Red Lentil Enchiladas with Tomatillo Green Sauce

It has been a month, and I have totally missed blogging. So I decided just because I finished Crazy Sexy Kitchen doesn't mean I can't still blog occasionally.  I am going to try and post something from time to time.  I will pick a recipe, make it and pass on my experience to you!  Now that I am done with CSK, I can post from any cookbook I darn well feel inspired by, or I can simply give you one of my own creations!  Plus I can blab about all the happenings in my life.  Which is really like therapy for me, and you would be doing me a huge favor lending me your ear as I ramble about this and that:)

So where have I been since my last blog?  Initially, I was totally loving not having to cook and take pictures all the time.  I left the project and it felt like being on vacation.  It also felt weird having so much free time.  I got bored.  I got bangs!  Bad call there...  Turns out I don't look as cute as Jessica Beil does with her bangs.  WTF?!

What else did I do?  I waited on pins and needles for my big major  congratulatory award from Kris and Chad for finishing their cookbook.  Let me just say I am still waiting... Tick tock...  Oh Chad did send me some totally awesome t-shirts.  They say "Wickedly Healthy - Plant Pushers".  Kris and Chad signed my cookbook, and sent me another CSK book.  So now I have 2!  Whoo Hoo!

Chad asked me to go to his cooking class in Atlanta, but I live in CA.  It would have just been too expensive to fly out there so I passed.  I thought it was really sweet of him to ask though and would have loved the experience!  So there ya have it in a nut shell.  Maybe my gift got lost in the mail.  Kris could still send me Hay House tickets right?  "I Can Do It" tickets for me and my hubby! Hint hint! I am sure they are on the way;)  Yeah I know I am not holding my breath, but really you never know, anything is possible!  I am not delusional don't worry, just trying to be optimistic (and a little funny!)!

So back to the real world! I decided to share with you one of my family favorites: Red Lentil Enchiladas with a Tomatilla Green Sauce. This recipe is vegan (although you could make it vegetarian depending on whether you use real cheese or not), and I must say these enchiladas are pretty fabulous!

Here is what you will need to make this yummy meal:

Tomatillo Sauce Ingredients

Enchilada Ingredients

Here is the recipe for the Tomatillo Sauce:

8 tomatillos

3 cloves garlic

1/2 white onion

3 cups vegetable stock

1/2 cup cilantro

2 Anaheim peppers

1 teaspoon olive oil

Boil tomatillos for 10 minutes.

Tomatillo Sauce:

Scrub tomatillos clean.

Chop onion.

Warm teaspoon of olive oil in pan and cook onion until translucent.

Add crushed garlic and continue to cook a couple of minutes.

Add vegetable stock and tomatillas once boiling cook for 10 minutes.

While tomatillos are boiling roast Anaheim peppers until blackened. Blanch in cold water and peel off skin of peppers. Take the seeds out of peppers and set aside.

Once tomatilos are cooked put all tomatillo ingredients in blender and blend. (Don't burn yourself!)

Red Lentil Enchilada:

2 cups red lentils

4 cups water or vegetable stock

1 teaspoon oil

corn tortillas

1/2 white onion

1 cup cilantro

1 jalapeno seeded

1/2 cup cilantro

1 can black olives

Daiya Cheese

Cook your red lentils until tender.

Red Lentil Enchiladas:

Rinse lentils

Pour oil in pan and cook onion until translucent.

Add water (or stock) and lentils to pan boil lentils until cooked (about 10 minutes). You may need to add water to lentils if water is soaked up.

Drain excess water when lentils are cooked.

Add jalapeno, 1/4 cup cilantro and 1/2 cup to a cup of green sauce to lentils.

Preparing enchiladas:

Pour a layer of tomatillo sauce in the bottom of a casserole pan.

To soften the corn tortillas take 5 or 6 at a time.  Wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave for 1 minute.  Carefully take each tortilla and fill with a scoop of the red lentil mixture. (The tortillas will be hot so use an ovenmit to prevent a burn.) Continue heating tortillas and filling until finished.

Pour sauce over enchiladas. 

Sprinkle with Daiya Cheese, remaining cilantro and olives.

This meal is a family favorite.  My kids love it, and are always so excited when I make it.  I hope you like it!

I guess I will need to change the description of my blog. 

"This was the Vegan Challenge:  which was mostly Crazy and a little Sexy. I learned to cook Vegan with Kris Carr and Chef Sarno! It was kinda like Julie/Julia without the meat or butter... I finished the cookbook, read about it here! Now I cook whatever my heart desires, and share it with you!

 What do you think?  Suggestions...

