Ratatouille

I just discovered ratatouille about a month ago at La Piccola Cucina in Phoenix and I wonder how I lived without it til now. I expected to find a ton of ratatouille recipes involving mass amounts of oil, but surprisingly, most of them are sans oil.
Making ratatouille is almost like making a soup on the stove, but the end result is more of a side dish. I have grown to love vegetables since I became vegan over 8.5 months ago. This recipe is full of color, so you know it is good for you; lots of red and green. Did I mention that I love eggplant? I think I am going to try to grow some eggplant in my patio planters. I found a great recipe from one of my favorite food blogs www.skinnytaste.com . For those on weight watchers, this recipe is a 0 point food. I used my kitchen oil spritzer to add a bit of olive oil, so mine is probably a 1 point side dish. The recipe pairs well with gardein crispy tenders drizzled with marinara sauce. Yum!

Skinny Taste Ratatouille
Ratatouille (Vegan)This is a great 0 point dish made famous by the Pixar movie.
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 5 servings • Time: 35 minutes • Points: 0 ww points

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 red pepper, chopped
• 3-4 small zucchini squash, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 1 large eggplant, peeled and cubed
• 4 large tomatoes, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup bread crumbs (I omitted the bread crumbs, as the recipe is perfect without them)

In a 4-quart dutch oven or saucepan, spray a pan with cooking spray. Cook the onion and the garlic until soft, 6-7 minutes, do not let garlic burn. Add eggplant, peppers and tomatoes, bring to simmer, covered for 15 minutes. Add zucchini, simmer for 10-15 more minutes until vegetables are soft. Stir in the herbs, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Sprinkle on the bread crumbs and cook another 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and serve.

Vegan Weight-watchers apple crisp

Sometimes, you just gotta make apple crisp. This vegan version is rad.

Cinnamon Apple Crisp (veganized)
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 7/8 cup • Calories: 222 • Points: 4.5 pts

Filling:

• 5 medium apples, peeled and diced
• 1.5 oz raisins (I left out)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 3 tsp cornstarch
• 1/4 cup agave nectar

Topping:

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar-not packed (I used organic brown sugar)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup (half stick) butter, melted (I used Earth Balance margarine)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine apples, raisins, cinnamon, agave nectar and lemon juice in large bowl. Sprinkle with cornstarch. Toss until fruit is coated. Place fruit in an ungreased baking dish.

Mix remaining ingredients.
Sprinkle over fruit. Bake about 40 minutes or until topping is golden
brown and fruit is tender.

Store-bought vegan black bean soup sucks....so try this recipe

I have been on a soup kick lately, which is funny because I have hated soup for my entire life. I still hate most soups, but have come marginally close to liking store-bought black bean soup. But, something was missing. Why is it that all vegan black bean soup is flavorless? I remember the first crock pot recipe I ever made; Texas Black Bean soup. It wasn't a vegan recipe, but I modified the recipe. It is weight-watchers friendly and mighty tasty.
I'll be eating this soup for lunch for the next week.

Texas Black Bean Soup

POINTS® Value: 4
Servings: 6

Preparation Time: 5min
Cooking Time: 240min
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Course: main meals



Ingredients


* 2 can(s) Rosaritos Black Beans (Rinse & Drain) Pour into Crock Pot  (I used vegetarian REFRIED black beans)
* 1 can S & W Stewed Tomatoes Mexican Recipe, Pour into Crock Pot
* 1can S & W Diced Tomatos w/Onion & Green Chilli, Pour Into Crock Pot
* 1 can Swanson Reduced Sodiom vegetable Broth, Pour into Crock Pot
* 1 can Green Giant MexiCorn, (Drain) Pour into Crock Pot
* 2 can(s) LaVie Diced Green Chilli's FireRoasted Mild, (Drain) Pour into Crock Pot
* 4 Green Onions, Thinly Sliced
* 2 tbsp chili powder, Put into Crock Pot
* 1 tsp McCormick Ground cumin, Put into Crock Pot
* 1/2 tsp Dried Minced Garlic.. Put into Crock Pot

Instructions

Put all ingredients into crock pot, stir, cover and set on high for 4-5 hours. Occasionally stir. If it begins to bubble then switch to low heat.

Vegan copycat Chipotle burrito bowl (weight watchers-friendly)

To say that we love Chipotle burrito bowls would be an understatement. Me and Chipotle were practically BFFs in my pre-vegan days. No joke. When I discovered a weight watchers recipe for the cilantro lime rice, I knew I was soooo close to having Chipotle copycat perfection. Pair with some organic black beans and some homemade pico de gallo-perfecto!

We improvised our pico de gallo recipe based on the ingredients we had on hand:

Hibbard Pico De Gallo

• 3 large tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon lime juice
• pinch of salt

This is a very inexpensive meal to make and doesn't require a drive in the car to the nearest Chipotle.


To serve: Use 1/2 cup of cilantro lime rice, 1/2 cup black beans and 1/2 cup pico de gallo. This serving would be 6.5 points.

Vegan weight watchers (mock) chicken taco chili

We've been making this recipe from Gina's Weight Watchers recipe blog for over 6 months. We were able to keep all ingredients the same, but we replaced the chicken with our mock chicken (seitan).

Gina's Weight Watchers Recipes Blog

This recipe turned out fantastic as always. For those who eat meat, follow the recipe above with chicken for a great crock pot recipe.

Here is the vegan recipe we followed:
Servings: 10 • Size: 10 oz • Prep Time: 5 minutes • Calories: 202 • Points: 4 ww points

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 16-oz can black beans
• 1 16-oz can kidney beans
• 1 8-oz can tomato sauce
• 10 oz package frozen corn kernels
• 2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 3 pieces of cooked seitan (chicken breast size, thinly sliced)
• chili peppers, chopped (I didn't use this)
• chopped fresh cilantro

Combine beans, onion, chili peppers, corn, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder and taco seasoning in a slow cooker. Place seitan on top and cover. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Top with fresh cilantro. We topped the chili with cheddar-style Diaya cheese and paired it with weight watchers Chipotle cilantro lime rice. The combo makes it a 9 point dinner.

Vegan weight-watchers Chipotle cilantro lime rice recipe

I am a HUGE fan of Gina's Weight Watchers recipe blog. She makes eating healthy taste good!


Gina's Weight Watchers Recipes

I am also a huge fan of Chipotle. I haven't had Chipotle in a while and I was starting to miss it. Good thing I was on Gina's blog for my chicken (seitan) taco chili recipe because she had a recipe for a copycat Chipotle cilantro lime rice recipe. 4 pts per serving and worth every point!

Here is the recipe:
Servings: 4 • Size: 6 oz servings • Time: 25 minutes • Points: 4 ww points

• 1 cup extra long grain rice or basmati rice (I used white long grain rice from Whole Foods)
• 1/2 lime, juice of
• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
• 4 tsp vegetable oil

In a small heavy pot, add rice, water, 1 tsp oil and salt. Boil on high until most of the water evaporates. When the water just skims the top of the rice, reduce to low and cover about 15 minutes. Shut off flame and keep covered an additional 5 minute.

In a medium bowl, combine chopped cilantro, lime juice, rice and remaining oil and toss until completely mixed.

Yum, yum, yum. Now I need to copycat the chicken recipe and use seitan instead!