Supreme Vegan Nachos!!!

OK sometimes you have to do the basics...  these are simple Supreme Vegan Nachos, but man they were very good!!!
I made nacho cheezzzzz, guacamole, garlic refried black beans, salsa verde, and topped with Rotel and vegan sour cream.
Nacho Cheezzzzz Recipe:
1 can new potatoes (save the water)
1 white onion
1 tooth garlic
1 handful of baby carrots
1/4 cup raw cashews
1/2 of a Buttery Stick (vegan marg)
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
2 tablespoons pickled jalapeno juice
1 teaspoon mustard sweat
1 teaspoon salt
First:  Water from a can of new potatoes + 1/2 onion + handful of baby carrots + 1 tooth of garlic, microwaved til soft
Second:  Put the following in VitaMix or whatever blender you have: can of new potatoes (yes lazy but fast), raw cashews, buttery stick, spices + salt + teaspoon mustard sweat (yeah it is just the water that rises to the top, too much mustard and the kids won't touch it), add the softened veggies from the microwave. Blend till it is cheese sauce, the pour on the chips, save the rest and eat at two in the morning, cold right out of the fridge!
I made Salsa Verde, which was 1 can of green chili enchilada sauce, 1/4 cup of cilantro, and one fresh jalapeno, run through the VitaMix until there were no noticeable chunks.
The beans were made of one can black beans pureed with 1/2 white onion, 1 tooth of garlic and simmered until hot.
The Supreme Vegan Nachos were topped with guacamole (1 avocado squished with a bit of the Salsa Verde), Toffutti Sour Cream, and Rotel (right out of the can)!!!

Vegan Taco Tuesday!!!

I love tacos.... so easy, so fast, so cheap, so kid friendly. There are many nights when we need to put together a quick dinner that works for everyone. Carter likes them with just beans, Addison has been developing a taste for spicy things, and Nikki and I usually go extra hot. I always try to keep it simple and let the garnishes define which taco is for whom.
20 minutes from start to eat!!!




Here's the line up:

• Canned organic black and pinto beans, seasoned with cumin, garlic powder, onion powder
• Morningstar Farms, Vegan Steak strips
• Grilled onions
  
• Rotel, canned tomatoes and green chili's
• Follow Your Heart vegan Jack cheese
• Toffutti Sour Supreme
• Romaine lettuce

We served these soft taco style and just warmed the flour tortillas up in the microwave.
Most of the time I will heat up the tacos in my giant "18" Volrath commercial frying pan, but on this night we streamlined.
As we move into summer you will see more tacos, because it is a quick and easy way to utilize many of the veggies from the CSA and the farmers market.

Yeah that's right... More Tacos... But these are crispy!!!!

I may have mentioned that I have started a new remodeling project. I am updating a bathroom that was originally built in the 1930's. The work of dismantling the bathroom in order to make it work better for today's needs has been to say the least tiring!!!! I am trying to minimize waste as much as possible, but I have still removed about a ton of cement and old tile!!!
So cooking has not been on the top of the agenda recently!!! These crispy taco shells have been in the cabinet for months, so yes time for more tacos.
I was pretty tired so Nikki put everything together:

• Beans
• Morningstar Farms crumbles
• Corn
• Follow Your Heart Cheddar
• Black beans
• Toffutti Sour Cream
• Avocados
• Jalapenos

The taco shells were strange, first of all they were tiny, they were also whisper thin, but they tasted pretty good. The real star was the avocado, they have been outstanding this year and very reasonably priced!!
I love avocados, when I was young I used to spend the summers with my grandparents who lived in Oaxaca City in southern Mexico. There were always many kinds and shapes of avocados. I can remember going to the "vegetable" market with my grandmother to get the week's vegetables and hearing her haggle with the vendors over price and quality. I wish that I could go to a market like that, it was like the ultimate farmers market with every kind of fresh vegetable and fruit you could imagine!!!! She was very passionate about food and spent a tremendous amount of time preparing food. I think that she really liked it when I came to visit because she could cook more!!!!
But I digress.... one of my favorite things when I spent time with them were the avocados. They came in many shapes as sizes, from the size of a lemon to the size of a football. I would have fresh tortillas with avocado for breakfast, and a favorite evening snack was toasted french bread with avocado smeared on top, and hot chocolate.

