No-Oil Whole Wheat Bread

Bread Day!

This morning I woke up early and noticed a forlorn cup of aquafaba in the fridge. So, I decided to use it for another batch of my No-Oil Whole Wheat Bread! And, I think I have this down, finally. I’ve made 3 batches of whole wheat bread successfully that are amazing, full size, rise properly, and all that!

To me, these look so good that I think I’m gifting them to a couple of friends today (as I still have a loaf of fresh bread from the last batch!)

Canned bread for the win!

PBB
No-Oil Whole Wheat Bread
Fresh no-oil whole wheat canned bread!
Deep Dish Enchiladas

Deep Dish Enchiladas

Each day I want to take a healthy, plant-based lunch to work. Lunch is my main meal of the day, after a big breakfast, and virtually no dinner. So I don’t want so skimp out on making something hearty, tasty, and delicious! But, those time constraints!

So, again, in my typical “how-to” fashion, here’s an incredibly simple, but incredibly tasty, how-ya-do-it, as fast as making a sandwich, in a 4-cup Pyrex bowl.

Deep Dish Enchiladas

Easy dish for one for homemade lunches with a Mexican flair!
Last updated August 8, 2019.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: lunch
Author: Plant-Based-Bear.com

Equipment

  • 6" Pyrex Bowl

Ingredients

  • 5 corn tortillas
  • 1 can no-oil refried beans
  • 2 cups cooked rice any variety
  • 1 small can enchilada sauce or tomato sauce seasoned as you desire
  • pico de gallo or salsa optional
  • bell peppers diced, optional
  • plant-based cheese or cheese sauce shredded, optional
  • plant-based sour cream optional

Instructions

  • If using tomato sauce, prepare with some spices and seasonings that suit you. A little chili powder, salt, and diced bell peppers such should make it more exciting! No need to heat it, unless you want to heat up the bell peppers into the sauce to better spread flavor. Green chilies would work here too!
  • Add a little of the enchilada or tomato sauce (the sauce) to the bottom of the bowl. This is mostly so the tortilla doesn't want to stick!
  • Add a corn tortilla, flat in the bottom of your Pyrex bowl. It might be slightly larger than the bowl. These are usually naturally oil-free, and are shelf stable for a long time.
  • Layer refried beans (I do mine in clumps), rice, salsa, peppers, and more sauce. Add plant-based cheese or sauce in each layer, if desired.
  • Add another corn tortilla and repeat until the bowl is filled. I like to end with a corn tortilla on top, so things don't stick to the lid.
  • When time to eat, heat 4-6 minutes in the microwave. This is thick and heavy, so it takes awhile to heat. Bowl will be hot when removing from microwave.
  • Top with plant-based shredded cheese and sour cream!

Notes

Use a glass Pyrex bowl, as tomato-based sauces and plastic bowls don’t really work too well. We also need some depth here.
Because of splattering, use some sort of lid or paper towel. Don’t use the plastic Pyrex lids, as they’ll often melt and misshape with that much microwaving.  I eat at the office, so can usually find a paper plate or paper towel to cover during cooking!

In my Deep Dish Enchiladas for today, I had some corn I wanted to use up, and some pico de gallo. A dollop of quacomole would’ve been great, and the shredded cheese or sauce would have been nice too, but I didn’t have any fresh in my fridge. Nonetheless, these enchiladas really hit the spot and were amazing. Also, it’s hard to “overnuke” these in the microwave, as that seems to give them more of a “baked” consistency.

Yeah, I don’t know if I can really call these “enchiladas,” as I don’t know the first thing about authentic Mexican cuisine (except how to eat it!), but, they do use the same basic ingredients, I think, so I’m sticking with it! Don’t like it? Comment below!

PBB
Simple Cucumber & Tomato Salad

Simple Cucumber & Tomato Salad

Sometimes you don’t have time to do a fancy recipe, or maybe even just the willpower. But a bear’s gotta eat. So, something simple will have to do.

It’s super simple, and super healthy, and can be made with basic ingredients.

It’s embarrassing calling this a “recipe”, but it seems the best way to describe it to you.

Simple Cucumber & Tomato Salad

A simple salad, just like the title says!
Last updated August 7, 2019.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keyword: salad
Author: Plant-Based-Bear.com

Ingredients

  • cucumbers chopped
  • tomatoes chopped
  • onion diced, almost any variety will do
  • fresh dill finely chopped, optional
  • fresh mint finely chopped, optional
  • lemon or lime juice fresh is best!
  • pinch garlic or sea salt

Instructions

  • Chop up some cucumber. I tend to like the Persian cucumbers for this, but I will be making it in the next few days with some huge hothouse cucumbers I got on sale. I like big servings, but have found that about 2 larger Persian cucumbers, or ⅓ to ½ of a large hothouse cucumber is about a serving.
  • Chop up some tomato. Usually I have some Roma tomatoes, as they're often cheap, but anything will do. I use 2 small tomatoes or one large, so I have about 80% as much tomato as cucumber.
  • Dice the onions. Works great with green onions from the whites to the green, or yellow or white onions, too.
  • Finely chopped the mint, or dill or whatever green, fresh herbs you might have around, and sprinkle on top. Sometimes if I don't have fresh dill, just dried will work great as well!
  • Add a pinch of garlic or sea salt.
  • Put a strong splash of lemon or lime juice all over the top.
  • Mix it all up, and store in fridge until ready to eat!

Notes

This is one of those salads that seems to improve if you let it all “marinate” together for a bit.  Making it in the morning for lunch is great!

That’s it! Super simple, and delicious, and incredible on a hot summer day!

PBB
Simple Cucumber & Tomato Salad
Simple Cucumber & Tomato Salad, ready to eat. This one, I got lazy and just used dried dill!