Easy Vegan Tacos

Tacos are one of those things almost no one makes from scratch anyway, right? So when I buy vegan taco filler pre-flavored to taste like tacos, I'm not really cheating... am I? Anyway, these are the world's easiest thing to make - they literally took me about 5 minutes. And they're deliciously yummy, too. A one-pound package of taco filler will make somewhere between 8 and 10 tacos, depending on how much you over-stuff them. This recipe's a bit hard to write down because everyone likes different things in their tacos... but here's what I used.

1 lb. package of vegan taco filler (TVP, textured vegetable protein, found near the tofu in your normal grocery store) (Or you can use non-flavored TVP "meat" and flavor it yourself)

1 tomato, diced

a bit of shredded lettuce

shredded vegan cheddar, cheezy sauce, or (yikes, this is really what I used) vegan nacho cheese from a jar

guacamole (optional)

Salsa (optional)

8-10 taco tortillas or hard shells

1. Heat the taco filler.

2. Heat up your taco shells (for tortillas, be sure to wrap in foil before placing in oven)

3. Heat up cheezy sauce or nacho cheese if using

4. make your tacos the way you like, and enjoy!

Mushroom Spinach Omelet

Before I made it, I wasn't sure about this one. I mean, how can you make an omelet without any eggs? Will it actually taste good? The answers are (1) very easily and (2) heck, yeah! This was awesome, one of the best omelets I've ever had for sure. I ate it with an English muffin - I would recommend some kind of bread product on the side. I should also note that I didn't have any chickpea flour or quite enough olive oil, but it still worked and was delicious even with my modifications. This comes from the book "Vegan Brunch" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz - it's the first recipe I've made so far and now I really can't wait to try the rest! The book claims this'll serve 4, but I made a half recipe and ate it all myself. (I was a bit hungry after skiing all day.)

Omelet:

1 lb. silken tofu, lightly drained

2 Tbs nutritional yeast

2 Tbs olive oil (I used 1 Tbs oil and 1Tbs soymilk)

1/2 tsp tumeric

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup chickpea flour (I used whole wheat pastry and it worked)

1 Tbs arrowroot OR cornstarch

Filling:

4 cups sliced cremini mushrooms

1 tsp bottled minced garlic

3 Tbs chopped fresh thyme (the fresh is AWESOME, but if you must, dry would work)

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups chopped fresh spinach

Shredded vegan cheese (flavor of your choice, I used American because I had it)

1. Place everything except flour and arrowroot in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add flour and arrowroot and puree again just until combined.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high, spray with cooking spray.

3. In half-cup increments, pour the omelet batter into the skillet. Use the back of a spoon to spread the batter out into 6-inch circles. Let cook about 5 minutes before flipping. The top of the omelet should become a matte yellow when it's ready to be flipped. Once flipped, cook another couple minutes on the other side.

4. Meanwhile, make the filling. Preheat a large pan over medium heat with olive oil. Saute the mushrooms for about 5 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and thyme and saute about 3 more minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Stuff omelets: Place mushroom mixture on 1/2 of each circle. Add 1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach (will wilt in omelet). Top with cheese and fold.

Split Pea Soup

This is another recipe from "The Vegan Table" (minus the ingredients I don't like). It's very healthy - full of protein and fiber. It was also super easy to make - it only took about 10 minutes to put everything in the pot - but I did have to be patient for an hour and 10 min while it simmered! It was very yummy. I added quite a bit of freshly ground black pepper to it once I got it in my bowl, because I like my split pea soup a little spicy. The way I made it, it'll serve 4.

2 cups green split peas

6 cups (or more) water plus a couple vegetable bouillon cubes (I used 4 cups to start, then ended up adding another cup and a half as it simmered. The soup is a bit thicker if you use less.)

1 medium yellow onion, diced

2 Yukon gold potatoes, diced

1.5 tsp bottled minced garlic

2 diced carrots

2 diced celery sticks

1 tsp dried marjoram

1 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp ground mustard

salt and pepper to taste

1. Rinse split peas. Place all ingredients except salt and pepper in a large soup pot, bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, cover loosely, and cook until peas are tender (1 hour or more). Check occasionally to make sure the water hasn't completely evaporated.

2. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve hot.

Carrot and Potato Soup

Carrots and potatoes are wonderfully versatile veggies. You can try either of the options for spices below - one is a mild fresh ginger flavor; the other is a nice curry - or you can use the soup base and add your own spices. This recipe serves 2-4, depending on how hungry you are and what else you are serving with it. (I definitely recommend at least serving bread. I was feeling lazy last night and cooked up a pre-packaged veggie burger to go with my soup. It worked.) From start to finish, it takes about 35 minutes to make.