Another Night at the Taco Stand!!!!!

You might assume that these are small tacos because there are three of them in one pan, but you would be wrong!!!! This pan is a major player in many of our meals, it is a commercial Volrath 20 inch non-stick saute pan. I used to use my wok for most meals, but it did not work well for things like tacos that prefer a grill, unlike a grill it has sides that keep splatters down and makes clean up a snap.
Things are hectic again this week,
I have started a new bathroom remodel, evening school activities, and the day to day busy life we lead.
Tacos are always a quick and easy meal, and usually ready in 20 minutes which is very handy when Addison has 6:00 basketball practice. I have a feeling that you may be seeing a few taco nights in the coming weeks, and some more chili nights. Although taco are surprisingly simple yet there are so many ways to make them, each time can be different.
These were very basic:

• Flour Tortillas
• Vegetarian refried beans
• Veggie Crumbles with taco seasoning
• Follow your Heart Cheddar

Heat those in the big pan
Top with:
Lettuce, tomatoes, left over Aji of Campana(fresh salsa), Tofutti Sour Cream, and Wholly Guacamole(there was a big clearance sale at the store last week end, $.79 per pack, I bought too many!!!!)
Many times when we have tacos that is the whole meal, since it has all of the different elements of a complete meal I usually do not make sides. Also it is easy to adjust the toppings so that everyone gets what they want.

Three Can Vegan Chili

Three Can Chilli
This is a pretty standard meal for us in the winter, because it seems like we are busier, and fresh veggies availability and prices are not favorable!!! We also want something hot!!!!
The three can chili is so easy it's criminal, as soon as it is hot it is ready, ten minutes really:
Three cans of organic beans (whatever kind you have, except Garbanzo cause that would be weird)

• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic and onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• Salt to taste
  
• cup of TVP or vegan ground replacer

Top with whatever you have example below:

• Cilantro
• Tomato - fresh or Rotel
• Jalapenos
• Onions
• Tofutti sour cream
• Follow your Heart Cheddar or Jack
• Posole or corn
• Fried okra (just checking to see if you were still awake!!!)
• Tortilla chips or warm tortillas
  

Or whatever else tickles your fancy, just make sure that the base chili is kid friendly then add the toppings.

Curried Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

Nikki has been wanting to make butternut squash soup for a while, and I have to admit it has not totally on board. I am not a big squash fan, but I find that when we do make some kind of squash I like it. We worked on the soup together... one of the best things in the world, slicing and dicing at Nikki's direction!!!
This started out to be a PCRM Butternut Squash Soup, but evolved to be a combination of that recipe and the Curried Sweet Potato Soup. The final product was truly spectacular!!! We went a bit over board with ginger, which complimented the sweetness of the squash and sweet potato, but also made it spicy. I topped it with a dab of Tofutti sour cream, and black pepper.
Fortunately there was enough leftover to have some the next day.
The kids did not like this one too much, Carter had a peanut butter sandwich and Addison ate some of the soup, not her favorite.

PCRM Soup Recipes

Baked Potatoes....

Some times our vegan culinary adventure is..... well....
Basic and perhaps.... boring!!!!
Last night was baked potato night. The store had some really nice looking, big potatoes that called to me last week. I like to have a couple on hand and use them before they start growing.
I spend my elementary school days living in rural southeastern Idaho.... so I know a good potato when I see one!!! The key thing to look for in a potato is whether there is any green under the skin, if you make a small scratch and you see green.... put the potato down and walk away. The green means the potato has seen too much light and has begun to think about growing... green equals bitter, even if you cut the green away. Also potatoes should smell like dirt!!!!
These potatoes were light and grainy meaning they were harvested this fall, some potatoes can be almost a year old by the time they make it to the store. This is especially true in the summer months, that's when you definitely want to buy local.
These potatoes baked for 45 minutes at 400 degrees, I like the skins crispy if possible.
We topped with:

• Cheese sauce, leftover from Mac-N-Cheese earlier in the week
• Tofutti sour cream(non transfat formula)
• Baco Bits
• Corn, peas, and edamame
• Margarine
• Brown gravy, with Morningstar Farms Crumbles(which tasted much better than it looks in the pictures below!!!!)

