Holiday Post!: Mexican Stuffed Poblano Pepper.

I love spicy. I mean, I looooooooove spicy. So this Mexican Stuffed Poblano is naturally one of my favorite meals. Relatively simple and super scrumptious, this visually appealing pepper packs good protein ad ton of other nutrients from veggies. Serve alongside steamed veggies and brown rice or homemade corn chips and voila! Dinner. Happy cinco de mayo!

       Mexican Stuffed Poblano Pepper. 

Mexican Stuffed Poblano Pepper; Vegan, Gluten-free. Serves one. 

Ingredients

1. One large poblano pepper (mine weighed 6 oz.), top removed and seeded

2. 1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed

3. 5 oz. cauliflower florets, processed into cauliflower "rice"

4. 1/4 cup chopped onion

5. 2 tsp minced garlic

6. 2 T bragg's liquid aminos

7. One small Roma tomato, chopped 

8. Cayenne, cumin, and oregano to taste

9. 1/4 cup salsa of choice (I used tomatillo verde salsa)

Method 

1. Sauté onion and garlic with a little water in a nonstick pan until soft. Add aminos and sauté about 3 minutes. 

2. Add black beans, cauli "rice", and tomato. Stir with spatula and then add your salsa. Cook over medium heat until heated through and tomatoes are slightly wilted. 

3. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for a few minutes. 

4. Preheat oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with parchment. While oven is preheating, wash and prepare your poblano. Once seeded, start spooning the skillet mixture into the pepper, mashing it in tightly but gently. Do not overfill. I had some filling left over that I served over some spinach. 

5. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes, or until pepper is beginning to brown and slightly wilted. Let cool a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Holiday Post!: Lemon-Lime "Zinger" Smoothie.

Cinco de Mayo is a holiday worthy of celebration, right?! In my opinion, any holiday that involves themed-food is worthy of celebrating. You all know I absolutely LOVE making holiday food and creating fun holiday-themed recipes. I'm so corny like that...!
This Lemon-Lime "Zinger" Smoothie is perfect for Cinco de Mayo. Cool and tangy, a perfect treat to sip on as you're sitting poolside this summer too.

Lemon-Lime "Zinger" Smoothie.

Lemon-Lime "Zinger" Smoothie; Vegan, Gluten-Free. Serves One. 

Ingredients

1. one whole lemon, peeled, sectioned, and frozen
2. one whole lime, peeled, sectioned, and frozen
3. 1 cup water
4. 1-2 stevia packets (I know it seems like a lot, but TRUST me...)

Method

1. Combine all ingredients in a Vitamix or other high speed blender and blend until frosty. Enjoy!

Frosty Deliciousness. Yummmmmmo.

Beefless Enchilada

This thing rocks. It is so so good. Totally vegan, of course, but would satisfy any meat eater's meat craving. Nice and hearty, this goes great with a Mexican style salad. 

                  Beefless Enchilada. 

Beefless Enchilada; Vegan. Serves one. 

Ingredients 

1. One extra large wrap (mine was a lavash)

2. 2/3 cup TVP granules

3. Scant 2/3 cup water

4. 1/4 cup chopped onion

5. 2 tsp minced garlic

6. Poultry seasoning, to taste

7. 1 T bragg's liquid aminos 

8. 2 T no salt added tomato paste

9. 2 T water

10. Cumin, cayenne, oregano, liquid aminos to taste

Method 

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment and place lavash or wrap on top. 

2. Heat a non stick pan over medium heat. 

3. In a medium bowl combine TVP and water. Microwave 2 minutes, watching carefully to make sure it doesn't overflow. 

4. Add some water to your pan and sauté the onion and garlic. Cook about 2 minutes, then add the now cooked TVP, poultry seasoning, and aminos. Cook until gmfragrant and liquid is gone. 

5. Spread filling into lavash and roll up tightly, folding ends shut. Bake for 10 minutes. 

6. While baking, make your sauce. In a small soup pot, add tomato paste, water, and spices. Cook, stirring frequently, until warm and thickened slightly. 

7. When enchilada is done, remove from oven, transfer to plate, and spread sauce over top. Enjoy!

Smooth 'n Spicy Red Bean Soup

Just because it's spring doesn't mean I can't still have my beloved soup. Soup is such an easy meal. Just liquid, veggies, protein, grains (if you desire), spices, and BOOM. Dinner is served. This soup is a tad bit more tedious than my other soup recipes I've shared, but it's worth it TRUST me. Man, oh man. This stuff rocks. I served mine with "Cheezy" Enchiladas (I just used two oat flour tortillas,  filled them with my "Basic Cheese Sauce", and topped them with a quick Enchilada sauce of tomato paste, water, cumin, oregano, and cayenne. Perfect!), which made for a very delicious and filling meal.

Oh-so-Smooth 'n Spicy Red Bean Soup. Mmmmmm.

Smooth 'n Spicy Red Bean Soup; Vegan, Gluten-Free. Serves One.