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2 tsp bottled minced garlic

7 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 large Yukon gold potatoes, diced

4-6 cups (depending on size of vegetables) water with 2 vegetable bouillon cubes

Choices for spices:

(1) 2.5 tsp minced fresh ginger

salt and pepper to taste

(2) 1/4 tsp powdered ginger

2 tsp curry powder

salt and pepper to taste

1. In soup pot, saute onions and garlic in 2Tbs water or olive oil until translucent (about 5 min).

2. Add vegetables, carrots, potatoes, and fresh ginger if using. Add enough water (plus bouillon) to cover everything. Bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer, and simmer until veggies are all soft (about 20 min).

3. Remove from heat and add remaining spices. Transfer it all to a blender, and blend until smooth and creamy. (You may want to return it to the pot after to reheat, but I don't usually as I like my soup hot but not burning.)

Garlic and Greens Soup

This is one of the first recipes I've tried from the book "The Vegan Table." It's super yummy! I've modified it a bit here, but I'm not noting the original recipe's suggestion so if you want to see the original, buy the book! :) I'd say this can serve 4-6, as long as it's at least served with bread or rolls. It went wonderfully tonight with the "Toasted Quinoa" (separate post). This recipe takes about 40 minutes or so start to finish; 20 to 25 of that is inactive.

8 cups water plus 2-4 vegetable bouillon cubes

4-5 teaspoonfuls of bottled minced garlic

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

1 bunch kale

3 Yukon gold potatoes, diced

1 Tbs rice vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

[1 cup cooked barley - optional]

1. In large soup pot, heat 3 Tbs water and saute garlic and onion until translucent - about 3-5 min.

2. Add kale, potatoes, and water with bouillon cubes. Bring to a boil. Simmer about 20 minutes, until the potatoes can be pierced with a fork.

3. Remove from heat. Add rice vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Stir.

If you want to add barley (I didn't but want to try next time), add 1 cup cooked barley to the soup 5 min before it's finished cooking.

Toasted quinoa with raisins and slivered almonds

This is a the first recipe I've tried from a new book I just got for Christmas: "The Vegan Table" by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. What a great success! I ate it with the "Garlic and Greens Soup" (separate post) so that I had my leafy greens and protein all in one meal, but both could certainly stand alone. This is a relatively easy meal to prepare (about 25 minutes total, half of it inactive) and the great taste is totally worth it! The original recipe claims to serve 2-4; I would say it could serve 4-6 if you're serving anything else with it.

2 cups uncooked quinoa

2 shallots, minced

1 Tbs minced fresh ginger

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/8 tsp cayenne

4 cups vegetable stock

salt and pepper to taste (I actually used none)

1/3 cup raisins

1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds

1. Rinse quinoa in a small strainer. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add quinoa, and stir constantly for 5 min to toast quinoa until dry.

2. Heat 2 Tbs water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and ginger and saute until soft (about 3 min).

3. Add the toasted quinoa, spices, and vegetable stock to the shallot mixture. Stir to combine, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low. Cover and cook until all water is absorbed (about 12 minutes).

4. Remove from heat and stir in raisins and almonds. (The original recipe also calls for 2 Tbs minced fresh parsley here, but I don't like it so left it out.)

Delicious but Healthy Cookies

[Picture coming soon]

Alright, I know, it seems impossible to have the words "Delicious" and "healthy cookies" in the same title. But they are. They don't taste healthy at all, somehow, even though most of the ingredients are good for you in one way or another. (Think about it - bananas, flaxseeds, whole wheat flour, oatmeal, walnuts... wow!) This recipe is sort of a combination of my favorite elements of 4 different banana-oatmeal recipes from 3 different sources, and to me it's yummier than any of the single recipes on its own. This recipe makes about 2 dozen large cookies and takes about 30 minutes start to finish.

1 very ripe banana (medium size)

1/3 cup canola oil

2/3 cup sugar (OK, this is the only ingredient that really lends no healthiness at all.)

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 Tbs ground flaxseeds

3/4 cup plus 2 Tbs whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp cinnamon

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. In a mixing bowl, mash banana well. Add oil, sugar, vanilla, and flaxseeds, and mix well.

3. Add all dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until just combined.

4. Roll dough into large balls, or use a large cookie scoop. Place about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet - they will spread out a bit. If you want flatter cookies instead of tall cookies, flatten a bit with the back of a spoon before baking.

5. Bake 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned.