Taco Pizza

Dough:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 envelope Rapid Rise Yeast
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup very warm water
2 tbsp olive oil

Toppings:
Lightlife Gimme Lean Ground Beef Style
Taco seasoning
Daiya Cheddar Shreds
1 cup salsa
3 tbsp taco sauce
black olives
crunched tortilla chips


1: Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2: Prepare dough by mixing 2 cups flour, yeast, salt together in a bowl

 3: Add water and olive oil and stir until dough is sticky

4: Pour about 1/2 cup flour on counter and kneed dough until it is smooth and elastic
5: Place in a bowl and cover for about 10 minutes

6: While dough is rising, heat the ground beef style faux-meat and add 1 packet of taco seasoning (or 2 tbsp jarred seasoning or 2 tsp cumin + 1 tsp paprika) along with 3 tbsp water
7:Grease a pan and place dough on the center and stretch it out until it covers the entire pan

8: Bake the crust alone for 10 minutes
9: Remove from the oven and add a salsa "sauce"

10: Add seasoned taco "meat"

11: Drizzle taco sauce over the top

12: Spread around the crunched tortilla chips

13: Add olives and Daiya cheddar shreds

14: Bake for 10 minutes then remove from the oven
15: Brush olive oil on the edges of the crust and return to oven to broil for 2 minutes (watch it very carefully!)

16: Enjoy immediately!

This recipe creates eight large rectangular slices.

Chili Mac

A simple, quick meal that takes less than 15 minutes to make... an old family favorite! 

1/2 package penne pasta
1 can Hormel Vegetarian Chili

1: Boil pasta for about 11 minutes or until pasta is cooked to your preference
2: Drain and place back into pot and add chili
3: Cook on low for a few minutes and serve

Chunky Chili

Make this for the omnivores in your life and they will never know it's vegan!  My brother said it tasted like "regular chili"... I'll take that as a compliment!  ;)

1/2 package of Smart Ground Original Veggie Protein Crumbles
3 cans kidney beans
2 cans (each 14 oz) tomato sauce
1/2 onion
2 stalks celery
2 tbsp chili powder
salt & cracked pepper

Optional: Daiya Cheddar shreds to melt on top

Makes: 4 servings (or in my case, leftovers for lunch and dinner the next day too!)

1: Saute veggie protein with a bit of olive oil until thoroughly heated

2: Add chopped onions and a 2 tbsp chili powder

3: Then add 2 cans tomato sauce and chopped celery; cook on medium for about 10 minutes, until celery is a bit softened

4: Drain kidney beans and add to mix. I like to add more chili powder, but you may want to keep your chili mild.  Lots of salt and cracked pepper too!

5: Stir completely, cover and simmer for an hour on LOW.  Serve immediately with Daiya cheddar shreds and/or Premium oyster crackers

 

Alternate: After step 3, you may choose to transfer the base along with the kidney beans to a crockpot and simmer for two-three hours on LOW instead.

Mac & Peas

 

This is inspired by a meal my mom used to make for my siblings and I as children- loved it!  I'll never forget picking out the beef crumbles to avoid biting into a bumpy cartilage piece!  Ew, I know...glad I don't have to worry about that anymore! ;) 

1/2 package of pasta

1/4 cup Earth Balance
1/2 can peas
1/2 package Smart Ground veggie protein crumble
Daiya Cheddar style wedge

1: Cook pasta according to instruction, strain, add back to pot and set aside
2: Add a bit of olive oil to pan and heat protein crumbles, stirring and turning for about 7 minutes.  I added a generous amount of salt and cracked pepper, but a sprinkle will do too

 3: Cube Daiya wedge

4: Add about 2/3 of Daiya cubes and Earth Balance to pot of pasta and stir on medium heat until completely melted

 

 5: Add 1/2 can of peas and cooked protein crumbles

 6: Serve immediately...so YUM!

Taco Burger

1 pack of Gardein meatless ground
Daiya Pepperjack shreds
focaccia bread
1/4 sweet onion
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tomato
avocado/guacamole
cumin & paprika






1: Saute meatless ground in one tsp olive oil with chopped onion and garlic

 2: Add paprika and cumin, 1 tsp at a time until seasoned to taste.  Then add about 1/3 cup Daiya and stir until melted

3: Cut focaccia bread  in half and melt Daiya on the bottom half and spread avocado/guacamole on top half.
4: Add meatless mixture, tomato, lettuce and onion. 

