Pizza Burgers

Another new recipe, amazingly not Mexican food!

From Betty Goes Vegan.

I probably don't need to tell you that these are not easy to eat.  But they are delicious!  The only modification I made to these was to use orange bell pepper instead of green because that's what I had on hand.  I also made my own pepperoni via the recipe from Vegan on the Cheap.

Pizza Burgers

4 Vegan Veggie Burgers (we went with Boca Vegans, but there are a lot of different types to choose from)

1/2 Red Onion (sliced)

1/2 Small Green Pepper (chopped)

2 Tablespoons of Pizza Sauce per Burger

2 Teaspoons Black Olives per Burger (sliced)

4-5 slices of Vegan Pepperoni per Burger

4 Whole Wheat Sandwich Buns

2-3 Tablespoons of Daiya Mozzarella Cheese per Burger (shredded)

Oregano and Red Pepper Flakes to sprinkle over the top

Serve with some Pepperoncinis for a little something extra

Olive Oil and a Dash of Liquid Smoke for cooking

Preheat oven to 400.

In your cherished little cast iron skillet, heat Olive Oil and a dash of Liquid Smoke at a medium heat. Add the Veggie Burgers. Once they start to brown, add Red Onions. Flip the Burgers a few times until they're brown on both sides. If the Onions are done cooking before the Burgers are done, you can always pile them on top of the Burgers to flavor the Burgers a bit.

While the Burgers and Onions are cooking, put your Sandwich Buns on your trusted pizza stone, open and face-down and in the oven. Remove when they're slightly toasted.

Take the top half of the Buns off the pizza stone and set aside. Flip the bottom half of the Bun over and put the Burger on there. Now, stack the Pizza Toppings on the Burger in this order: Pizza Sauce, Fake Pepperoni, little bit of Daiya Cheese, cooked Red Onion, Green Peppers, Some Daiya Cheese, Black Olives, and some more Daiya Cheese. Put the Pizza Burgers back in the oven to bake.

It should take around 10-20 minutes for the Daiya Cheese to melt. It depends how much you put on. Keep an eye on it, and remove from the oven once the Daiya Cheese is melted.

Sprinkle some Oregano and Red Pepper Flake over the Daiya Cheese and put the top half of the bun on.

Linky to the original.

Taco Casserole

Hmm, taco-ish casserole-ish dishes are quite popular with me!  I love Mexican food + it's easy to make.  And, I love me a good casserole, especially the leftovers they afford.

I was digging through some of my pre-vegan recipes and came across this Vegetarian Taco Casserole recipe, circa 2002.  The page it's printed on is crinkled and splattered, with an unknown phone number written on the back.  I knew I had found an old friend.

Not a great photo, just out of the oven.

And, here it is, dished up with some vegan sour cream (recipe from Yellow Rose Recipes, probably my fave vegan sour cream) and black olives.

We got snow yesterday here in Denver, and that plus the accompanying chill caught me off guard, as I had started to settle in to Spring.  Just the other day, I moved my winter boots to the closet, thinking "I won't need these again."  Yeah, well, I've lived here long enough that I should know better.  I took the opportunity to enjoy another excuse to putter around the kitchen for an afternoon without feeling guilty.  The extra evening light always makes me feel like I shouldn't be cozying up to a hearty meal and then crawling in bed early.  And, the snow on the ground ensures that there's absolutely no way I could be doing yardwork.  I love it when the stars align.  Later, there will be chocolate pudding with whipped coconut cream topping.

But for now, here's the recipe:

2 cups corn chips, broken into bite sized pieces (I use baked Tostitos)

 1 large onion, chopped

 1 large bell pepper, chopped

 1 tablespoon canola oil

 2 cloves garlic, minced

 1 cup frozen hash browns

 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies

 3 cups cooked long grain or brown rice

 1 cup salsa

 3 tablespoons hot chili powder

 2 tablespoons cumin

 1 tablespoon leaf oregano

 1 (15 ounce) can fat free refried black beans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 11x9" baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place crushed tortilla chips in the bottom.

 2. In large non-stick skillet, add onion, bell pepper, oil, garlic and hash browns, cooking until peppers and onions are soft.

 3. In a bowl, combine chilies, rice, salsa, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and black beans. Add this mixture to onions and peppers and cook until warm.

 4. Transfer mixture to baking dish and bake for 20 minutes. Optionally, top with more crushed chips, chopped tomatoes, and vegan cheese for a special treat.

It's what's for dessert...pretty much every night

I love these things.

I am slightly obsessed, buying them by the fistful when they're on sale (and even when they're not).  I keep them in the freezer and let them thaw to just the right consistency before partaking.

Reese's, who needs 'em?  Besides, these are even better, due in large part to the dark chocolate (Reese's dark chocolate pb cups are NOT vegan).

Good for you?  No.  Tasty?  Most definitely yes.

Chicken and wild rice soup

It will take weeks for me to adjust to the time change.  Hate it.  And just when I was enjoying the early morning light, it's gone again for the next month or two.  And more evening light gives me less of an excuse to toil away in the kitchen.  But, the weather still doesn't allow for too many outdoor adventures, so in the meantime I will content myself with my NEW cookbooks.

I made Chicken and Wild Rice Soup tonight from Betty Goes Vegan.

Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

• 2 Cups Vegan Chicken (I used Gardein.)
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 Cup Wild Rice (cooked )
• 5 Cups Better Than Bouillon - Vegetable (made per instructions on the package)
• 1 Cup Carrots (sliced into coins)
• 1 Cup Celery (sliced)
• 1 Small Red Onion (chopped)
• 1 Cup Frozen Peas
• 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Oregano (dried)
• 1 Teaspoon Thyme (dried)
• 2 Bay Leaves (dried)
• 1/2 Teaspoon Celery Seed (dried)
• Dash of Black Pepper

Heat oven to 350. In a glass baking dish, toss the defrosted Vegan Chicken and Olive Oil. Bake for 10-15 minutes, flipping once to make sure they cook evenly. Once they are brown and a little crispy, remove from the oven. Then let them cool.

In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat the remaining ingredients on a medium heat until they boil. Then reduce the heat to a simmer.

To serve, slice or chop your Vegan Chicken and then divide into 4-6 servings. It depends how much Vegan Chicken you want in each bowl. Fill your soup bowl 3/4 of the way with Soup and then toss on serving of Vegan Chicken in. Stir.

Delicious and comforting!  The only modification I made was leaving out the peas--because I didn't have any on hand and do not love peas in the first place.

We are getting snow this evening, which was not in the forecast.  But, not a surprise, given that the catastrophic snow event that was forecasted for last weekend did not come to pass, so this must be payback.  It was mere coincidence that I made this soup tonight, but I'm really glad I did.

Inspiration arrived on my doorstep today

 

Looking forward to digging in!

 

My name is Tracy and I am a vegan cookbook hoarder.

Taco soup

How could it be bad?

From Happy Herbivore Abroad

1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 c. vegetable broth
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 c. frozen corn
1/4c. salsa
2 T. nutritional yeast
2 T. minced green chiles
1 T. chili powder
1 1/2 t. ground cumin
1 t. dried oregano or marjoram
1 t. onion powder
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. paprika
1/8 t. cayenne

Combine all ingredients together in a medium pot, stirring to combine.  Cover and cook over low heat until thoroughly warm, about 15-20 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper to taste.

I topped mine with avocado and vegan sour cream.  Soups like this are also an excellent use of those torilla chip crumbs at the bottom of the bag!  Good soup--satisfying, tasty and easy.  Pair this with a salad and dinner's a done deal.