To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
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Ok – so I posted my Vegan Whole Turkey (seen above) – and the vegans on Facebook lost their collective shit. Despite knowing it was a vegan item – I got blocked & banned & verbally assaulted SAVAGELY. This video below is my response to the “You are not the right kind of vegan” attacks I got from the most self-righteous douchebags ever. I also show you how I reinvented a bunch of random leftovers into and epic Shepherd’s Pie.
Below the video here are the 14 recipes I suggest as potential uses for your holiday leftovers.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
This is a very easy recipe & it is very flexible. You can use the veggies that I did or sub in ones you prefer. You could use jalapeno for a spicy dish or add brown sugar for a sweeter dish. Click the image below for the recipe video & please subscribe to my channel.
Sweet & Spicy Vegan Island Chicken with Pineapple
INGREDIENTS
2 TBS coconut oil
9 oz vegan chicken
1 jalapeno – diced (optional)
1-2 cups dice fresh pineapple
1 red bell pepper – diced
1 cup carrots – chopped or grated
1-2 cups broccoli florets
3 garlic cloves – chopped
2 TBS soy sauce (or liquid aminos or tamari)
2 TBS sriracha
2 TBS ginger – minced
juice if 1/2 lime
2 TBS brown sugar (optional – I did not use it as I am not a fan of things too sweet)
Cornstarch
S&P
2 cups cooked rice OR tortillas (for tacos or wraps) OR lettuce leaves (for lettuce cups)
Garnish: cilantro or sesame seeds or sliced scallions
DIRECTIONS
Thaw the chicken, cube it & toss with some cornstarch. Set aside.
Heat the coconut oil in a large pan or wok. Add the veggies (bell pepper, broccoli, jalapeno, carrots) & saute until soft. Add the vegan chicken tossed in cornstarch. Add the soy sauce, sriracha, ginger & combine. Add brown sugar (if using – I did not). Combine & then add pineapple. Combine & then add rice (if doing a stir fry). Stir in the garlic & squeeze in the juice of 1/2 lime. Season with S&P to taste. Heat through & serve (either with rice or as tacos, wraps or lettuce cups). Garnish as you desire & devour!
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
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My original post for shawarma (May 30, 2014) only presented the recipe as a traditional pita sandwich. But – today on my Youtube channel (www.VideoVegan.com) – I offered the idea of making tacos. They are a revelation! I recommend them very highly! Click the image below to watch the video & please subscribe to my channel.
OK! There are not a lot of foods I really miss since I gave up meat 25 years ago but gyros & shawarma are two things definitely on the “miss list.”
I used Beyond Meat vegan chicken & I recommend it very highly – though you can use another brand. At any rate – whatever you use – the longer you marinate if for the better – overnight being optimal.
I made the garlic paste (or a version of it) that they serve at Zankou chicken, here in LA. It is a bright, white paste that has a bit of a gritty texture & seems to be just mashed garlic. I was HORRIFIED to discover – it does have a lot of garlic but it has even more OIL! It is basically an aioli. Or a mayonnaise. Damn. So – it is not a guiltless pleasure but you don’t need tons before you run the risk of setting things ablaze just by breathing your garlic shit storm on them – so do not sweat the calories too much.
Mmmm! Tzatziki!
There are a lot of ingredients in the chicken marinade but only the cardamom is remotely exotic & you probably already have most of them in your cabinets – so do not be intimidated. If you do not have or cannot find ground cardamom – never fear! Substitutes: equal parts ground nutmeg and cinnamon OR equal parts ground cloves and cinnamon OR nutmeg OR cinnamon
Garlic Paste (Toum)
This makes quite a bit but it should keep in the fridge for a few weeks.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 small potato (I used a Yukon Gold) – boiled until soft & cooled
1 full cup garlic cloves (peel fresh ones & do not use the pre-peeled cloves as they have been frozen & are not as flavorful)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 cups grapeseed oil (or sunflower oil)
DIRECTIONS
In your food processor, pulse the garlic, potato, lemon juice & salt until they are pureed. You might need to scrape the sides of the bowl down a few times. Then, VERY SLOWLY drizzle the oil in as the pureed is being spun about. Do this in a very slow & steady stream. Lots of recipes suggested it should take ten minutes. I got it done in under five but if you add the oil too fast – it will not emulsify properly. Check it as you go & if it begins to separate – stop adding oil & keep processing it until it comes together again.
