Easy Vegan Chili and Pumpkin Spiced Cornbread Muffins

I'm SO excited, I have a guest blog post over at The Engine 2 Diet Blog right now! Please hop on over there and check out How Healthy Girl Makes a Salad and Makes Salad Making Easier.

And that's not the only thing I'm excited about! Did you see this article over at VegNews about the leaders of the Raw Food movement making a statement that oil and nuts are not good for you? Holy. Moly. That is a major shift in thinking for the entire raw food world. Here's the comment I left on the article:

"Oh. My. G... I am in shock. And actually, really relieved. I thankfully figured this same thing out after trying to go raw for a couple of months and gaining a ton of weight from the oils and the nuts and the raw desserts. I am so happy that this information is coming out now and that more people do not have to be lead down a ridiculous path of consuming coconut oil, olive oil, etc. and thinking that these things are health foods. Yes, eat raw vegetables! But don't shun incredibly healthy cooked food."

So on and on it goes. Trying to figure out what is best for humankind. It's never easy, but I think it's worth it.

I have a feeling that a lot of people are craving chili right now. With the cold weather and the dreary days, I know that chili is one of the easiest ways to warm myself up.

But you don't always have the time for a complicated or lengthy chili recipe. That's why this recipe is so outstanding. It's fast, easy and very, very tasty.

And what goes better with chili than cornbread? I have tried a number of Vegan cornbread recipes and this is by far the best one to date! The pureed canned pumpkin and Pumpkin Pie spice add an unusual twist to this classic.

Easy Vegan Chili
serves 8-10
Prep time: 20 min. Cook time: 70 min.


Printable Recipe

2 cups chopped onion

8 garlic cloves, pressed

2 28oz. cans diced tomatoes

1 4 oz. can green chilies

4 Tbsp chili powder

2 Tbsp dried oregano

2 Tbsp ground cumin

3 15 oz. cans black beans, drained

1 10 oz. bag of frozen corn

Saute onions in a large pot over medium high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add water if necessary to prevent sticking. Add garlic and saute 3 more minutes.

Add tomatoes with juice, chilies and dried seasoning. Mix and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add beans and corn. Reduce heat to med. low and simmer for about 45 minutes.

Pumpkin Spiced Cornbread Muffins

24 small muffins or 18 medium sized

Printable Recipe

dry ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 Tbsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 cups cornmeal (for a smoother finish, use corn flour)
wet ingredients:
1 15 ounce can pure pumpkin puree
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 Tbsp flaxmeal
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup unsweetened almond or soy milk


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


In a large bowl, stir together all dry ingredients.

In a medium bowl or a very big measuring cup stir together wet ingredients until well blended.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture and mix until well blended.


Distribute batter evenly into greased muffin pans (either 18 or 24 holes). Bake for 20 minutes.

What foods are warming you up these days?

Smokin' Collard Green Stacks

I've got a wonderful friend named Jessica who forwards me all sorts of healthy recipes to try. She gets many of them from Dr. Roxanne Sukol. Dr. Sukol used to be Jessica's primary care physician (she also happens to have a blog called Your Health is on Your Plate), but now the good doc has assumed the position of head of Dr. Roizen's Lifestyle 360 program here at The Cleveland Clinic.

That's probably more information than you wanted to know.

 But I wanted you to know where this recipe's inspiration came from. Here's what Dr.Sukol had to say about  Dr. Bradley’s Smokin’ Collards: "According to my esteemed colleague, Dr. Linda Bradley, who had the vision and inspiration to purchase and prepare 10 pounds of collards for a vegan Christmas dish, her entire family ate every morsel!"  

Well then, I just had to try these for myself! And I'm glad I did. The inclusion of molasses gives us a nice hit of iron, which I can always use. Here's my take:

Smokin' Collard Green Stacks

Printable Recipe

1/4 cup low sodium vegetable broth 

1 large yellow onions

6 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 Tbsp chipotle in adobe (Comes in a small can.  For more heat, use a bit more.  Transfer the rest to a container and save in the freezer.)  

