BBQ Tofu & Collard Wrap

A few friends and I went to The Flying Biscuit for lunch. They have good food and have several vegetarian dishes that are easy to make vegan. Ummm a Vegan BBQ Burrito... the dish was amazing. I had to be able to make this. I hopped on Google and did a search for BBQ Tofu and Collards and I found The Bad Vegan site and used his ingredients to get started. I know this combo sounds crazy but it WORKS! 

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 package extra firm tofu, pressed to remove water and then crumbled
1/2 cup Annie's Organic BBQ Sauce
3 cups collard greens, rough stems removed, I purchased a bag of already chopped
4 large button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon Bragg's
Liquid Smoke to taste start with 1/2 teaspoon add more to you get a nice smokey flavor
your favorite tortillas
Green salsa (salsa verde)

Heat about a teaspoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add crumbled tofu and saute until golden brown.

Transfer tofu into a small sauce pan, add the BBQ sauce to the tofu (just enough to thickly coat the crumbles). Add a few dashes of liquid smoke and stir. Keep warm.

Return the skillet to the heat and add another teaspoon of oil. Add mushrooms and collards. This may seem like a lot of collards but they will cook down like spinach does. Add small amounts of broth to keep the bottom of the pan moist and the greens from burning.

Saute mushrooms and collards for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly to avoid burning. Continue to add broth as necessary, add a few dashes of soy sauce, and a generous amount of liquid smoke. Stir to evenly coat the greens. Continue to cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes until liquid is absorbed and green are tender.

When collards are done, (you don't want wet filling but you don't want dry either) fill up your tortillas with even amounts of greens and tofu. Pour some salsa over the top and serve warm. I liked a side of fresh avocado. The Flying Biscuit serves their version with "moon-dusted"  Rosemary Potatoes.

Enjoy!

Penne with Chick'n and Tomatoes

We felt like some pasta for dinner and I had all the ingredients to turn this into a vegan dish. Let me apologize for the pics of this post, they are terrible, but the dish is awesome. I sauteed some spinach in olive oil with thinly sliced garlic and served it on the side, but hey save a skillet and just toss it in to wilt before you add the tomatoes and other ingredients. Be sure to have all of  your ingredients ready because this comes together really quick.

• 16 ounces Penne
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh chopped garlic
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can Fire-Roasted diced tomatoes
• 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped or cut into thin strips
• 1 package Gardein Chick'n Scallopini, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) Diaya shredded mozzarell
• Salt and cracked black pepper to taste

 

Cook pasta according to package directions. 

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. This is where you could go ahead and add the spinach if you want to cook everything in one pan.

Add tomatoes and basil; cook 2 minutes. 

Add chicken; simmer for 5 minutes.

Toss with pasta and mozzarella cheese. 

Season to taste with salt and cracked black pepper. Serve immediately.

I cooked the spinach in a little olive oil.

Then once it was wilted add a few sliced garlic cloves.

 
Once it's nice and wilted serve it as a side dish.

Enjoy!

Food and no pics!

So - I've made a few things that are not blog worthy  :-(  in my humble opinion. I've made a few things that I didn't take pics of and I'll just have to make them again so I CAN blog them. However, I've made some awesome food from other blogger's - so here is that food list:

• Diablo dogs: OH MY GOSH -- you have to try these. The dog, the jalapeno, the onion, the chili, so messy delicious. The cheese sauce (supposedly taste like Cheez Whiz) is AWESOME!!!!! It would be great on a big plate of nachos.
• Skinny Bitch Caesar Salad Dressing -- yummy -- it's very very close to the real thing. We enjoyed our Caesar Salad with Spaghetti and non-meat balls.We'll be making this again.
• Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Potatoes -  I didn't have garlic olive oil, but I tossed garlic into the mixture before roasting it all in the oven. These are DELICIOUS!!! Served with collards and black-eyed peas, it was a wonderful vegetable dinner.

Look for a post soon for a BBQ Tofu and Collard Wraps like they serve at The Flying Biscuit courtesy of The Bad Vegan. UMMMMM.

Guacamole

Guacamole is delicious, and there are so many variations, but I like mine kind of chunky and kind of spicy and kind of salty. Use this recipe as a guide and adjust it to meet your likes!