Everyone made a happy plate(all clean!!), even Carter. This is always a good reminder that simple basic food can be the most enjoyable meals. I also reminds me that I do not have to push the VEGAN envelope with every meal.

Chipotle Night, too lazy to cook

Some days are too hectic and crazy to contemplate cooking dinner, today was one of those days.
I have been been a fan of Chipotle ever since they opened their first store on Colorado BLVD. by University Hospital in Denver. They were one of the first BIG burrito providers and in my opinion they are the best. Yes I know that they serve those things which should not be mentioned on a vegan blog, but they are very accommodating.
We usually get the fajita burrito, black beans, guacamole, mild and medium salsas, no cheese, no sour cream. We add the Toffuti sour cream and vegan cheese when we get home. A couple of Coronas and some chips and salsa, and we were more than sufficiently fed.
Addison likes the crunchy black bean tacos, Carter likes a side of rice and black beans and a couple tortillas. He likes to make his own tacos!!!! He ate two big ones tonight!!!
Part of my goal with this blog is to show that it is fairly easy to find veganized food at mainstream restaurants, it always helps when they make it in front of you!!!! I have found that most restaurant people are willing to work with you if you take the time to explain and smile alot!!!!

Taco Night Quick Style

Did a crazy thing, went to the store on a Friday night! Had a list and got the shopping done in 45 minutes, basically ran through the store throwing things in the cart, but we were out of food. I usually go on Saturdays and the whole process takes an hour and a half.
I was hungry going in so I probably got more stuff than we needed, so hopefully we will have some exciting posts this week!!!!
We got home around 5:30, put the groceries away, Thanks Nikki and Addison. I was thinking tacos, fajita style... cut up half and onion, a green pepper, and put some Morningstar Farms Chic'n strips, placed in a roasting pan with a touch of oil, salt, cumin, onion powder, and garlic powder. Placed under the broiler until browned about 10 minutes.
Made instant brown rice, added Taco Bell hot sauce, yeah that's right the little packets, what can I say it makes good spanish rice.
Warmed up flour tortillas in the big pan, with Follow Your Heart Jack Cheese, and pinto beans. Added jalapenos, green onions, Toffuti sour cream, rice, and some rotel.
The tacos were good and fast!!!!!! I ate a couple too many though.
Avocados were on sale at the store but they were not ripe yet so I will be adding them so something later in the week.

NY's eve + NY's day

We had a few people over on New Years Eve. We asked people to bring a vegan food or beverage item. We had a very good selection of food items. Since we had two gluten free families we also mostly had GF items. I have to apologize for not taking pictures, I was engaged in good conversation and not paying attention.
Here's a list of the food:

• Black Eyed Pea dip w/cilantro, tomato, green onion, and cilantro.
• Smoky Black Bean Dip with chips.
• Spinach Dip w/toffuti sour cream
• Chocolate Peanut Butter balls, from the Sinfully Vegan Cookbook.
• Miniature chocolate pies thanks JoAnn
• Rice spring roll wrappers, filled with broccoli, thanks JoAnn, totally awesome!!!
• Hummus, veggies, and crackers, thanks Bob
• GF banana Macaroons, thanks Kennedys

The gathering was fun and it was great to hear the optimistic take on the coming year.
The late night and a few drinks led to a well deserved down day for New Years day.
We had a late breakfast of hash browns, black beans, and scrambled tofu.



For dinner I made basic corn and potato chowder. I was looking at the new VegNews the other day, I love soups. The chowder took about 45 minutes to make. This was mainly due to the fact that I peeled the potatoes for Carter's benefit. I was determined that one of his New Years resolutions was to eat soup... PLEASE don't tell him!!!!



