Oven Baked Cactus Tacos

Last week my boss retired and we through a big party at work. My boss is a spicy foods enthusiast, so we had a lot of spicy foods at the party. One dish really excited me at the party. The dish was made from cactus. Cactus is something I have never had the pleasure of trying before the party. I asked around and found out a coworker had made this dish. I wanted to know more, so I  sat down with her and found out what was in the "cactus salsa". After trying the cactus dish, I immediately went to the store and purchased nopalitos  (cactus) to use in a meal this week...  and this was what I came up with:

Recipe:

1 package of Gardein beefless crumbles 

2 Tbsp. Chipotle peppers 

1 medium onion, diced 

1 (15 oz) can pintos, drained and rinsed 

1 tsp. Cumin 

1 tsp. Paprika 

1 cup chopped pickled nopalitos 

Olive oil 

1 cup Daiya pepper jack cheese 

5 minute Vegan Beer Cheese Sauce

8-10 taco shells

Fresh spinach and salsa to serve 

Method:

Preheat oven to 400°

Cook Gardein beefless crumbles with Chipotle peppers, onions, nopalitos, pintos, cumin, and paprika in olive oil over medium heat for about 8 minutes. 

Layer taco shells with Daiya pepper jack cheese, Gardein beefless crumbles, and top with vegan beer cheese sauce. 

Bake tacos in the oven about 15 minutes until browned. 

Top with fresh spinach to serve.

Makes 8-10 tacos.

Chipotle Mac-n-Cheese & Smokey Lentils

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This is a recipe that I started and had no idea where it would end up... You probably have those moments too. I needed to go to the grocery store, but it was too late. I had to work with what I had on hand for dinner tonight. I pulled out the usual suspects - pasta, spaghetti sauce, veggies, lentils,left over veggie broth and my last pobalno pepper to figure out what would make sense out of this group of random ingredients ( which is how most of my cooking always starts). 

At first, I though I would make an American chop suey with lentils, but I needed to use up my last pobalno pepper from my garden before it went bad. Strike the chop suey. I decided to just start cooking the pasta, because I knew that was going to be the base of my meal. While the pasta cooked, I started the lentils (which my husband does not like any other way than "smokey" with lots of cumin and paprika in veggie broth). My basic recipe was started, but where was it headed?

As my pasta and lentils cooked, I looked around for a flavor idea. In the freezer I found some of my potato and carrot cheese I keep on hand. *Recipe can be found here -vegan cheese sauce * I always make a double batch of this and freeze it in 1/2 cup portions to have on hand for quick meals. I had a mac-n-cheese idea working! In the refrigerator I found a little vegan sour cream and the last of my jar of chipotle peppers. That was the inspiration I needed. Smokey, cheesy, creamy, spicy...yes, I love all those flavors! That is how I ended up here tonight. Vegan "hamburger helper" is what this reminded me of, so, I served it with just a few slices of bread in a big bowl. 

My husband raved, which is huge with a lentil dish! He loved it so much I added it to this blog just for him to remember later. It is not a "pretty" or "gourmet" meal, but a real meal that a busy Vegan mom can throw together after a hard day of work and make her family happy. That is what my cooking is all about, Family. If they won't eat it, there's no point in me making it. Dinner came together in under 30 minutes, from cheap, on hand, ingredients and everyone was happy. That's a successful night around here. 

Looking for other great Vegan dinner ideas? Try my BBQ tempeh over Southwestern Cauliflower "rice", Kale Stuffed Eggplant Parm, Cheezy Baked Enchiladas, or Sriracha Roasted Tofu over Rainbow veggies & Don't forget the desert - Banana Pudding Pie

Recipe:

1 lb. Cooked pasta, drained

1 cup dried lentils
2 cups veggie broth 
2 tsp. Cumin 
1 tsp. garlic powder 
1 tsp. smokey Paprika 
Salt & Pepper 
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 poblano pepper, chopped fine 
1/2 cup of corn
Oil
3 cups Vegan cheese sauce
3-4 Tbsp. Vegan sour cream of choice 
1 Tbsp. of jarred Chipotle peppers in their sauce

Cook lentils with veggie broth, cumin, garlic powder, paprika and salt and pepper over medium heat until tender (about 15 minutes).

Drain any excess liquid from lentils. 

Sautée onions, poblano peppers and corn over high heat with a little oil until slightly charred.

Toss pasta, lentils, sautéed veggies, Sour cream, Chipotle peppers and Cheeze together. Serve with a little extra sour cream or Sriracha if you want it hotter.

Makes 4-6 servings