"Cheese" Enchiladas, Spanish Rice & Non-Refried Beans

Being born and raised in Southern California means that my exposure to quality Mexican food started in the womb. Comfort food, for me, is a generous serving of well-salted tortilla chips, tacos or cheesy enchiladas and an huge heap of re-fried beans and Spanish rice. Not only is that not exactly par for the course of my diet, it's just...SO much fat and cheese. I set out to make the best faux Mexican food I could make. While you don't see a whole lot of healthy fresh veggies on the plate above, it's a ton lighter than standard Mexican fare and scratched the comfort food itch!

The "cheesy" filling is crumbled tofu mixed with nicely melting Daiya cheddar and a few jarred jalapenos for flavor. You honestly won't know that it's tofu! It just seems right. Warm, cheesy, deliciousness. Enjoy.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 small corn tortillas
• 1-2 cups enchilada sauce
• 1 block firm tofu, drained and crumbled
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Taco Seasoning: 1 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp cumin,1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 cup Daiya vegan cheddar, divided in half
• 1 small can sliced ripe olives
• small handful cilantro, rinsed and chopped
• 2 cans pinto beans
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Handful of pickled jalapenos, diced
• 1 c canned, diced tomatoes
• 1/2 c jasmine rice
• 1/4 c onion, diced
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 c water

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375'
2. Begin with the rice by sauteing 1/4c diced onion in 1 Tbsp olive oil until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1 tsp chili powder, bay leaves and rice. Cook over medium about 2-3 minutes.
3. Add water and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook, covered for  for 20 minutes. Uncover and simmer until excess moisture is gone. Remove bay leaves. Cover and keep warm.
4. Prepare pinto beans by draining can into a bowl (reserve bean liquid separately from beans). 
5. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in pan over medium high and saute 2 minced cloves garlic until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add beans and mash with potato masher or fork. Add bean liquid a little at a time until it's the right consistency (I only used about 1/2 cup liquid). Stir in a touch of diced pickled jalapenos. Cover and set aside.
6. In large pan, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute minced garlic for 2 minutes. Stir in crumbled tofu and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Stir in taco seasoning mix to combine. Add rest of diced jarred jalapenos and 1/2c Daiya cheddar.
7. Coat 9x13 glass pan with cooking spray. Pour 1 cup enchilada sauce in bottom of pan. 
8. Warm tortillas in microwave for 0:30-1:00 until warm and pliable.
9. Spoon filling into center of each tortilla, wrap up and set seam side down in glass pan and repeat until all tortillas are gone. If you have extra filling, just stuff it in the ends of the enchiladas in the pan. 
10. Top enchiladas with the rest of the enchilada sauce. Cover with foil and bake 15 minutes. Remove foil, top with rest of Daiya cheddar and olives and bake 5 more minutes.
11. Serve 2 enchiladas per plate, a serving of rice and beans and garnish with cilantro, if desired.

Nutrition: For a "comfort meal" not too shabby!!!!

Pulled "Pork" Sandwich [Seitan]

Oh. Yeah. You might be asking yourself, "Self, is that sandwich as good as it looks?" and the answer would be HECK YES it is. Since we've been on the seitan making train for awhile now, we're coming up with more and more ways to use this amazingly cheap, satisfying, meat-alternative. BBQ pulled pork? With homemade BBQ sauce? Yes please.

Nothing too fancy here, we made this BBQ Sauce (seriously, it's easy, do it), then sliced our seitan, made a quick coleslaw, and put it all together. I don't know about you, but I could eat this every day. I've made pulled pork, and I like pulled pork, but this just takes about 80% less time than pulled pork and it tastes about 100% as good!

Makes 4 sandwiches
INGREDIENTS:

• 1/3 c (or more) The BMK BBQ Sauce
• 1/3 recipe of Homemade Seitan
• 1/2 red onion, finely diced
• pickle relish
• 4 whole grain buns
• 1 cup red cabbage, finely sliced
• 1 large carrot, shredded
• 1/3 c non-fat plain Greek Yogurt (or vegannaise)
• splash water
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Slice seitan into under 1/4" slices and then cut into strips crosswise.
2. Heat BBQ sauce in pan over medium-high heat. Toss seitan with sauce and warm.
3. In bowl, whisk yogurt or vegannaise, water, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, black pepper and lemon juice. Stir in cabbage and carrot to coat.
4. Toast or warm buns
5. Assembly sandwiches - spread a layer of pickle relish, top with onions, pulled pork and coleslaw.

