Tag Archives: Costco

The Best Lentil Chili Ever (Slow Cooker)

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I’m serious, this is the best lentil chili I’ve ever tasted and trust me, that means something because I’ve made a ton in my day. Both kids love it too, especially as leftover burgers! This would be great as a taco or burrito filling, nachos or anything with a Mexican flair! Plus it’s super easy to make and who doesn’t love that!

Best Lentil Chili Ever

Best Lentil Chili Ever

The original recipe is from the cookbook “Fresh From The Vegan Slow-Cooker“. I’ve made a few things from this book and loved them all.

Best Lentil Chili Ever!

Ingredients:

* Water/broth for sautéing 

* 1 medium yellow onion, chopped

* 4-6 cloves garlic, minced

* 1 or 2 jalapeños, seeded and minced (I omitted this for the kid’s sake)

* 1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped (any color – I usually use a fresh red one but I used a jarred roasted red pepper last time and it was GOOD!)

* 3 Tbsp chili powder (Yes, 3)

* 1 tsp dried oregano

* 1 tsp ground cumin

* 1 cup dried brown lentils, rinsed and picked over (I’ve been using the sprouted lentil/bean mix from Costco)

* 1 cup dried red lentils, rinsed and picked over

* 1 (29oz) can crushed or diced tomatoes

* 1 Tbsp coconut aminos (or tamari or shoyu)

* 1 tsp sugar (optional but gives it a different flavor)

* 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

* Salt and fresh ground pepper

* 4 cups water

Directions:

1. Water sauté onions in a skillet over high heat.  Add onions, garlic, chilies and bell pepper and sauté for about 4 minutes or until soft. Add the chili powder, oregano and cumin and saute for 30 seconds longer.

2. Transfer the onion mixture to the slow cooker/crockpot. Add both lentils, tomatoes, soy sauce, sugar and cocoa. Stir in the water, cover and cook on LOW until the lentils and veggies are tender, about 6 to 8 hours. (Mine took closer to 6 since I used the sprouted and red lentils) DO NOT ADD SALT YET! Salt tends to toughen/harden the lentils.

3. Once it’s done, add salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed. Serve hot with your favorite chili toppings!

Saute onion, garlic and peppers. Add in spices and saute a minute more then throw that and the rest of the ingredients into the crockpot.

Saute onion, garlic and peppers. Add in spices and saute a minute more then throw that and the rest of the ingredients into the crockpot.

Done!

5-6 hours later… Done!

It's so easy and SO GOOD!

It’s so easy and SO GOOD!

Cash likes it!

Cash likes it!

Ava likes it too! SOLD!!

Ava likes it too! SOLD!!

Whole Food Wheatberry Ginger Breakfast Bread (Sugar-Free)

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I’m running out of preschool breakfast ideas so I’ve been making these easy “breakfast breads” because they’re so good and so easy to heat up on busy mornings. I usually serve them toasted with almond butter but since they do not allow any nuts at school, I’ve been serving it plain with sliced bananas topped with hemp seeds and unsweetened coconut. Our 15 month loves these too and I enjoy a few extra minutes in the morning to enjoy my cup of coffee instead of making my usual somewhat complicated breakfast menu. 😉

Oh and your kids will NEVER notice there are lentils and zucchini in this bread!!!

Whole Food Wheatberry Ginger Breakfast Bread

Whole Food Wheatberry Ginger Breakfast Bread

The original recipe is from my FAVORITE chef Melody from Melomeals!! I’ve featured many of her recipes because they are staples in our house and I have to share them with you!! Please check out her blog and LIKE her on Facebook!!! 

I make this and her Coconut Ginger Carrot Breakfast Bread (Sugar, Soy & Wheat-Free). We love both of them and highly recommend trying them!! This are really the only “breads” we eat besides the occasional Ezekiel slice. 

Whole Food Wheatberry Ginger Breakfast Bread

  • 1 lb dry wheatberries ground into flour (around 3 ½ cups) – original recipe calls for barley but I bet anything would do. Rolled oats have worked for me in the past as well.
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 3 tablespoons cinnamon
  • heaping ¼ teaspoon each nutmeg, cloves and cardamom
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kal Stevia Powder
  • 2 cups cooked lentils – I’ve also used the Organic Sprouted Trio mix from Costco I was talking about on Facebook 🙂
  • 5 small, 3 medium or 2 large zucchinis
  • 1 ½ cups water
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce – I use the cinnamon flavor
  • 4-5 tablespoons fresh ginger
  • 2 teaspoons vinegar – I use apple cider vinegar 

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 375
  2. Grind the flour (I use my VitaMix), place in large bowl with the dry ingredients
  3. In a large blender, add the rest of the ingredients and blend until totally smooth
  4. Make a well and pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
  5. Mix very well
  6. Grease a 9 by 13 pan and bake for 45 min – 1 hour, rotating pan halfway through
It is VERY important to let these cool completely before eating so the stevia flavor has a chance to settle down and mingle with the spices and moisture from the veggies/beans. The taste changes completely! 

 

Grind flour and place in large bowl. Blend the rest of the ingredients until smooth.

