Baked Creamy Chick'n Taquitos

I love taquitos and have found vegan ones at Ward's from time to time. However, it's hit or miss and usually a miss. I saw this non-vegan recipe for them and decided I could make it vegan. Oh my gosh-- these were so good. I have already made them twice. Best part, they are easy, not fried and delicious. We had these for a light dinner, but they would be great as an appetizer or lunch as well.

• 3 ounces Toffuti cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup green salsa
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 tablespoons green onions, sliced
• 1 package Beyond Meat Grilled Strips (Chick'n), chopped
• 1 cup Daiya PepperJack Shreds
• 12 (more or less) small flour tortillas
• Sea Salt
• Garnish: salsa, sour cream, guac, whatever you want to dip these babies in)

Preheat oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray. In a medium bowl mix softened cream cheese,green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic powder, mix well.

Add cilantro, green onions, chick'n and pepperjack, combine well.

Place 2-3 tablespoons of mixture on the lower third of a tortilla and roll up as tight as you can.

Place tortillas seam side down on the baking sheet. Spray the tops of the tortillas lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with sea salt on top.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until they begin to turn golden brown.

Serve with suggested garnishes.

Enjoy!!

Black Bean & Butternut Squash Enchillada Skillet

Two of may favorite food combos black beans and butternut squash (or use sweet potatoes). These two make the perfect Mexican anything. Here we do a deconstructed enchilada. The bonus is it's ready in under 30 minutes.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
• 4 cups butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 8 corn tortillas, cut inot large squares
• 2 cans green enchilada sauce
• 1 package Beyond Meat chicken strips, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 package Daiya Cheddar cheese shreds

In a large, 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil  and add onion, garlic and jalapeno. Cook for 5-7 minutes, sitrring occasionally, until onion is soft.

Stir in butternut squash, salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder. Cook 10-12 minutes, stirring frequently, until the squash is tender.

Stir in chicken pieces and stir.

Add the beans, tortillas and enchilada sauce.

Bring to a simmer and cook for a few minutes so the tortillas can soak up some of the sauce.

Add cilantro and cheese. Stir well Cook another minute so cheese can start to melt. You can reserve some of the cheese to serve as a garnish is you want.

Enjoy!

Avocado Black Bean Quesadillas

Quesadillas are so easy and fast to make. They can contain any combo of foods. These are really quick and the beans add to the protein intake. Be sure to mash them (better than I did) so that the quesadillas hold together real well. I lost a bean of two, but hey, I don't care they were amazing. These can be served as an appetizer, or eat them as dinner like we did.

• 1/2 sweet onion, roughly chopped
• 1/2 bell pepper, roughly chopped (I used yellow)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 package taco seasoning
• 6 medium-sized, soft flour tortillas
• 3 avocados, halved, seeded (use a spoon and scoop flesh into bowl)
• 1/4 cup minced cilantro
• 1 lime, cut in half
• 1 cup Daiya Pepperjack shreds

In a medium pan over medium-high heat, saute onion and bell pepper in 1 tablespoon oil for 2-3 minutes.

 Add black beans and taco seasoning. Cook for another minute. Remove from heat. Set aside.

In a small bowl, lightly mash the avocado with a fork. Stir in cilantro, juice of the lime, season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Spread about 1/3-1/2 cup of this mixture over a tortilla. Place tortilla in a warm cast iron skillet.

Top with bean mixture.

Add a layer of cheese.

Add another tortilla.

Cook until the bottom tortilla is brown. Carefully flip.

Cook until the other side is brown. Remove to a cutting board and let rest a bit before you cut into 6ths. Garnish with sour cream, jalapenos, salsa, etc.

Enjoy!!!

Spinach Artichoke Pasta Salad

This simple salad is delicious!!!!  The leftovers are  yummy, but the pasta does soak up some of the moisture from the salad so it's not as creamy. The flavors here are wonderful!! I saw this recipe online and made it vegan very easily.

• 12 ounces pasta (I used twisted elbows, but rotini would work nicely)
• 1 cup Toffuti vegan sour cream
• 3/4 cup Just Mayo vegan mayo
• 1 package vegetable soup mix (Knorr brand was vegan)
• 3 green onion, sliced
• 1 can water packed artichokes (I used a can of quartered hearts)
• 4 cups lightly packed, chopped fresh spinach

Cook pasta al dente according to package directions. While it's cooking in a large bowl combine sour cream, mayo and dry soup mix.

Drain artichokes and add them to the sauce. Fold in the remaining ingredients.

Add the drained pasta. Toss well.

Refrigerate for 1 hour to let flavors marry, before serving.

I served this with a big, juicy sliced tomato.

Enjoy!!!