That’s it! You MIGHT want to experiment with an increased quantity of potato & a lesser quantity of oil. I think I will the next time.
Tzatziki
Makes about 1.5 cups
INGREDIENTS
6 oz vegan yogurt
1 TBS lemon juice
1 garlic clove – minced
1/4 – 1/3 cucumber – peeled & diced
pinch of salt
1 tsp or more fresh dill – chopped
DIRECTIONS
Mix that shit up! Add water if you think it is too thick – but not a lot.
Done!
Tahini Sauce
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup tahini
1/4 cup water
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
DIRECTIONS
Whisk it together. Use thick or water down to drizzle on your shawarma.
Vegan Chicken Shawarma (for Pita or Tacos)
Serves 2 or 3
INGREDIENTS
Flour tortillas (for tacos) or pita bread or wraps or naan
9 oz vegan chicken
4 garlic cloves – minced
1 TBS smoked paprika (or regular)
1 TBS ground cumin
1 TBS ground cardamom (or substitute from the note above)
1 TBS chili powder
1 TBS ground coriander
1 tsp pepper
Olive oil
juice & zest of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup yogurt (optional) – but adding the yogurt makes a far more mellow marinade so I recommend using it unless you love heavily spiced food
Mix the spices in a large glass container with the vinegar, lemon juice & zest, 2 TBS olive oil & yogurt (if using). This is pretty thick stuff. Feel free to thin it with water if you like. Add the chicken & marinate it for at least an hour or overnight. Try not to use a plastic container as it could get stained or left stinky from the spices.
When you are ready to eat – heat a little olive oil in a pan & heat the chicken. Allow the marinade to come away as you likely won’t want as much in the actual sandwich. When it is warm, assemble the tacos or wraps. Slather some garlic paste on the bread or tortillas & layer the ingredients on top. Add some tzatziki or tahini sauce or hummus & chow the fuck down!
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
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Hey, everybody! DDD #14 is up!
My Cool Vegan Cashew & Cranberry Chicken Salad Tacos with Avocado!
And I offer my rebuttal to the slut shaming I experienced Wednesday for referencing my #BOOBS. Apparently, the word #boob is tasteless & inappropriate & I am a vulgar hussy. My thoughts on this & more. Plus a blooper!
Enjoy!! Click the link for the video & please subscribe. Happy Cinco de Vegan Mayo!
OK – I am not sure what the weather is like where you are but here in LA – it is hot as a muthafuckah! It is pushing 100 degrees! Just brutal. I don’t have AC & cooking is just impossible in this weather. So – I whipped up these cool & vegan bad boys! They are kind of like a taco-wrap hybrid. I used these little flour tortillas – right from their home in the cool of my fridge. I am not positive they are vegan – so if you are vegan – use a tortilla you know suits your diet.
And I used that Beyond Meat vegan chicken. The coupon above is good until the end of May 2014 – so print a few out & go get some of this awesome stuff! If you let it sit on the counter a few minutes – it will defrost enough so that you can cube it up & by the time this all comes together – the chicken is thawed completely but still CHILLED! Perfect!
Cool Vegan Cashew & Cranberry Chicken Salad Tacos with Avocado
Feeds two very well
INGREDIENTS
1 9 oz package of faux chicken – thawed
1 avocado – peeled & seeded & cubed
Fresh lime juice
1/3 cup vegan mayo
1/4 cup (or more) cashews
2 celery stalks – diced
1/2 small cucumber – diced
2 mini sweet peppers (or half a bell pepper) – seeded & diced
1/4 cup purple cabbage – chopped
1/4 cup cilantro – chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries (or raisins or other dried fruit)
1/2 tsp cumin
Pinch of salt
Pepper to taste
Flour tortillas or other wrap (even lettuce)
DIRECTIONS
Prep the avocado & squeeze lime juice all over it.