• 4 ripe, avocados, seeded and peeled
• 2 limes, juice only
• 1 medium tomatoe, chopped
• 1 small sweet onion, chopped fine
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon. salt
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon  cayenne pepper
• a  pinch sugar
• 1 jalapeno chile, chopped fine
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

Place avocados in a bowl and mash with a fork.

Add remaining ingredients.

Mix well.

Serve with fresh tortilla chips. (this pic was taken after we had eaten most of the dips for the big game!)

Veggie Pizza

I love pizza, who doesn't. I cheated and used a premade vegan pizza crust (although I have some great crust recipes -- can you say lazy??) Any way use whatever topping you enjoy, leave off the ones you don't like - this is just how I do mine.

• 1 pizza crust
• Diaya cheese (I used about 2/3 of the package)
• Ragu Pizza sauce (or make your own -- again being lazy)
• bell pepper, sliced into rounds or wedges
• olives (I use whatever I have on hand: green olives, kalamata olives, etc.)
• roma tomatoes, sliced
• mushrooms (I sauteeed mine before adding them)
• sliced sweet onion
• cubanelle or Anaheim pepper, slice

Add sauce to crust:

Add in whatever order you wish but this is how I built mine: a little cheese

 

 Then bell pepper strips:

Add sweet onion:

Add roma tomato slices:

Top with olives:

Next add the Anaheim pepper:

Toss on the sauteed mushrooms:

Add the remainder of the cheese and bake according to your crust directions.

Refried Bean Poblanos with Cheese

We've been on a Tex-Mex spree, here's another delicious recipe adapted from one I found on MyRecipes. The gooier and hotter the better. I don't usually cook in the microwave (that's not really cooking- is it??) but this came together so fast for a week night meal I appreciated the quickness.

• 4  medium poblano chiles, halved and seeded
• 1  can vegetarian refried beans
• 1  (8.8-ounce) pouch Uncle Ben's Original Ready Rice
• 1/2  cup  picante sauce
• 1  cup  (4 ounces) Vegan Gourmet Nacho Cheese Alternative (or your choice of cheese)
• Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Place chile halves, cut sides up, on a microwave-safe dish. Cover with wax paper; microwave at HIGH 3 minutes.

While chiles cook, combine beans, rice, and picante sauce in a medium bowl, stirring well. (I know it's not pretty, but it is good!)

Spoon bean mixture evenly into chile halves.

Cover with wax paper; microwave at HIGH 2 minutes.  Uncover chiles, sprinkle each half with 2 tablespoons cheese, and microwave at HIGH 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese melts.

 Sprinkle evenly with cilantro, if desired.

Be sure to garnish with lettuce, salsa, sour cream (Toffuti) and pickled jalapeno slices. Yummy!

Bean and Beef Enchilada Casserole

Mexican, Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Southern, you name it we love spicy, ethnic and regional foods. I found this recipe in the BHG magazine and made it vegan, very easy to do with just a change in a few ingredients. This came together quickly and was even better as a left over. Casserole and one pot wonders make dinner a snap! Don't forget to garnish with a side of  shredded lettuce, salsa, sour cream (Toffuti) and jalapenos.

• 1 package Tofu crumbles (whatever brand you prefer)
• 1/2 cup  onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 15-ounce can  pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 4-ounce can  diced green chili peppers
• 8-ounces Toffuti sour cream
• 2 tablespoons  all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon  garlic powder
• 8 6-inch  corn tortillas
• 1 10-ounce  can enchilada sauce  
• 1 cup Daiya shredded cheddar cheese (4 ounces)

In a large skillet cook the onion, chili powder, and cumin until onion is tender. 

Stir pinto beans and undrained chili peppers and crumbles, stir well and set aside.

In a small mixing bowl stir together sour cream, flour, and garlic powder until combined; set aside.

Place half of the tortillas in the bottom of a lightly greased 2-quart rectangular baking dish, cutting to fit if necessary.  

Top with half of the meat mixture.

Then half of the sour cream mixture.

Then half of the enchilada sauce.

Repeat layers.

Cover dish with foil. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until bubbly. (sorry no pic)

Uncover; sprinkle with cheese and bake 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted. 

Serves 6-8. Enjoy