Spicy Stewed Okra

This recipe, a hot and spicy Okra stew is inspired by my friend Maria Hatcher. Not only does she style my hair to perfection, she's been tempting me with tales of this recipe for months now. After our visit to her salon yesterday, and another conversation about this dish, I decided to pick up some okra and onions at the store and try this recipe tonight. I'm not sure if she uses all the same spices or not, but this came out pretty darned good. I served it over 2 redskin steamed potatoes. She uses mashed cauliflower or masked potatoes. I think it will go really well with a batch of my Cauliflower Rice. 

Prep Time: 20 min 

Warning: Not for the weak of heart!! This recipe packs a lot of heat. 

Ingredients (Serves 4):

1. 1 x 12oz Pack of frozen/cut Okra
2. 1 small white Onion, julienned
3. 1 x 10oz can of Diced Tomatoes (or a medium fresh tomato, diced)
4. 1 small Jalapeño, diced finely
5. 1 tbsp Powdered Cumin
6. 1 tsp Smoked Chipotle Pepper (or more, to taste)
7. 1 tsp minced garlic
8. Salt, to taste

Directions:

Line a big saucepan with water and add onion and garlic. As the onion becomes translucent, add tomatoes, jalapeño, cumin and chipotle pepper. Mix well, add frozen okra and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer allow the okra to cook down for about 15 min. Serve over rice or potatoes. 

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 58 (Fat Calories 5)
Total Fat 0.5 g; Carbohydrates 12.0 g; Fiber 4.0 g; Sugars 3.9 g; Protein 2.1 g


If you liked this recipe, be sure to check out my Recipe Index for more Whole-Food, Plant-Based, No-Added-Oil recipes. You can also like Rugrat Chow! on Facebook. Thanks!

Mexican 7-Layer Dip

We were at the store a couple days ago for a mid-week grocery supplement trip when Tony picked up a container of 'ready to eat' Mexican dip from the deli-fresh section. I looked at it and it had more cheese and sour cream than any of the other whole ingredients and offered to make a whole foods-plant-based version at home. I mean, really, how hard could it be? So away we went .. picked up all of our ingredients and a bag of baked tortilla chips and we had the best lunch ever ... yep! we're those people! We at chips and dip for lunch! :)

Prep Time: <10 min

Ingredients (Serves 6):

1. 1 x 16 oz can of La Preferida Fat Free Refried Black Beans 
2. 1 x 8 oz bag of Shredded Lettuce (about 2 cups)
3. 1 Medium White onion, finely diced
4. 2 Medium Tomatoes, finely diced
5. 1 x 4 oz can of Ortega Fire-Roasted Diced Green Chilies
6. 1/2 x 3.8 oz can of Early California Sliced California Ripe Olives
7. 0.5 cup Pace Restaurant Style Salsa
8. 1 tbsp Ortega Taco Seasoning (to taste). 

Directions: 

I used black beans for this recipe because that's what we like to eat more than regular refried beans. Feel free to use a can of regular beans instead. The brand I used (La Preferida) has only cooked black beans, water, salt, and onion and garlic powder. I made sure also that the green chilies and olives are preserved in water, and not oil. Once all the ingredients are ready, start layering a bowl with the ingredients starting with half the lettuce, black beans, tomatoes, onions, black olives, green chilies, salsa, with sprinkles of taco seasoning between each layer. Finally top off with the remainder of the lettuce and add a few extra olives, and a sprinkle of taco seasoning, as a garnish. Refrigerate for about 30-60 minutes before serving. The longer the ingredients sit together, the better the flavors blend together. Serve with baked tortilla chips for an awesome experience. 

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 108 (Fat Calories 14)
Total Fat 1.6 g; Carbohydrates 20.4 g; Fiber 5.4 g; Sugars 3.9 g; Protein 6.7 g


If you liked this recipe, be sure to check out my Recipe Index for more Whole-Food, Plant-Based, No-Added-Oil recipes. You can also like Rugrat Chow! on Facebook. Thanks!

Jalapeño Cornbread ... a fond old TX memory!

