Texas Tater Tot Casserole

So I've been perusing "Betty Goes Vegan" the last couple of weeks.  I'm still wavering on whether I want to permanently add it to my stash.  Anyway, the companion blog from the authors has been a favorite of mine for awhile.

I was craving comfort food and what says comfort better than tater tots?  This tater tot casserole isn't that of the ground beef/cream of mushroom soup/tater tot casserole (or hot dish, as they'd say in Minnesota), but it sure is comforting.

A better, more appetizing pic can be found here, along with the recipe.  But since I aim to be a one-stop shop, I'll post the recipe here as well.  Make it, eat it, love it.

Texas Tater Tot Casserole

• 1 Can Black Beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1 Can Kidney Beans (drained and rinsed)
• 2 14oz Cans Diced Tomatoes (Mexican Style, drained)
• 3/4 Cup Frozen Corn
• 1-2 Fresh Jalapenos (sliced - how much you add depends on how hot you want it to be)
• 1/2 Yellow Bell Pepper (diced)
• 1/2 Orange Bell Pepper (diced)
• 1/4 Cup Fresh Cilantro (diced)
• 1/2 Red Onion (diced)
• 2 Cloves Garlic (minced)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Braggs
• 2 teaspoons Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon Hot Sauce (you can add more if you want more heat)
• 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
• 2 Pinches of Paprika
• 1 1/2 Cups Daiya Vegan Pepperjack Cheese (shredded)
• 2 Cups Frozen Tater Tots

Heat oven to 375.

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except Daiya and Tater Tots. Put the Chili mix into a casserole dish. Then sprinkle an even layer of Daiya over that and then an even layer of Tater Tots over that.

Bake uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes or until your Tater Tots are a sweet golden brown.

Tofu pad thai

Found it here.

I found this to be pretty tasty (and easy), although the taste of lime was predominant.  I'll make this one again, but I'll use less lime juice and more tamari next time.

The recipe (sorry 'bout the formatting but I'm too lazy to fix it):

Tofu Pad Thai

from “Big Vegan” by Robin Asnell

§  ¼ cup Vegetable broth

§  ¼ cup Lime Juice

§  ¼ cup Tamari

§  2 tbsp. Sugar

§  2 tsp. Cornstarch

§  2 tbsp. Canola oil

§  12 ounces Firm tofu, drained and pressed

§  1 tsp. Red pepper flakes

§  1 tbsp. Ginger, fresh, minced, peeled

§  2 cloves Minced garlic

§  8 ounces Rice noodles, banh pho

§  4 Scallions, Cut in 1 inch pieces

§  4 ounces Bean sprouts

§  ½ cup Roasted peanuts, chopped

§  ½ cup Cilantro

Method:

1.Bring a large pot of water to a boil. In a cup, mix together the stock, lime juice, tamari, sugar and cornstarch.

2.Heat the oil over high heat, and crumble the tofu into the pan. Add the pepper flakes and fry until the tofu is browned, stirring constantly. Add the ginger and garlic and stir for 1 minute.

3.Meanwhile, cook the noodles in the boiling water for 5 minutes, or until al dente. Drain them. Stir and add the stock mixture to the pan with tofu.

4.Stir and quickly add the noodles, scallions and sprouts. Stir-fry gently until the liquids are thickened and the noodles are coated, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately, topped with the peanuts and cilantro.

Sweets for the sweet

Valentine's Day is this week, which gets a gal like me thinking about chocolate.  And, I thought ahead enough to get some of these delivered in time to ensure their consumption long before the actual holiday:

In giving these as a gift to the spousal equivalent, I ensure that I get half of them.  Thus I must order 2x as many.  And they are worth it.

I'm not sure where I first ran across the OCD Sweet Stix.  Probably via The Laziest Vegans In the World.  Anyway, they were presented as vegan Twix, so of course I was interested.  Twix used to be my absolute favorite.  Presented with a vegan Twix option, I fell hook, line and sinker.  I ordered some for Xmas stocking stuffing and they were fantastic.  Maybe even better than Twix.  Yeah, I'll go that far, especially since they are covered in dark chocolate, which everyone knows is the superior form of chocolate.

Here's an interior view:

Not a great picture, as is my way, but let me tell you that they are delicious.  And while it's too late for you to get yours by Valentine's Day (but haha I got mine!), do yourself a favor and get some ordered toot sweet.  Send some my way, too.

Mushroom Stroganoff Fettucine

From the Forks Over Knives cookbook.  I'm slowly working my way through this cookbook...have had a couple of misses so far, but this one is a hit!

I didn't have fettucine in the pantry, so instead it's served over rotini.  Same diff in my book.

Recipe here.

Supah Bowl

Not that I care all that much about the Super Bowl, and it's not because the Broncos aren't in it this year.  It's just not my cup of tea.  I did see somewhere in the news this week that Super Bowl Sunday is America's 2nd highest caloric intake day behind Thanksgiving.  Well, way to go, America, another stat to be proud of.

But, I was watching "Sunday Morning" this morning, as is my Sunday ritual, and it featured a story on New Orleans style gumbo.  I've never been to New Orleans, but given its strong food traditions, it seems a place I'd like to visit sometime.  So, until I can get there, I thought it would be fun to get into the food spirit of the event and of New Orleans.

My thoughts went first to jambalaya and red beans and rice.  I thumbed through a few cookbooks and the red beans and rice recipe from Vegan Cooking for Carnivores jumped out at me.

And here it is:

Recipe here.  Top with your favorite hot sauce and enjoy!  I sure did.

Mmm, jerky

Picked this up at Nooch today:

Granted, it has been MANY years since I've had any sort of meat jerky.  But these, these are little chewy bites of savory heaven.  I had all I could do not to eat the whole package.  Delicioso and enough of a reason for me to pedal myself over to Nooch to restock on a frequent basis.