Category Archives: Sauces

TVP “Meat” With Hidden Greens

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After discovering the best Chipotle Dressing/Sauce recipe (from Melomeals: Vegan For $3.33 A Day), I decided to make Taco Salad! I know, I’ve been on a chipotle kick lately but I’ve made all these things with ONE can of chipotle peppers in adobo and I’m really excited about it.

You can use this “meat” to make anything that calls for taco meat. We love this filling in tacos!

This isn’t my usual loaded Taco Salad but it’s a really delicious one with minimal ingredients, great if you don’t have much time but you need something healthy. I can think of a bunch of additional toppings I could add but this is my quick version.

The “meat” ingredient is TVP – Textured Vegetable Protein.

Texture vegetable protein is a high-fiber, high-protein meat substitute made from soy flour and available in a variety of flavored and unflavored varieties, as well as different sizes, from large chunks to small flakes. It has a shredded chicken texture when cooked.
I like the Bob’s Red Mill brand, you can buy it at Sprouts for about $3 a bag – makes about 2 meals (4 servings each) with lots of leftovers.
** Here’s my Taco Salad “Meat” recipe, you can also use this “meat” for tacos or burritos.
  • 2 cups TVP
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp olive or vegetable oil (optional)
  • 1 package taco seasoning or homemade taco seasoning (link to homemade taco seasoning recipe!)
  • 1 bunch of chard – washed and chopped
  • 1.2 – 1 bunch of kale – washed and chopped
  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup salsa (I like Costco Kirkland brand the best!)

Preparation:

* In a large skillet, heat the water over medium heat, and add the TVP, stirring well. Allow the TVP to reconstitute for 2-3 minutes.

* Add oil (if you are not using oil, add a few Tbsp of broth) and soy sauce, combine and cook for 30 seconds

* Add chard, kale and taco seasoning, stirring well. Cover and allow to cook for another 3-5 minutes, stirring as needed.

* Mix in salsa and remove from heat.

–  My Quick Taco Salad Toppings

I like to use romaine lettuce for my taco salad base, it has a nice crunch to it!

I top most of my mexican dishes with Follow Your Heart cheese – I like the Nacho Cheese flavor the best! It shreds and melts well and tastes awesome!

I also like to use Tofutti brand Sour Supreme – tastes just like real sour cream but much better for you!

Shred the nacho cheese, add to meat and romaine lettuce, top with guacamole and sour cream. Finish it off with Chipotle Dressing/Sauce (the sauce is A MUST!), chips (if you wish, not necessary) and a little salsa (if you like it spicy!) and you have a VERY tasty meal!

My husband and daughter both loved this! This is a great way to hide a few leafy greens for those who refuse to eat them!

** Leftover Alert!

We had the TVP “meat” with all the same toppings in Napa Cabbage Tacos tonight for dinner and it was delicious!

Southwestern Chipotle Sauce

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This dressing/sauce goes on almost anything! My husband loves it, he’s been putting it on almost all of his meals and requested that I keep it in the fridge at all times. I’m going to order a sauce squeeze bottle to keep it ready to use at a moments notice. We love this on tacos or nachos with TVP “Meat” with Hidden Greens!

This recipe is from Melomeals: Vegan For $3.33 A Day – one of my favorites and most used food blogs lately.

Tacos with Southwestern Chipotle Sauce

Chipotle Dressing
1 c vegan mayo (Vegenaise – I like the original flavor)
4 cloves garlic
2/3  c pickled jalapeno juice
4 scallions
¼ t cumin
1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo

Blend well

* I made this in my VitaMix blender, took me about 10 minutes total.

I used this dressing on my Taco Salad and Taco Wraps and it was delicious on both!!

Chipotle Hummus

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I love chipotle chili powder! I like to sprinkle it on my popcorn with wheat germ and a little salt. Anytime I see a recipe with chipotle in it I have to try it. This Chipotle Hummus is from one of my favorite vegan food blogs Melomeals: Vegan For $3.33 A Day. She has really delicious recipes and she teaches you how to eat healthy for really cheap by making a few base sauces and using them for other recipes. I pressure cooked a pound of chickpeas (cost me about $1.50) and I used half of them to make this delicious hummus.

My husband loves this hummus! He puts it on sandwiches, tacos and eats it with chips or crackers. I like it with jicama and lime juice or pita chips.

I used a batch of this hummus to make Cheezy Chipotle Broccoli Quinoa Soup (also from Melomeals) which turned out to be an absolutely delicious soup! Tastes like a cheesy broccoli soup with a little chipotle kick! My husband had two bowls and asked if I would save the leftovers for him!

Chipotle Hummus

  • 2 large cloves garlic
  • 1 t Tony’s creole seasoning
  • ¼ t cumin
  • ¼ t coriander
  • 2 c HOT chickpeas (reserve ½ c cooking liquid)
  • 1-2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
  • 4 T tahini or peanut butter (I used tahini)
  • 2-4 T chickpea cooking liquid as needed or Olive Oil if you aren’t watching  your calories
  • Juice of 2 limes ( around 3 T )
  • ¼ c chopped cilantro (optional)
  • Salt/pepper to taste

Method:

* I blended all the ingredients at once in my VitaMix blender and it turned out great!

