Tex-Mex Tofu and Rice Skillet

I love my Pampered Chef "29 Minutes to Dinner" cookbooks and have adapted many of the recipes over the years.  This is the lasted omni to vegan redo.

1 tsp plus 1 tbsp vegetable oil, divided

1 can (11 oz) Mexican style corn 

15-20 oz pkg tofu (my favorite is Wildwood Organics SprouTofu Super Firm, vacuum pack)

1 tbsp Pampered Chef Southwest Seasoning Mix (you could substitute packaged or homemade taco seasoning)

2 cups uncooked white rice (you could also use brown rice - just adjust liquid amount and cooking time accordingly)

2 cups vegetable broth

1 1/2 cups salsa verde

2 tbsp snipped fresh cilantro

1 cup vegan cheese, shredded, if desired 

Drain tofu and slice into 1" thick slices.  Press tofu between absorbent toweling for at least 20 minutes.

Add 1 tsp of oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Drain corn well and pat dry with paper towels.  Add corn to skillet in a single layer.  Cook without stirring for 5 minutes or until caramelized on one side.  Remove corn from skillet; set aside.

Sprinkle tofu slices with seasoning mix; press into tofu to adhere.  Cut into cubes and place in a heavy baking sheet that has been sprayed or brushed with oil.  Bake at 400 degrees, stirring occasionally for even browning, for 15-20 minutes or until desired doneness.  Alternatively, you can saute' the tofu in a pan with a little oil if you prefer that method.  

Add remaining 1 tbsp oil to skillet.  Add rice; stir until coated with oil and slightly browned.  Add broth and salsa; bring to a simmer.  Cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.  Add rice, cilantro, and tofu and stir.  Add vegan cheese if desired; cover and let stand 5 minutes for cheese to melt.  

Per serving (without cheese): 

481 cal

69 g carbs

12 g fat

23 g protein

Lentil Enchilada Casserole

This is my adaptation of a family favorite from my Pampered Chef "29 Minutes to Dinner" cookbook. My husband and kids love the original made with beef but I wanted a substitute I could eat. I like using lentils in place of ground beef. This dish is pure Tex-Mex comfort food.

You may be tempted to not use all the sauce because it will look too wet, but don't. The liquid is absorbed and if you cut back, your dish will be too dry.

Make sure you do not substitute flour tortillas for the corn. I am not fond of corn tortillas as a general rule, but they work best in this dish. Flour tortillas turn to mush. :::shudder::: Trust me on this one.

Lentil Enchilada Casserole

3-4 cups cooked lentils, drained
1 10-oz can enchilada sauce
1 tbsp Pampered Chef Southwest Seasoning or taco seasoning mix
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup chunky salsa
12 yellow corn tortillas
1/4 cup snipped cilantro
1 cup shredded vegan cheese (optional)

Combine cooked lentils, seasoning, salt, enchilada sauce, water, and salsa. Simmer for about 5-7 minutes. Cut tortillas into 1" pieces (I stack them up and cut them with a pizza cutter).

In a microwave safe baking dish, arrange half the tortilla pieces, top with half the lentil mixture, half of the cheese, if using, and 2 tbsp of cilantro. Top with remaining tortillas, lentil mixture, and optional cheese. Microwave for 5 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Top with remains cilantro. Serve with vegan sour cream, if desired.

I have never used a vegan cheese in the recipe, not for any particular reason other than I rarely eat it. Tonight I felt like something "creamy cheesy" but as usual didn't have any vegan cheese. I did, however, have vegan cream cheese. I mixed about 1/4 cup with a little taco seasoning and spooned it on top of the first layer of lentils. It was just the "creamy cheesy" element I was craving!

Spicy Lentil Tacos

These are SO good!  And very easy.  I veganized the recipe from Epicurious.com.  

1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup brown lentils, rinsed

2 1/2 cups of veggie broth

1/2 cup vegan sour cream, optional (I like Vegan Gourmet)

1 tbsp chipotle chili in adobo sauce (I puree the whole can and freeze in 1 tbsp amounts in an ice cube tray.  When frozen, pop into a freezer container.)  You can use half this amount for less heat if you would like.  

Heat oil.  Saute' onion and garlic on a medium-low heat until soft and starting to just caramelize.  Add salt, lentils, and broth.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover.  Cook for 25-30 minutes or until lentils are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.  If you still have some liquid in your pan, you can turn the heat on medium-high and cook, stirring constantly, until it's mostly absorbed, but you do want a little bit of liquid in there.  Stir in the chili with adobo sauce.  Remove from the heat and stir in the vegan sour cream if you are using it.  I've made it both with and without the sour cream and it's good both ways.  

I prefer to use a soft taco shell for mine and love it with fresh baby spinach, chopped tomatoes, and sliced avocado.  That's good eatin'!  

This recipe yields 8 servings based on using 2 tbsp of taco filling per taco and two tacos per person.  

Calories per serving:  95

Carbs: 15

Fat: 4

Protein: 6

Iron: 11

Calcium: 4

Spanish-Style Stuffed Peppers

This has been a family favorite recipe for many years.  It was a vegetarian dish, not vegan, but with the simple elimination of the cheese from the dish and just adding cheese to the top for my family, I can have a vegan option.  You can add shredded vegan cheese to this if you'd like.  

