Tofu Buffalo Wraps

My fiance loves buffalo chicken wings, and unfortunately for me...I love the smell of it! Every time he eats them my mouth waters. A couple weeks ago he brought home some buffalo sauce and suggested I cook something vegetarian with it. So, I went to the market and picked out some things to cook up! I'm pleased to say that my first "made up" meal wasn't a disaster...in fact, it was really good! The tofu soaks up the buffalo sauce and the beans and compliment the spicy-ness well. If you don't like spicy, you can substitute for bbq sauce. And if you're not a vegetarian, feel free to use chicken instead of tofu!

Ingredients :
Tofu - extra firm, diced
1 red onion - cut into quarters and then in half
1 tsp dried basil
Salt
Pepper
2 garlic cloves
Romaine lettuce hearts
1/2 - 1 cup buffalo hot sauce
1 can black beans - rinsed and drained
Shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions :
Combine onion, garlic, salt, and pepper into frying pan. Cook for 5 minutes or until onions soften.
Add tofu and basil. Cook on medium-high heat for 7-10 minutes. Add buffalo sauce and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.
Separate romaine lettuce hearts. Place a spoonful of black beans at bottom, followed by buffalo tofu mix.
While still hot, sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top of tofu. Enjoy!

Tortilla Soup

I love tortilla soup, so I was a little scared to make this recipe...I didn't want to ruin one of my favorite meals! Luckily for me, the recipe was delicious. I spent the day at the beach with my mom, dad, fiance, and our puppies. I love family Sundays! I invited the parentals back to my place for dinner, so I had some good help in the kitchen tonight. Thanks mama! :) Anyways, everyone enjoyed the dinner and it was simple to prepare. To make it vegan...just don't add cheese! Yum...

<3 my crazy fam

Ingredients :

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large onion

1 red pepper

1 yellow pepper

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons ground cumin

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

3 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers, drained

4 (14 ounce) cans vegetable broth

salt and pepper to taste

1 12 ounce package frozen corn kernals

Crushed tortilla chips

Shredded cheese

Cholula hot sauce

1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced

Directions :

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.

Stir in the peppers, onions, garlic, and cumin, and cook 5 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Mix in the tomatoes and chile peppers.

Pour in the broth, and season with salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 30 minutes.

Mix corn into the soup, and continue cooking 5 minutes.

Serve in bowls. Top with cheese, avocado, Cholula, and crushed tortilla chips. 

Vegan Gumbo

I've never had gumbo before, so I wasn't sure what to expect from this recipe...but to my surprise, it was really good! I made it pretty spicy and served it over brown rice. At first, I was intimidated by the recipe, but it was SO easy to make! Enjoy!

Ingredients :
16 ounces veggie sausage links, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayeene pepper
1 16-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 cup celery, chopped
4 cups vegetable stock
1 cup water
salt to taste (if desired)
Hot sauce to taste (if desired)
2 cups cooked brown rice

Directions :

Combine flour and oil in a large pot, stirring constantly. Sauté over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add onion, pepper, garlic, thyme, and ground red pepper. Cook for 1 minute on medium heat, stirring frequently.
Stir in veggie sausage, tomatoes, celery, vegetable stock, water, cayenne pepper and cook 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Add salt and hot sauce if desired. Serve over rice.

Apple & Goat Cheese Salad

This is my all time favorite salad. The apples can be substituted with pears...I've made both versions and they are equally as good. Tonight I made it as a side salad for dinner but it makes for a great quick lunch as well.

Ingrediants :
Mixed baby greens
Crumbled goat cheese
Apples (diced)
Dried cranberries
Light rasberry vinagrette

Directions :
Combine ingrediants in bowl and mix. Amounts can vary to taste but stay light on the dressing...it's better for you, and tastes better this way!

Spicy Bean Soup

Okay, so this was supposed to be spicy black bean soup...but I sent Brian to the grocery store for me and he came home with 3 cans of black beans and 1 can of kidney beans. Hmm...so, I improvised. I guess I'm getting good at this cooking thing because my version of the soup turned out really good! It's so healthy and if you don't add the cheese on top it is completely vegan. I will definitely be making this again.

Ingredients :
3 cans black beans
1 can kidney beans
2 large yellow onions (diced)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves (minced)
salt & pepper
2 tbsp cumin
1 3/4 cup vegetable broth
3 cups water
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp cayenne pepper

optional toppings -
diced avocado
shredded cheese
chopped cilantro
cholula hot sauce


Directions :
In heavy pot heat oil over medium-high. Add garlic, onions, salt and pepper and cook until golden brown
Next, stir in beans, water, broth, cumin, cayenne pepper
Bring to simmer for 20 minutes
Transfer 2 cups of soup to blender and add cornstarch. Puree until smooth
Return to pot for 1-2 minutes
Add toppings and serve

Goat Cheese and Mango Quesadillas

This quesadilla is full of delicious flavor!!! It may sound odd, but the sweet of the mango competes with the spicy of the jalepeno to make a perfect combination. Serve this for dinner, as an impressive appetizer at a dinner party, or snack food on game day.

Ingredients:
4 ounces fresh goat cheese
6 whole wheat tortillas
1 large ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and sliced
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
jalepeno as desired
fresh cilantro leaves as desired

Directions:
Spread goat cheese on tortillas
Divide mango, onion, jalepeno, and cilantro evenly
Fold tortilla in half for mini quesadilla, or add another tortilla on top for a dinner sized portion
Heat in a large skillet over medium-high
Cook until cheese softens and tortillas are crisp
Transfer to cutting board, cut into wedges, and serve!