2 Tbsp cider vinegar

2 Tbsp smoked paprika, divided

2 tsp low sodium soy sauce or Tamari

1/4 cup low sodium vegetable stock

2 Tbsp black strap molasses

2 pounds (2 bunches) collard greens, washed clean, torn from the stem, and rough chopped.
1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

salt (or not) and pepper to taste

In a large dutch oven or pot, heat broth on medium high heat until bubbling. Add onions and sauté 6-7 minutes until onions are wilting.  Add garlic, and cook 2 more minutes.  Stir in chipotle, 1 Tbsp of paprika, vinegar, soy sauce, extra vegetable stock and molasses.

Stir in the collard greens. Cover and cook for 45 min, stirring occasionally.  Then add the remaining paprika, black beans, salt (or not), and pepper, and cook 5-10 more minutes. 

Serving suggestion:  Eat the collards as is or serve stacked with

Roasted Potato "Chips"

For this recipe, 3 medium-large baking potatoes should provide you with enough "chips" for the volume of greens.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare 2 baking trays by lining them with aluminum foil and lightly spraying them with cooking oil spray.

Slice the potatoes diagonally into 1/8" thick ovals.  Lay the slices of baking potato so that each slice slightly overlaps the next.

Bake trays of potato "chips" for approximately 45 minutes, rotating trays in the oven every 15 minutes or so if you are roasting more than one tray of potatoes at a time. They are done when they are soft and slightly browned.

To serve, layer potatoes and greens on a plate until they seem like they will fall over. Don't worry if they do, it still tastes great!

How has your first week of the new year been?

So far, so good for me. I have been making better choices since Susan voiced her

New Year's Challenge over at Fat Free Vegan. I have even started making oatmeal for breakfast thanks to Debby The Healthy Librarian. Lots of greens, soup, and salads. A few Vegan chocolate chips. I'm not a saint!

What have you been eating this week?

I'm also happy to report that my resolution of following the 365 days of organizing is going very well. I didn't even realize how much clutter is collecting in our house. It's fun to throw away stuff. Especially food (Thai red curry paste, to be exact) with a 2008 expiration date on it! Didn't even know it was in there . . . let alone that old . . .

Considering Going Gluten Free?

And last but not least, ever wonder what all this hooplah about going gluten free is all about? Here's a great article from Disease Proof explaining it all, and why if you don't have Celiac disease, or at least a major gluten sensitivity, going gluten free is a distraction from your real issues.

Have a wonderful weekend y'all!

Cuban Black Beans with Kale

It's our last day in Florida and I'm in a mad rush to pack us all up and get out of the condo. But there's something I need to share with you. I wasn't kidding around when I said I was making recipes from Everyday Happy Herbivore on this vacation. These Cuban Black Beans with Kale came about as I made and adapted my fifth recipe from this new cookbook. It was outstanding. The rest of the family (those who came early enough to lunch to score some!) agreed.

This is a great recipe for so many reasons. First, it's delicious. Second, it's easy. And third, I hope that all of these ingredients are now staples in your Plant-strong kitchen, so it's a great weeknight meal. Plus, you can use whatever greens you have on hand, it doesn't have to be kale.

Adapted from the recipe "Skillet Frijoles Negros" from Lindsay S. Nixon's book, Everyday Happy Herbivore.

Cuban Black Beans with Kale

serves 4 as a main dish, 8 as a side dish

Printable Recipe

low sodium vegetable broth, a few Tbsp

1 large yellow onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger (using a microplaner if you have one)

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 15 ounce cans black beans, undrained

4 cups finely chopped kale or other greens

2 Tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice (whatever you have on hand)

optional: hot sauce, to taste

Place a medium pot over medium-high heat and coat the bottom of the pot with low sodium vegetable broth. When broth is boiling add onion and stir. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Lower heat to medium. Add garlic and ginger. Cook until onions are translucent, stirring frequently and adding more broth if necessary to prevent burning.

Add chili powder, cumin, paprika and cinnamon. Stir.

Add undrained black beans and stir. Mash with the back of a fork or a potato masher, leaving some of the beans whole.

Add kale and stir. Lower heat to low and let simmer until mixture thickens. Stir in lime or lemon juice and hot sauce (optional) to taste. Cover until ready to serve.

Didn't win a copy of Everyday Happy Herbivore in the giveaway? That's okay, you can get it on Amazon for only $13.57! What a bargain!

If you own a  copy of EHH, what has your favorite recipe been?


A little housekeeping: The winner of the EHH giveaway, Quiltspinner, has not contacted me yet. Please e-mail me at healthygirlskitchen@gmail.com. Thank you!