Seitan Brisket with Roasted Chanterelle Gravy

Seitan Brisket with Roasted Chanterelle Gravy pg. 200 & pg. 235

The day is finally here!  My last recipe from Crazy Sexy Kitchen.  I started this project October 29th, 2012.  Truthfully, two days into this project I panicked.  I was freaked.  The thought of cooking my way through CSK was starting to set in.  My family & friends pretty much thought I had lost it, and I wasn't sure I could pull it off.  We all know how this story ends though, I did it.  I committed to finishing this cookbook.  Yes, it was totally CRAZY, but guess what I now have some awesome skills in the kitchen, and that is SEXY!  If you really want to learn how to cook, pick up a cookbook and fully immerse yourself in it.  Any type of cookbook, vegan or not, if you make it through to the end you will know how to cook!  With that being said, if you want to be better at anything you just have to dive in and do it, and do whatever it is a lot.  Writing, cooking and pictures were all skills I perfected as this project went on. 

Today was the Seitan Brisket.  This recipe terrified me.  I had no concept what Seitan Brisket even was until today.  Guess what, not as scary as I thought, and in fact it was pretty good.  Here is what you will need for the brisket and gravy.  FYI I forgot to add the maple syrup in the brisket ingredient picture, and the Tamari in the gravy picture.  Go figure my last pictures and I goofed up.

Seitan Brisket Ingredients

You will make your sauce for the brisket first, and then the dough.  Seitan is wheat gluten in case you are like me and had no idea what it was!  It literally feels like bread dough.  You will knead it like bread.  It reminded me of pizza dough as I strived to give it a nice loaf shape.

You will baste the seitan for over an hour as it cooks.   It was essentially vegan meatloaf, or that is at least what my husband thought it looked like, and it totally did.

The one issue I had while preparing this dish was when the recipe asks you to flip the seitan after 30 minutes of cooking.  I did do it, but I needed help from my husband.  The brisket was hot and still soft.  I was afraid it might tear.  It was a bit tricky, so beware.  Your house will smell divine while this cooks.

Now, did I love seitan? Truth... No.  I did like it.  I think for me it was about texture.  When you aren't used to certain textures it takes time.   The flavor was great. 

Next up is the Roasted Chanterelle Gravy.

This was the best gravy I have ever had.  It will be a staple in my house for every holiday from here on out.  I know my kids will be begging me to make it for more than just special occasions.  They love mashed potatoes and gravy.  It was absolutely delicious. 

Yum!

So I really did it.  I am not sure what I hoped would come from devoting most of my free time to cooking my way through CSK?  In the beginning I half joked Kris might come to dinner.  It would be cool to have a dinner with Kris, but now I want Chad to come as well.   I came into this deal kinda obsessed with Kris because we all know she is pretty rad.  The thing is Chef Sarno is awesome too!  I just didn't know him before CSK, but I got to know him through his great recipes.  He generously re-Tweeted me almost every time I posted something to Twitter, and liked all my pictures on Instagram.  He didn't have to do that.  I am fans of both of them now.

So I put the invitation out there to Kris and Chad - breakfast, lunch or dinner anytime! Although, Chef Sarno I think I would like you to do the cooking, and Kris you could fill my soul with all your spiritual and business smarts!  My husband and I would love to meet you both.  I will be sending my cookbook your way for you both to autograph.  I warn you it is quite stained and tattered.  It was by my side virtually everyday for about 4 1/2 months!

What's next?  Who knows!  I would love to post a follow up story with all the magical things that happened after I completed CSK.  I promise if anything interesting happens I will let you know...  Thank you for all your support.  I appreciate you stopping by everyday.

To my amazing husband, thank you for encouraging me every single day and helping me so much!  You are by far the most amazing person I know.  I love you!  My hubby gave me this American Greeting card for my birthday, and I think it pretty much sums up everything for The Crazy Sexy Kitchen Project...

Wild Mushroom Croquettes with Horseradish Cream

Wild Mushroom Croquettes with Horseradish Cream Pg. 194

Today I made one of the best recipes from CSK!  That is a big statement because I have almost tasted everything in the book.  This dish wasn't hard to make which is awesome.  Plan ahead and soak your nuts.  I have never in my life cooked with so much nuts.  I am quite sure I have never eaten this many nuts ever!  I wonder if it has affected my cholesterol?  Aren't nuts high in that?  Anyway, I have gotten quite used to reading through a recipe the night before to see if I need to soak nuts in prep for cooking, and I would say chances are if you are cooking from CSK you will need to soak cashews or another type of nut.

Once the nuts have been softened, you will just do a bit of chopping.  The corquettes went in my dehydrator for 4 hours.  You can put them in the oven as well.  Delish!  I had one on a bed of arugula topped with Horseradish Cream Cheese.

I also tried one using a red cabbage leaf like a burger bun.

I know I will be snacking on these croquettes until they are all gone.  So yummy!

