Sunday, September 25, 2011

The challenge is ON!


Yes, I experience overwhelm regularly but signing up to write 20-30 vegan-related posts during the month of October is exhilarating. Inspired by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, I know that anyone can thrive on a vegan diet. Taking part of Vegan MoFo is my way of sharing this sentiment with as many people as possible.

Here are some of the things you can look forward to seeing here during the month of October:
  • Easy ways to incorporate plant-based foods into your busy life
  • Answers to commonly asked questions
  • Restaurant and product reviews
  • Posts from the road: traveling with non-vegan family, friends and co-workers
  • Crafting simple vegan Halloween treats
  • Weekly "special guest" posts
  • A chance to win a copy of Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's The 30 Day Vegan Challenge!
Sit back, relax and soak it all in. This is going to be FUN!!

To your good health,
Susan

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Burrito Madness!


 

(This kitten is for you, Terry Romero) 
 I have to tell you about the psuedo-raw burrito I just made that was incredibly quick and easy to put together. So tasty, you'll be licking the plate clean. Given my slowly-evolving culinary prowess, I felt compelled to share it with you immediately because if I can do it, you can do it, too!

After working at the computer (instead of cleaning my house) for 6 hours on this lovely sunny Sunday, I realized I hadn't eaten anything all day and raced over to ChicVegan to recreate the raw taco "meat" featured at VidaVeganCon last weekend. I didn't have a cup of walnuts or lettuce or cilantro so I let my imagination go wild and pulled out whatever I had in the fridge.

The point of this post is to free you from convention and encourage you to mix it up in the kitchen, throw together tastes that you enjoy and omit things that you don't.
  
Susan's Burrito Madness

What you'll need:
  • Warm burrito sized tortilla (I used Ezekiel Sprouted Grain tortillas)
  • Tangy Taco Sauce
  • Walnut-Pecan-Sunflower Seed Chorizo
  • Refried and Black Beans mix
  • Warm brown rice
  • Sliced Jalapeno
  • Vegan Queso Sauce (by Food for Lovers)
  • Small chopped tomato
  • 1/4 chopped avocado
  • Shredded lettuce or sprouts (I was out of lettuce and sprouts but they would have definitely been a great addition to this burrito)

I didn't have Tofutti sour cream so I made the tangy sauce below and allowed it to "gel" in the fridge while I made the walnut-pecan-sunflower chorizo burrito filling and heated up the beans.



1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Sea salt
- Mix ingredients together in a bowl, put it in the refrigerator and let it chill.

Walnut –Pecan- Sunflower Seed Chorizo (adapted from Chic Vegan)
2 cloves garlic – minced
1/4 cup diced yellow onion
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup walnuts & 1/2 cup pecans
3/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 tsp XV Olive Oil
3 tsp lemon juice 
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp cayenne pepper
- Put everything in a food processor and pulse until it reaches a crumbly-but-still-juicy texture. (note, I put it into my VitaMix and quickly realized the instructions say "food processor" for a reason!)

Refried and Black Beans mix
1 can of vegetarian refried beans
1 can of black beans
3 tbs nutritional yeast
- Pour the black beans into a collander and rinse with cool water until bubbles disappear. Mix black beans with refried beans in a pot and heat on the stove until warm. Add nutritional yeast and stir thoroughly.


Constructing the burrito
Warm up your tortilla and pile on the ingredients! I layered my burrito in the following order but you can do whatever makes you happy:
  • Warm brown rice
  • Refried and Black Beans mix
  • Tablespoon of Vegan Queso
  • Walnut –Pecan- Sunflower Seed Chorizo
  • Avocado
  • Jalapenos
  • Tangy taco sauce
  • Tomatoes


Fold in the sides, roll this bad boy up and consume with a vengeance!



Oops, I almost forgot. I also made roasted broccoli but I inhaled it while creating burrito madness and forgot to take a photo. Here's the inspiration that came from the marvelous IsaChandra at Post Punk Kitchen.



Roasted Broccoli
1 1/2 pounds broccoli
3 tablespoon olive oil
Salt
(I was feeling sassy and also added cayenne pepper and garlic powder)

Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment.

Peel the broccoli stalks and chop them into 3/4 inch pieces. Cut the rest of the broccoli into large branches. Place on the sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Toss to coat.

Place in the oven for about 10 minutes on each side. Broccoli should be have various shades of toasty brown. Serve as soon as you can!

Grab a cold cerveza, some non-GMO tortilla chips and enjoy your meal!
(Note that this meal and blog post were made possible because my family was no where to be found and the only person I had to satisfy for dinner was ME! Wahoo!!)