Veg Fiend

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Vegan MoFo: Ayocate Morado Tacos with Peach Salsa

Published by Maggie

Today, Vegan MoFo is posing a critical question: “Tacos VS Burritos. Where do you stand on this important issue?” I am a taco girl all the way. There’s just something about those soft all-corn tortillas that you can fill just so and then gently fold into mouth-sized bliss. I’m also a big fan of seeing my food. “You eat with your eyes first,” someone wise once said. Burritos hide everything and just look like big brown logs. Booooring. I mean, just look at all of the beautiful colors and textures these Ayocate Morado Tacos offer. *googly eyes*

And let’s not forget to mention the fresh peach salsa that is on top. Back in August, the boyfriend and I went peach picking at the ever-wonderful Linvilla Orchards.

We may have ended up picking ~20 lbs of peaches…

We got a ton of white peaches (which were our favorites), and some yellow peaches. The white peaches are actually pink on the outside, and the yellow are predictably, well, yellow. Obviously, we had to start consuming massive amounts of peaches. We started off peachfest by making these simple tacos and zingy peach salsa. Linvilla also had a variety of veggies for the picking, so we used some of our fresh-picked jalapeños and tomatoes in the salsa, as well. The peppers used in the veggie sautee were also from Linvilla’s. (That’s why I have so many crazy varieties listed in the recipe. Bell peppers will work just fine, though!)

Here are the nakey tacos. Look at those glorious Ayocate Morados. Big, fat, and silky. Right about now, you may be wondering where the heck I purchased such beans. Rancho Gordo, baby. I know, I know, I’ve spoken way too many times about how awesome Rancho Gordo beans are, so I will hold off. But seriously, purchasing these beans is totally worth it. They’re huge and lend a nice “meatiness” to the tacos. Of course, black or pinto beans would be a good substitute.

These would be a nice and easy weeknight meal, especially if you prepare the beans in a slow cooker. Enjoy!

Ayocate Morado Tacos with Peach Salsa

Serves 4

Ingredients

Beans

1 cup dried ayocate morado beans (or your favorite bean), soaked overnight and drained
1/2 of a large red onion, sliced into big chunks
3 cloves garlic, whole and peeled
1 bay leaf

Peach Salsa

2 peaches, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 of a red onion, diced finely
2 medium roma tomatoes, chopped
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 jalapeno, diced finely
1/2 of a large lime (or 1 medium lime), juiced
salt, to taste

Veggies

1 tbsp high-heat oil (I used avocado oil)
5 mixed peppers of your choosing (We used 2 bell peppers, 1 Hungarian wax, 1 Italian long hot, and 1 long yellow pepper of some sort)
1 medium red onion, halved and cut into slices
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cumin
salt, to taste

3-4 corn tortilla per person (about 12 total)

Guacamole

Directions

Make the beans: Place all bean ingredients in a large pot. Cover with water so that there is 1-2 inches of water on top. Bring to a boil then cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1 hour, or until beans are tender and cooked through. You can do this in a slow cooker as well- follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
While the beans are cooking, prepare the salsa: Toss all peach salsa ingredients together in a bowl. Have a little taste to see if salt or other ingredients need adjusting.
While the beans are cooking, prepare the veggies: Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. I highly suggest using a cast-iron, if you have one! When the oil is hot, add in the peppers and onions. Sautee for 10 minutes, or until onions are translucent. Add in the rest of the ingredients and continue to sautee for 10-15 minutes, or until veggies are cooked to your liking.
Place beans, veggies, and peach salsa on corn tortillas. Top with dabs of guacamole. Chow down!

Vegan MoFo: Pumpkin Mac and Cheeze

Published by Maggie

This cheeze sauce, friends. This cheeze sauce.

To respond to today’s Vegan MoFo prompt, “It’s cold and rainy and there’s a snow drift outside your door! What are you going to make using the ingredients you have?”, I have whipped up this fluffy, velvety pumpkin cheeze sauce. All of the ingredients are things you should have on hand if you have a decently stocked vegan or vegetarian kitchen, which allows for pumpkiny comfort food to be on the table in no time.

I have made Vegan Mac and Cheeze multiple times before, but this will be the first Vegan Mac recipe that I am posting. #bigdeal Previously, I’ve made Angela’s Butternut Squash Mac and Cheeze which is heavenly, as well as my own vegan cheeze sauce sans squash. The thing that makes this recipe different is my use of cashews, which make the sauce extra-luxe and add to the cheesy flavor.

Here’s the party all lined up. The ingredients are pretty simple: pumpkin, cashews, nooch, dijon, garlic (I mince mine in a food processor and store it in the freezer, which is why it is in a ziploc baggie), salt + pepper, and some optional tumeric.