OMG I only have 3 recipes left.  What am I going to do when this is over? Since beginning this project, I have started my days pretty much the same way.  As I still lay under my covers early in morning I sit up in bed and check my blog for page views and comments.  I then post a picture of what I have made the day before on Instagram.  Then post on Facebook, and usually write something about what I made.  Pinterest  is next and again post a picture (I think I have 90 pictures from CSK on my CSK Pinterest board).  I love Pinterest, but who doesn't?  Followed by Twitter, where I have tweeted a lot since my friend tutored me in all things Twitter.  The whole concept of tweeting was so weird to me months ago, but now I have come to realize how awesome Twitter is.  To be able to send a message out and get response almost immediately is so cool. Over the course of cooking my way through CSK I have gained what will soon be 1000 likes on Facebook. (So give me a like, so I can hit 1000 if you haven't already! Pretty please!)   Before the CSK Project, none of these social media outlets played a part in my day.  Now I am slightly addicted!

So how will I start my days when all is said and done?  It will take some adjusting to go back to life as it was.  One thing is for certain, I have discovered if you are enjoying what you are working on you don't mind putting in the extra energy.  For the most part, I liked getting up in the morning before my little one and working on "The Project".   No, it doesn't mean that some days I wouldn't complain my butt off!  That is normal though, everyone needs to whine here and there.  Getting back to my normal life will be pretty cool.  It will feel like a vacation.  No extra agenda for my day.  No having to photograph my food before I eat it.  No running from store to store looking for that one missing ingredient.    I will just simply cook for my family.  Well, until I figure out my next hair brained idea!

Indian Chickpea Blinis with Cashew Coconut Chutney

Indian Chickpea Blinis with Cashew Coconut Chutney pg. 199

Number 8 in my countdown to the end of CSK is Indian Chickpea Blinis.  I am kind of embarrassed to admit this but I had to Google what blinis looked like.  I wasn't sure what I was making?  I knew it wasn't the cocktail, but all I could picture was a Bellini! Don't judge me, I'm learning everyday! It turns out they are pretty much like pancakes.  I have said in previous posts that my husband was the pancake maker in the house, but I have found I am not too shabby in the pancake making department myself.  Yeah!

The first thing you will prepare is the Cashew Coconut Chutney.  It is pretty sweet stuff and a little dollop goes along way.  It was tasty on the blinis. 

Next up is cooking your veggies, and mixing them with the pancake flour ingredients.

I made my blinis using a nonstick pan.  I don't really have a great set of pots and pans.  When making the Cornmeal Banana Walnut Pancakes I used my cast iron skillet, and they really stuck to the pan like glue.  So I decided to simplify my life and use my non-stick skillet.  You would think with all this cooking I might have invested in a decent set of skillets.  I just hate spending money on stuff like that.  Which is funny because I felt that way about my investment in good knives, yet can't imagine not having them now.  They make life so easy when I am chopping my veggies.  Truth be told it is way easier for me to spend big money on a cute pair of shoes or a nice purse.  Again, don't judge;)

The Blinis had a tiny learning curve.  My first two were a little thick so I just thinned out the batter with more water.  I loved that the cakes got bubbles in them as they cooked so you knew exactly when to flip. The blinis were ultra savory so the chutney rounded out the whole experience with its sweetness.  I liked the spice from the fresh jalapeno in the blinis. These were grown up pancakes filled with zest.     

Pad Thai with Kelp Noodles

Pad Thai with Kelp Noodles pg. 191

This is number 10, as I countdown to my very last recipe in Crazy Sexy Kitchen.  One thing is for darn sure if you cook your way through a cookbook you are going to be forced to eat things you would never choose on your own.  You will be pushed out of your comfort zone, and your taste buds will be taken on a wild adventurous ride.  Like today for example, kelp noodles are something I had never eaten.  I was expecting something similar to seaweed.  To my surprise it was nothing like it.

Kelp Noodles

Kelp noodles are kind of strange to see and feel.  They seem like something my daughter would use to make a funky necklace, instead of a noodle we would eat.  They were really quite good, which still kind of shocks me.  The texture was pleasant they had a nice crunch.  No cooking is involved either which is an added bonus in comparison to say the pain in my side temperamental soba noodles.

The recipe just involves making the Pad Thai Sauce.  The recipe calls for a block of tamarind pulp.  My Whole Foods didn't have any, but they did have tamarind paste, and the tamarind paste is what we were trying to achieve in the end.  So I feel like I was gifted a step in this recipe.  Phew, thanks Whole Foods!

Pad Thai Sauce

Saving time on a step was cool because then I just had some chopping and marinading to do.  My husband helped with the chopping, so it all went pretty fast.  One of my favorite ingredients was the Thai pepper.  It added a great deal of zest which my hubby and I always love. 

This made a pretty filling lunch.  My husband and I ate it.  My kids would not even consider it.  Although my teen son did taste a kelp noodle and thought it was weird but good.