Now – just mix everything up in a big bowl. Season to taste. Eat with lettuce cups or as wraps or as little flour tortilla tacos.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
So – I bought those two gorgeous green tomatoes at the farmers’ market. Legit, unripe green tomatoes. Harder to find than you may think. So – I made that first effort with them above – my Easy Vegan Fried Green Tomatoes. They were simply & delicious but I did not use anything in place of the egg typically used when folks make this & the breading was fragile & did not stick to the slick sides of the tomato slices. So – today – I used the other tomato for these tacos & used aquafaba in place of eggs.
“What is aquafaba?
The word aquafaba is the common name for the cooking liquid of beans and other legumes like chickpeas. You may know it as the typically discarded liquid found in retail cans and boxes of beans, or as the liquid left over from cooking your own.”
I used the liquid from a can of chickpeas and it worked pretty well. I found that my breadcrumb mixture was still a bit fragile but it seemed to adhere a bit better.
The remoulade is a nice & tangy touch but any sauce you like would do – even vegan salad dressing.
Vegan Fried Green Tomato Street Tacos with Spicy Remoulade
Feeds two
INGREDIENTS
8 small street taco=sized corn tortillas
1 large green tomato – sliced into 1/4 to 1/3 inch rounds (try to get 4 slices)
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup panko crumbs (I used only panko in these tacos)
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup breadcrumbs (or any mixture you prefer or have handy)
Cajun seasoning (to taste) or S&P
1/4 cup or so non-dairy milk
The liquid from a can of chickpeas or other beans OR 1/4 cup or so of almond milk
Enough vegetable oil to submerge the breaded tomato in your frying pan
1 tsp juice from a jar of jalapenos (optional) or 1 tsp diced pickled jalapeno
Dash of hot sauce
Pinch of each: onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika
DIRECTIONS
Prep all the ingredients.
Make the remoulade by whisking the ingredients together.
I only used panko this time. You can use whatever mixture of crumbs you desire & season as you like – either with a Cajun seasoning or S&P or something else you like.
Wet the tomato slices & dredge them through the flour then the aquafaba (or almond milk) & then the bread crumb mixture. I dunked mine a second time into the aquafaba & panko.
Heat the oil (deep enough to submerge the tomato slices so they will not require flipping). Let the oil get very hot & then carefully slide the tomato slices into the oil & fry until they are browned to your liking. Drain on paper towels.
While the tomatoes drain – warm your tortillas directly on your stove burners.
Cut the tomatoes in half & assemble 8 tacos. Serve with the accoutrements of your choice & drizzle with remoulade. Devour!
The cost for two servings will be $19, the cost for four servings will be $29. Pre-sale will start 4/22 and will end 5/1 at 11a. Boxes will be delivered 5/3 and 5/4 to ensure that all customers have their meal in hand before 5/5. Just as a reminder, they ship EVERYWHERE in the continental US. Please note that the offer will not be available to order after 5/1. Order by Sunday, May 1st at 11am PST and your Cinco de Mayo Party Box will be delivered on Tuesday, 5/3 or Wednesday 5/4 depending on your location.
Chef’d has just what you’re looking for to get into the celebratory spirit.
Not a meat eater? No problem! Our BEYOND BEEF® FEISTY TACOS with Black Beans are a perfect choice, and might even convert a carnivore or two.
All Cinco de Mayo Party Boxes come with Garden Fresh Gourmet Chips & Salsa and two miniature maracas. The Beyond Beef® Feisty Tacos come with Chili-Lime Mango to finish the meal.
Order by Sunday, May 1st at 11am PST and your Cinco de Mayo Party Box will be delivered on Tuesday, 5/3 or Wednesday 5/4 depending on your location. Save 15% by using the code TACOS when you order!
Chef’d – no subscription – meaning order what you want & when you want it. Get the same thing every day for two weeks – or just get one thing – different things – a few times a month. Here is how they work:
Choose from Famous Recipes
Browse through hundreds of recipes from your favorite chefs, and cook them in the comfort of your own home!