The BMK BBQ Sauce

BBQ sauce...smoky, sweet, spicy and downright delicious! There's a few condiments in life I cannot live without - BBQ sauce and pickle relish being my top two. Unfortunately, when you look at the ingredient list on a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce, ketchup or marinade, a boat load of sugar is usually the key ingredient. It's as if they make simple syrup and then figure, eh, what the heck, toss a few tomatoes in. Never mind all the ingredients with confusing chemical sounding names! 

I'm going to start preparing and bottling our favorite condiments to have on hand in lieu of funky store-bought varieties. The goal was to have this bottle (above) for some time, but...um...we dusted that thing in a few days. What's in my crazy concoction? The secret ingredients are high quality canned crushed San Marzano tomatoes and whiskey. Sure, there's other ingredients, but the whiskey really makes it special. And not in that "drank too much whiskey and are stumbling around" kind of special. 

Make a bottle, make a vat, whatever suits you! Keep an eye out for a super-freaking-amazing BBQ Pulled Seitan Sandwich coming tomorrow! Want to know where to get a handy glass bottle for your awesome-sauce? We save most good glass bottles and jars we buy, sanitize them in hot water and store for later (like now)!

Makes 1 bottle

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 15 oz can crushed San Marzano tomatoes
• 1.5 c water
• 3 tsp chili powder
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp molasses
• 1/4c apple cider vinegar
• 1/4c lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/4c whiskey

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oil over medium-high in saucepan. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add chili powder and saute another minute. Add remaining ingredients, whisk thoroughly, bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and simmer partially covered for 30 minutes.
2. Use immersion blender to blend thoroughly.
3. Allow to cool and bottle.

Kale Chips

I laugh every time I see people snatching up bags of kale chips at the market for $7 or more. Hah! Suckers. I know, kind of mean, but come on folks - it's kale. The green leafy stuff they line the fish display case with. It's been relegated to the "decoration" section of the food world up until a few years ago when someone baked it and discovered it's totally freaking amazing when baked. Capitalizing on your laziness, they introduced organic kale chips in bags at stores. But, really, at the end of the day? That's just kale. Baked. Bagged. And they sell kale at the market, for something around 99 cents. Try these out, then join me in snickering at poor suckers at the market. 

What's that? You don't like kale? Join the club! No one thinks they do. Adam didn't like it. No sir. Didn't want ANY kale in our house. He'd indulge me with beet greens, Swiss chard, and spinach but not kale. Until I made some kale chips and behold a convert! A little olive oil goes a long way, so does some salt, pepper and garlic granules. Feel free to experiment with the spices!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 bunch kale
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• a few cranks of a sea salt grinder
• a few cranks of cracked pepper grinder

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375'
2. Wash kale. Lay kale out on towel. Roll towel up (to dry kale).
3. Tear or cut thick center rib out of kale leaf and discard.
4. Tear kale leaves into chunks.
5. Toss in bowl with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.
6. Line baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray.
7. Arrange kale on baking sheet(s) in a single layer and bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy.
8. Laugh at the suckers, it's ok. I won't judge.

Seitan Philly Cheesteaks

Is this genius or what?! I'm not even going to be shy about how damn good these "cheesesteaks" were. Nothing cheesy and nothing steaky, it's more of our amazing homemade seitan sliced up and sauteed with mushrooms, onions, peppers and a little seasoning. This sandwich is downright sinful tasting, but so much healthier than the traditional version which consists of steak, onions, bread and cheez whiz! Cheez whiz? For real?!

We don't adhere to any strict diet, so we used London Pub's Steak and Chop sauce because it's freaking yummy  but it does contain anchovies, HFCS, and a handful of other crap that I wouldn't recommend eating. It's hard to find around here as well, so I am going to attempt to make a homemade version that omits the junk and keeps the flavor. I will keep you posted on that!

