No-Bean Beef Chili
1 pound grass-fed ground beef
1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
5 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
1½ cups frozen corn
1 28-ounce can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
1 14-ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1-2 cups low sodium chicken or beef broth, bone broth works great
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
½ tablespoon ground cumin
1-2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion,
bell pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring often until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Add ground beef and cook until browned, breaking beef into crumbles as it cooks, about 8 minutes.
Add sweet potato, corn, tomatoes, broth, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, and other spices.
Increase heat to high and bring mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally until sweet potatoes are fork tender, about 30 minutes. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
Serve warm and top with shredded cheese, cilantro, avocado, jalapeños, and sour cream or Greek yogurt. Serves 6.
Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
1 pound medium-size shell pasta, uncooked
3 cups butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 1-inch cubes
1 small yellow onion, quartered
2 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 ½ cups unsweetened almond milk
¾ cup raw cashews, soaked for 2 to 4 hours (or overnight)
¼ cup nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 teaspoons sea salt, plus more to taste
¼ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
½ teaspoon paprika
Soak your cashews for 2 to 4 hours.
Fill a large pot with about 1 inch of water.
Add butternut squash and onion to a steamer basket or metal colander and steam for about fifteen minutes, or until soft.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and transfer the pasta back to the pot.
Place cooked butternut squash and onion in a blender, along with garlic, almond milk, cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and paprika. Blend until smooth and creamy.
Pour the sauce over cooked pasta and stir to fully combine.
Season to taste and serve immediately.
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat it, add a little bit of milk or water to thin out the sauce and stir often. Serves 8.
Tuna Noodle Casserole
8 oz rotini pasta or regular pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or gluten-free all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 cup vegetable broth
½ cup shredded
cheddar cheese
2 5-oz canned Albacore tuna, drained
1 ½ cups frozen peas
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
¼ cup almond meal or breadcrumbs
Cook noodles according to package until al dente (I use Banza noodles and cook for 6 minutes). Drain and set aside.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a 9×9 casserole dish with cooking spray.
While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté onion and mushrooms with ground pepper and salt until onion is translucent and fragrant and mushrooms have cooked down, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Add garlic and cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes.
Add flour to veggies and mix to coat.
Slowly add almond milk and veggie broth. Bring mixture to boil, then reduce to a simmer, mixing often until sauce thickens, about 10 to12 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in cheddar cheese until melted.
Mix in noodles, peas, and drained tuna. Pour into prepared baking dish.
Top with parmesan cheese and almond meal or breadcrumbs.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes to brown the top. Regular pasta takes about 25 minutes, and Banza takes 20 minutes. Serves 4.
Lentil Meatballs
½ cup dry brown or green lentils
1 ⅓ cup water
1 bay leaf
½ cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
½ large onion, chopped (about 1 heaping cup)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 rib of celery, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
3 tablespoons tamari
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
¼ teaspoon sea salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Prepare lentils by rinsing them and adding to a pot with water and a bay leaf. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered until all the liquid is absorbed and lentils are tender (about 15 to 20 minutes). Remove from heat, discard the bay leaf, and set the lentils aside to cool. This step can be done in advance.
In the meantime, toast walnuts by spreading on a baking sheet and toasting in a 350-degree oven for about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
While walnuts are toasting and lentils are cooking, heat oil over medium heat in a medium sauté pan and cook onions, garlic, carrots, and celery until soft and fragrant. About 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from stovetop to cool.
Add lentils (reserve 1/2 cup for later), cooked veggies, toasted walnuts, oats, tamari, tomato paste, ground flaxseed, nutritional yeast, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, and spices to the food processor. Pulse until mixture is just combined and the texture is to your liking. You want the mixture to be combined enough to stick together, but you don’t want it to be completely pulverized.
Stir in the reserved lentils.
Shape 1-1/2 tablespoons into a meatball and place on a prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes, flip, and bake another 10 minutes.
Serve meatballs immediately – over spaghetti noodles and sauce, in a wrap, on a salad, or as an appetizer with your favorite sauce.
Makes 20 meatballs.
Photography: Brittany Mullins