From Our Kitchen to Yours
Fresh pre-portioned Ingredients delivered to your door. Reorder what you like, when you like. No subscriptions!
Cook, Love, Live
Enrich your life by creating memorable delicious experiences of love through our hand-cultivated recipes.
And look at the various tastes & lifestyles they accommodate
Shop Meals
LIFESTYLES:
FAMILY FRIENDLY
GOURMET
VEGETARIAN
GLUTEN FREE
PROTEINS:
BEEF
CHICKEN
SEAFOOD
LAMB
PORK
TURKEY
VEGAN
HERE is the list of the famous chefs contributing recipes. And HERE are the vegan & vegetarian meals currently offered (impressive – no?). I was given the opportunity to try the service & jumped at the chance. I am a long-time fan of Beyond Meat & the pairing of these two companies is exciting to me. I got the Beast Burger & Tacos & will post about the tacos here – the burgers are in THIS post.
Here is what showed up (for the tacos – enough to feed 4):
As with the Beast Burgers – I am very familiar with Beyond Meat‘s Feisty crumbles & I am already a fan. This meal came together quickly & easily & everything tasted fresh & delicious. In this case – there was a lot of extra vegan cheese (I am not complaining!) and more than enough chipotle Vegenaise (again – not complaining – especially as it came in the tiny condiment jars I am so fond of).
The recipe called for guacamole with crushed red pepper in it. I am a guacamole purist (just avocado, lime & salt, please) – so – I opted just to slice the avocado & use it naked and I added all the crushed red pepper supplied (enough for 4 tacos) into the beefy crumbles meant for two (I like spice).
The black beans come together in 5 minutes & the lime & cilantro make them taste light & fresh & clean – not lard-heavy or mushy.
And the feisty beef crumbles also only took about 5 minutes. Because I added lots of crushed red pepper – they were also very spicy. I forgot to add the chipotle Vegenaise until after I had taken most of the pictures but it was a nice flavor layered in with the tortillas, crumbles, lettuce & avocado.
This meal was flavorful, robust, filling and SO EASY to make! What a great pair of options for any vegan or vegetarian – especially a newby not sure where to start – and for anyone looking to cut back on meat but not on flavor or protein.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or just print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
Tacos are like pizza – in that – there is one for everyone. Everybody can find one type of taco or pizza that fits their tastes – even if they are wildly finicky. And – like pizza – they are fun to eat. My tacos today are all veggie – with no protein outside the black beans. Light & clean & all raw – outside of the tortillas. No muss – no fuss. Lots of textures & flavors. A perfect lunch for someone looking for a quick & light meal.
Like with my pizzas & other taco posts – I am really just sharing with you what I used in MY tacos. You can add other stuff or lose some things – because tacos are a very forgiving meal. Some folks just want meat & maybe cabbage on there – others want their tacos fully loaded & bursting. So – make these to suit yourself.
Vegan Avocado Tacos
My tacos included:
Street-taco-sized tortillas (very small)
Avocado slices
Black beans (drained & rinsed)
Red bell pepper – diced
Purple cabbage – sliced
Cilantro
Chipotle Vegenaise
Lime wedges
OTHER OPTIONS: Lettuce, cabbage, corn, pico de gallo, sliced radishes, vegan chicken or beef crumbles, vegan sour cream or a vegan cheese, shredded carrots, guacamole, salsa, scallions, jalapenos, diced onion.
DIRECTIONS
Grill the tortillas on the stove burners a bit on each side to warm & add grill marks. Assemble at will!
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or just print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
So – I have been experimenting with some vegan seafoods. So far – I have tried the crab cakes & the shrimp seen just above. They LOOK promising but they are truly vile. Absolutely disgusting & inedible. The shrimp are TEENY & look and taste like breaded paste. The crab cakes are only slightly better but certainly NOT worth the calories they represent. I have not yet tried those freezer-burned scallops (above) but I think they might be best served in a scallop salad – like a tuna salad – and I am not ready to get into that yet.