It's pretty simple to make and an unbelievable way to use seitan! Granted, you're going wheat product on wheat product here, so reserve it for a carby splurge meal and sneak a salad alongside. Don't eat too many carbs or you'll end up like this guy.

Our "fluffy" Maine Coon, Francois. This is how he sleeps!

Serves 4 
INGREDIENTS:

• 1/3 lb of seitan from this recipe, sliced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 ea small red and green bell pepper
• 1 small onion, halved and sliced
• 5-7 mushrooms, thickly sliced (cremini or button)
• 2 Tbsp steak sauce or for now, google a vegetarian steak sauce recipe (until I've got mine up)
• sea salt, cracked pepper
• 4 whole wheat rolls
• 4 slices provolone, non-dairy cheese or yogurt cheese, cut in half

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high and add onions, bell peppers and mushrooms. Saute until onions are golden brown and everything is slightly tender, about 5 minutes. 
2. Add steak sauce, salt and pepper. Add seitan and stir to combine and heat thoroughly.
3. Slice buns lengthwise, but not all the way through. Warm buns in oven or toaster oven at 300'. 
4. Stuff with 1/4 of filling and top with one cheese slice, cut in half (two triangles). 
5. Place back in oven to melt cheese and serve.

Cornmeal Crusted Tofu + Raw Kale Salad

Another quick weeknight meal - this cornmeal crusted tofu is simple and delicious. I highly recommend serving a little BBQ sauce alongside the tofu for dipping as plain, the tofu is a little bland. We rounded out this dish with some mashed roasted sweet potatoes (with skins on). Not only are roasted mashed sweet potatoes easy, they are high in Vitamin C, B6 and potassium. Don't let the raw kale salad deter you - it's super easy to make and is a fantastic way to get some nutritious greens in your day. While kale is usually a bit tough when raw, marinating and rubbing the chopped kale with a little olive oil tenderizes the leaves and enhances their flavor. I suggest using a high quality oil for this - we used the Koroneiki olive oil from Oliver's in San Clemente although, I could see where using a truffle oil or a walnut oil would work fabulously as well. Kale is such a nutrient dense vegetable that I've been attempting to include it in our diet 2-3x a week! A single cup has over your RDA for Vitamins K and A and almost all your RDA of Vitamin C in addition to fiber, minerals, flavenoids, and almost no calories.

The raw kale salad is garnished with a handful of hemp seeds for added crunch and nutrition. Maybe you haven't heard of hemp seeds or the very notion of "hemp" conjures up your extra-curricular activities in college...but before you call me crazy let me tell you a little about this special seed. Hemp seeds are just like any other high nutrient seed that you might be more familiar with such as flax or chia. They are high in protein, omega-3 fatty acids and are an excellent source of zinc, magnesium, phosphorous and iron. For those of you who are veggie/vegan iron can be a hard thing to get enough of so here's a great source!

Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 package of extra-firm organic tofu
• 1/4 cup cornmeal, ground finer in coffee or spice grinder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• BBQ sauce for serving alongside tofu

• 3 large sweet potatoes, halved lengthwise
• cooking spray
• 1/4 cup soy or almond milk

• 4 cups kale, ribs removed and leaves chopped 
• 1/2 small red bell pepper, minced
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• squeeze of lemon (from about half lemon)
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 3 Tbsp hemp seeds
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375' and line baking sheet with foil. Spray foil with cooking spray and place sweet potatoes cut side down on foil. Bake until tender, about 30-45 minutes.
2. Remove from oven and place in bowl with soy milk. Mash with potato masher or fork and set aside, covered, to keep warm.
3. Prepare salad by combining kale and 1 Tbsp olive oil in large bowl. Massage oil into kale for 1-2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients (except hemp seeds) and toss. Set aside to marinate while you do the tofu.
4. Drain the tofu and press with paper towels to remove excess water.
5. Combine the cornmeal and spices in shallow bowl. 
6. Slice the tofu into 8 pieces and lightly coat in cornmeal mixture.
7. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat and add tofu. Pan fry each side until golden brown about 2 minutes per side.
8. Serve tofu with BBQ sauce alongside, kale salad (garnish with hemp seeds) and mashed sweet potato.

