VegTacos & Nacho Night!

We made these last night and they were absolutely delicious!

What you'll need:
Soft and/or Hard Shell Tacos
1 pkg Boca Crumbles
2 8oz blocks of Vegan Cheddar Cheese (or Vegan Gourmet Cheddar), shredded.
Tortilla Chips
3 Tomatoes, diced
1 Onion, diced
Shredded Lettuce
Taco Seasoning
Guacamole
Salsa
3 Bowls

Nachos:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Layer tortilla chips, 2 diced tomato & 1-8oz block of grated cheese in a oven-safe dish.
3. Bake in the oven for about 10-15 minutes (or until the cheese starts to melt)

Tacos:
1. Put Boca Crumbles in a frying pan over medium heat for a few minutes.
2. Add 1 diced tomatoes, 1 diced onion and taco seasoning (to taste).
3. Heat for 3-5 minutes, then place Boca taco mixture into a bowl.

Heat soft taco shells in the microwave and fill the other two bowls with guacamole & salsa.

Layer taco shell with Boca mixture, shredded cheese, salsa, guacamole & lettuce. Eat nachos "as is" or add guacamole and salsa to them as well. Enjoy! (Serves 2-4 people)

Alternate suggestions:
Replace Boca Crumbles with Morningingstar Chick'n Strips or Black Beans & Brown Rice.
Replace fresh tomatoes & onions with Hunt's diced tomatoes (fire roasted, onions & garlice, etc.)
Add re-fried beans to the nachos.

White Bean Alfredo Veggie Shirataki

White Bean Alfredo Veggie Shirataki

White Bean Alfredo Sauce  (2-4 servings)
1/4 cup margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cooked white beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups soy milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
Parsley (optional)
Jane's Krazy Mix up Salt (optional)
Jane's Krazy Mix up Pepper (optional)
Oregano (optional)

1. In a sauté pan over low heat, melt the margarine. Add the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Transfer the margarine mixture to a blender or food processor, add the white beans and 1 cup of soy milk. Blend until completely smooth. If the sauce is too thick, add the remaining soy milk until you reach the desired consistency.

3. Pour the sauce back into the pan over low heat, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Add fresh herbs, such as parsley, if desired. Cook until the sauce is warm.

(Adapted from VegCooking Blog)

Other Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Steamed Veggies (more or less may be used)
1 bag of Tofu Shirataki*

Vegetables:
1. Steam Vegetables until desired softness is reached

Pasta:
1. Open bag and Tofu Shirataki pasta.
2. Boil water and add the full bag of Tofu Shirataki.
3. Parboil pasta for a few minutes then re-drain pasta.

Place pasta on a plate, cover with veggies and sauce.

Servings:
Sauce, 2-4
Pasta & Veggies, 1-2

*Note: You can use regular pasta for this recipe as well, but the Tofu Shirataki is only 20 calories per serving (or only 40 calories per bag!)

Seltzer Brownies

Seltzer Brownies

1 Box Brownie Mix
6 oz of  Seltzer

1. Pre-heat oven according to temperature on the box of brownie mix.

2. Mix together, using a spoon, the brownie mix and seltzer until thoroughly combined.

3. Pour batter into cake pan and cook according to the baking time on the box.

(Picture coming soon)

Soda Cupcakes

Soda Cupcakes

1 Box Cake Mix (I prefer Duncan Hines)
10 oz of Soda, Diet Soda or Seltzer
1 Can of Frosting (I prefer Duncan Hines)




1. Pre-heat oven according to temperature on cake mix box and line cupcake trays with inserts or grease.

2. Using a hand held mixer, beat the cake mix and soda/seltzer together for about 2 minutes.

3. Pour batter into cupcake trays and bake according to cooking time on the back of the box of cake mix.

4. Let cupcakes cool, frost cupcakes.

Tip: If you're not going to use seltzer, for darker cakes - use darker colored sodas. For lighter cakes, use lighter colored sodas.

Peanut Butter and Banana Smudgies

Peanut Butter and Banana Smudgies

2 ripe bananas
2 heaping tbsps of peanut butter
10 graham crackers rectangles (1 sheet = 2 squares = 1 smudgie)

1. Peel the bananas and place them in a bowl.

2. Add the peanut butter and mash the two together with a fork until creamy.

3. Place 10 graham cracker squares on a piece of foil. Use the fork (or a spoon) to smear the banana and peanut butter mixture onto the crackers.

4. Then place a plain graham cracker on top to make 10 sandwiches.

5. Stack them so you have a row of three (and 1 extra on top in the middle) and then wrap them in the foil.

6. Place them in the freezer for at least six hours and enjoy.

(Original recipe found on FitSugar)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

1/2 Cup Earth Balance Butter
3/4 Cup Crunchy Peanut Butter
3/4 Cup Graham Crackers or 10 Graham Cracker Squares
1/4 Cup Maple Sugar or Other Granulated Sweetener (I used agave nectar, which isn't granulated)
1 Cup Non-Dairy (Dark) Chocolate or Carob Chips
1/4 Cup Soy, Rice or Nut Milk (I used Soy)
1/4 Cup Chopped Pecans, Almonds or Peanuts (I used Peanuts)

1. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the peanut butter, graham cracker crumbs and sugar and mix well. Remove the mixture from the heat. Evenly divide the mixture, approximately 2 tablespoons per cup, among the muffin cups (I followed the 2 tbsp suggestion and got 13 PB cups)

3. Combine the chocolate and milk in another pan. Stir over medium heat until the chocolate has melted. Spoon the chocolate evenly over the peanut butter mixture. Top with chopped nuts.

