One-Pot Cheesy Taco Pasta

I saw this non-vegan dish and it sounded so good and seemed fairly simple. So, I made it vegan by using Impossible meat, that was thawed, veggie broth instead of chicken broth, vegan cheese and left out the oil. It was delicious!!! It's not WFPBNO, but you could use crumbled soy curls or crumbled tofu and make your own cheese sauce and it would be WFPBNO. It is definitely a make again and next time I'll try making it whole food. It think either the soy curls or the super firm tofu crumbled would work fine.  Try this for Taco Tuesday this week.

• 1 cup chopped sweet onion
• 1 12-ounce package Impossible Beef Lite, thawed
• 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
• 1 heaping teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1 15-ounce can, black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 cups of your favorite salsa
• 8 ounces dry elbow macaroni
• 2 1/2 cup veggie broth
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels (not in pic, sorry)
• 2 cups Colby Jack shreds
• Garnish: diced avocado, sour cream, pickled jalapeno slices

Heat a couple of tablespoons water in a Dutch oven. Add onion and cook until it is translucent. Stirring occasionally.

                                        

Add the Impossible beef, taco seasoning and garlic. Cook, breaking up the beef into smaller pieces using a wooden spoon. Cook until no pink remains.

Add the beans, salsa and macaroni. Stir well to combine. Add the broth and cover, bringing the pot to a boil. Uncover, cook, stirring occasionally, the pasta will try to stick to the bottom of the pan. Be sure to scrape the bottom often. Cook until pasta is done, about 12-15 minutes. Again, be sure to stir.

Add the corn and 1-1/2 cups cheese. Stir well.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese on the top and add the lid. Turn the heat off. Leave for 2-3 minutes until cheese is melty.

Add your garnishes, you could also use chopped cilantro, more salsa, hot sauce, crushed tortilla chips.

Enjoy!!!

Thai Beef Tacos

I decided to take my tacos for a different flavor profile last Taco Tuesday. I saw a few recipes online and decided to put my vegan spin on them. If you wish to make the WFPBNO use rehydrated soy curls that have been chopped up. I used green cabbage because that is what I had on hand; feel free to use red cabbage, nappa or whatever you have on hand. You are looking for a crunch factor. This made about 8 tacos but the servings will depend on the size of your tortillas.

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (I use the kind already minced)
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 inch knob ginger, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 package (12 ounces) vegan beef crumbles
• 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon Thai basil, or sub regular basil
• 1/2 lime juiced
• taco-size flour tortillas
• 1/4 cup cabbage, shredded
• avocados, sliced
• spicy mayo, optional

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, ginger and bell pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes until the veggies begin to  get tender. 

Add a splash of water if they try to stick.

Add the vegan crumbles, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce and black pepper. Saute for 5-10 minutes; until the crumbles begin to brown.

Add the basil and lime juice and give it all a good stir.

I heated my tortillas briefly in the microwave. But, you can also wrap them and heat in the oven. To assemble your taco: add cabbage to the tortilla, top with crumbles, avocado, cilantro and spicy mayo. Serve with lime wedges on the side if you like. I had fresh corn on the cob for our side dish.

Enjoy!!!!

Snow Pea, Broccoli & Beefless Stir-Fry

I love a good stir-fry for dinner. First, they are quick meals, secondly they let you get rid of the excess produce in the frig and lastly they reheat easily. I had snow peas, broccoli, mushrooms and I always have garlic and onion on hand. I used Beyond Beef Steak tips to make this dish, so it's not WFPBNO. But, if you have some tofu or soy curls on hand you could use them for a WFPBNO recipe. This has been placed on our regular rotation for a bit; it's that delicious. So, go make you some using what you have on hand.

• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 cup sherry
• 2 tablespoons cornstach
• 2 teaspoons coconut sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, mined
• 1 package Beyond Steak tips
• 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 medium sweet onion, cut into thin wedges
• 1 cup snow peas
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• Hot cooked rice

In a measuring cup, whisk soy sauce, sherry, cornstarch and sugar.

Put 1/4 cup of this into a large bowl. Add garlic and beef tips; toss to coat. Let stand a few minutes.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add the beef tips and stir-fry 2 minutes, stirring frequently to keep from sticking. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

To the same skillet add mushrooms and onions. Cook until mushrooms are tender.

Add snow peas and broccoli. Cook 2-3 minutes until crisp-tender. If need add a tablespoon of water to keep from sticking.

