Monthly Archives: May 2012
Layered Sweet Potato Enchilada Casserole
I made this casserole last Sunday, and it fed us for nearly a week. Not every meal, of course, but we had it for dinner twice and for lunch three times. That's the beauty of casseroles; besides being (generally) easy and economical to make, they provide multiple meals which can really free up some time for you during the week. I have a pretty crazy work-week schedule and there are plenty of nights when I absolutely do not want/have time to make dinner so I really appreciate recipes like this.
VeganSistah’s Vegan Meal Plan
There are so many places popping up that offer vegan meal plans. Some of them are reasonable, while others are quite unreasonable. I’ve realized that following a vegan diet can be a real budget buster if you’re not careful. I recently realized that with a little time, creativity & patience I could create my own personal vegan meal plan. The great thing about creating my own dishes is that I can make any combination I choose each day.
href=”http://vegansistahdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/20120520-072543.jpg”>
My personal plan doesn’t cover three meals a day, but it’s definitely a sufficient start. I got some unbelievable inspiration & cooking creativity and decided to make a few dishes for the week that I thought I’d share with you guys. It really didn’t take me long at all so I am dedicating Sunday evenings to making a few dishes for the weeks.
Here are the ones I made for last week:
<a
<a
These were so easy to make and very economical. Some prepared meals are exactly what i need for my busy lifestyle. In fact, this was way too much food for me. It really didn't seem like much food for a week, but i combine it a few other things like green smoothies & salads so i decided to freeze some of it. I think I need to find some special vegan friends to share my creations with….it's time for me to start hosting some vegan dining events or something similar to share all of the food.
Grilled Zucchini Tacos
I have discovered a new entrée that has become one of my favorite vegan dishes – zucchini tacos!A fellow vegan discovered a mexican restaurant in Evanston, Austin Tacos, and we were excited to see VEGAN TACOS on the menu. Now unlike many places that use some type of faux meat product filled with soy or wheat gluten, this play used all veggies. Awesome! They were quite tasty. In fact, I went a few weeks later to taste and see how I can make them my on. My zucchini tacos were quite different from Austin Tacos, but I think they taste even better because I made with just the ingredients I like. Here are a list of ingredients I used:
- zucchini
- onions
- jalapeno
- onions
- red & green peppers
- black beans
- smoked corn salsa (left over from the Baked Mexican Pasta Dish)
- green onions
- corn tortillas
- cabbage slaw
I made the corn tortillas in my new special pan that I bought just for this purpose – I admit that I love tacos!
I like this pan because I do not have to make one tortilla at a time. Oh yeah! I then grilled the zucchini in my cast iron grill skillet by adding a little EVOO (extra virgin olive oil). This is where the goodness really starts.
While the zucchini was grilling. I combined some left over black beans, grilled onions & peppers, corn salsa and brown rice to add as a topping with diced jalapeno.
I like spicy food so I added some fresh diced jalapeno, I tossed in some fresh cilantro, added a little cabbage slaw and guacamole on the side for crunch. I had never tried this before, but I think this is one of the tastiest creations that I have tried thus far while transitioning to a vegan lifestyle.
This was way too much food for me to eat in one sitting!!! I am pleasantly pleased by how I am eating less and less now that I am eating better. It’s amazing how satisfied you feel when you give your body what it needs. If I had participated in the VIRTUAL VEGAN POTLUCK on May 12th, this is the dish that I intended to include. Be creative when you are making vegan dishes…..I’m learning that this is part of the fun (and motivation) for continuing on my journey no matter how many ups and downs I experience.
Day 207: Virtual Vegan Potluck
It can be very frustrating for a dinner party host to go to a lot of effort to plan the perfect dinner party and then to have some thoughtless guest bring a lot of extra people without any warning. Seating, portions, crowd control and countless other aspects of planning can be thrown completely out of whack by inconsiderate jerks like this.
Happy Pineapple-Upside-Down Cake Day!
Did you know that today is Pineapple-Upside-Down Cake Day? I only found out when I saw it in my Facebook feed, thanks to Food.com. I did make a vegan pineapple-upside-down cake for craft/potluck night a few weeks ago, just because it sounded good. This is definitely comfort food; my Grandma makes it whenever we visit.
I used this method for the caramely syrup…
