So I was feeling like something sweet and was tired of just plain old ice cream. I crushed up two graham crackers added a little less then a TBS of vegan butter and sprinkle of sugar. Mixed then pressed into bottom of bowl. Topped with cherry amaretto coconut milk ice cream. AMAZING! Just the right amount of everything.
Dinner tonight came from two ingredients that were brought home, rice noodles and beef strips. I wanted something Asian but I have gotten tired of soy sauce 
So I researched some pad thai recipes and found a simple one. I omitted bean sprouts, just not my cup of tea. This recipe was enough for 2 smaller adult dinners. May want to double if your big eaters! I should have added some veggies like edamame or green beans, but it all came together so fast that by the time I thought of it we had begun eating 🙂
1 packet of rice noodles (6oz)
handful of beef strips
3TBS oil
2 scallions chopped, white and green parts separated
3 minced garlic cloves
2 TBS sugar
1 tsp fish sauce
2 TBS oyster sauce
1 TBS rice vinegar
Sriracha to taste (or chili paste)
Cook rice noodles according to packaged instructions. This brand has you toss them in boiling water for 2 min, drain and rinse with cold water. Combine sugar, fish sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar, green scallions and sriracha in a small bowl, set aside. Heat oil in fry pan over med heat. Add white scallions and saute till they begin to turn brown, about 3 min. Add minced garlic and saute for a minute. Toss in beef strips, noodles and remaining ingredients. Toss until well coated and heated through out, should only take at most another 3 min. At this point taste it and see if chili paste or more sriracha is needed.
Did not have the intentions of creating this flavor when I went and made my boyfriend a quesadilla for a quick eat while working in the garage. But its wall he wanted for the next couple of days, raving that it tasted identical to taco bell’s steak quesadilla….I was skeptical and chalked it up to false praise but then I tasted it, yup it was yummy and had the secret sauce taste. Figured out it was the hummus I was adding to it…
The trader joe’s spicy hummus is what did it!
Hummus, just enough to “butter” one tortilla
2 flour tortillas
Ground meat (trader joe’s brand) with taco seasoning and I like to have corn in mine
Diaya shredded cheddar
just a pinch of vegan mozzarella
Take 2 flour tortillas and heat them on the stove so they are nice and warm.
place hummus on one and top with ground beef/corn mixture, cheddar and mozzarella.
Place back over low-med heat until toritilla becomes golden an crispy and flip doing the same to that side.
Slice, and let cool a bit.
This is something I throw together for a quick meal or snack.
Its perfect for after a work out because as we know quinoa has all the essential amino acids needed to support healthy muscle growth and strength 🙂
This is left over quinoa, I usually cook it with veggie broth instead of water.
As much quinoa as wanted ( I usually use a little less then a cup) room temp
Half an avocado, sliced
Generous fresh pepper over the top
Sriracha over the top as well ( to ones own taste)
And Enjoy! simple, quick and tasty.
Vegan and Vegetarians always get asked, ” how do you get enough protein though?” In the words of my amazing cousin Amanda- The same place giraffes, elephants, gorillas etc. If plants can support and grow a 1,000+ pound animal then why cant it do the same to humans? Where do you think the cows you eat get their protein? plants, I just go straight to the source and skip the middle man.
Below is a pretty thorough list I found to help you visualize.
I came across these on my beloved website www.punchfork.com and made them Vegan for myself!
3-4 large flour tortillas
1 cup of “ground meat” I really like the Trader Joe’s one
1/2 cup salsa
2 tsp taco seasoning
1/2 cup refried beans
1/2 cup “cheese” (I grated up some follow your heart brand monterey jack inside the beans and then used diaya shredded cheddar on top)
12 cup muffin tin
Alright you want to preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray the muffin tin with olive oil generously. You need a medium size cookie cutter, cup or can to cut out 12 circles of tortilla. I used one of the larger diameter coffee mugs from Starbucks and cut around it. Place each tortilla circle into your muffin tin, it does not have to fit perfectly. Now its time to mix the ground meat, refried beans, monterey jack if you have it, taco seasoning and salsa. Now I did not have salsa so I went ahead and added some corn instead. If you want to be exact the recipe says to scoop an 1/8th of a cup into each tortilla, I just eyeball it. Top with shredded cheddar. Bake for about 12-15 min until the cheese is melted. let them cool for a bit and they should be easily popped out with a butter knife or fork (this is why you coat the tin well at the beginning)
Now that I have done them once you could add olives on top, green chills to the meat and bean mixture and even some fresh tomatoes.
Cheese Sauce
So I made this tonight to go with my left over “little Mexican pizzas” (I will post recipe next) and it turned out great except I couldn’t think of a way to make it a little more spicy without the paprika taste. So if anyone makes it and finds something that works let me know 🙂
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup flour
1 tea paprika
1 tea salt
dash of garlic powder
1 cup of water or non dairy milk
2 TBS “butter”
Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add water or milk to sauce pan and slowly whisk in dry ingredients over medium heat. Whisk until it thickens and bubbles. Remove from heat and add butter. Voila! work great for nachos, tacos, and even pasta to make mac and cheese!
Lets start with a basic…
I will start with the Rice. I usually do 1 cup of rice and it works great for two adults.
1 cup of sushi rice
1 cup of water
1 TBS rice vinegar
1TBS sugar
1/2 TBS kosher salt
Rinse the rice about 2-3 times. Place the rice and 1 cup of water in a rice cooker, or saucepan depending how you are cooking it. If you are using a saucepan bring it to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover. Cook it for 15 min, remove from heat and let sit covered for an additional 10 min. Those of you using a rice cooker simply turn the cooker on and press the lever to cook. Once it is done unplug the cooker and let the rice cool to room temp.
While cooling combine the rice vinegar, salt and sugar. Heat in microwave for 45 sec or over the stove until salt is no longer visible. Transfer the rice to a bowl, or I like to use a 9×13 glass baking pan, and add mixture mixing the rice to coat evenly. Make sure the rice has cooled before using it.
Irie Vegan 