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My husband is a carnivore – he loves meat and we eat meat a few times during any given week. From sliced ham to the occasional premium cut, meat is a common occurrence in our household. In all honesty, it is perhaps more common than it ought to be! That’s why I like it when we take a break from the meat. It’s great to cook a yummy recipe that incorporates more veggies into our diet. Today I have two of those splendid meatless recipes to share with you! They are the perfect addition for any Lent menu or for #MeatlessMondays or just for the sake of cooking them because they are delicious!
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These two recipes usually include meat, but I wanted to find the best veggie alternatives. And that’s when I thought of a flavor booster: powdered bouillon! This essential in Latin American cooking has never failed me in adding an enhancement of flavor. Besides, it’s so convenient!
In keeping with my meatless resolution, I was going to try Knorr Selects Granulated Vegetable Bouillon. I’d never tasted vegetable bouillon before so I decided to put it to the test.
My family has grown cooking with the traditional Knorr Chicken Bouillon so I already had an affinity with the brand. One thing that I loved that made this product different, besides the meatless aspect, was that it belonged to the Knorr Selects line. This line features products that contain premium quality ingredients. After reading the nutrition label of the product, I was relieved to find that the powder had no strange, unpronounceable elements in it. The veggie bouillon flavor I used is made with natural stock, so it doesn’t have added artificial flavors, artificial colors, added msg, nor artificial preservatives. This all translates into having an authentic, delicious flavor that’s also mindful of your health!
I went to a nearby Ralph’s supermarket and found the product in the soup aisle instead of where I usually find my favorite nostalgic products (the Hispanic aisle). This is because this particular store was reorganizing and grouping things together but I’m positive you may well find yours in the Latin Foods/Hispanic foods aisle. The Knorr Selects Vegetable Bouillon is available at most of the Kroger supermarkets.
Now let’s talk about the food! The first recipe that I made were these tasty cauliflower tacos. If you’re anything like my husband, just the name “cauliflower” makes you roll your eyes with tediousness. But I was ready to change his mind regarding this versatile vegetable! He was pleasantly surprised when he took a bite out of these because their seasoning and the fact that we had roasted the ingredients had done a complete makeover to the cauliflower flavor. These amazing tacos passed his taste test and they would be perfect for any family/friends celebration or any of the Holy Week gatherings.
The second recipe I concocted featured a beloved dinner staple, made without meat: chiles rellenos! Many people think chiles rellenos are only Mexican, but they are very popular in Honduras as well – though one of the differences is that we usually don’t fry them like in Mexico. What I created was a combination of the Honduran recipe with a Mexican one, and incorporating veggies like zucchini, tomato, and mushroom and quinoa for protein instead of meat, along with Knorr Selects Vegetable Bouillon to season everything – it had the best of all worlds! The result was a cheesy, flavor-packed protein-rich dish that left me wanting to lick the plate.
I really enjoyed discovering these two recipes that are breath of fresh air among the usual go-to recipes for Lent Fridays (in our family that means pasta or tuna salad..and, on good days, quesadillas!). They are also easy recipes that are versatile enough and to which you can add different ingredients that would still work with the bouillon as seasoning. Hope you too can spice up your weeks with these recipes and that you try the Knorr Bouillon Selects line.
See both recipes below and please share with me other Lent recipes or meatless meal ideas in the comments!
Cauliflower Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 small small cauliflower head, washed and cut into bite-sized florets
- 1/2 purple cauliflower, washed and cut into bite-sized florets
- 1 can garbanzo beans
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp chili powder or cayenne pepper
- 3 tsps Knorr Selects Granulated Vegetable Bouillon
- 2 lemons (less or more as needed)
- ½ cup finely chopped red cabbage
- 1 jalapeño, sliced
- 1 avocado, chopped in cubes
- 1 cilantro bunch, chopped
- Corn or flour tortillas (your preference)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk chili powder and Knorr Selects Vegetable Bouillon. Stir in washed/rinsed chickpeas. Mix well and bring out. Stir in cauliflower florets
- Roast for around 30 minutes, but occasionally stir the contents during cooking. Turn off the oven once you see the florets are golden brown but tender, and the chickpeas are crispy.
- In the meantime, make cilantro cream: stir in together in a medium bowl sour cream, fresh lime juice, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Build your tacos! Start your tortilla with a base of cauliflower and chickpeas, then add your favorite toppings. Mine included: avocado, jalapeño slices, red cabbage, cilantro, and some drops of the crema. Spectacular!
The Vegetarian Chile Relleno recipe below is great for almost any ocassion, and I like it so much that I don’t need to many excuses to try it now and then.
Vegetarian Chile Relleno
Ingredients
- 4 Poblano peppers, “tatemados”/roasted and skin peeled
- 1 tomato, chopped in squares
- 3 Mexican zucchini, chopped in squares
- 2 cups of white cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 tsps of Knorr Selects Granulated Vegetable Bouillon
- 2 tbsps olive oil for cooking
- 2 cups grated mozzarella (or any white, melting cheese)
- 1.2 cups of cooked quinoa
- Cilantro for garnishing
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Roast your chiles: add them straight into the flame or do it in an oven to 450F for about 20-30mins (or until their skin turns dark/black). Right after roasting, add them to a plastic bag and seal it, to allow them to soften and ‘sweat”. After some minutes, you’ll be able to peel off their skin more easily (I use a spoon to scrape it as well).
- Prepare the filling: in a large pan add olive oil and start sautéeing garlic. Add the mushrooms and zucchini cubes and mix. Add the tomatoes and continue mixing. Add Knorr’s Selects Granulated Vegetable Bouillon and mix thoroughly. Cook until veggies are tender.
- Cook quinoa on a separate bowl and then add to the veggie mix.
- Make the sauce: in a small pot heat up a bit of olive oil and then add all the ingredients. Cook for about 10 mins, mixing from time to time.
- Stuff your chiles: cut their head and remove their seeds. Now stuff the chiles alternating between the veggie filling and shredded cheese. Cover with their head used as a lid. Place on top of a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake at 400F for 10-15 mins or until cheese is melted.
- Serve chiles rellenos with sauce on top and sprinkle cilantro or more cheese if you like!
Notes
- If you’re vegan, you can try this recipe without cheese
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