The Gardein fishless filets, however, are a REVELATION! The breading is good, there is only 180 calories in two filets & they look and taste like any frozen fish stick – but with none of the kinda gross fishy-ness some of those products have. These are truly genius & made wonderful fish tacos! I give these a very enthusiastic endorsement!
As to tacos – people like them the way they like them. I think – like pizza – nobody really needs a recipe but, rather, maybe a few suggestions. For my fish tacos, I used street-taco-sized corn tortillas, grilled them on my stove burners a bit & topped them. I cheated a teensy bit & used real feta on these – because I had it & I thought it would photography well – but feta is certainly not the star of this dish. The stars are the fishless filets & avocado – because avocado can hold its own in most flavor battles.
Vegan Fish Tacos
INGREDIENTS
Corn or flour tortillas – grilled on the stove burners
Fishless filets – cooked according to the package (takes 12 minutes once your oven is to temperature) and sliced up (I used two filets for 3 tacos)
Cilantro
Avocado – sliced
Purple cabbage – sliced
Red bell pepper – diced
Chipotle vegenaise (or vegan sour cream)
Lime wedges
Crumbled vegan cheese of your choice (optional)
OTHER TOPPINGS – diced tomato, sliced lettuce, jalapenos, pico de gallo, sliced scallions, sliced radishes, diced red onion, hot sauce
DIRECTIONS
Grill the tortillas on the stove burners a bit on each side to warm & add grill marks. Assemble at will!
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
Tacos are kind of like pizza in that they are endlessly customizable & virtually everyone loves them. I have no great revelation here except that it is kind of hard to pan fry breaded tofu & have it look pretty but who cares? These are TACOS & nobody cares what they look like – only what they taste like. And these were very tasty. Because the tofu was fried & I added avocado – I wanted to keep the rest pretty light – so I added no cheese or cream sauce but you certainly could. I made a very simple slaw with very little vegan mayo in it & it worked great because it added color & crunch but not much in the way of calories. If calories don’t concern you, you could make the slaw with a creamier dressing, add more mayo or even use a different dressing altogether – like an Asian miso salad dressing or something. As I said – tacos are endlessly customizable so make these to suit yourself. One pound of tofu will likely fry up to make enough filling for 6-10 tacos – depending on the size of your tortillas & your appetites. Like with pizza – I am just making suggestions here as to ingredients but you can add ones you want, lose ones you hate, and fill them as densely or sparingly as you please. They are tacos – almost impossible to fuck up.
Purple Cabbage & Heirloom Carrot Slaw
Makes enough slaw for 6-10 tacos
INGREDIENTS
1/4 large head purple cabbage – chopped or grated (I used the grating blade in my food processor)
5 heirloom (or regular) carrots – grated (I used the grating blade in my food processor)
5 scallions – sliced finely
1 small bunch cilantro – chopped
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 cup vegan mayo
S&P
DIRECTIONS
Mix everything up & season with S&P. Add more mayo if you like a wetter slaw
Set aside.
Vegan Fried Tofu Tacos
makes 6-10 tacos (as far as tofu goes – the other ingredient ratios are up to you)
Toss the cubed tofu in the sriracha & agave. In a large bowl, mix the corn meal with the cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder & some S&P. Toss the tofu in the corn meal until it is well covered.
Heat the olive oil in a pan large enough to hold all the tofu – or do it in shifts. If the tofu is too crowded – it might start breaking up. Fry – carefully tuning once in a while – until it is all browned. Never fear if some breading falls off. You are gonna drop lots of goodies on top of the tofu so pretty is not important.
I like to warm my corn tortillas over the burners of my stove until they get some char marks. You can do this – or not – but I recommend it.
Assemble your tacos! Layer some slaw, then tofu, tomato, avocado & cilantro and/or whatever toppings you have chosen. Shove them in your face. Swill a beer. Eat more tacos. Have no regrets!
