Vegan Breakfast Tacos

It's a lazy Sunday morning for us and we don't seem to have too many of those. Oh sure, I've already washed the sheets and remade the bed and have my third load of laundry in right now but hubby and I are just sitting in the study making plans.

I'm not sure whose stomach growled first but it didn't take long before they were both making quite a racket. I started trying to think of what I could make for breakfast but since we had the garage sale last weekend and then I head to DC for a meeting on Sunday, grocery shopping has been neglected for a while. I wasn't sure we had enough ingredients on hand to make much.

My first thought was pumpkin pancakes but alas, no applesauce. Hmmm, what next? I saw that we had some tortillas so I instantly went to the idea of breakfast burritos but eggs are out of the question. Hmm, maybe tacos instead?

I steamed a sweet potato in the microwave. Mashed sweet potato, like refried beans, can make a great base for tacos because the other ingredients tend to stick to it and not roll out onto your plate every time you take a bite. So after steaming it I mashed it up, added half a packet of leftover taco seasoning (low sodium, of course!) and a splash of almond milk to give it a creamier texture. Not a bad start...




Then I steamed some greens. I had just a little bit of kale left so I added some spinach and some collard greens and steamed them together in the microwave for about 2 minutes. And, since we think nearly everything tastes better with cilantro, I cut up about a little fresh cilantro and added that to the steamed greens. Doesn't look too appetizing laid out like this but oh, they're so good and so good for you!




I opened and rinsed a can of black beans and then started assembling the tacos. On top of the greens I spooned on a little salsa and sprinkled on some nutritional yeast. I wish I'd had some quacamole or avocado to add but not this time. Maybe next.

Hubby doesn't like corn tortillas so luckily I had some whole wheat tortillas as well. However, after assembling them I have decided I'll only use the whole wheat next time... the corn tortillas just didn't hold up as well. Here is the assembly process...
















And here is what the corn tortilla tacos looked like... they just didn't hold up. Oh well, they still tasted great!



So I may have made this as a form of breakfast tacos but really they'd be good any time of the day. Still, not a bad breakfast on a lazy Sunday. :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Tater Tot Taco Bake - Hubby's new favorite

"Okay, Honey... THIS is my favorite thing you cook."

That's what I hear from my sweet hubby quite often.  Not just when I cook the same thing as the last time he said that, mind you.  He says it a lot.  Suffice it to say he really likes my cooking.  However, I'm not sure I've ever seen him light up the way he does whenever he finds out that I've made Tater Tot Taco Bake.  I really do believe it's his favorite.  His REAL favorite.  And that's what we're having tonight.  Can't wait to see the look on his face when he finds out.  :)

I can definitely tell I'm way out of the blogging habit.  I didn't even stop to think about taking a picture tonight until I was ready to put dinner in the oven.  Sigh.  I'll do better, I promise.  I know a picture is worth a thousand words, especially where food it concerned.  Next time I make it, I'll blog again with more pictures than words.  How's that for a deal?  :)

This was something my new daughter (first husband's daughter he never knew about who found me on Facebook a couple of years ago -- long story... another time.) posted on Facebook awhile back that was NOT vegan.  I just substituted a few things here and there and voila, vegan magic had occurred!

Here's what it looked like right before going into the oven tonight...

And here's the recipe... so easy and so good.

TATOR TOT TACO BAKE

1 package veggie protein crumbles
1 small onion (diced)
1 garlic clove (minced)
1 small can sliced black olives (which I never have)
1 package taco seasoning mix
1 can corn
1 can diced green chilies
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 bag shredded Daiya cheese (optional)

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 package frozen tater tots
1 can red enchilada sauce

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Heat a skillet to medium high heat. Add veggie crumbles, garlic, and onion and cook until onions are translucent. Add taco seasoning mix, green chilies, corn, cilantro and black beans to the ground crumbles. Cook until heated through.

In a large bowl combine mixture, ¾ of the cheese, and all of the tater tots. Stir well to combine.

Pour about 1/3 of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Add the tater tot mixture to the baking dish and lightly pat the mixture down into a solid, even layer. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tater tot mixture.

Place into the oven and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. During the last few minutes of baking, top the casserole with the remaining cheese and the sliced black olives. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly.