Mushroom and green lentil ragu (vegan)

I've been discovering lentils this week.  Last night I made the family a wonderful Italian sausage pasta.  I wanted Italian also so I went to work making this filling, delicious, spicy, vegan dish. It came out rustic and tasting better then the pasta and cheese dish I had made my family.

INGREDIENTS

1.5 Cups green lentils (wash them and check for invaders)

8 Oz diced button mushrooms

8 Oz diced portobello mushrooms

1/2 Yellow onion rough chopped

5 Cloves garlic minced

2-3 Tbsp fresh basil - chiffonade

1- Cup baby spinach chopped

1/2 Tsp onion powder

1 Tsp garlic powder

1 Jar of organic tomato sauce

2.5 Cups organic veggie broth

3 Tbsp balsamic vinigar

Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

1 Tsp salt

1-2 Tsp pepper

Olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Heat large dutch oven or pot over medium heat.  Toss in your mushrooms and sauté for about five minutes.  Add in onions and garlic and sauté until onions become clear.  Add in garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and red peppers.  Wilt in the spinach and basil, mixing until combined. While this is all cooking down rinse and sort through your lentils.  Add lentils to pot and combine.  Add in tomato sauce, vinegar, and stock.  Cover and reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer for 35-40 minutes until most of liquid is gone and lentils are soft. 

I topped mine with some garbanzo beans for dinner.  I added more fresh basil for color but forgot to take a photo before I hoovered it all.

 

Vegan banana muffins

 I shouldn't have made these.  They are really super delicious and I want to eat the whole pan.  Also, since I don't eat egg, especially not raw egg I've never had the pleasure of eating raw cookie dough.  I was able to eat as much of this batter as I wanted while prepping.  I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not.

INGREDIENTS

1.75 Cups whole wheat flour

2 Tsp baking powder

1/2 Tsp baking soda

1/4 Tsp salt

1 Tsp vanilla extract

3 Tbsp pure maple syrup

1/8 Cup liquid coconut oil

4 Ripe large bananas smooshed up

You can add in nuts or dark chocolate chips.  My family is allergic to nuts so we left them out.  I love chocolate so I added some vegan chocolate chips to my 5 muffins. 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare muffin tins.  I used silicon muffin liners and they worked amazing.  If you don't use liners you will want to grease your muffin pan. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and set aside.  In a large mixing bowl mash your bananas.  Add in coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla.  Whisk until combined.  Add in dry ingredients and whisk until combined.  Toward the end I switched to a rubber spatula for mixing just to get it all off the sides.  This is a very thick batter but it comes out moist and soft.  Fill muffin cups about to the top.  They rise but not too terribly much.  Bake for 20 - 22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Mine came right out in the silicon cups and I don't think I will ever make cupcakes or muffins again without them.

You should get about 12 full size muffins if you don't eat all of the batter.

  The chocolate chip ones are prettier then the plain ones.  My kids love them and the husband loved them.  They are very moist and they hold up for a few days if covered.  Perfect snack for my boys lunch today.

 

 

Spicy lentil wrap with tahini sauce (A copycat of the expensive wrap you can buy at Trader Joes)

I used to go to Trader Joes on a Monday and buy six of their pre-made wraps to get me through this lunch week.  This is expensive.  While playing around online the other day looking for vegan banana bread (coming soon) I found another persons version of this wrap.  Theirs was just a little too high cal/carb for me so I updated it.  Mine is more simple but seriously, so so so good. You can make these wraps ahead of time and take them with you for lunch, the Lavash bread does not get soggy. I recommend keeping the tahini in a separate container for lunch traveling, the wrap will get messy if you add that before wrapping and traveling.  For a weeks worth of lunches I took a tupperware of lentils, a bag of cabbage, 5 half pieces of Lavash bread, and a container of sauce to my office and then built each wrap on my break. 

 INGREDIENTS
1/2 Slice of Lavash bread (or a whole if you are hungry)
1/8 Cup Spicy red lentils
1/2 Cup shredded cabbage
Red pepper flakes to taste

Lay wrap flat on plate. Spoon lentils onto one half of wrap.  This is where Trader Joes uses a chili paste.  I am a sissy so I skipped that and just put a few red pepper flakes. If you want the chili paste Trader Joes sells an excellent pre-made one with minimal ingredients.  Add cabbage on top of lentils.  Starting from the side of the wrap with the lentils roll towards the empty side.  This should give you a nice clean wrap.  I prefer to drizzle with tahini sauce before each bite.  You may dip, or pour, or put it in before rolling it up. I enjoy the drizzling. 

To make Tahini sauce
2 Tbsp tahini*
1-2 Tbsp unsweetened coconut milk
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
1 Tsp chopped parsley
Pinch of red pepper flakes (more if you aren't a sissy like me

Combine all of the sauce ingredients and mix with a fork until smooth and able to drizzle off fork. If using raw tahini you will want to add a little more coconut milk to make it pourable.

*I've used raw Tahini or the Trader Joes Tahini sauce found near their hummus
Spicy red lentil recipe found here