Add wet to dry and mix well

Smooth into 9″ x 13″ pan and bake for 45 min – 1 hour (I prefer 45 minutes, makes it a bit more chewy)

Allow to cool completely then cut and serve. Well…. I never get that far because I eat one small piece right when it comes out of the oven 😉

Quick and easy breakfast!!

Loaded Veggie Spicy Noodles

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This was SO GOOD! My hubby and I both devoured the leftovers too… so did our toddler!

Loaded Veggie Spicy Noodles

Toddler Approved!

This is made from a few other recipes – GREAT way to use up leftovers! I’m sure you could use any variation of this recipe with great success.

This is another awesome recipe from Melomeals!! She rocks! I changed the original recipe and added more veggies. I have to add kale to everything! I keep shredded carrots on hand for salads and wraps so I dumped some of those in too.

Loaded Veggie Spicy Noodles 

  • 1 box whole wheat pasta – I used regular
  • 1 c pasta cooking water
  • 1/2 cup Chipotle Hummus (leftover from a batch I made the day before – used the other half to make the Chipotle Broccoli Quinoa Soup)
  • 2 T minced fresh ginger
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 3 T Ketchup
  • 2 T Siracha
  • 1 T Toasted Sesame Oil
  • 2 T Apple Cider Vinegar or Lime Juice – I used lime juice
  • cooked tofu & leftover veggies – I used my batch of Gingered Tofu & Zucchini
  • 1 32oz package of baby portobello mushrooms, sliced (Costco)
  • 1 bunch Lacinato kale, destemmed and chopped
  • 1 bunch of collard greens, chopped (you could use anything here, really)
  • 1 large onion
  • 1 large green pepper
  • 2-3 cups shredded carrots
  • Cilantro/Peanuts for garnish
  • Soy Sauce/Pepper to taste

Method:

  1. Cook pasta, reserve water
  2. Saute green peppers, onions and garlic until soft
  3. Add mushrooms, saute until soft, add water if needed to prevent sticking
  4. Add kale and collards, cook until wilted
  5. Add shredded carrots and stir, allow carrots to heat
  6. Mix together ketchup, hummus, sesame oil, ginger, sriracha (if using – or add at the end), Apple Cider Vinegar or Lime Juice and stir until smooth
  7. In a skillet, add the pasta, sauce ingredients , Gingered Tofu & Zucchini, mushroom/kale/carrot/veggie mix and thin out with the pasta water as needed.
  8. Heat through and add the cilantro/soy sauce and pepper to taste

Saute green peppers, onions and garlic... add mushrooms and saute until soft

Add kale and collards, cook until wilted. Add carrots and stir, allow to heat

Mix ketchup, ginger, sesame oil, lime juice together

Add hummus and stir to combine

Drain pasta, add sauce mixture and toss well

Add veggie mixture and Gingered Tofu & Zucchini and toss well

YUMMY!

Top with cilantro and soy sauce (if desired)

Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Quinoa

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I love quinoa (pronounced “Keen-Wah”) for breakfast! It has such a warm nutty flavor!

I have a few recipes I follow or I just throw whatever I have in the cupboard in my quinoa – raisins, dried cranberries, sliced almonds, chia seeds, walnuts, etc. I don’t usually follow a recipe but I figured posting accurate amounts of everything would help if someone wanted to try quinoa for breakfast.

I buy my quinoa at Costco – It’s about $9 for a big bag and it’s organic.

This recipe is from Happy Healthy Mama food blog, it’s really easy and I bet you have all these ingredients in your kitchen! Her other breakfast recipe, Orange Banana Walnut Breakfast Quinoa, is our favorite too!

Speaking of Firefighter Approved…

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I’m sure you’ve seen the firefighters at the grocery store or Costco, buying their food for dinner, maybe flirting with a few women in the produce aisle. It’s part of their job, it should be in their job description. Everyone loves a firefighter, you can’t deny that!

You don’t understand, my husband NEVER reads for pleasure. EVER! So when he bought AND read the “Engine 2 Diet” cover to cover, I about fell over in my chair! I figured it had to be good to keep his attention so I read it too. It’s information I’ve been learning about for years so it wasn’t anything new for me but it was an excellent book.

Real men eat plants… that’s what Firefighter and author of “The Engine 2 Diet” claims… and so did his entire crew once they learned how much their newly adopted plant-based diet improved their health. One of the guys had a cholesterol level of 350! Not that I’m surprised, do you have any idea how firemen eat?

Rip Esselstyn - Author of "Engine 2 Diet"

Rip Esselstyn is his name, he’s a former professional triathlete turned firefighter.

He took first place in many major events, including the 2001 Police and Fire World Games, the world’s largest athletic competition. He also won the Capital of Texas triathlon eight times and was the leader and top-three finisher at many televised events, including the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon, where he was first out of the frigid, shark-infested waters six years in a row. Rip still competes in various events, recently winning the master national championships and setting the national record in the process.

His father, Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, chief of surgery at the Cleveland Clinic, discovered through medical research that a plant-based, low-fat diet could reverse heart disease and diabetes. I have to say, I believe him.

Anyways, if you are looking for a great book to read I recommend it… and so does my husband!

Buy it here on Amazon.com