Mexican Lasagna

Yes, we eat healthy, clean, surprisingly vegan meals most of the time. Yet, every once in awhile, we crave something a little dirty and splurgy. My mom's made this recipe for as long as I can recall and it's one I learned to make at a young age. It's really versatile - don't eat cheese? Use daiya. Don't like meat? Use TVP or smart ground. Don't like Mexican food? Okay, there's no help for you (sorry).

This is not the same recipe as we started with, as I can't help but lighten it up some! IF you can eat only your serving (1/8th of the pan) then the calorie count is awesome. The problem lies in not shoveling in two servings.... Good luck.

Mexican Lasagna makes a full 9x13" pan, freezes and reheats perfectly, tastes good even when it's cold and is a good dish to whip up for a hungry group. As always, adjust the recipe to your tastes. I'm going to write in the ingredients as used in the standard recipe with suggestions alongside. To keep it simple, it's basically chili layered on tortillas with some kind of a cottage cheesy layer in the middle.

Serves one (kidding, makes a 9x13 pan - serves about 8)
INGREDIENTS:

• 12 corn tortillas
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 lb lean ground beef (or turkey, chicken, TVP meat mixture or smart grounds)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 T chili powder
• 1 t cumin
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t black pepper
• 1 (15oz) can pinto beans
• 1 handful frozen corn
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1 jar (15oz) chunky salsa
• 1 (15oz) container of non-fat cottage cheese (or non-dairy sub)
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten 
• 2 t oregano
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t pepper
• handful sliced ripe olives
• handful sliced jarred jalapenos
• 1 cup shredded cheddar (or Daiya)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375'
2. Heat olive oil in large pan. Add meat (or meat sub), brown meat until it's no longer pink about 8-10 minutes over medium-high heat. Drain any fat off.
3. Add garlic and onion. Saute until tender, 2 minutes more.
4. Add chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, pinto beans, corn and salsa. Stir to combine and bring to a thorough heat over medium.
5. In separate bowl, lightly beat eggs, oregano, salt and pepper. Add cottage cheese and stir to combine. 
6. Spray bottom of 9x13 glass baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange 6 tortillas overlapping slightly in bottom and slightly up sides of pan. 
7. Spoon half of chili mixture over tortillas. Gently spoon all cottage cheese mixture on top of chili mixture. 
8. Layer with 6 more tortillas. Top with rest of chili mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
9. Remove foil and top with cheese, olives and jalapenos. Bake 5 more minutes.
10. Remove from oven and allow to cool at least 5 minutes. Cut and serve!

Vegetarian Gyros

I better get a move on with blog posts! I have thirteen outstanding recipes to write and publish. Eeeeek, I'm getting behind. It's hard work having a full time job, a crazy triathlon habit, four cats, and two blogs to write. Who knew?! This was Seitanic Meal #2 from the first batch of seitan I made the other week. What a great use for seitan too! The seitan gets a little herb rub and then is crisped on a cast-iron skillet (we use a large 2-burner lodge pan, but you can use anything). Our tzatziki was made using nonfat Chobani greek yogurt, but you can use or make your own vegan version and is a perfect zingy compliment to the warm pita and spiced seitan.

Super easy to make and it travels well for lunch the next day!

Makes 4 Gyros
INGREDIENTS:

• 1/3 of the seitan from this recipe (or roughly 16 hand-sized slices)
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp+ cayenne (add more if you like it hotter)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 pitas or flatbreads
• thinly sliced romaine
• thinly sliced tomato
• 16 kalamata olives, pitted and diced
• 1 c nonfat greek plain yogurt or vegan yogurt
• handful of diced cucumber
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp fresh dill, minced
• pinch garlic powder

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare tzatziki by combining yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice, dill and garlic powder. Set aside.
2. Combine spices (paprika through salt). Preheat cast iron skillet or non stick frying pan and coat with cooking spray. Add slices of seitan and cook until browning and crisping, respray and flip seitan and repeat process on other side.
3. Warm pita bread or flatbread in microwave or over flame until warm and slightly pliable.
4. Arrange 4 slices of seitan on pita, top with lettuce, tomato, tzatziki and a few kalamata olives.