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!!!!

Nachos

These would be whole food plant based if I had made my own tortilla chips. But, I bought these at a local grocery and they were amazing. They were made with organic blue corn and were so light and crispy. These nachos were a nice change from soups and/or an entrée with sides for lunch. Obviously, use the ingredients you have on hand and enjoy. 

• tortilla chips, I used enough for a nice layer on my serving platter
• Queso cheese sauce, use however much you want
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 avocado (guac, steps below)
• Salsa 
• pickled jalapenos, to taste
• 3 tablespoons red onion, diced small

Make the queso if you haven't already. Heat the black beans in a small saucepan with garlic powder, cumin and chili powder. I used about 1 teaspoon of each. I also had a small amount of tempeh taco 'meat' in the frig that I added so I could get rid of it. But it's not necessary. Stir frequently and turn heat to low to keep the beans warm.

Mash your avocado in a small bowl and add the juice from 1/2 a lime, a tablespoon of diced tomato, a tablespoon diced red onion, a sprinkle of salt. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. Set aside.

Arrange your chips on a serving platter and cover with bean mixture.

Drizzle with the warm queso.

Top with salsa; if your salsa is thin use a fork to get the salsa and leave the juice behind.

 

Add the amount of guac you would like.

Garnish with pickled jalapenos and diced red onion. I place all the topping by the platter so we could add more if we wanted to. I actually used a large spatula and served the nachos on individual saucers.

This was so good and there will be lots of leftover cheese sauce. You can use that sauce to pour over a baked potato, to make mac 'n cheese, to pour over broccoli and/or cauliflower, etc.

Quinoa & Tofu Burrito Bowl (WFPBNO)

We went through a 'bowl' kick for a little bit. It's so easy to prep a few things that compliment each other and arrange it all in a bowl and top with a dressing. You can add what you like and substitute for the veggies you have in your kitchen. These are a great way to have company for dinner, as each person can build their own bowl. This bowl is made out of simple everyday ingredients. I'll post the recipe for the Chipotle Lime Dressing later in the week. It was really delicious. But you could use your favorite salsa to top this off or instead of cubing your avocado, make some guac to top it off.

• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 14 ounces baked tofu
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1 avocado, diced
• Chipotle Lime Dressing
• pickled jalapeno slices, garnish

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add a couple tablespoons water and the onion. Saute until onion is fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Add garlic and cook another minute or two.

Add quinoa and toast for a couple of minutes. Stirring often.

Add the stock, tomatoes with the liquid and oregano. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook about 15 minutes until liquid has been absorbed by quinoa.

Give it a good stir.

Divide quinoa among four bowls. Top each bowl with lettuce, tomatoes, baked tofu and avocado. Drizzle with dressing and top with pickled jalapenos.

Enjoy!!!!

Mexican Bean Bowl (WFPBNO)

 Another delicious "bowl" recipe. These are some of our favorite dinners. Quick to toss together and yummy to eat. The basics are to pick a grain, green and veggies along with a sauce. I had some overnight pickled red onions in the frig and tossed some of them in this bowl. They were so tasty and added a nice crunch and tang to the dish. You can always sub black beans for pintos and what ever greens are in your frig for the spring mix. Go make a bowl!

• 1 15-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 14-ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup salsa (use your favorite)
• 2 cloves minced garlic (I buy pre-minced in a large jar)
• a couple of hands full of baby spinach
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• sliced pickled red onions
• cooked brown rice
• Garnish: ranch dressing, hot sauce, a squeeze of lime, avocado

Add the beans, tomatoes, salsa, nutritional yeast, cumin, red pepper flakes and garlic to a non-stick skillet. 

Simmer for a few minutes until it's nice hot.

Don't forget to get your grains cooked. I used brown rice, but you could use quinoa, farro, or whatever grain you have on hand.

Add the spinach to the pan and stir so that the spinach can wilt.

Scoop a couple of spoons full of rice in your bowl. Add bean/tomato/spinach mixture, pickled red onions, chopped avocado and a slice of lime. Drizzle with your vegan ranch dressing and a shot of hot sauce. 

Enjoy!!

Dynamite Sushi Bowl (WFPBNO)

I have never rolled sushi, even though I have everything to do so. I've seen a couple of sushi bowls online and decided to give my hand a whole food plant based sushi bowl. This was amazing. It made enough for two meals (4 servings) with a little rice left over. You will not be disappointed in making one of these bowls. Be sure to prep all your veg while the tofu is marinating or baking. You can use more or less wasabi depending on how much heat you enjoy! Also you could sub out some of the veg. I tried to make mine like a California roll without the cream cheese. I prefer to serve this dish in a bowl, but my big bowls were all in the dishwasher when I made this.

For the tofu:

• 1 12-ounce package extra-firm tofu
• 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup roasted garlic rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons agave
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

For the bowls:

• 4 servings sushi rice, cooked according to package directions
• 1/2 cup julienned carrots (1/4 cup per bowl)
• 2 persian cucumbers diced or cut into strips (1/2 a cucumber per bowl)
• 1 avocado, cubed (1/2 per bowl)
• Garnish: black sesame seeds, pickled ginger, alfalfa sprouts
• save the marinade from the tofu add wasabi to taste, mix well
• sriracha + mayo for a spicy mayo drizzle

Press the tofu for about 30 minutes to get rid of excess moisture. Cut into bite sized cubes and marinage in soy sauce, vinegar, agave and garlic.

Preheat convection oven to 375F. After marinating tofu add to a rack placed over a baking sheet.

 Bake for 20-25 minutes until firm and brown. Set aside.

To make your bowl, add rice, place tofu and veggies on your plate/bowl. Top with soy sauce/wasabi combo, spicy mayo, sesame seeds and pickled ginger!

This is a delicious dish. If you want WFPBNO be sure to make your own mayo. I used a vegan mayo to save on time, since you don't use very much.

Enjoy!!!

Lentil Sweet Potato Taco Bowl (WFPBNO)

 Y'all I have discovered canned lentils. One of my local stores has them on a regular basis; the other never has them. They make preparing dishes with lentil SO fast and easy. If you have the time by all means use dried lentils and prepare them. But, this is the quickest way to get some yummy lentils in a dish. If you want to try this dish be sure to have some cheese sauce on hand or make it first. For this recipe I used the Fork Over Knives Queso Sauce (it's amazing and a link is below). Serves 2

• 1 can lentils, rinsed and drained
• 1 medium/large sweet potato, baked until cooked through and cut in half
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 tablespoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon chipotle pepper
• 2 tablespoons of your favorite salsa
• 2 cups organic romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 avocado, sliced
• Forks Over Knives Queso Sauce
• Salsa, jalapenos, scallions to garnish

Before you begin be sure you have a cheese sauce you enjoy and get that sweet potato in the oven to bake. Add lentils (rinsed and drained) to a saute pan with all the spices and salsa.

Stir and cook 5-7 minutes until heated through. Stir occasionally.

Once everything is ready assemble your bowl (all of my bowls were in the dishwasher) or plate. Add chopped romaine lettuce to one side. Then around the edge add the lentils, halved sweet potato, avocado, tomatoes, extra salsa and your cheese sauce. Garnish with whatever other 'taco' things you like.

Enjoy!!!!

Quinoa Fiesta Enchilada Bake

 So last week for Taco Tuesday, I made this Enchilada Bake using Quinoa instead of tortillas. It was so tasty and it the spot for Mexican night. I also made Chick'n Taquitos using soy curls instead of the strips this recipe uses. Oh my gosh what a delicious meal. I need to make this enchilada bake on a regular rotation. It is so easy and comes together so fast. Also, you could sub out the black beans for pintos, or use half beans and half corn kernels. Use what you have on hand. But, make these asap! This made four healthy servings.

• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 3/4 cup tri-color quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 cup no chicken broth (I use Better Than Bouillon)
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle adobo sauce
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies
• 3/4 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 3/4 Daiya cheddar shreds
• 1 medium avocado, diced for garnish
• 1 scallion, sliced for garnish

In a medium saucepan cook the quinoa with 1 1/3 cup broth according to package directions. When done, fluff and set aside.

In a small saucepan add 2 tablespoons water and sauce the garlic about 2 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, cumin, chipotle adobe sauce. If it's too thick add 2 tablespoons water to thin it out. Bring to aboil and then turn down heat and simmer 3-4 minutes. Set aside.

In a large bowl combine the cooked quinoa, green chiles, black beans and 1/2 the cilantro. Stir in 1/4 cup cheese and mix well. 

Place in a 8x8 baking dish and spread out evenly.

Top with enchilada sauce and spread it out.

Top with the remainder of the cheese.

Cover with parchment paper and then foil. Bake in oven 20-25 minutes until it's hot and the cheese has melted. 

To serve, top with chopped avocado, scallions and cilantro. I also made the above mentioned taquitos to go with the dish. 

Enjoy! If you make this be sure to leave me a comment!!