tex-mex tortilla bake - dump dinner

 

Overview

Time: 40 minutes
Dishes: 9x13 baking pan, jumbo bowl, strainer 

Hello, hello Dear Readers!

I bring you another easy meatless, vegetarian and vegan dump dinner to prepare (about 5 minutes prep time). This is a Tex-Mex variation that includes corn, tortillas, beans and tomatoes. The flavors are helped out by my Easy Savory Broth Mix, but Better Than Bouillon or your favorite broth mix will do. 

This dish has black and pinto beans and diced tomatoes. If you can find the tomatoes with added chilies, so much the better. If not, don't stress; it'll still taste great.

I added about 1 1/2 cups nondairy cheese, but using the nondairy milk adds some creaminess on its own, so you can use as much or as little as you like.

I started mixing this in a medium/large bowl, but had to transfer it to a jumbo bowl, so keep that in mind. I tend to underestimate the size of bowls I need to mix in, thinking I will cut down on the dishes. Instead, I wind up having to wash two bowls, instead of one - or wind  up making a huge mess. Don't be me.

This was very fast to prepare and got some great reviews at home. I added vegan sour cream, jalapenos and cilantro for garnish, but, as always, customize to your taste.

NEW TO PLANT-BASED EATING? Get my free zines and check out the wrap-up of Fall 2020 recipes HERE. Great way to set yourself up for success!

Enjoy!

Speedy Cooking Tips:

• Gather your ingredients.
• Preheat the oven.
• Use a jumbo sized bowl to mix ingredients.

 

(Printer-friendly doesn't seem to be so friendly. Just select the text between the arrows (including the white space to add margin on the top), right-click, select Print, and now it's printer-friendly. Can also be saved as PDF:  choose Save as PDF in Destination drop-down, instead of a printer.)

Tex-Mex Tortilla Bake

www.ZsusVeganPantry.com

Makes 4 servings 

easy

Preheat oven to 425-F

1. Bake: Combine the tomato, beans, corn, milk, tortillas, cheese, chili powder, broth mix and salt in a large bowl. Mix well and add to a 9x13 baking dish (or equivalent). Cover and bake for 20 minutes. 

1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes (with chilis, if available)

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups frozen corn

1 cup nondairy milk

12 corn tortillas, chopped

3/4 cups shredded yellow or orange nondairy cheese**

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons Easy Savory Broth Mix or Better than Bouillon

Salt to taste

2. Finish: Uncover, add the rest of the nondairy cheese and bake until cheese melts, about 5 to 10 minutes.  

1/2-1 cup shredded yellow or orange nondairy cheese**

3. Serve: Garnish the dish with nondairy sour cream, onion and cilantro, if using. 

1/2 cup vegan sour cream (optional)

1/4 cup diced red onion (optional)

1/4 cup minced cilantro (optional)

** Need a total of 1 1/4 - 1 3/4 cups shredded yellow or orange nondairy cheese

© 2021 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

Pint It!

green enchiladas

Overview

Time: 45 minutes
Dishes: large skillet with lid, baking dish (9X13), oven

Hello, hello Dear Readers!

Today's meatless, vegetarian, and vegan dish is relatively easy to make, given that it is enchiladas! When I was testing my first book, I had a tester make a comment that she thought the enchiladas in that book would be fast and she wondered why she ever thought enchiladas would be fast! I sped up the time for Vegan Bowls, but I wanted to make an enchilada dish that could be quick.

Well, here it is!

I used Gardein, which gets cooked in the pan before the rest of the filling (Quick tip: cook Gardein products with the lid on, from frozen, until golden. It will stay moist and thaw quickly, while becoming golden on the outside.) You can, of course, skip the Gardein and add spinach and zucchini instead, keeping it all vegetables.

The sauce is Green Enchilada sauce from a can, but you won't notice. I used Daiya cheese for this, but again, no issues with skipping it.

