Chicken and Broccoli with Cheese Sauce

This is for my non-vegan friends, they are all lovely people and deserve some attention!

4 Tablespoons butter

2 shallots, minced
4 - 6 cups of mushrooms, sliced
Salt & pepper
Red pepper flake
3 - 4 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup white wine
1 1/2 - 2 cups non-fat evaporated milk (this has the exact consistency of half-n-half)
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
1 cup or so of parmesan or pecorino cheese
1/2 cup cream cheese
1 or 2 heads of broccoli, cut into large pieces
1/2 - 1 pound pasta (try whole wheat pasta, )

In a large Dutch oven, melt butter and saute shallot for a few minutes.  Add mushrooms and seasonings, and saute at medium high heat until mushrooms begin to brown.  Sprinkle with the flour and stir until the flour cooks a bit (a few minutes).  There should be a nice brown roux as a result (the roux should not burn - so if it seems to be cooking too fast, turn down the heat). 

Deglaze pan with the wine over medium heat, stir and it should thicken.  When wine it entirely incorporated, start adding the milk, add 1 cup or so and add more if needed to make a nice sauce.  Turn heat under pan to low and add a handful of cheese and cream cheese, stir to combine.  Add a bit more milk if your sauce is too thick - however as the chicken and broccoli cook in the sauce, they will both give off moisture, so err on the side of too thick.  Taste your sauce and add more parmesan to your taste.

Add chicken and stir into sauce.  Place broccoli on top and cover.  The chicken will cook gently in the sauce and the broccoli will steam.  Check the chicken for doneness after about 12 - 15 minutes.  Continue to cook on a low heat if necessary.  Check for seasoning and adjust.    Serve over pasta with more cheese on top.

Options:
- this can be made without the chicken, add more veggies, such as red pepper, sliced fennel, whatever you like.  Saute addition veggies with the onions and mushrooms.
- use the gluten-free pasta of our choice
- use coconut milk instead of milk, use vegan cream cheese, use coconut oil instead of butter
- there really is no substitute for parmesan (if you find one, let me know)

Baked Tortilla Chips and Several Salsas & Dips

To make your own tortilla chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut each tortilla into 8 wedges (stack them and do several at a time).  Spread out tortilla wedges on a baking sheet.  Brush each with olive oil (or use an olive oil spray).  Bake until crisp, 8 – 10 minutes.  (you can sprinkle the wedges with salt, cumin, etc before baking if desired).

Tomato Salsa

1 – 2 jalapeno chilies (add more if you like it hot!)

couple of garlic cloves, peeled

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes (fire-roasted have the best flavor)

¼ cup chopped cilantro

1 - 2 tablespoon lime juice

salt to taste

In a small ungreased skillet over medium heat, roast the chile(s) and garlic, turning regularly, until they are soft and have some brown spots, about 10 minutes for the chile(s), 15 minutes for the garlic.  Cool until you can handle them, then pull the stem(s) off the chile(s) and roughly chop (remove the interior seeds if you want a milder flavor).  Peel the skin off the garlic.  Scoop garlic and chile(s) into a food processor and pulse until quite finely chopped.

(Note: don’t have a food processor?  – just chop everything as finely as you can)

Add the tomatoes with their juice and pulse until you have a coarse puree.  Remove to a serving dish.  Stir in the cilantro and lime juice.  Taste and season with salt (start with about ½ teaspoon).

Spicy Black Bean Dip

1 tablespoon coconut oil (or olive oil)

1 small onion, finely diced

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (remove seeds and interior ‘ribs’)

couple of garlic cloves, crushed (or pressed thru a garlic press)

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon hot sauce (my favorite is Frontera Chilpotle Hot Sauce) or ground chili powder

3 cups cooked black beans (or 2 cans, drained and rinsed under cold water)

1 tablespoon lime juice

½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat, add onion, pepper, and garlic.  Saute until onion is soft (about 5 minutes.  Add cumin and hot sauce (or chili powder) and sauté another minute, stirring.

Add cooked beans and mix, scraping up all the bits on the bottom of the pan.  Add contents of pan to a food processor along with lime juice and salt, process until smooth.  Taste and adjust seasons if desired.

