I had some sweet potatoes on my counter that  needed to be used, and was thinking about something savory, and maybe Halloween themed. I was going to make chili, but remembered to corn tortillas in my fridge and decided to make an enchilada casserole instead.

I used the TVP taco meat from the taco salad in Yellow Rose Recipes. YRR is no longer in print, but Joanna is working on a “Best of…”, which I highly encourage you to buy. I’m still kicking myself for not buying extra copies of YRR to give to family, so I plan on buying copies to keep at my parents’ and in-laws’.

This was a delicious black and orange casserole. I suppose pumpkin would have been a little more fitting, but the sweet potatoes worked perfectly with the black beans and spicy taco seasoning. I didn’t really measure anything except the ingredients for the TVP, but here is the basic idea.

Halloween Enchilada Casserole

12 6-inch white corn tortillas
1 can enchilada sauce (check the ingredients or make your own!)
1.5 cups taco-flavored protein (TVP, tofu, seitan, soycurls) – the TVP was 1 cup before reconstituting
1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 medium sweet potatoes, cubed and cooked (I roasted mine)
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced red pepper
1/2 cup cheddar Daiya shreds

Preheat oven to 350°.

Saute the onion and red pepper in a little non-stick spray, just until translucent. Prepare your taco protein, then mix in the black beans, onion, and pepper.

Spray or lightly oil a 11X7 inch baking dish and line with four tortillas. Spread a little of the enchilada sauce on top, then add about 1/3 of the bean mixture, half the sweet potatoes, and a little more enchilada sauce.  Top with four tortillas, more sauce, 1/3 of the beans, remaining potatoes, and 1/3 of the sauce. Top with the last four tortillas, beans, sauce, and sprinkle the Daiya on top. Spray the top with a little nonstick oil, then cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and cook for another 15 minutes, or until heated through.

Serve with lime wedges and tofu sour cream.

I’m going to keep posting fairly often, though not every day. See you soon!

I’ve been thinking about the recipe for banana split cashew ice cream that Dawn posted at veg-am since I read it. Despite the plummeting temperatures and winter storm warning, I really wanted this tonight. I didn’t plan ahead and put my ice cream container in the freezer, but I did have lots of frozen bananas.

At this point, I think everyone has heard of banana soft serve. I first remember reading about it banana soft serve on Dreena Burton’s blog. I started reading her cookbooks before I took the vegan plunge, and her recipes are still some of my favorites.

So, tonight I decided to simplify and add some banana split toppings to banana soft serve. I whizzed my bananas with some vanilla powder, then mixed in some chunks pf an organic nectars raw chocolate bar, dried cherries, peanuts, and some dried pineapple. It definitely satisfied my ice cream craving, but I really want to try the full version with the nut butter added!

We started off with a spinach, strawberry, and candied almond salad, which was sprinkled with coarse sugar. It sounds weird, but it was actually really good!

My pizza was topped with potatoes, roasted garlic, sundried tomatoes, and basil, then finished off with arugula. I was going to save a piece for later, but it just didn’t happen. The crust on the pizza was blistered in a few places, crisp outside, but still nicely chewy.

I only have one mini doughnut pan, so I made the rest as holes. These little treats have a delicate crumb, and are nicely flavored with pumpkin pie spices. Don’t skip the cinnamon sugar coating! The only change I made was to use caramel flavored flax oil, because…I have a lot of flax oil.

First we nibbled on crispy vegetable spring rolls

Then we shared Tofu Ginger Stir Fry

and You Think It’s Duck Curry (I thought it tasted more like delicious)

Afterward we headed off for a long hike to enjoy the fall foliage, and the sun finally decided to break through the clouds.

See you tomorrow!

I like pancakes, but I love, love, love crepes, so I wonder why I’ve been vegan for over 5 years, and have yet to make them before tonight. I actually bought a crepe pan a year or two ago. Perfectly nonstick and heavy, and still–no crepes! Tonight, I decided on Bryanna Clark Grogan’s recipe for whole grain crepes.

They were surprisingly easy to make, and were crispy on the edges, with a slightly chewy bite, just like I remember crepes tasting. The hardest part was getting them into perfect circles. I ate them with rawtella–the crunch variety, but next time I’ll try some earth balance and jam or some whipped topping and fruit.

The rawtella was really tasty on its own, and the crepes were good on their own, but together the textures and flavors just didn’t mesh. I’m thinking the rawtella would be great on overnight oats or with fresh fruit.

It was still a satisfying first attempt at vegan crepes, and now I won’t be so intimidated by them! Now, I need to try the crepes in Vegan Brunch, and the injera in Papa Tofu Loves Ethiopian Food.

I’d love to make this at home one day, since it seems pretty easy and we both really enjoy it.

I’m moving from the sofa to my bed, so I’ll see you tomorrow, hopefully with something from my kitchen!

I was really attracted to this bread because of how easy it seemed to put together. Even though I’m easily distracted, especially after a particularly long day at work, I still had this bread rising in under an hour.

I decided to use a little extra whole wheat, and a little less white. I subbed almond milk for the water, and used maple syrup instead of honey. This reminded me a lot of beer bread. This bread sliced beautifully, and was great warm out of the oven with some coconut Earth Balance and a little plum jam. I think I’d add just a little more maple syrup next time, but this bread would be a wonderful accompaniment to any savory meal, or make a delicious breakfast with a little nut butter and jam.