We have to triple this recipe for our family.  The original recipe (that I'll post here) serves four.  Without my adult son (who rarely ever eats with us), we are four.  But as I said, we have to triple the recipe.  Yes, they like it that much.  

1 pkg yellow saffron rice

2 medium red bell peppers

2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 small green bell pepper, diced (or you could use a poblano pepper if you like them - I don't)

1 green onion with top, sliced

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided

1 tsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced

3/4 cup shredded vegan Mexican cheese blend, divided (optional)

2 tbsp water

Prepare rice according to the package directions.  We use this kind:

Check the ingredients.  Not all packages are vegan.  The one that our Target carries has chicken bouillon in the mix.  You can also make your own saffron rice if you prefer not to use a packaged product.  

As the rice cooks, prepare the bell peppers.  Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and stem.  In a large skillet, add the 2 tbsp water and place the peppers in the skillet; cover tightly with a lid and steam on medium to medium-low heat for about 5 minutes or until the peppers are crisp-tender.  Remove them from the skillet.  Pat them dry and set aside.  You'll use this skillet again at the end.  Put the lid back on it and set it aside.  

In a separate skillet, heat oil; add bell pepper and cook for about 3 minutes.  Add tomatoes and garlic and cook for a minute or two more.  Add green onion and half of the cilantro.  Stir and cook just until the green onion starts to soften slightly, another minute or two.  

Stir vegetable mixture into the rice.  If you are using cheese, add 1/2 a cup.  Place bell peppers cut side up into the skillet where you steamed them originally.  Spoon rice mixture evenly into each pepper.  Top with remaining cheese (if using).  Add a little more water to the skillet if it has evaporated - you don't need much.  Cover with a lid and heat over medium-low for about 3-5 minutes, just until the cheese is melted.  (If you aren't using cheese, you can skip this step).  Sprinkle with remaining cilantro.  

Serves 4.  (Or at my house, one and a half ravishing wolves - I mean kids.)  

I have served this as a side dish for company with other Mexican/Spanish/Tex-Mex dishes.  After cooking them, I do cut them in half again for a smaller portion.  

Vegan Enchiladas

These were a special request from my non-vegan (but heavily veggie) 17-year-old daughter for her family birthday party.  I've made them twice now and they are delicious!  It is Ayinde Howell's recipe featured in the New York Times made a little healthier.  When I first made them, I figured the calories and came up with 900 per serving!  Yikes!  When I made them the second time, I was able to reduce that to about 500.  Not "diet food" but definitely better!!!  

What I will do next time is actually DOUBLE the sauce recipe.  That will increase the calories slightly, but I'm going to keep the oil at the same amount and see how that does.  The calorie increase will be kept at a minimum that way.  

Vegan Enchiladas

For the sauce:

1 tbsp vegetable oil (I use olive or grapeseed)

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced 

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded (if you're chicken) and diced

1 1/2 tbsp cumin

1 1/2 tbsp chili powder

8 oz tomato sauce

3/4 cup water

sea salt to taste

In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat oil until shimmering.  Add onions, garlic, and jalapeno pepper.  Saute until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add seasoning.  Add water and tomato sauce and bring to a boil.  Cook on medium, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes or until sauce is thickened.  

For the filling:  

1-2 tbsp vegetable oil (I used one - if you see you need more, you can add another)

1 pound firm tofu, drained and loosely crumbled (I prefer Wildwood's sprouted tofu in extra firm or super firm)

10-12 flour or corn tortillas (we don't like corn, so we use flour or a mixed grain tortilla)

1 small onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded (if you're scared) and diced

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

3 tbsp Pampered Chef Southwest Seasoning (or you could sub 1 1/2 tbsp cumin and 1 1/2 tbsp chili powder)

2 tbsp soy sauce

sea salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375°.  In a medium skillet over medium heat, heat oil until shimmering.  Add crumbled tofu and seasoning and cook, stirring frequently, until browned and somewhat crispy and any liquid has evaporated, about 10-15 minutes.  

Add 2/3 of the onion and half of the bell pepper.  Add garlic and jalapeno.  Cook about 5 minutes or until the vegetables begin to soften.  Add cilantro and soy sauce.  Mix well.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.  

While the tofu mixture is cooking, wrap the tortillas tightly in foil and place them in the oven for about 10 minutes to warm.  Keep them wrapped until you are ready to assemble the dish.  

To assemble, in a shallow casserole dish large enough to hold the enchiladas in one layer, add about 1/3 of the sauce to coat the bottom of the dish.  Unwrap the hot tortillas and spread one side with the sauce, about a tablespoon.  Add a few spoons of the filling and roll the tortilla tightly.  Place seam side down in the casserole dish over the sauce.  Repeat with the remaining filling.  Pour remaining sauce over the top and sprinkle with the remaining onion and bell pepper.  Bake for about 15 minutes.  Garnish with chopped green onions and black olives, if desired.  

See.  Mine needed to be just a wee bit more "saucy."  But they were SO good!  The birthday dinner was at my in-laws and was one vegan dish besides all the meaty tacos and fajitas.  I'm the only vegan in our family.  But even still, we only brought home one for Brooke's lunch the next day.  The rest were devoured!