(Note: a blender will work here also.  If you have neither food process or blender, see next recipe…)

Shortcut Spicy Bean Dip

1 can refried beans (I like black refried beans with no added salt)

2 – 4 tablespoons of prepared salsa

2 minced scallions

¼ cups chopped cilantro

Mix together and serve.  The dip can also be heated in a low oven (or microwave).

Guacamole

2 ripe avocados preferably the black-skinned Hass

1 jalapeno chili, interior ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped (optional)
Salt
1 - 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 small tomato, chopped

One at a time, run a knife down through each avocado, starting at the top, until you reach the pit; continue cutting around the pit until you reach the point you started.

Twist the two halves of the avocado apart.  Remove the pit and discard.  Scoop the flesh into the bowl with the chilies.  Mash coarsely with the back of a spoon or an old-fashioned potato masher.

Add chopped jalapeno, salt (start with ½ teaspoon), and lime juice -  stir to combine, then taste.  Add more salt and/or lime juice to your taste.  Serve with a garnish of fresh chopped tomato.

Mango & Avocado Salsa

Fruit and avocado are a magical combination, the acidity of the fruit is a wonderful contrast to the buttery lusciousness of the avocado. 

2 large ripe avocados
1/2 to 1 fresh jalapeno chili, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus a few leaves for garnish (optional)about 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 medium ripe mango, diced (see note below!)
Salt to taste

Cut the avocados in half, running your knife around the pit from stem to blossom end and back up again.  Twist the halves in opposite directions to free the pit, and pull the halves apart.  Dislodge the pit, then scoop the avocado flesh into a large bowl.  Coarsely mash the avocado using the back of a large spoon or potato masher.   

Add the jalapeno, cilantro and lime juice.

 Mix in the diced mango and season with salt.  Garnish with cilantro sprigs.  Serve with tortilla chips, slices of cucumber or jicama.

(Note: if you don’t know how to cut up a mango, do a search on the web – its far easier to watch then to explain with words – don’t be afraid – mangos are worth a bit of effort!  Don’t like mango?  - use any fruit that has some acidity – such as kiwi or pineapple.  Fruit such as strawberries, cherries, peach, nectarine, plum can also be used; you may need a touch more lime juice.  Also, you can buy difficult to deal with ingredients (such as mango) at many salad bars.)

Veggie Curry with Coconut Milk

2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil (or olive oil)
1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
1 large onion, finely diced
2 – 6 garlic cloves minced or pressed (garlic lovers: use the entire bulb of garlic!)
2 – 4 teaspoons ginger finely chopped or use a microplane
2 tablespoons curry paste (I use Patak’s Madras HOT Curry Paste) use a milder version, or use less
2 – 3 cups vegetable stock
1 can coconut milk (full –fat)
2 sweet potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
1 head cauliflower cut into small flowerets
2 – 4 medium tomatoes, diced (canned tomatoes or fine)
1 – 2 cups cooked chickpeas
Handful of golden raisins
Brown Basmati Rice

Heat coconut oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat.  Add mustard seeds and onion and let sauté until onion is soft and translucent.  Add garlic and ginger (turn the heat to low if necessary, garlic and ginger burn easily).  Add curry paste and continue to sauté (allowing the spices to ‘bloom’). 

Add vegetable stock and bring to a simmer, add coconut milk.  Taste for seasoning, you may want to add a bit more curry paste, or add additional cumin, cardamom, etc.  I do not add salt, but you may want to.  

Add the veggies, chickpeas, and raisins and simmer gently until veggies are cooked thru.  You may want to add more stock or coconut milk to achieve the consistency you like.

Serve over rice.

To cook the rice:  Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan, add 1 ¼ cups of brown basmati rice and gently simmer, covered, until done (about 30 minutes, but times may vary).  Fluff with a fork.  If the rice is not quite cooked, but the water is all gone, add a bit more water, turn off the heat, and let steam, covered for a few minutes.

Options:

- use whatever veggies you like
- add meat
- don't have black mustard seeds?  leave them out, but they add an interest texture and appearance
- serve over quinoa instead of rice
- add more stock to make a soup