Now I wouldn't say I loved this dish, but I liked it a lot.    If I was a betting woman (which I am) I would have lost this bet, because I wouldn't have thought I would have liked this recipe at all. It's pretty awesome to be pleasantly surprised with the outcome of a meal I might have turned my nose off to 3 months ago.  Now if I could just convince my kids to try new things, they just might find they like more types of food too.  Let me know what you think if you get around to making this one.

Yellow Squash Fettuccine & Peach Sorbet

Yellow Squash Fettuccine with Creamy Pine Nut Alfredo pg. 204
Jasmine Peach Sorbet pg. 270

I think if you asked ten people which is healthier a vegan meal or a non-vegan meal, they would almost all say the vegan meal was healthier. In many cases, I probably think vegan foods would be the correct answer. How about a vegan fettuccine vs a non-vegan fettuccine?

The vegan meal I made tonight Yellow Squash Fettuccine with Creamy Pine Nut Alfredo was  quite delicious. It had lots of nutritious ingredients.  You could easily eat an entire bowl.  The recipe says it serves 2.   The problem in my eyes is the recipe calls for 1 and 3/4 cups of pine nuts.  1 cup of pine nuts equates to a little over 900 calories! That's a lot of nuts!

You would think, no pasta and no cream, equals low-calorie.  This recipe would not be the case.  This fettuccine like any fettuccine dish is an indulgence.  Which is fine, but it is just something to think about as you eat it.  Just because something is vegan doesn't mean it is always going to be super healthy and low-calorie.  I did find that you can get away with much less of the pine nut Alfredo sauce which helps the recipe be a bit healthier.   The fresh basil was delightful in it.

Next up I made Jasmine Peach Sorbet.

The recipe calls for fresh peaches which are obviously not in season and no where to be found.  So I opted for frozen.

It worked out terrific, and I didn't have to touch the fuzzy peel that sends shivers down my back. The jasmine offered a wonderful uniqueness to the sorbet.  By using the frozen peaches the mixture started out as an awesome smoothie when blended together.  I went ahead and poured the mixture in the ice cream maker to make the sorbet.  Even though I really just wanted to stick a straw in and drink it. 

My ice cream maker doesn't work all that great, so I usually have to put my final product in the freezer for a little while to complete my frozen treat.  Here's the kicker, my freezer broke!  It seriously stopped working.  It couldn't have come at a more inconvenient time.  So luckily my kind neighbor let me trade some space in her freezer for a box of Girl Scout cookies.  (My daughter is a Girl Scout.)

The sorbet was really great, and so super easy to whip together.   This is a great healthy option for a sweet treat.  If you are eating dessert, this is guilt free all the way yet jam packed full of flavor.  My daughter and I loved it!

Asian Stir-Raw with Miso Ginger Sauce

Asian Stir-Raw with Miso Ginger Sauce pg. 187

It's the weekend! I am so happy for it.  Granted no Pink concert this weekend, but my pesky cold that I had last week has finally gone away.  This weekend is devoted to beautifying as if I was going to attend the Oscars.  It started today with my nails.

Later a little waxing.  Ouch and TMI I know! Now my hair.  Anyone who really knows me knows the rocky relationship I have with my hair.  Even my mother refers to my curls as ugly curls not so much because it is curly, but because the curls have such a mind of their own!  What mother says that? I know, sad but true. (She has the same kind of hair, so I don't take it too personally.) I am a curly girl, and have actually made great strides to come to peace with it in the past year.  I think the key has been just letting it grow and grow.

One of my most favorite things to do is get my hair colored, trimmed and conditioned.  (Ahhhh it is pure bliss.) It is the little things in life.  So come Sunday I will be Oscar ready as I sit on my couch and watch The Academy Awards.  Love it! (It's actually completely coincidence that I am getting all my beauty stuff done the same weekend as The Oscars or maybe it is just fate!)

In my fantasy, if I was walking the red carpet, I might eat Asian Stir-Raw.  It is a light meal that will fill your belly in a totally healthy and tasty way.  No bloat here.  The veggies are coated with a  yummy tangy sauce.  The sauce makes this like no other stir-fry I have ever had. My husband loved it. I would have probably loved it too, but stir-fry meals are generally not my fav.  Don't judge, I am just being honest;) The things that will make this stir-raw stand out are the fresh cilantro and basil on top of it.  Cilantro makes everything taste better.

It's a veggie rainbow!

I heated my stir-raw up into a stir-fry for a few minutes in my wok because it was dinner and I wanted something warm to eat.  Honestly, I don't know how people only eat raw.  That is a big commitment. If it had been midday I might have eaten it raw.  I said Maybe!

This Miso Ginger Sauce was awesome.

I hope you have a great weekend.  Any predictions or favorites for best picture?  I am rooting for Argo!

FYI, 19 more recipes to go...