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
There has been a huge rise in food services that send either already-prepared meals to your home for you to heat up and, more interestingly, ones that send pre-measured fresh ingredients & recipes & you make the food at home. I tried Blue Apron – which is the latter service – and was not totally impressed. One issue was the lack of selection for vegetarians (and nothing for vegans) & the fact that there was no option for a single person. Their subscription plan meant I would get 3 meals for two each week – which meant six of my seven dinners were decide for me each week – with me eating the same thing twice – three times in a row. Also – if you happened to LOVE a dish – you could not order it again soon – but had to wait – indefinitely – hoping it would eventually reappear in the cycle.
Chef’d has solved those problems. No subscription – meaning order what you want & when you want it. Get the same thing every day for two weeks – or just get one thing – different things – a few times a month. Here is how they work:
Choose from Famous Recipes
Browse through hundreds of recipes from your favorite chefs, and cook them in the comfort of your own home!
From Our Kitchen to Yours
Fresh pre-portioned Ingredients delivered to your door. Reorder what you like, when you like. No subscriptions!
Cook, Love, Live
Enrich your life by creating memorable delicious experiences of love through our hand-cultivated recipes.
And look at the various tastes & lifestyles they accommodate
Shop Meals
LIFESTYLES:
FAMILY FRIENDLY
GOURMET
VEGETARIAN
GLUTEN FREE
PROTEINS:
BEEF
CHICKEN
SEAFOOD
LAMB
PORK
TURKEY
VEGAN
HERE is the list of the famous chefs contributing recipes. And HERE are the vegan & vegetarian meals currently offered (impressive – no?). I was given the opportunity to try the service & jumped at the chance. I am a long-time fan of Beyond Meat & the pairing of these two companies is exciting to me. I got the Beast Burger & Tacos & will post about the tacos here – the burgers are in THIS post.
Here is what showed up (for the tacos – enough to feed 4):
As with the Beast Burgers – I am very familiar with Beyond Meat‘s Feisty crumbles & I am already a fan. And again – as with the Chef’d Beat Burger meal – this meal came together quickly & easily & everything tasted fresh & delicious. In this case – there was a lot of extra vegan cheese (I am not complaining!) and more than enough chipotle Vegenaise (again – not complaining – especially as it came in the tiny condiment jars I am so fond of).
The recipe called for guacamole with crushed red pepper in it. I am a guacamole purist (just avocado, lime & salt, please) – so – I opted just to slice the avocado & use it naked and I added all the crushed red pepper supplied (enough for 4 tacos) into the beefy crumbles meant for two (I like spice).
The black beans come together in 5 minutes & the lime & cilantro make them taste light & fresh & clean – not lard-heavy or mushy.
And the feisty beef crumbles also only took about 5 minutes. Because I added lots of crushed red pepper – they were also very spicy. I forgot to add the chipotle Vegenaise until after I had taken most of the pictures but it was a nice flavor layered in with the tortillas, crumbles, lettuce & avocado.
And again – like with the Beast Burgers – this meal was flavorful, robust, filling and SO EASY to make! What a great pair of options for any vegan or vegetarian – especially a newby not sure where to start – and for anyone looking to cut back on meat but not on flavor or protein.
This is simply another idea for a way to reinvent the leftovers. The recipe for the pulled chicken & jackfruit is HERE. Then – you just make tacos the way you normally would – or load the taco the way you would load a pulled chicken sandwich – with pickles or coleslaw. But – look at that vegan chicken & jackfruit! Pretty convincing visually & it does not disappoint in the flavor department, either. I promise. Even the texture seems authentic.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
~
More summer ease here! I used this awesome Beyond Meat beefy crumble. You could use any brand you prefer or even real, greasy & disgusting ground cow. 🙂
1 cup ORGANIC corn (as regular corn is very likely a GMO)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp crushed red pepper (less if you are heat intolerant)
1 tsp chili powder or cayenne (less if you are heat intolerant)
(***OR – you can replace the dry spices with 1/2 packet or so of taco seasoning but that might not be vegan & will have loads of salt***)
GARNISH SUGGESTIONS
Sliced black olives
Avocado
Purple cabbage – chopped
Grated carrots
Sliced radishes
Black Beans
Cilantro
Lime Wedges
Vegan Cheese and/or sour cream
Chopped lettuce
Diced tomatoes
Pico de gallo
Chopped fresh or jarred jalapeno
DIRECTIONS
Heat about 1 TBS olive oil in a large saute pan. Add all the other ingredients (but not your various garnish selections) and saute until the onion & red pepper are softened & the beef is heated through.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
~
All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
~
Like lots of my “recipes” – this is more just a suggestion. You can fill your breakfast tacos with any combination of ingredients you prefer. I know this recipe will bum out the vegans out there but the eggs I used here were given to me by a person who raises chickens for eggs. Locally sourced & cruelty-free as it can get for eggs. You vegans can scramble some tofu instead.
