Vegan Chili

Posted by: Maggie

You know those people who use the word literally, when really they mean figuratively? Like...when they're hungry, they'll say I *literally* almost died of starvation. Or I *literally* almost ate a small child. Or, when they're extremely tired - I *literally* fell asleep standing up. Well, I'm usually one of those people. I was an English major in college - I have no excuse for this linguistic faux pas.

So, just know, that when you read the next sentence, I do actually mean literally this time. Monday, was literally the most humid afternoon I have ever experienced in Northern Virginia. I walked outside, armed with a grocery list detailing all of the ingredients that I needed for a big pot of chili, pumpkin beer, and other fall delights, and almost instantly started melting. My hair clung to my neck, my jeans stuck to my legs, and the makeup that I'd applied just to go to the grocery store (yep, I'm that girl) started sliding off my face. I have lived in this notoriously humid area for almost 5 years, and have literally never felt humidity as intense as what I experienced on Monday - the day that was supposed to be the unofficial beginning of fall.

Fortunately, I was undeterred in my quest for fall goodies. Once Labor Day rolls around, I get a little gung-ho about celebrating fall, and I wasn't going to let humidity stop me. A quick trip to Whole Foods got me all the ingredients I needed for this chili, as well as a 6-pack of this awesome pumpkin beer.

I've been so excited about celebrating fall this week, that I even joined a fantasy football league. I'm really, really, really not a football person, but I'm trying to train myself to like it. You see, I started dating my boyfriend Jeff in April 2009. For the past two football seasons, I have sat grumpily on the couch every Sunday while he yells words I don't understand at the television. The extent of my football knowledge is as follows: a) a touchdown is 6 points, and b) Mark Sanchez has an absolutely breathtaking hiney. Anyway...my draft party was last night. This is what I ended up with; hopefully it doesn't suck! Pardon my handwriting...I learned cursive in a Catholic School, yet it looks like I write with my feet.

Here's what you'll need for a big, delicious pot of chili:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1-3 cloves garlic, minced (optional, because I forgot the garlic and it was still delicious without)
2 bell peppers, chopped (I used yellow and red)
1 vidalia onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon cumin
3 tablespoons chili powder
Pinch of kosher salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons oregano
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 can mushrooms, drained
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
Juice of 1 lime
Sliced avocado, for garnish

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium. Add in your garlic, carrots, peppers, and onion, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in the rest of the ingredients, and cook for 40 minutes over medium low heat, stirring occasionally. Adjust seasonings to taste (I added more cayenne and chili powder, but the amounts listed in the recipe are good starting points.)

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Source: Oh She Glows (an awesome healthy living blog with great vegan recipes! Even carnivores like me can enjoy them!) Originally adapted from Maintenance with Ashley

Bacon Parmesan Chickpea Salad

Posted by: Maggie

Sooo...this "salad" happened. This "salad" is made of healthy stuff like chickpeas, onions, and green pepper...which I then corrupted with loads of cheese and bacon grease.  I feel kind of dirty calling it a salad. Anything that tastes this delicious, that gets sauteed in straight-up grease should not bear that title.

Semantics aside, you should probably make this immediately. We can talk about a different name for it later.

(P.S. Have a great Labor Day to all our U.S. readers! Enjoy your long weekends!)

What you'll need:

1 15 ounce can of chickpeas, rinsed, drained, and patted as dry as possible
1 slice of bacon, chopped
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
1/4 green pepper, finely chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Fresh parsley to taste, chopped
Kosher salt, to taste (about 1/4 teaspoon should do the trick)

Fry your bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon from pan and drain on a paper towel, leaving the grease in the frying pan. Add the onion and pepper to the frying pan, and saute for about 2 minutes.

Toss the dry chickpeas with the paprika and pepper, and add to the frying pan with the vegetables. Cook and stir frequently for 5 minutes, and then add in garlic. Cook for one additional minute.

Remove mixture from heat, and stir in cheese, chopped bacon, and parsley. Salt to taste and serve immediately.

Makes enough for a meal for a hungry person, or a large side dish for two.

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Source: the brilliant Jessica of How Sweet Eats (my co-blogger and I mostly read different food blogs, but this is one that we both adore!)

Miranda Lambert's Raspberry-Lemon-Yogurt Bread

Posted by: Maggie

When I saw this recipe over on Kelly's site last week, I knew that I had to make it before summer was over.  I adore the combination of tart citrus and juicy berries - possibly even more than I like chocolate. I know, blasphemy. But come on, in the summer I want to be refreshed, not weighed down by rich, heavy (albeit delicious) chocolate.

The fact that this recipe comes from one of my favorite country stars of all-time made this bread even more appealing. Apparently, Miranda Lambert is quite the cook, and shared this recipe with Self Magazine in a recent issue. Now that I know she has delicious recipes like this in her cooking arsenal, I think Miranda needs to take some time off from recording awesome music and hanging out with her hot husband to write a cookbook!

If you're not familiar with Miranda Lambert, please watch this immediately, so that you too can become a fan:

Tags: Only Prettier, Miranda Lambert, Miranda Lambert Videos

Now that that's out of the way, here's what you'll need for one delicious loaf of bread:

Vegetable oil cooking spray
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fat-free lemon yogurt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
Grated zest of one lemon (tip: I recently discovered that it's much easier to zest organic lemons. The skin is less bumpy, and as an added bonus you're not ingesting pesticides!)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
2 cups raspberries (I used frozen, but feel free to use fresh)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Generously spray your loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, 2/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, combine yogurt, eggs, melted butter, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and lemon extract. Stir together to thoroughly combine. Pour yogurt mixture into flour mixture, and stir to combine. Don't over-mix or the bread will be tough. I didn't even use my mixer for this recipe - just a spoon! In a separate bowl, toss raspberries with the reserved 1 tablespoon of sugar. Gently fold raspberries into the batter. Scrape batter evenly into the loaf pan, and bake for 60-65 minutes, or until the top springs back when you gently touch it.

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Source: Adapted from Eat Yourself Skinny