You just blend everything on high power until smooth and voila: Pumpkiny cheeze heaven. I must warn you that this does produce an inordinate amount of Pumpkin Cheeze Sauce. I used 1/3 of the sauce for 8 oz of pasta (So if you make a whole pound, you would use 2/3 of the sauce). However, I am pretty sure no one ever said “I don’t want a gallon of Vegan Pumpkin Cheeze Sauce”. At least, I never will say such things.

(Pssst! Here are a few ideas for leftover sauce: Pumpkin Lasagna, Pumpkin Cheeze Nachos, hell, even Pumpkin Cheeze Fondue)

Pumpkin Mac and Cheeze

Makes ~4 cups of cheeze sauce suitable for a max of 1.5 lbs of pasta (12 servings max)

Ingredients

3.5 to 4 cups cooked pumpkin (See note)
3/4 cup water, or more as needed
1/2 cup raw cashews soaked in 1 cup water; keep the water (See note)
3 garlic cloves, minced
7 tbsp nutritional yeast
1.5 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp tumeric, optional
2 tsp salt
black pepper, to taste
Pasta of your choosing, you may use up to 1.5 lbs, or as little as 0.5 lb
Peas, optional (See note)

Directions

Throw pumpkin and water into blender and blend into a puree. Next, add in the cashews and their soaking water. Blend again until the mixture is pureed. Then, add in remaining ingredients except pasta and peas and blend until smooth.
Make pasta according to the directions on box. If you are using frozen peas, put them in the strainer before you pour the pasta in the strainer, so that they will be automatically cooked once you pour in the pasta. If you made 1/2 1b pasta, toss 1/3 of the cheeze sauce with the pasta. If you made 1 lb, use 2/3 of the cheeze sauce. For 1 1/2 lbs, use all of the cheeze sauce. Dive in!

Notes: 1) I used cooked kabocha squash, but you can use any pumpkin, or even butternut squash. You can also use pumpkin puree, but may want to use only 2.5 to 3 cups of it. 2) If you do not have a high-power blender, such as a Vitamix, you should soak your cashews for a minimum of 4 hours before blending. If you do have a high-power blender, then just pour the water over the cashews and heat the mixture in the microwave for 1.5 mins before pureeing. 3) I tossed in 2/3 cups peas with 1/2 lb pasta. Feel free to use as many as your heart desires.

Vegan MoFo: 5-Ingredient Vanilla Ice Cream

Published by Maggie

The lovely Vegan MoFo folks have declared today’s prompt as: “What [insert well known person] would eat if they were vegan”. I am curious as to what the other MoFo-ers will be posting for today, as I know that I was stumped by this. I guess I can see some folks recreating meat dishes for famous carnivores, but other than that, nothing really comes to my mind. That is why I have adapted the prompt to be “What Maggie would eat if she were vegan”, since I am vegetarian. Obviously I am well known 😛

My boyfriend and I are ice cream maniacs. It’s a dessert that we both enjoy sharing together (which is rare, given that I am a chocoholic and he is a vanilla-and-fruit guy. We compromise by usually getting one scoop chocolate and one scoop fruit. Or both scoops coffee, since we both like that. Weird, I know). I’ve had this ice cream maker gathering dust in my closet for a few months now, so I thought Vegan MoFo would be an appropriate time to pull it out. When I saw this prompt, I realized that if I were vegan, one of the things I would miss the most would be a good quality ice cream.

So, I set to work.

Making your own vegan ice cream is actually ridiculously easy, given that you have an ice cream maker. All you do is blend up the ingredients, stick the mixture in the fridge to cool, and then pour it into an ice cream maker.

When it is done, it has the consistency of soft serve, pictured above. You can eat it like that, or put it back in the freezer for a few hours to harden up. This homemade vegan ice cream is also significantly cheaper than store-bought. My guesstimate is that I spent about $3.50 making this entire batch (6 servings), which is equal to $0.58 per serving. The store-bought (vegan) version usually costs $4-$5 for 4 servings, which works out to at least $1.00 per serving.

Also…this is the best vanilla ice cream I have ever had, vegan or not. I am not lying. That’s right: easy, cheap, and life-changingly delicious vegan ice cream is within arm’s reach, people. What are you still doing sitting here?!

Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 can full-fat coconut milk
1 cup cashews, soaked overnight or heated in hot water for 5 minutes
3 tbsp agave or maple syrup
1/4 cup sugar
1.5 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Put your ice cream maker bowl in the freezer. Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.
Chill the mixture in the fridge until cool, for at least 3 hours (I did this overnight).
Pour the chilled mixture into the freezer bowl and turn the ice cream maker on. Churn the ice cream according to instructions from manufacturer. When it’s done, either eat it as is, a nice soft-serve consistency, or put in the freezer to harden up for a few hours.