Here is what I used for two tacos:
2 corn tortillas – warmed on the burners of my stove until they charred just a bit
2 eggs
Olive oil
Red bell pepper – diced
Red onion – diced
Purple cabbage – diced
Cilantro
Avocado – sliced
Here is what I did:
I scrambled the eggs with some S&P.
I heated some olive oil in a pan & sauteed the onion & red pepper with a pinch of ground cumin until the vegetables were soft. I added the eggs & cooked to the point I like eggs cooked & simply built the tacos by adding the eggs & then garnishing with more chopped red pepper, purple cabbage, cilantro & avocado. Ole!
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
~
All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
~
I adapted this recipe from one that used real chicken. I made tacos to avoid using cheese but this key lime chicken would go very well in a quesadilla or over rice.
Vegan Spicy Key Lime Chicken Tacos
INGREDIENTS
Tortillas
9 oz vegan chicken
3 TBS soy sauce
2 TBS agave nectar (or organic honey – if you are not vegan)
1 TBS olive oil
zest of one lime
juice of one lime
3 garlic cloves – chopped
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2 TBS Sriracha sauce
1 tsp salt
Avocado – sliced & lime squeezed on it
Pico de gallo (salsa)
Cilantro – as garnish
Lime wedges
DIRECTIONS
In your blender – make a marinade by mixing the soy sauce, agave (or honey), olive oil, zest & juice from the lime, garlic, ginger, sriracha & salt into a sort of puree.
You can leave the chicken in big pieces or dice it up. Either way – pour the marinade over the chicken. I did this right in the bag the chicken came in & I let mine sit overnight but 30 minutes is fine.
Heat the chicken in a pan treated with cooking spray (or a little olive oil) until it begins to brown. I actually heated the extra marinade in a separate pan. Do this if you think you want to add a bit of sauce to your tacos. DO NOT do this if you used real chicken!!! Fake chicken is perfectly safe.
I heat my tortillas on the grill (or over the burners) on my stove to soften them & get some little golden spots on them.
Now – assemble the tacos. Warm tortilla, faux chicken, a drizzle of marinade, avocado slices, pico de gallo & a squeeze of lime. Sprinkle with cilantro & shove these spicy little fuckers down your gullet!
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
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OK – I am not sure what the weather is like where you are but here in LA – it is hot as a muthafuckah! It is pushing 100 degrees! Just brutal. I don’t have AC & cooking is just impossible in this weather. So – I whipped up these cool & vegan bad boys! They are kind of like a taco-wrap hybrid. I used these little flour tortillas – right from their home in the cool of my fridge. I am not positive they are vegan – so if you are vegan – use a tortilla you know suits your diet.
And I used that Beyond Meat vegan chicken. The coupon above is good until the end of May 2014 – so print a few out & go get some of this awesome stuff! If you let it sit on the counter a few minutes – it will defrost enough so that you can cube it up & by the time this all comes together – the chicken is thawed completely but still CHILLED! Perfect!