4. Place in refrigerator to set for at least 2 hours before serving.

(From The Kind Diet)

Pie-less Apple Pie

Pie-less Apple Pie

Prep/Cooking: Under 10 minutes
Yields: 1 Serving

1 Apple
1 Sheet of Graham Crackers (2 Crackers), smashed
2 tbsp Brown Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tbsp Butter

1. Cut up apple and put slices in a microwave safe bowl
2. Fill Bowl with Water. (It should cover the slices)
3. Microwave on High for 4-5 minutes (or until apples are soft)
4. Drain Apples and put back in the Bowl
5. Add Butter, Brown Sugar, Cinnamon, Graham Cracker Crumbs and mix thoroughly.

You can adjust the amounts of Brown Sugar, Cinnamon & Butter to taste.

Easy Pumpkin Pie

Easy Pumpkin Pie

1 can of Libby's Easy Pumpkin Pie Mix (30 oz)
1 box silken firm tofu
1 frozen pie crust shell

Add any (or all) spices listed, to taste:
ginger
nutmeg
cinnamon
allspice

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Mix Libby's Pumpkin Pie mix with the silken tofu in a blender.
3. Add in spices and blend a bit more
4. When happy with the taste, pour mixture into pie shell.
5. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F. then bake for an additional 50 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Chorizo and Rice Stirfry

Chorizo and Rice Stirfry (Serves 2)

1 link of Trader Joe's Vegan Chorizo (only $1.99 for a package of 2!)
1 package of boil in the bag brown rice
2 peppers, chopped*
1/2 an onion, chopped
1 or 2 tbsp of Olive Oil
1/4 tsp tumeric
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook the rice according to the directions on the box (most boil in the bag rice, you would cook for 10 minutes)

2. Put Olive oil in a pan, over medium heat, and then add in peppers and onions. Saute for 3 minutes.

3. Add 1 link of vegan chorizo (be sure to remove it from the sleeve - it will be crumbly) and cook for about another 5 minutes and stir.

4. Add the tumeric, salt and pepper and stir a bit more to mix everything together.

5. Open bag of rice and place in a dish then scoop out the pepper, onion, chorizo mixture and put it on top.

6. Mix everything together and serve.

Tips:

If you have a big enough pan, you could add the rice directly to the pepper and onion mixture and get the same results.

For a bit more color, use different colored peppers instead of just using green bell peppers.

I didn't get a chance to take a picture, but it's delicious. It's quite spicy though, so if you don't like spicy, this isn't for you.

Tofu Scramble

Tofu Scramble

1 block of Firm Tofu (Drain and press as much excess water out of it)
2 cups mixed peppers and onions (frozen)
1 cup Spinach (frozen)
1 tbsp Oil (Olive or vegetable oil)
3 cloves of garlic (minced) (You can also use the minced garlic that comes in a jar - 1/2 tsp usually equals 1 clove))
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Chicken Style Seasoning (like chicken bullion but loose powder - Check for vegetarian/vegan kinds)
1 tsp Ground Ginger

1. Defrost peppers & onions and spinach in microwave separately.
2. Heat oil in pan and then add peppers & onions, garlic. Let them saute for a couple minutes.
While the veggies are sauteing, mash the tofu - in a bowl - with either a fork or you can use your hands until it looks like scrambled eggs.
3. Make a hole in the center of the vegetables (pushing them to the sides of the pan) and add the tofu.
4. Then add seasonings: Turmeric, chicken seasoning & ginger and mix everything together. The tofu should turn a yellowish color.
5. After it's all well mixed, add the spinach and cook another minute more.

Either serve on a plate or make it into a sandwich (pita, bread, wrap..etc)

3, 2, 1 Cholate Cake (aka 3 Minute Cake)

3, 2 ,1 Cholate Cake (aka 3 Minute Cake)


3 tbsp Bisquick
2 tbsp Sugar
1 tbsp Cocoa Powder
Soy Milk

1. Mix ingredients together and put into a small bowl (or mug)
2. Microwave for about 3 minutes or until the cake looks like it's finished.

"Meat" Loaf

"Meat" Loaf (Serves 6)

2 cups of prepared veg broth
½ cup ketchup
2 tblsp tamari (or soy sauce)
2 cups of TVP granules
1 cup of quick oats or bread crumbs
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1 tbsp of nutritional yeast
                                                      2 tsp each garlic granules, onion powder, oregano and basil

You can also add chopped onions, peppers, rice or whatever else you think would taste good in it.

(BBQ topping option: 1/3 cup unsweetened ketchup, 2 tbls tamari, a good shake of liquid smoke)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1. In medium bowl, combine prepared broth, ketchup, tamari and TVP. Mix to combine and let stand 10 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.

2. Add remaining ingredients, except topping. Mix well

3. Pack mixture into a 9 x 5 loaf pan or a glass casserole. (Many people making this suggest just forming into a loaf on a baking sheet.) Bake 40-45 minutes.

4. If using topping, spread on loaf during the last 10 minutes of baking.

You can also use this recipe to make "meat" balls & patties.

Recipe was found here but modified slightly