* If you don’t have a VitaMix, here’s her food processor instructions:

  1. Pulse garlic and tony’s in food processor until garlic paste is formed
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients and puree until totally smooth
  3. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add more lime juice if needed.

Sushi Roll Edamame Salad with Green Onion Miso Vinaigrette

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We’ve been craving sushi lately but haven’t had much extra time so I made this sushi’ish salad instead. It turned out really good! The dressing is fabulous and I plan on using it for many things in the future – veggie sandwiches, kale salads and veggie kabob marinade!

I found this recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks “Appetite For Reduction: 125 Fast And Filling Low-Fat Vegan Recipes” By Isa Moskowitz. (Buy Here)

This recipe is super healthy, refreshing and so much faster than chopping up sushi toppings!

Ingredients:

* 1 cup shelled frozen edamame, thawed

* 1 Tbsp rice vinegar

* 1 tsp agave nectar

* 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce

* 2 cups cooked and cooled short-grain brown rice

* 1 small cucumber, cut into matchsticks (I cheated and just sliced them thin)

* 1 medium-size carrot, cut into matchsticks (again, cheated and just sliced them thin)

* 1 cup thinly sliced green onions

* 4 tsp sesame seeds (I used rice seasoning from the asian market – a mix of nori, sesame seeds and dried kelp)

* 1 sheet nori (seaweed paper) – cut into strips or tear into small pieces

* Sliced avocado

* Green Onion – Miso Vinaigrette (recipe)

– 1/4 cup red miso (Sprouts has it)

– 1-2 cups roughly chopped green onions, white and green parts

– 3 Tbsp rice vinegar

– 2 tsp chopped fresh ginger

– 1 clove garlic

– 2 tsp agave nectar

– 2 tsp toasted sesame oil (Trader Joe’s has it and it’s cheap)

– 1/2 to 3/4 cup water

Dressing Directions:

Blend in a blender until smooth, adding 1/2 cup water first and additional 1/4 cup as needed. Chill until ready to use.

Salad Directions:

– Prepare dressing first

– Mix together the edamame, rice vinegar and agave in a small bowl

– Assemble salad – romaine lettuce first, then rice, cucumber, edamame, carrot, green onion and sesame seeds

– Sprinkle with the nori and avocado

– Serve with vinaigrette

Quick Pasta Alfredo with Broccoli

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This is a quick, easy recipe with tons of flavor and versatility. It takes me about 15 minutes to make this meal which makes it an easy go-to recipe on busy nights. Not to mention this alfredo sauce is MUCH better for you than the regular kind!

As you can see, my toddler LOVES this…

Toddler Approved!

Ingredients:

  • 1 bag/box of whole grain pasta – or whatever pasta you like best
  • 1 cup soymilk (or you can use almond milk)
  • 1/3 cup raw unsalted cashews (make sure they are RAW)
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 3 tablespoons tamari or 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1-2 tablespoon tahini
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp arrowroot powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika (I like to use smoked paprika)
  • 1 pinch nutmeg
  • 1 pinch salt
  • pepper, to taste
  • 2 -4 garlic cloves (optional – I like to add about 3 or 4)
 Directions:
  • Boil the pasta until tender but not mushy.
  • Combine everything else in the blender and blend until smooth – I use my VitaMix blender
  • Drain the noodles, return to the pot and pour the sauce over until well heated.
  • Add cooked broccoli or whatever veggies you wish.
  • Serve hot.

Ancho Chile Salsa

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I got this recipe from my favorite plant-based food blogger MELOMEALS: Vegan For $3.33 A Day – she’s amazing! She actually eats on $3.33 a day! Her system is cool, she makes a few base sauces at the beginning of the week and uses them to make a bunch of other meals throughout the week. I made her Salsa recipe the other day and it turned out really good! I plan on following her plan and making bbq sauce out of it too.

I used ancho chile powder and added 1/4 cup raw sugar and it turned out awesome!

Here’s her recipe:

1 T oil – I used vegetable oil
1 T coriander seeds ( or ground coriander ) – I used coriander seeds from World Spice Merchant
1 t cumin seeds
2 T chili powder – I used Ancho Chile Powder from World Spice Merchant
Pinch oregano
1 large onion
5 Serrano or Jalapeno Peppers – I used Jalapenos
1 t Tony’s Cajun Seasoning or Salt – I used Tony’s
Around ½ cup water
28 oz can tomatoes and their juice, crushed with your hands – I used Trader Joe’s Organic Diced Tomatoes
5 cloves garlic. chopped – I used like 8 cloves
Stems from 1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
Juice of 2 limes or 2 T balsamic or apple cider vinegar – I used lime juice

** I added 1/4 cup raw sugar to this recipe, I like my salsa a little sweeter.

Method:

Over medium heat, add the oil and spices. Toast for several minutes or until very fragrant. Add the Onions and peppers along with the salt and cook for 15 minutes, stirring often adding water to keep the mixture from burning. Next add the tomatoes , cover and turn heat down to medium low. Simmer for 30 minutes. Take off heat, stir in the garlic, cilantro and lime juice. Puree  in a food processor or blend. I used a hand blender. Allow Salsa to cool then taste and add more salt if needed.

Here’s my steps:

Chopped my onion, garlic, jalapenos and cilantro stems

Heating spices in the oil... smells so good!

Added the veggies

Added tomatoes

Done cooking... I blended it using my hand blender at this point.

YUMMY!