Superbowl Tacos!

I had a cute pic of Chewie, but when I updated my iPhone OS, it put all my pictures in a ton of folders and I can't find anything now. argh

Anyway, I made some homemade taco seasoning and tacos tonight for our Superbowl party of three. I think this recipe is a mix of some I found somewhere online. It was pretty delicious.

 

Taco Seasoning

 

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

 

Mix together in a small jar.

I had some Gardein Beefless tips which I sautéed with some of my taco seasoning. I also sautéed a couple poblano peppers and an onion. Tacos were the Gardein Beefless tips, peppers and onions, fresh cilantro leaves, vegan sour cream, salsa, and fresh organic tomatoes with flour tortillas. I served them with roasted carrots and mashed sweet potatoes with a pureed chipotle pepper in adobo mashed into them. Mmmm.

Vegan "No Huevos" Rancheros and a Simple Salad

Vegan "No Huevos" Rancheros

This is one of my favorite quick as can be dinners.

Ingredients:
Polenta, prepared (I buy one of the pre-cooked polenta rolls when I'm feeling lazy.)
GOYA Rancheros beans
Olives (I usually use black olives)
Fresh chopped tomatoes
Avocado chunks
Vegan sour cream (if you like) - I like Tofutti brand.
Salsa

Preparation:
Layer polenta slices at bottom of microwaveable bowl, then a layer of the beans. Cover and heat until warm (about 1 min 30 seconds).
Layer some salsa, fresh tomatoes, olives, avocado, and sour cream on top.
Enjoy!

 

Simple Beet Salad

 

Including here because I am trying to overcome my need to sprinkle cheese in every salad. This one was satisfying without the cheese.

 

Ingredients:

Roasted Beets

Avocado

Mesclun Lettuce

Cucumber slices

Shallot

Hemp Seeds

 

Wolffie's Balsamic Vinegar Dressing (from La Dolce Vegan p.95): (my fave!)

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons maple syrup

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup oil (such as flax, hemp, or grapeseed)

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

 

Preparation:

Combine all salad ingredients in a bowl. Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well. Sprinkle some dressing on salad. Yum.

 

I think I'll have some soy whip and chocolate pudding for dessert. ;) Yum!

International Travel 2012 ... Cancun, Mexico

My husband and I enjoyed 5 days of paradise in Cancun last week at Fiesta Americana Condesa Cancun.
I want to go back immediately!



Link to full album:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150769654647174.465901.514802173&type=1&l=5de05f9c64

As promised, some travel photos thrown in ...

Pictures of our recent honeymoon in Los Cabos, Mexico!

From Honeymoon in Los Cabos, Mexico July/August 2011

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Link to photo album:
https://picasaweb.google.com/109503127888000006939/HoneymoonInLosCabosMexicoJulyAugust2011?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCIaV1ZCWtM-b1wE&feat=directlink

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Nopalitos!

Eureka! I found nopalitos at the Associated Supermarket near my apartment!



I think I'm going to make breakfast burritos con nopalitos for dinner one night this week.

Post to follow! ;)

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Edit: Nopalitos con Huevos! Dinner on 5/20/08



Nopalitos sort of taste like mildly spicy peppers. Mmm. So, they went really well with eggs.

I made some breakfast burritos with them ... which included:
2 baking potatoes (diced and steamed before put in the frying pan to toast)
4 eggs
tortillas
some jarred nopalitos
cheese
onion (diced and sautéed in a little oil with the potatoes)
salsa
some leftover chopped fresh basil and parsley

I scrambled the eggs and threw everything else in there with them ... and wrapped it all up in tortillas. Yum.

Vegetarian Tamales!

Yesterday, I devoted the afternoon and early evening to making tamale from scratch.
Tamales are not easy to make and they're a bit labor intensive, but they're soooo worth it!

They came out pretty damn good. I have to say that I am proud.
Thanks to The PPK's show on tamales, I was well-informed. ;)

First, I bought the ingredients:
* MASECA brand masa harina (special corn flour that's been treated with lime)
* CRISCO (gross, I know, but you need to add some fat ... at least it's vegetable fat [it's actually vegan!])
* Corn husks to wrap them (I bought them dry in a bag)
* Veggie broth (I buy boxed rather than make my own)
and filling ingredients:
* 4 ears corn
* 1 onion
* 1 bag shredded Mexican blend cheese
* 1 can chipotle peppers in Adobo

Then, I steamed the ears of corn for 10 mins and sautéed the onion until it was nice and brown.
Once it had cooled a bit, I cut the corn off the cob and cut up the chipotles.
WARNING: Chipotles are hot. I usually wear gloves to cut up hot peppers, but I forgot this time and my hands suffered badly.
They were in a lot of pain and it took about 5 good washes until they were better. =(

Then I made the dough by combining 4 cups of the masa harina, 1.25 cups of CRISCO,
and 4 cups of heated veggie broth by hand. (It's messy, but I enjoyed it. heh)

Then I boiled the dry corn husks until they were pliable.

Next, I put down a corn husk, put a bit of the dough on top, and then layered a chipotle,
some onions, some cheese and some corn. Then I put some more dough on top
to seal those ingredients in. Then you wrap up the husk. (The PPK show can show you this in detail.)

The results ... A messy kitchen, but a lovely stack of delicious tamales. Mmm Mmm good.