Cool Vegan Cashew & Cranberry Chicken Salad Tacos with Avocado
Feeds two very well
INGREDIENTS
1 9 oz package of faux chicken – thawed
1 avocado – peeled & seeded & cubed
Fresh lime juice
1/3 cup vegan mayo
1/4 cup (or more) cashews
2 celery stalks – diced
1/2 small cucumber – diced
2 mini sweet peppers (or half a bell pepper) – seeded & diced
1/4 cup purple cabbage – chopped
1/4 cup cilantro – chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries (or raisins or other dried fruit)
1/2 tsp cumin
Pinch of salt
Pepper to taste
Flour tortillas or other wrap (even lettuce)
DIRECTIONS
Prep the avocado & squeeze lime juice all over it.
Now – just mix everything up in a big bowl. Season to taste. Eat with lettuce cups or as wraps or as little flour tortilla tacos.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
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OK – so – sometimes you need to clean out the cabinets & the fridge & even the freezer. Inspired by a recent food drive run by the post office, I filled a bag they provided with my non-perishables. Largely – these were the canned meat items I had around for a certain badass – like a few cans of Spaghettios – and dry pasta & some other items I am unlikely to need – like all THREE of the huge ketchup bottles I got bundled together at Costco. That done – I remembered I had three huge chicken breasts in the freezer – also purchased for visits from the badass. I decided to cook these bad boys up all fancy-like, post them on my blog & then feed them to the dogs (as I am a vegetarian).
Here is how far I got – with a good 12 hours marinating in the fridge.
Then, because my oven is fucked & the dials are stripped & the heat is uneven – I proceeded to burn the skin of this chicken BLACK. I pulled the burned skin off & the chicken below was still moist & juicy & my dogs made very happy & very short work of it – as I made short work of a bottle of champagne, an entire bag of reduced fat chips & a boatload of chemical-burn-inducing onion dip.
All-in-all, it was a pretty depressing mother’s day at the McCarthy house. Unless you were a chicken breast stuffed canine.
Earlier today – I posted a recipe for Spicy Cantaloupe Melon Salsa – seen above. Made of chopped cantaloupe, jalapeno, onion, cilantro & lime juice – it is easy & refreshing & a great topper for these tacos. It would also be good with chips or on fish or chicken or on my Vegan Crock-Pot BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich.
I made this Thai Mint & Basil Beef in a crock-pot but it could easily be done stove-top. If you made it in a saute pan – it would not require as much (if any) water.
I found this just a tad on the salty side so really make an effort to use low sodium soy sauce. I used Red Boat fish sauce (as I am not yet vegan) – but that can be subbed out with the low sodium soy sauce. I also used Thai basil but any basil will do. But definitely do not skip the basil – as that is the signature flavor here.
I get my shallots at Bangluck Market and they tend to be huge – like – apple-sized. Here is the size of the one I used. If shallots are not handy – a small onion is fine.
Vegan Spicy Thai Mint & Basil Beef Tacos (for the Crock-Pot)
Feeds 4 easily
INGREDIENTS
8-12 tortillas
1 lb vegan beef
4 garlic cloves – minced
3 Thai chilies (or serrano) OR TO TASTE – split lengthwise – seeded to reduce heat
1 large shallot or small onion – diced
1 TBS rice vinegar
1/4 LOW SODIUM soy sauce (or fish sauce – if you are not vegan)
IF STOVE-TOP – cornstarch (or flour) and olive oil
DIRECTIONS
Three chilies make this dish VERY hot – so beware! When using the Thai chilies – I cut the top off one but then realized, I could leave the top on, split them lengthwise & all the flavor would get out but they would be far easier to remove from the finished dish. So I gave the other two that treatment.
Then – I just threw everything into my crock-pot & went on a two-hour hike.
If you want to try this stove-top, I would cover the faux beef in a light dusting of cornstarch (or flour) and fry over med-high heat until it begins to brown a bit. Remove the beef from the heat & add the shallots to the pan. After a minute or two, add everything else, including the beef (but no water) & saute until the herbs wilt. If you feel it needs water – add a bit. Remove the Thai chilies before serving.
Then just go ahead & build your tacos & be sure to add LOADS of spicy cantaloupe salsa as it will help sweeten the salt of the dish. Squeeze a bunch of fresh lime juice on there, too!
Delightful-Delicious-Delovely