Ingredients:

• 1/2c flour
• 1/2c nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• 4 tablespoon margarine
  • Or soya butter
• 10 tortillas
  • The Old el Passo Salsa Tortillas are perfect for this
• 2 small cans enchilada sauce
  • I use the 10 minute enchilada sauce from AllRecipies.com
• 3 cans beans (white kidney, pinto, black), drained
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 can olives, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, 1/2 cup salsa (optional)
  • Tried this once, don’t bother adding these now

Directions:

In medium-large saucepan, combine flour, nutritional yeast, salt and garlic powder. Add water and mix thoroughly. Heat on medium heat until bubbling and thick. Remove from heat and add mustard and margarine. Set aside 1/2 cup of cheese sauce in separate container. Add onion, beans, olives, cilantro and salsa to sauce. Mix it up.

Pour a 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 pan. Place a tortilla in pan and cover in enchilada sauce. Spoon in filling. Roll and push to one end of pan. Continue until all tortillas filled. Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce on top and then spread reserved cheese sauce on as last step. Bake at 350 until brown, 30-45 minutes.

Serves: 6

Preparation time: 45 min

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa rinsed
  • Quinoa is a great complete food. It has a very high protein content, a balanced set of amino acids, good source of fiber and iron and phosphorus and magnesium as well as being gluten free
• 1 cup red lentils
  • Like I said in my Sweet and Spicy Lentils, these guys taste great and are a good source of protein and dietary fiber
• 1 large onion chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic crushed
• 2 celery stalks chopped
  • Good if you are interested in weight loss because it is a negative calorie vegetable. It is high in dietary fiber, vitamin A, C, K, Potassium, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Magnesium and Phosphorus
• 1 cup frozen baby carrots
• 1 cup frozen cauliflower
  • Has a high nutrient density. It is low in fat and high in fiber and vitamin C. There are claims that it improves liver function as well as slow or prevent cancerous tumors in the breast and prostate.
• 1/2 tin chopped tomatoes
  • Good for the heart and high in antioxidants.
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon rosemary
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon fennel

Directions:

• Heat the oil in a fairly large pot
• When hot, add the onions and cook until translucent then add the garlic
• Add the rest of the vegetables, the tomato, and spices and give a good stir until everything is coated
• Add the stock, lentils and quinoa and stir
• Cover and simmer until the lentils are soft
• You may need to add more water as the stock is absorbed
• Once soft, blend to the consistency you prefer. I like to blend the whole lot, but you can do half and half if you like a chunky stew
• Serve with a large slice of bread and soya butter

To sum, I need get back on the vitamin tablets, in particular iron, B12 and calcium. I also need to be more conscientious about my protein intake. Meat is a whole protein and is absorbed into the body very quickly, whereas in nuts seeds and pulses it is released more slowly so it is necessary to incorporate some carbohydrates into each meal.

So I came up with this, the reasoning behind some of the ingredients are listed after them

• 1 onion.
  • I pretty much put and onion in every dinner. They do contain antioxidants, which lower the risk of heart and neurological disease.
• 1 pepper (Whichever you prefer).
  • I can’t eat too much peppers, the seem to irritate my stomach, but they are a good source of vitamin C
• 2 garlic cloves.
  • I love love love garlic, but I don’t use it enough. It’s good for cholestoral and high-blood pressure
• 1 can chickpeas (or about a cup if you are soaking them)
  • Taste great, good source of protein and carbohydrates
• 2 cups of cooked red lentils
  • Protein and good dietary fiber
• 1 can tomatoes
  • vitamin A & C and a whole bunch of other good things, tasty too ^_^
• 1 tablespoon chilli powder
• 1/2 tablespoon fennel seeds
  • Good for digestion
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon tumeric
• 1 tablespoon
• 2 tablespoons of molasses
  • This portion contains 400mg of calcium, which is more than a cup of collard greens
• 1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter
  • Protein, reduces cholesterol, reduces the chances of heart disease and even cancer
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• Rice or pasta to serve

Directions:

• Pour the oil into a pot and let it heat
• While it is heating, chop up your vegtables and crush the garlic
• Add all three to the hot pot, and cook until the onion is translucent
• Stir in the mustard and all of the spices
• Add the lentils, chick-peas, tomatoes, molasses and peanut-butter
• Mix well, and leave to simmer on a low heat for about 20 minutes stirring occasionally
• Serve with some rice or pasta

This makes two massive servings, so there will be plenty left over for lunch. It was inspired by a recipe called Sloppy Lennys sandwich spread that I found in one of my favourite vegan cookbooks: Vegan Vittles. Oh, and even though I’d recommend this with brown rice, the picture above is with mashed potatoes, some soya milk and nutritional yeast flakes. Nick wanted some comfort food the night I was cooking so I did mash instead, and it tasted fab too. A big pile of spuds doesn’t fair as well on the healthy scale although ^_^