Ingredients

1. 1/2 cup small red beans (dried)
2. 1 cup salt-free or low sodium vegetable broth
3. 1/3-1/2 cup water
4. 1/4 cup chopped onion
5. 2 tsp minced garlic
6. 1 T Bragg's liquid aminos
7. to taste: cumin, oregano, chipotle powders
8. hot sauce and black pepper, for garnish

Method

1. Combine beans in a small soup pot with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, boil for 10 minutes. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 10 minutes. Uncover and cook until tender. 
2. Saute onion and garlic in a nonstick pan in 1 T aminos. Cook 2 minutes, add spices, and cook until liquid is gone. 
3. Drain beans and place in a Vitamix with broth, onion sauté, and extra water. Blend on HIGH until smooth. 
4. Pour into bowl and top with hot sauce and black pepper.

Note: I like my soup on the thick side, so I added between 1/3 and 1/2 cup (I didn't measure). If you prefer a thinner soup, you can add as much excess water as you like. Just add as you go so you don't put too much in. 

Mexican Pancakes with Un-Fried "Re-fried" Beans

This recipe was created after a VERY long and stressful day. I was tired, hungry, cold, and wanted something filling, quick, and comforting. My go-to "filling" food is beans...always! I mean, how can you not be full from all the fiber and protein?! I love beans. Loooooove them. I aim to eat at least 2 servings of beans per day. They are just SO nutritious (not to mention delicious and versatile...there is so much you can do with them!) Quick and comforting? Pancakes satisfies both of those requirements. Now to combine the two...
I remembered I had a big bag of Masa Harina Flour that I had bought for a cookbook recipe. Don't you love when a recipe calls for an ingredient that you buy, consciously knowing you will probably NEVER use it again, but buy it anyway because you REALLY want to make the recipe? Yeah. That's what happened in this situation...But I'm slowly discovering the wonders of Masa! Not only is it quick and nutritious, but it is so incredibly versatile and cheap. Sounds like a win-win to me (more creative Masa recipes to come soon...)!

Mexican Pancakes with Un-Fried "Re-fried" Beans

Mexican Pancakes with Un-Fried "Re-fried" Beans; Vegan, Gluten-Free. Serves One.

Ingredients

1. 1/2 Cup Masa Harina Flour
2. 3/4 Cup water
3. 1/2 Cup Canned Black Beans, rinsed and drained
4. dashes of cumin, cayenne, garlic and onion powders, and oregano
5. handful of fresh grape tomatoes
6. cilantro, for garnish
7. salsa, for serving (optional)

Method

1. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Combine masa and water in a medium size bowl and stir well. The water measurement varies-I started out with 1/2 Cup and had to add considerably more to get the batter the right consistency. 
2. Spoon batter onto heated pan and spread around to form a pancake shape. Cook about 3-4 minutes per side. You will end up with 4 small-medium size pancakes. 
3. While pancakes cook, make your beans. Add beans to a small bowl and add 1-2 T water. Mash beans well with a fork. Add cumin, cayenne, garlic, onion, and oregano and mix well. 
4. Pop beans in the microwave for about 35 seconds--just long enough to heat them through (you could also do this in a small soup pot on the stove).
5. Once pancakes are finished cooking, arrange them as you desire on a large plate. Serve with beans, sliced tomatoes, and salsa, if you wish. This dish is also great with fajita-style veggies as a side dish. 

Dinner is served!

Mexican Tortilla Lasagna.

Funny story. Before I went vegan, I absolutely hated Mexican food. I mean...BIG time hate. If you've read my "About Me" page, you'll recall that part of the reason I went vegan was because of my terrible stomach problems. Mexican food just didn't, um, "sit" well. But since going completely plant-based (and my stomach issues disappearing) I've become more adventurous when it comes to ethnic food. I've learned that when you remove all the fat, oil, sugar and other processed junk, Mexican food  can be really enjoyable! Crisp veggies, aromatic cilantro, and spicy salsa. I may have found a new love.

Mexican Tortilla Lasagna.

Mexican Tortilla Lasagna; Vegan. Serves One. 

Ingredients

1. 1 Extra-Large (or Two Medium) Whole Grain Tortilla or Wrap
2. 1/3 Cup prepared Textured Vegetable Protein 
3. 2 T ground flaxseeds
4. 3/4 Cup salsa, divided
5. 1/4 Cup frozen corn, heated
6. 1 Cup fresh spinach leaves
7. Avocado slices, for topping
8. Cilantro for garnish

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. 
2. Spread 1/4 cup salsa on the bottom of a small lasagna dish. Set aside. 
3. Cut tortilla into wide strips and set aside. 
4. In medium-sized microwavable bowl, combine TVP granules with a scant 1/3 cup water. Microwave on HIGH power for 1 minute. Remove from microwave and stir in 2 T ground flaxseed, corn, and 1/2 cup of salsa, reserving a bit for topping. 
5. Take a few tortilla strips (enough for one layer) and lay on bottom of dish, on top of salsa spread. Top with spinach leaves. Top spinach with TVP mixture and spread evenly. Add another tortilla layer and top with a bit of salsa. 
6. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Top with avocado slices and cilantro. 

Notes:

• I used a very large lavash-type wrap and had quite a bit of tortilla left over. You could double the tortilla strips per layer, or just use one tortilla.
• If you prefer a "saucier" lasagna, use more salsa.
• I served this alongside a side salad with Mexican-style veggies.