Big tip! After rolling the enchiladas, spray with cooking oil to keep the tortillas soft and delicious after baking.

Enjoy!

 

Speedy Cooking Tips:

• Get all the ingredients out and the baking dish and pan prepared.
• Cook the Gardein (or sub with zucchini, chopped) while you chop the onions. Use a lid!
• Preheat the oven when you start cooking the onion, again, use a lid.
• Cook the tortillas while the filling is cooking. 
• Use a scooper to fill the enchiladas - easier and less messy.

 

Green Enchiladas

Makes 4 servings 

moderate

Serve with: Green Salad

Preheat oven to 450-F

1. Protein: Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Cook scallopini until golden, on both sides, about 8 minutes, covered with a lid. Remove to a cutting board and chop when cool enough.

4 Gardein scallopini

2. Filling: To the now empty skillet, add the onion, garlic, corn and cumin and cook until lightly browned, about 8 minutes, covered with a lid:

1 onion, minced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup frozen corn

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3. Add to the skillet the Chopped Protein, chilies, sauce and cheese. Bring to boil and simmer for 3 minutes:

2 (4-oz) cans green chiles

1 (10-oz) can green enchilada sauce**(need 2 cans total)

1/2 cup vegan shredded cheese (optional)

4. Tortillas: cook the tortillas in the microwave (wrapped in damp towel for 1 minute) or over the stove burner and then wrap in towel to steam:

16 corn tortillas

5. Fill: Use a scooper to fill the warm Tortillas with the Filling and place, seam-side down, in a 9X13 baking dish. Spray with cooking oil and add the other can of enchilada sauce. Top with cheese, if using:

Oil spray

1 (10-oz) can green enchilada sauce

1/2 cup vegan shredded cheese (optional)

6. Bake and Serve: Cover dish with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese melts, 5 minutes (optional). Serve.  

© 2020 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

california dog

Veggie dogs have come a long way since we first went vegan. I remember the rubbery, tasteless veggie dogs of yore, but I know that all things start somewhere, as did veggie dogs.

Nowadays there are all kinds of veggie dogs, commercial, homemade and even carrot dogs. So, this post isn't about how to make a homemade dog - it is about how to dress your dog.

It turns out that there are a variety of regional dogs, from Italian Dogs to Chicago Dogs and this California Dog.

California Dogs come dressed with avocado, basil crema, carrot, roasted corn, lettuce, cucumber, jalapeno and vegan bacon - or as I like to refer to them - smoky, baked tofu (excuse me for being tired as all get out over "bacon").

Since throwing this together is easy, why not take your dog around a block you haven't circled, yet?

California Dog
Makes 4 sandwiches 

Basil Crema:
4 tablespoons nondairy sour cream
4 tablespoons chopped basil leaves 
2 scallions, chopped 
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Sea salt and black pepper

Topping:
1/2 cup corn kernels
1/2 avocado, sliced
1/2 cup shredded lettuce
1/2 jalapeno, thinly sliced
1/2 cucumber, diced
1/2 carrot, finely shredded
2 slices vegan bacon, fried and chopped

Other:
4 dog buns, toasted
4 veggie dogs, pan fried or cooked

1. Sauce: Combine the sour cream, basil, scallion, garlic, lemon juice and salt and pepper in a food processor. Process until smooth. Set aside.
2. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the corn and cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Set aside. Cook the dogs in a 1/4 teaspoon oil, if desired. 
3. Assemble the sandwiches: toasted bun, sauce, veggie dog, avocado, lettuce, corn, cucumber, more sauce, carrot, bacon and jalapeno. Serve immediately. 


© 2017 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

pantry + brazilian black bean casserole

Baked casserole dishes are a fantastic way to have dinner on the table in a descent amount of time with a lot of hands off work. This recipe has about 10 minutes on the stove before it is assembled completely and placed in the oven to finish cooking. 

This dish is Pantry + and it is whole foods, using brown rice, beans and cabbage as the base of the meal. The cabbage serves as a delicious cooling accompaniment accented with roasted corn. 

This casserole is very flavorful thanks to the Latin all-purpose seasoning called, adobo, but here we will make our own. It really is a simple matter of combining a few spices to create a different flavor dimension. 

The casserole is rich and delicious and the salad is tangy and sweet, thanks to the roasted corn. All in all, it has all the flavor components of a great tasting meal: sour, sweet, salty, and spicy.

Brazilian Black Bean Casserole:

Equipment:

large oven-safe pot

blender

mandolin

oven

Pantry Ingredients:

Red pepper flakes

Jarred tomato

Black beans

White wine vinegar

Adobo

Fresh Ingredients:

Brown rice

Onion

Ginger

Thyme

Cabbage

Bell pepper

Frozen corn

First things first, let's make the adobo seasoning:

Either just mix together, or better, yet, blend the ingredients in a small blender to break up the oregano. If you have Mexican oregano, use that, but otherwise regular will work just as well. 

Using a large Dutch oven or just an oven safe pot with a lid (or use foil to seal the pot), cook the onions in a dry pan (use a lid to cover the pot to retain the moisture) until golden. Add the adobo and the tomatoes and mix well. Use an immersion blender or transfer the mixture to a standard blender and process until broken up. 

Add the rice, thyme, beans, spice and liquid, mix well, and cook in the oven tightly sealed until the rice is tender, about 1 hour. 

In the meantime, use a mandolin to finely shred the cabbage and mix it with roasted corn (roast the corn in the oven during the last 25 minutes of cooking), bell pepper and vinegar and set aside to meld flavors. 

This is scrumptious and very healthy since there is no oil used and it is made with whole foods.
This makes about 6 to 8 servings, so leftovers are terrific.

Brazilian Black Bean Casserole (a Pantry+ recipe)
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Pantry list is HERE.

1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 (15-ounce) can of diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons adobo seasoning (recipe for homemade HERE)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or 1 dried red chili
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, liquid drained and reserved
Water, as needed
2 cups long grain brown rice
Sea salt

Salad:
1/2 small head cabbage, finely shredded
1 small green or red bell pepper, diced
1 cup roasted corn***
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon adobo seasoning

1. Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F. Heat a large dutch oven or large oven-safe pot over medium heat. Add the onion, cover and cook until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Add a tablespoon of water if the onion begins to stick. Add the tomato and the adobo seasoning.  Blend using an immersion blender or transfer to a standard blender. 
2. Add the drained bean water to a 4-cup measuring cup. Add enough water to reach 3 3/4 cups. Add the water mixture to the pot. Add the rice, red pepper flakes, beans and salt. Bring to boil and cover tightly with a lid or foil. Bake in the preheated oven until the rice is tender, about 1 hour. 
3. Salad: Combine the cabbage, bell pepper, corn, vinegar and adobo in a medium bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper or adobo. Set aside until needed.
4. Serve the casserole with the salad. Leftovers reheat well.  

*** Transfer the corn to a small baking sheet. Bake in the oven during the last 25 minutes of cooking of the casserole. 



© 2016 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

roasted zucchini and mushroom pilaf bowl from "vegan bowls" + #1

These are a few of my favorite things...about Vegan Bowls:

Over the next few weeks, I will share with you my most favorite aspects of my new cookbook, Vegan Bowls (Amazon, B&N).

#1. 
This first aspect simply has to be at the top of my list. You might think that number one is how wonderful the recipes are (which they are!) or how fast a complete meal can be to make (which it can be!), but, in fact, it is a simple thing that a lot of modern cookbooks don't have: no cross-referencing recipes.

There are no recipes within recipes, except for convenience ingredients such as seitan and curry paste.

That is correct - you can cook a complete meal without having to prepare another recipe first. It really bears repeating:

Complete meals without the need for secondary recipes.

I own my share of super amazing cookbooks, written by some super amazing authors, but the nitty-gritty is that either recipes-within-recipes are required or the recipes themselves are not complete meals unto themselves.

Certainly, a few exceptions are of note, such as dinner salads, a few casseroles and soups, but even then, most need supplemental components to make them a complete meal.

I took great care in making sure that all the recipes in this volume are stand-alone and need no other sub-recipes.

Of course, for your convenience, I have included a few basic recipes for ease, economy and superior flavor, but no basic recipe is a "requirement" for making any of the bowls in the book.

While I include recipes for seitan, vegetable broth, red curry paste and tortillas, they can be store-bought and need not be home-made.

I know how important it is to see the Table of Contents of cookbooks before you purchase one, therefore, over the next few weeks I will be sharing the contents of Vegan Bowls with you, chapter by chapter. Below is the content of the grains chapter:

Today I am sharing with you the recipe for one of my favorite bowls in book: Roasted Zucchini and Mushroom Pilaf Bowl. Pilaf has been one of my favorite dishes ever since my younger days working at Baker's Square Restaurant where they had a delicious pilaf recipe.

Naturally, with age and wisdom you realize that that particular pilaf wasn't quite up to snuff and, indeed, a lot of improvement was possible.

With this recipe, I bring you all the love I have for the pilaf, with the addition of some knock-down great flavor -- again, all in a complete bowl. I highly recommend using a toaster oven for the vegetables, if you have one; it keeps the kitchen cooler in the summer.

Hope you enjoy!

oh! If you haven't already entered or own Kittee Berns' fabulous Ethiopian cookbook, Teff Love, enter to win a copy HERE.

Roasted Zucchini and Mushroom Pilaf Bowl

SERVES 4

It is no surprise that I love to roast vegetables; it always seems to bring out the best in produce. In this recipe, zucchini and mushrooms are roasted to perfection and stirred into a quinoa pilaf that is accented with scallions and arugula. . (Recipe from Vegan Bowls, copyright © 2015 by Zsu Dever. Used by permission from Vegan Heritage Press, LLC.)

ROAST

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

4 garlic cloves, minced

8 ounces cremini or button mushrooms, wiped clean and quartered

2 medium zucchini, quartered and cut into 3/4-inch slices

1 cup corn kernels, thawed and drained if frozen

QUINOA

1 1/4 cups vegetable broth

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup quinoa, well rinsed

2 garlic cloves, crushed

PASTA

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup orzo

2 cups water

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

GREENS

3 cups baby arugula or watercress

2 scallions, minced

1/2 to 1 serrano chile, minced

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

ROAST: Preheat the oven to 450°F. Combine the oil, salt and garlic on a baking sheet. Add the mushroom, zucchini, and corn. Mix well and bake until tender and roasted, about 20 minutes, stirring midway through cooking time. If you have more time, roast until the corn is golden, an additional 5 to 10 minutes. Keep warm.

QUINOA: Heat the broth, salt, quinoa and garlic in a large pot. Cover, bring to boil over high heat, reduce to medium-low heat and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside for 10 minutes to steam. Fluff with fork and set aside.

PASTA: Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the orzo and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown. Add the water and salt and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer and cook until tender, 7 to 9 minutes. Drain and set aside.

GREENS: Add the orzo to the cooked quinoa. Add the roasted vegetables to the quinoa. Add the arugula, scallions, serrano and lemon juice. Stir well, taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper.

mexican-flare quinoa bowl

With my new cookbook, Vegan Bowls (Amazon, B&N) coming out in a few short months, I'm again craving more bowl foods. As you can imagine, after months of bowls for breakfast, lunch and dinner during recipe development and testing, we needed a bit of a break from the bowl foods, but that didn't last too long.

Bowls are convenient, easy and balanced, which is part of their appeal when dinner rolls around. Who wants to think about what to serve with a protein to make it a complete meal, when that is exactly what bowl food is all about?

Since I cooked up a batch of black beans earlier in the week, the next most obvious application for the legume was a Tex-Mex meal.

