Tangy Purple Coleslaw

     I have a never ending problem in my refrigerator, its called a purple head of cabbage.  It seems like I always have a partial head of purple cabbage in the crisper.  Mainly because I am constantly making these....

Oh She Glow's Over The Rainbow Cabbage Salad with Tahini Dressing

&

Oh She Glow's Rad Rainbow Raw Pad Thai

.....and you should too, or at least give them a try.  Both of these salads are refreshing mid-winter treats.  I've definitely been on a salad kick lately, I think it's that period of winter where you start to crave summer fresh recipes again.

     Now back to the issue at hand, this purple cabbage thing.  I always end up with a leftover hunk of cabbage when I make these salads.  I can make both of the salads from one head of cabbage and still have about half of a head left over.  I could always just throw it in the compost bin but I really don't like wasting food.  So I thought I would try to come up with some way to use it.  And sometimes when the culinary stars align, ideas turn into recipes effortlessly.   

Tangy Purple Coleslaw

Ingredient List

5-6 cups finely chopped purple cabbage

2 medium carrots, shredded

3/4 cup chopped white onion

1/2 cup vegenaise, mayo or miracle whip (whatever you like)

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp honey or other liquid sweetner such as pure maple syrup

S&P to taste (I went heavy on both)

Directions

1. Process cabbage in food processor by pulsing until finely chopped.  
2. Shred carrots in food processor and add to bowl of cabbage.
3. Roughly chop onion and add to cabbage and carrot mixture.
4. In a separate small bowl, whisk together mayo, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, honey and S&P.
5. Combine dressing and slaw mix until thoroughly coated. 
6. Set in fridge for at least 15 minutes before serving.    

     I served this coleslaw with my GranMa's famous fried catfish recipe.  I am lucky enough to have watched her make her catfish enough to come really close to perfecting her technique.  It is seriously the most amazing catfish in the whole wide world.  It's crispy on the outside, moist & flaky on the inside, perfecty seasoned and uuuggghhh it's so freaking amazing.  And of course no southern catfish plate is complete without a slice of non-nutritious plain ole' white bread.

     

Spicy Vegan Quinoa Chili

     Don't you just love fall?  Next to spring, it is my favorite time of year.  I think fall aroma's might just might be my favorite thing about the season.  I mean the smell of apple, cinnamon, pumpkin, and spice are just so comforting.  What are some of your favorite things about fall?

     Soups and stews come in a close second on the favorite list for fall things.  My GranMa Ernestine makes some of the best soups and stews I have ever had.  But now that I have crossed over to the dark side, I am exploring some cruelty free recipes that bring me as much happiness as her cooking once did.  That is exactly what the chili recipe does, it is delicious!!!  Just in time for cooling temperatures and shorter days.

     Being that I work full time and attend school part time cooking healthy vegan meals daily can be more than challenging.  Due to being too busy throughout the week to cook, I generally end up eating out for days or weeks at a time.  Eating out like this makes my body and my wallet really unhappy.  Making a big batch of chili that fills my freezer and body with home cooked veggie packed deliciousness is a perfect solution to my time constraints.  By the way, this chili freezes really well.

     I like to pair this chili with cornbread or atop a pile of macaroni noodles to make chili mac.  Tonight, I used avocado and green onion as a garnish, and they really kicked up the flavor. A few weeks back I took this chili(mac) with me on a camping trip with a group of omnivores and everyone was really surprised with how tasty it was.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

     I modified this chili recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod.  I changed up some of the tomato varieties, bean proportions, upped the heat level and increased the veggies.  I also omitted the zucchini and added in some corn kernels.  The link to the original recipe is here: Vegetarian Quinoa Chili.

     I also forgot to soak my beans the night before, so I ended up quick soaking them the night of making this recipe.  The method I use to quick soak my dried beans is to add 3 parts water: 1 parts bean, in a big pot uncovered and bring it up to a boil for 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and cover pot with a lid, then soak for one hour.  After an hour, rinse the beans in a colander, add them back to the pot with fresh water and boil for 30 minutes.  Then simply drain and add to your recipe!

Spicy Vegan Quinoa Chili

2 medium carrots (chopped)
3 stalk celery        (chopped)
3 tbsp.  extra virgin olive oil
1 jalapeno             (finely chopped)
1 green bell pepper(chopped)
1 red bell pepper   (chopped)
1 medium onion    (chopped)
3 garlic cloves        (minced)
1 16oz can diced tomatoes
1 10oz can diced tomatoes w/ chili's
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 cup of water or veggie broth
3 tbsp. tomato paste
1 c. cooked quinoa
2 c. cooked black beans
3 c. cooked kidney beans
1/2 c. frozen corn kernels
3 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. cumin
red pepper flakes to taste
salt and pepper to taste
avocado and green onion for garnish

1.) Heat oil until it ripples.  Add onion and garlic, reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes.  Add spices and S&P
2.) Add celery, carrots and cook for 3 more minutes.  Add all peppers and corn then cook for an additional 3 minutes.
3.)  Add tomato paste, mix thouroughly and cook for 3 minutes.  Add water and all tomatoes, bring to boil.  After a few minutes, break up stewed tomatoes into bite sized pieces if desired.  Next add beans and quinoa, lower heat to simmer for an additional 30-45 minutes and season to taste.
4.) Cool.  Serve with cornbread, macaroni or vegan saltine crackers.  Eat your heart out.