Since I moved away from Austin, TX over 6 years ago, I've often missed all the lovely food that I enjoyed over the years. Some of the things I've missed are Breakfast Tacos from a small shack on Airport Blvd, Mexican Martinis from Trudy's, Coffee & Desserts from Mozart's Cafe, Tofu and Mushrooms from Veggie Heaven and Pad Thai from Madam Maam's on Guadalupe St., Red Potatoes from Rudy's and many many more - including the cornbread muffins from Threadgill's. These fresh-from-the-oven wonders were delivered at each table within minutes of arriving. They were tiny (by mid-western standards) muffins, had just a hint of sweetness and a sprinkling of red and green peppers (jalapenos!) inside. The sweet and spicy flavor is what I've remembered and missed over the years. A quick Google search revealed that there are plenty of versions of The Original Threadgill's Corn Muffin recipe. My quest for this weekend was to find a plant-based cornbread recipe and modify it to be as close to Threadgill's as possible.

Corn bread w Corn Salsa

Prep Time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients & Directions: I followed a recipe for 'Bayou Cornbread' recipe from the Everyday Happy Herbivore cookbook and added a tablespoon of raw sugar for the hint of sweetness and added 1/8 tsp of Cayenne pepper and 1 jalapeno pepper, de-seeded and minced super fine. I baked it in a pre-heated cast iron skillet exactly as described. I served it warm with a peppery sweet corn salsa (Kroger Private Selection). Great breakfast ... and even better ... leftovers!! :)

Nik's Reaction: Nik, do you want to try some of mom's cornbread? NO!! :)

My Assessment: I liked it. This no-fat version takes longer to get the golden color on the top so I broiled it for a few minutes to get it nice and golden on top - but the bottom definitely had better color on it. Overall, it came pretty close to what I remember as the Threadgill's taste. I plan on adding some more jalapeno the next time while keeping the sugar at 1 tbsp only. I hit the nail on the head with the right amount of sweetness!! 

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

This is a perfect soup for anytime of the year but it tastes even better on a chilly evening. The basic recipe is something I picked up from my long-time friend John Giammona, and I've modified what I remember as his recipe, to a vegetarian, plant-based version. 

Prep Time: 20-30 min with frozen and canned veggies.

Ingredients:
1) 1 lb frozen pepper and onion fajita mix (Green and Sweet Peppers and White Onion, diced).
2) 1 tbsp minced garlic (~2 cloves)
3) 2-3 tbsp ground cumin (or 2 tbsp cumin seeds).
4) 1 can of crushed/diced tomatoes (a large tomato, diced).
5) 2 cups of canned vegetable broth*
6) 1 jalapeno (sliced, optional).
7) salt and pepper to taste
8) 1 cup whole kernel corn (canned or fresh frozen) or hominy.
9) Tortilla chips (plain) (optional)
10) 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced (optional)
11) 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions:

Line a large stock pot with water or vegetable broth and add in the vegetables (peppers and onions) and cumin and garlic and cook for a few minutes. Once the cumin releases its aroma, add the tomatoes, jalapeno, and vegetable broth and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a rolling boil, reduce heat to low and simmer on the back burner for 20 min. Stir in the corn or hominy and boil for another 5 min. I used a can of golden hominy (corn kernels without their germ, and their hull or bran). Corn is much healthier but hominy works in a pinch! If you want a blended soup, blend everything with a stick blender before adding the corn. Also add other Southwestern additions like black beans to this soup to make it heartier. 

Serve in deep bowls over crumbled tortilla chips, or scoop it out with a chip. Garnish with fresh cilantro and avocados. For the kids, you can also garnish with a little grated cheese. I like my soup chunky with a lot of chips. Remember, both the chips and avocado are optional and the brothy soup tastes great even without the extra garnishes.

Mom had an old fashioned food mill!

* This is how my mom made vegetable broth - In a pressure cooker, or deep stock pot, add lots of chopped/sliced/diced vegetables (cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, peas, corn and whatever else you can think find). Add 3-4 cups of water (a pressure cooker will probably use half that water). Steam the veggies for 10-15 min in a pressure cooker. Probably 30 min in a stock pot. Allow it to cool and then pass the mix through a food mill, or blend it in a food processor and strain. Add the juice of one lemon/lime and refrigerate immediately. It keeps well for 24-48 hours.  

** And this is how I make Vegetarian home-made broth at home with my own fruit and vegetable scraps.