This bowl is full of Mexican flare, including roasted corn, fajita vegetables, avocado and a salsa sauce. The quinoa is dotted with spinach, adding more nutrition and flavor. Serve this bowl with tortilla chips and dig in.

Mexican-flare Quinoa Bowl

Serves 4

Quinoa:

2 ¼ vegetable broth

1 ½ cups quinoa, rinsed well

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed

Vegetables:

3 cups corn kernels, thawed if frozen

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Beans:

3 cups black beans
1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon dried oregano

Sauce:

¾ cups salsa

¼ cup vegan mayonnaise

1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

Garnish:

Avocado, slices

Cilantro leaves

Tortilla chips

1. Quinoa: Heat the broth in a medium pan over high heat. Bring to boil, add the quinoa and salt, cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and steam for 10 minutes. Fluff with fork and stir in the chopped spinach. Return to medium heat and cook until the spinach is heated through.

2. Vegetables: Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the corn and cook until golden, about 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and black pepper and set aside in a bowl. Add the oil to the skillet and stir in the bell pepper and onion. Season with the garlic powder, salt and black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and the onion is lightly caramelized, about 10 minutes. Remove from the skillet and set aside in the bowl.

3. Beans: Add the beans to the skillet. Season with the chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and black pepper, to taste, and cook until the beans are heated through, about 3 minutes. Set aside.

4. Sauce: Combine the salsa, mayo and lime juice in a small blender. Blend until smooth and transfer to a small pan. Heat over medium heat until warmed through, about 3 minutes.

5. Assembly: Layer the quinoa in the bottom of the bowl, topping with roasted corn, sauteed vegetables, beans and avocado and cilantro. Serve with the sauce and tortilla chips.

© 2015 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

roasted corn and lime tortilla soup

Ever had the feeling that your head is running in a thousand different directions and your body is needed in a thousand more? We all have! Especially in this day and age, we find ourselves being pulled hither and thither. When your kids are hungry and lunch or dinner needs to be on the table in less than half an hour, what can you do - besides literally phoning it in?

With the writing of my cookbook, Everyday Vegan Eats (available for pre-order ;) complete, life is just beginning to get back to normal at the Dever house. While writing I was able to foist off driving the kids to their activities and making snacks, quite comfortably onto the shoulders of my husband, but now I've no more excuses to get back to cooking. As my family would remind me, it is actually my job, since I am a cook and cookbook author.

Be that as it may, there are times when I can spend luxuriating in the kitchen, there are times when I can spend making comfort foods that everyone enjoys and then there are times that food just needs to be ready in a hurry!

This is a soup I came up with for lunch today, knowing that it had to be ready in under 30 minutes. It has roasted corn, black beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, is thickened with baked tortilla chips and is enhanced with a splash of fresh lime juice. As fast as it came together, it was just as delightful.

ROASTED CORN AND LIME TORTILLA SOUP PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

Remember how I said I 'd keep posting more pics from the cookbook? Here is a sandwich that would have been quite wonderful with the soup above, and just as quick to throw together.

CALIFORNIA CLUB SANDWICH

And if you haven't entered the giveaway for Robin Robertson's revised edition of Vegan Planet, do so right HERE. Unless you already have the book, why not? It's an amazing volume that has stood the test of time, now with revised recipes as well as 50 new ones. Contest ends April 11.

Also, be sure to let your friends and family know that the great Meatout is March 20th (tomorrow!). Eat vegan for one day and help the animals and the planet. Pledge HERE.


I am also linking to these recipe parties! The blogs hosting Healthy Vegan Fridays are Suzanne at Hello Veggie, Anna at Herbivore Triathlete, and Kimmy at Rock My Vegan Socks.  

The blog hosting Gluten-Free Fridays is Vegetarian Mamma.

I’ve also decided to submit this dish to What I Ate Wednesday hosted by Peas and Crayons since, well, it will be Wednesday soon enough!