*Loved this sandwich!  I saved the meatless mixture and the next day, made a taco pizza using a pita as a base and simply melted Daiya, added the meatless mixture and put a little guacamole on top!  Yum!

Native American Fry Bread / Tacos

4 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup warm water (give or take)
vegetable shortening/oil

1: Kneed together ingredients until soft (not sticky), cover and set aside for 20 minutes.
2: Shape into a flattened ball that is about 6" in diameter and 1/2" thick. Poke a hole in the center with your fingers.
3: Heat vegetable shorting/oil on medium in a saucepan.  Add one or two pieces at a time, making sure to monitor and turn them when they are lightly browned.
4: Remove from oil and drain on paper towels or strainer.

For Tacos:
Follow the taco recipe located on Vegan Ikwe and simply add the toppings to the fry bread.  Enjoy!

Taco Nachos

Light Life ground beef-style
Taco Seasoning or a cumin/paprika combination seasoned to taste
Daiya Cheddar cheese
lettuce
salsa
onions
hot sauce
Doritos Sweet and Spicy Chili chips

So yesterday I made tacos for lunch and had leftover ingredients, so I decided to try a spicy nacho thing.  Instead of shells, I replaced them with Doritos Sweet and Spicy Chili chips.  I then melted Daiya on them and added whatever was leftover.  Yum!

Sloppy Joe's

 

1 package Lightlife Gimme Lean Ground Beef Style
1 can Manwich meal
onion hamburger buns

1: Brown the Lightlife in a saucepan on medium heat.
2: Add Manwich meal, as directions on the can state (obvious! lol)
3: Toast bun, add mixture and enjoy.

This recipe is self explanatory, but I also wanted to say that in addition to this simple way to make them, I also like to add sauteed onions and melted Daiya. Yum!

Blue Corn Tacos

 Blue Corn Tacos

blue corn taco shells
Gimme Lean ground beef style
Daiya cheddar
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
lettuce, chopped
2 avocados, sliced
taco sauce/salsa
cumin
sweet paprika

1: Brown Gimme Lean ground beef  with a splash of olive oil.
2: Add lots of cumin and sweet paprika along with a 1/4 cup taco sauce to keep the soy protein moist. Set aside.
3: Daiya is best melted on these, so put a thin layer on the bottom of the shells and heat at a low temperature in the oven for a couple of minutes, or in the microwave, if you prefer to cook your food with radiation.
4: Add taco "meat", lettuce, tomatoes, onions, avocado and taco sauce/salsa.  Enjoy!

Additional toppings could include black olives (non Lye-soaked, if possible), chives, or rice.

Gourmet Soy-Burgers

I'll be the first to admit that not all Vegan burgers are created equally.  Some are too soy-tasting, meaning they taste like the container they came in.  Some garden burgers taste like a squishy carroty-cabbage sandwich.  I've enjoyed a Boca burger here and there, but nothing compares to making your own!  So here is what I've found to be the ultimate burger for those who like simple American-type foods.



1 lb LightLife Gimme Lean
    (Ground Beef Style)
1 yellow onion (diced)
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup Daiya Vegan cheddar
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
dash of salt & pepper

olive oil (for cooking)

1: In a medium-sized bowl, mix together all ingredients with your hands (minus the olive oil).  Make sure everything is evenly distributed and that the onions stay in the mixture.  Obviously, your tastes may be different from mine, so experiment a little bit, add more herbs and spices, add less...whatever suits you.  Just keep the Daiya in there and the oats because it will really fill out your burger, kind of like a mini meat-loaf patty.

2: On medium heat (very important) in a non-stick pan, add a light coating of olive oil and spread it all around.  Make your mixture into balls and flatten them onto the oil, careful not to pull them apart.  Cover and cook for five minutes:

 

3: Next, slowly lift each soy-burger one at a time, adding a tiny amount of olive oil underneath before flipping it all the way over.  This is important because this soy will stick like you don't know what!  If you'd like to top your burgers with Daiya cheddar, do so after you've done the flip.  Cover and cook five minutes.

  

4: Top with whatever suits you.  I chose Daiya cheddar, lettuce, tomatoes and my very own pickled cucumbers from my garden.

Enjoy with a side of seasoned fries and some corn on the cob (topped with Earth Balance, of course).  :)