Eating Out? (no thanks!)

Eating out can be such a treat, but it can also be such a disappointment. We had high hopes when we went for supper last night to a new restaurant. There were so many choices on the menu.  It was actually quite excessive. I ended up choosing stir-fried veggies on rice. The salad bar consisted of iceberg lettuce, coleslaw, bean salad (from a can?), and raw veggies. The dressings were Thousand Island, Italian, Ranch and French. I felt like I was back in the '70s. The only saving grace was that we enjoyed our time out with 2 of our children and our friends. 

As far as the meal goes...I am making up for it tonight with a Mexican night at home: Spanish Rice, Chili, and Corn Muffins. Tara is home for a couple of weeks. She is avoiding wheat as much as possible, and also avoids meat, dairy and eggs. She still eats seafood, but I'm sketched out by the amount of waste that our fishing industries produce, so I will stick to the vegan meals.

Spanish Rice

Saute:
1/2 large onion, chopped 
1/2 green pepper, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil 
2 cloves of garlic

Add:
1 large tomato, diced 
1 tsp dry basil
1 tsp of oregano
1 Tbsp of chili powder
Add: 
1 cup brown rice 
2 cups of water
simmer 50 minutes, or until rice is tender.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Chili

Saute:
1 large onion 
1 green pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil 
2 cloves of garlic (sounds like the rice recipe). 

Add: 
3 carrots, diced 
10 mushrooms, sliced
1 cup of frozen corn, 
1-28 oz can diced tomatoes, 
1 Tbsp chili powder, 
1 tsp cumin, 
1 lg can black beans, rinsed and drained 
1 lg can kidney beans, rinsed and drained 
1 regular can of beans in tomato sauce, 
salt and pepper to taste.  
Simmer for 40 minutes or so until flavours have a chance to blend.

Corn Muffins

Stir together: 
3/4 cup of yellow cornmeal, 
3/4 cup of flour (I used a gluten free variety, but the recipe calls for regular), 
1 tsp baking powder, 
1/2 tsp baking soda, and 
1/4 tsp salt. 
In another bowl stir together: 
egg replacer (to equal 2 eggs - I used 2 Tbsp psyllium husks and 4 Tbsp water), 
1/2 cup soy milk or water, 
2 Tbsp sweetener, 
2 Tbsp olive oil, 
1/2 tsp vinegar, 
1 cup frozen corn kernels. 
 Mix the contents of the two bowls together and drop into greased muffin tins. 
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.