"Beef" and Kale Enchiladas 5/5 Spoons

Here is one of my own mad creations! It mostly comes from me wanting to use up the almost not okay to eat kale that was in our fridge and wanting to have some Mexican food. I think it was a great way to combine those two desires. I actually cut this recipe down a bit because one of my roommates is out of town and she likes my cooking more than the other roommate. (AKA - the big carnivore). This was not something pretty to take a picture of so enjoy this insane drawing I found!

(Thank you VelvetMinxx5)

“Beef” and Kale Enchilada Bake

2-3 T. vegetable oil
½ c. onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
½ green pepper, diced
1 c. (1/2 bunch) kale, chopped roughly
A few glugs of veggie broth or water (about ½ - ¾ c.)
Jackie’s Taco Seasoning (recipe below)
1 package MorningStar Farms veggie crumbles (or tofu, tempeh, seitan, etc.)
1 can small can hot enchilada sauce (or make your own! I do this sometimes, but definitely not today.)
1 8 - ounce package sharp cheddar cheese
6-8 small corn tortillas
Salt and pepper to taste

1 T. chili powder
1 t. cumin and oregano
¼ t. garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne pepper

Throw in a container and shake. You can double, triple, etc. this and save it for the next time you make tacos!

Set your oven to 375. Grease a 3 qt. casserole dish with cooking spray or oil. Open the can of enchilada sauce and put about 1/3 of the contents in the bottom. Spread the sauce around so it evenly coats the bottom of the pan.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Toss in the onions, garlic, green pepper and kale. Cook until onions are translucent and the kale wilts down quite a bit (about 5-10 minutes). Add a few glugs of broth/water, the veggie crumbles and taco seasoning. Crank the heat up to med-high and let it simmer for about 5 minutes until the liquid has dissipated.

Lay 3-4 tortillas in the bottom of the pan and add ½ of “beef” mixture. Cover with ½ of cheese and top again with 3-4 tortillas. Add the rest of the “beef” mixture and cover with the rest of the enchilada sauce. Top with remaining cheese.

Place in top half of your oven for about 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Place in lower half of your oven for 10 more minutes or until the cheese on top is crusty and crunchy.

Once again, something I love about this dish is that it is easily customizable. Throw in some corn, pinto beans, black beans, leftover potatoes and rice, etc. The sky is the limit. I topped mine with sour cream but it would be bitching with some avocado, cilantro, lime, blah blah. You know what goes good with Mexican food, don't ya?

I promise to write about the EPIC birthday layer cake I made (Vanilla and Chocolate with a Raspberry Filling topped with Vanilla Buttercream frosting anyone?) Until next time, take care!

Enchilada Bake 5/5 Spoons

Hey everyone! So it's been almost two weeks since I've written here and I have missed it so. We are moved into our new place and unpacked and everything is pretty wonderful where we are. I love being near restaurants, the train and like a block away from a post office. So to make my transition back into the blog, I will review a regular recipe that comes up my menu repertoire. A wonderful recipe that my whole apartment loves. I am talking Enchilada Bake......

So I was browsing through Mercy for Animal's Vegetarian Starter Kit (and that is the link to order one) at The Chicago Diner one day and found this recipe and it popped me right in the face. I love Mexican food and all the components seem to work so well together (diced green chiles, pinto beans, etc.), so I made sure to try it. YUM. So good. The wonderful combination of melty cheese, beans, green chilies and enchilada sauce just blows me away every time I have it. It is ridiculously easy to make and gives you plenty of food for leftovers. And who doesn't love food with Fritos crumbled on top? Seriously.

(This is a weird sad bastard picture of someone's enchilada casserole... sorry. I'll take my own picture next time!

Here are my notes:

-- I use flour tortillas instead of corn. I love corn tortillas but I know a lot of people don't like the texture of them (my roommates included).
-- Sometimes I make my own enchilada sauce (recipe here) but mostly I just buy the canned stuff, I ain't picky.
-- This is a vegan recipe but I use regular cheddar cheese but I imagine the Daiya Cheddar would work some serious magic here.
-- I always forget, but I mean to buy two cans of diced green chilies every time I make this. It can definitely use two cans, especially if you love the flavor and not necessarily the spiciness of chilies.
-- And when this is about done, I usually broil the top on high for about 2 minutes because I really like a crunchy crust on top.

I give this recipe:

5/5 Spoons!

I'm going to be making more new food this week and it will be amazing. See you again soon!

Vegetarian Midwest Taco Tater Tot Casserole 5/5 Spoons

This recipe title is a mouthful!

So this is pretty straightforward, I wanted to make something super super Midwestern and came up with this ridiculously easy recipe. This is not something I would make every night (or heck, even once a month) because I like to incorporate, ya know, vegetables into all my meals. But, it is something to make when you don't even feel like thinking while cooking and want something simple and delicious.



(Photo courtesy of Cooking for Kids Blog)

My recipe includes:

1 medium white/yellow onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, diced
2 packages of Morningstar Farms Veggie Crumbles
2 packages low-sodium taco seasoning
1 package Ore-Ida Tater Tots (or whatever you like)
Cheddar cheese, or whatever you like

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a 11x7 casserole pan.

Dice and cook the garlic and onion over medium heat until just brown around the edges (or that's the way I like it, do as you please.) Add the crumbles with just a glug of water to get them going. Once they have absorbed the water and are fully incorporated, add the seasoning. Just mix and let cook over med-low heat until everything is well cooked and looks yummy. Pour the taco mixture into the pan and top with as many or as few tater tots as you like. I just do one solid layer because piling them on might mean that some tater tots overcook while others don't cook at all. Now just pile on as much cheese as you would like, this is all catered to your own taste if you haven't figured it out already. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the tater tots look nice and crisp on top. I served it with sour cream just because I like any excuse to put it on my food.

That's it! So flippin' easy it's almost silly to put on here.

I give this recipe:

5/5 Spoons!

Next up, Baked Mac & Cheese!

Vegan Cincinnati Chili Mac 5/5 Spoons

WHAT'S UP BITCHES!!!

I'm back. Two days without me, how do you live? I'm sure you make do.

So I don't have a picture for this and usually I won't cook a recipe unless there is a picture attached. This is such a basic and hearty meal, I assumed it would all turn out okay. It totally did. More than okay really.

Ah, what the heck, here is a random pic of Cincinnati Chili Mac. This is one that probably look the most like the recipe I used except mine was much more vegetable based of course.



(Photo courtesy of Rock & Roll Cafe)

I really don't know much about Cinicinnati Chili Mac or why it is different than regular chili mac from the Midwest... but it was ridiculously delicous. It was hearty and filling served with spaghetti and you can really taste the spice and warmth from the cinnamon and green chilies. I used 1 1/2 t. of chili powder, you could definitely bump it up to 2 t. and make it even smokier. I added cheese to mine making it decidedly not vegan BUT this meal is vegan to begin with so add what you wish! Tofutti Sour Supreme, green onions or Daiya Cheddar would all make this kick ass and cruelty free.

Oh and PS - I added a bag of Morningstar Farms Veggie Crumbles, I think it was a perfect addition.

I give this recipe:

5/5 spoons!

Not sure what is coming up next... I may try to veganize Ina Garten's Fleur De Sel Caramels recipe. I like a challenge and my lovely friend Kris Anne has now motivated me to try it out. See you this weekend my loveys!