beans, onions, celery, jalapenos, chili powder, turmeric, cumin, and vegetable broth powder into the pressure cooker. Add 2 T olive oil and water to about 2-3 inches above beans.

Place lid on cooker and bring to high pressure. Allow to cook 25 minutes. Turn off heat and allow the cooker to naturally depressurize. After it is safe to open, check beans to see if they are soft. If not, return to heat and cook longer (with or without lid).

Once beans are nicely soft, drain off most of the water and use a stick blender or food processor to blend the bean mix, adding nutritional yeast gradually.

Serve with nacho chips, lettuce, black olives, salsa, etc.

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Split Pea Soup – A Vegan Pressure Cooker Comfort Food

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It’s starting to get cool out, so you know what that means! SOUP!
I love a bowl of soup in the fall or winter, and split pea is a crowd pleasing (though not horribly photogenic) star in my house.

Ingredients

2 pounds dried split peas
1 large onion, diced
6 carrots, peeled and sliced or 1 bag baby carrots
8 cups vegetable broth
2 cups non-dairy milk (or 2 more cups broth or water)
1 T liquid smoke
2 T olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
optional seasonings: 1/2 cup fresh chopped kale, 1/3 cup chopped basil, 4 minced garlic cloves

Process

If you have the time, you can sauté the onions and garlic until soft or caramelized and go from there. If not (as I did not last night), you can just throw it all in with the beans.

Add beans and sautéed or raw vegetables and remainder of ingredients except salt, pepper, and non-dairy milk to pressure cooker. Bring to high pressure. Cook for 10-12 minutes and then remove from burner to allow to naturally depressurize.

Pour in the non-dairy milk and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with fresh bread, salad, or fruit.  Yummy.

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Ten Vegan Treats I Enjoy

soy crisps

I work with a few (lovely) people who are convinced that, as a vegan, all I eat is twigs and bark. Today, on Top Ten Tuesday (or List It Tuesday), I am sharing a few of the “treats” that I regularly enjoy. While some of them are fairly nutritious, others are very much not.

In no particular order:

1. Soy latte – Yes, indeed. I can drink a soy latte, with no additional flavoring or sweetener, at just about any time and really love it. Pretty much the only time that I won’t have one is if my stomach is actively ill. Otherwise, bring them on! I really do like Starbucks (sorry, SB haters), but that isn’t required. After 3 p.m., I’ll generally go with decaf, but that’s my only concession.

2. Soy crisps – A while ago, I tried to decrease my pretzel reliance, and I missed the crunchy salty goodness. So, in came the soy crisp. They come in many flavors, but I like the plain sea salt best.

3. Pistachios – Pistachios are a good snack for me, because they take some concentration and mindfulness to eat, and the activity makes me feel like I’m having a nice big snack, even if I only have a few. Also, nutritious!

4. Frozen banana “milkshakes” – When the desire for ice cream hits, there are always frozen bananas in my house, and I can whip up one of these quickly. As a side benefit, they are also pretty good for you.

5. Tofu not-jerky – I actually don’t have this as often as I want to, because it doesn’t last long in my house and then it’s all gone *sadface.*

6. Apples with cinnamon – Sometimes, I can go for a long period without eating an apple, and then when I do, I wonder what I was thinking! I love apples, and a little cinnamon sprinkled on top is just the ticket.

7. Dark chocolate squares – I actually don’t eat much chocolate. It’s not that I don’t like it, but I rarely crave it. But, when I do, these dark chocolate squares are rich and very chocolatey and nip that craving right in the bud.

8. Daiya provolone and wheat crackers – Just yum. I don’t know that I think it tastes like provolone, but then I have not had that for almost a decade. I like it, whatever it tastes like, and like the idea of having “cheese” and crackers.

9. Peanut butter and ?? – On celery, on crackers, on a banana, on an apple, on a spoon. I love peanut butter.

10. Carrots and brown mustard – Yeah, it might sound a little bit odd, and I recognize that this is basically a veggie (contributing to the twigs and bark idea), but I do like carrots dipped in brown mustard. I can eat many of them… many.

So, there you have it, ten treats that I enjoy. How about you?

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