The basic chowder included, potatoes, corn, carrots, onions, veggie broth. I thickened with potato starch, which has a thicker texture than corn starch. I finished the soup with Coffee Rich, which can handle the heat and is not sweetened like other creamers.
Nikki ran to the store and got a loaf of good bread... Have to have good bread with soup!!!!!

To the store with Mr. Osum

I try to do most of the shopping for the week in a single trip, which as many of you know is not always easy, since there are few stores that carry every thing a vegan family needs. The main store that I go to is Checkers, a local low price store, which has great prices on vegetables and good variety. They have a fair number of staple items too. Then I usually go to the local coop or one of the other stores in town to fill in the blanks. I like taking Addison because she is a quick and thorough label reader. The store used to cause me a great deal of stress, constantly reading labels to find that there was some animal product in almost everything(especially gelatin in kid stuff and cereal). She is on her way home today so Mr. Osum(Carter) came with me.
Carter is doing a great job of starting to try to read labels, although he was bummed that the chicken noodle soup he was holding had chicken in it. I offered to make him no chicken soup, with alphabet noodles, but he DOES NOT LIKE SOUP!!! The irony!!!



Here is the trunk full of vegan vittles, loaded in pro-vegan-green shopping bags. And yes people stop me all of the time to ask about the bags, which is interesting!!! I like to talk to people about being vegan, and so does Carter. I am happy when I feel that a "vegan" conversation has answered someone's questions about being vegan and left them with a positive impression.


These are the dry goods, there are more beans and tofu out of camera range!!!! I try to buy as few processed foods as possible, but I have to buy some.
Below are the veggies: kale, spinach, limes, lemons, broccoli, romaine, carrots, cauliflower, onions, jalapenos, garlic, potatoes, and red and green peppers.



In the back you can see store brand bread, bread is one of the items that causes me quite a bit of frustration. The kids are like any others... their idea of good bread is soft white and squishy. I prefer something that is crustier. Most of the bread in stores are made at centralized bakeries, and in the past six months have reformulated because of commodity prices earlier in the year. Earlier in the year there were a hand full of breads that were clean, but not after the reformulations. There are very few mainline breads that vegan, milk and honey are the main offenders.
The experience with bread this year has really made me vigilant in reading labels because you never know when they change formulations.
The store trip takes about an hour and a half with some time to prep/wash veggies and put everything away.

So Many Blessings!!!

To start the day Addison and I made cinnamon rolls, her idea. To keep it simple we start with reduced fat crescent roll dough, and fill with brown sugar and cinnamon. They bake for 15 min, topped with mixture of brown sugar, powdered sugar, vanilla, buttery stick, and silk creamer. heat the mixture until it bubbles, pour on top of rolls. Easy, kid friendly, delicious, and vegan.







We had a late afternoon dinner:
Chick pea Cutlets, the kids favorite (from V-CON)
Mashed tatos
Gravy
Stuffing
Green Beans
Corn, black bean and tomato salad
Apple crisp for desert
That was a few hours ago and I am just now able to type!!!
Today was another fantastic holiday with family that enjoys our new(2 year old) traditions!!!! Every one pitches in and we all eat well. I am really happy when we are able to host or cook a complete holiday meal. I feel as though maybe there will be a time when vegan celebrations will be more common and as a cumulative will have an impact on big pictures.
A couple of store note NEW ITEMS found in Denver:
Follow your Heart cream cheese and sour cream.... sorry I still prefer Tofutti
Saw the Morningstar Farms VEGAN labeling for the first time, on the chic strips and a vegan burger, priced at $8.97 YIKES!!!!!!!!!!! On sale for $4.39 though. Their pricing is not going to help sales. Seitan is too easy to make!!
Cannot talk about food anymore I have eaten too much!!!!!

Steamin' Hot Green Curry

Tofu green curry..... so nice on a cold day. has some spice but not too much
Carrots
Cauliflower
Eda Mame
Celery
Tofu
Coconut milk broth
About 20 minutes start to finish.



Carter had baked tofu and mashed potatoes, the boy will not eat soup!!!!! Someday he will and then he will be sad;)

I pride myself on putting hot food on the table, the steam does make pictures a bit hard.