Stir soy sauce mixture into pan. Bring to boil and cook 1-2 minutes until the mixture thickens. Return beef to the pan and heat through. Stirring occasionally. 

Serve with rice and garnish with sesame seeds and/or sliced scallions.

Enjoy!!

Taco Cups

Just in time for Taco Tuesday. I made these, taco cups, a couple of weeks ago and have just been too busy to post them. But, I promise to get back to a post a week! Also, I filled these a little too full. I'd only fill them about half way so your toppings stay put! They are messy, but fun, to eat since I just used my hands. I only made four and you can use whatever type of vegan ground you wish. I only had Beyond Meat burgers, so I thawed out 2 and made these but ideally you would use a package of the Beyond Meat ground or Impossible ground. They are found in the freezer case of most supermarkets, shrink-wrapped in clear plastic with a black plastic back. These obviously would also make great tacos, burrito filling or nachos. 

• 12 ounces vegan ground
• 1 package taco seasoning
• 4 ounce can chopped green chilies
• 1/2 cup vegan cheddar shreds
• street-style flour tortillas (these are really small)
• Garnish: shredded lettuce, vegan sour cream, diced tomatoes, hot sauce

Preheat oven to 350F. In a cast iron or non-stick skillet add the ground, taco seasoning and 1/4 cup water Stir well and cook until ground is done, about 6-7 minutes. Stirring occasionally.

While it's cooking fold the tortillas to fit into a standard sized cupcake tin. You may have to fold the edges some.

Now, to the ground add the chilies and cheese. Continue to cook until the cheese is mostly melted. Remove from heat.

Fill each tortilla with 2-3 tablespoons of the ground mixture. Don't over stuff them like I did.

Place in the oven until the tortillas are slightly crisp around the edges, about 15 minutes or so depending on your oven.

Garnish with add the goodies you enjoy and since I was serving these as a meal I fixed some Spanish Rice to go with them. But, these could be served as appetizers by themselves. I prefer to cook them fresh. If you have leftover filling just put it in the refrigerator and make fresh cups with the leftovers the next day or so. 

Enjoy!!!

Enchilada Bake

 Although we mainly eat Whole Food Plant Based No Oil (WFPBNO) every now and then I succumb to my taste buds wanting something comforting like the old foods I used to eat. I will never consume animal products but I will purchase, on occasion, processed vegan foods. They are used in this dish. You could make Chuck's cheese sauce and use lentils, or crumbed soy curls instead of vegan crumbles to make this a WFPBNO recipe. And maybe in the future I will do that to show it can be just as delicious. However, I had the crumbles and vegan cheese shreds in the house and decided to use them. This dish is delicious but again it could be made WFPBNO and be just as tasty, I'm sure! This made 6-8 servings depending on how hungry you are. The leftovers heated well in the toaster oven or microwave. 

• 12 ounce package frozen ground beef style crumbles
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1/2 cup scallions, sliced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 recipe of McDougall's Enchilada Sauce or 2 cans enchilada sauce
• 1 bag corn or flour tortillas
• 3 cups vegan cheddar shreds
• 1 4-ounce can green chiles
• 1 large hand full of tortilla chips, crumbled

Preheat oven to 375F. In a bowl, combine crumbles with taco seasoning. Set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons water in a large skillet over medium heat; add scallions and cook 3 minutes.

Add flour and cook 1 minute. It will be thick and pasty.

Add stock; combine will with a whisk and cook about 1 minute.

Add beans; stir well and set aside.

To a large casserole dish add enough enchilada sauce to cover the bottom.

Place tortilla layer over the sauce; pour bean mixture on top. 

Add a third of the cheese and half of the chiles.

Add more enchilada sauce.

Top with another layer of tortillas.

Add seasoned crumbles.

Add half of the remaining cheese and the rest of the chiles and half of the remaining sauce.

End with another layer to tortillas.

The rest of the enchilada sauce and cheese.

I covered with parchment paper and then covered with foil. Add dish to a baking sheet incase it spills over. Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove foil.

Add a layer of crumbled tortialla chips.

Return to oven for 15 minutes.

I let it rest while I prepared my garnishes. I shredded iceburg lettuce, broke out the store bought salsa and guac, a little vegan sour cream and homemade quick jalapeno pickles.

This was amazing. It would be a great dish to serve company since it makes so much.

Enjoy!!