Tortillas, Guacamole, and Black Bean-Butternut Squash Four Ways: Chips & Dip, Nachos, Tacos, and Tostadas

The Bean and Squash Mixture, which plays an integral role in all of the subsequent iterations.

Chips, flavored with Sea Salt (L) and cumin (R), & Dips.

Dips: Black Bean Squash and Guacamole.

Nachos with Guacamole.

A nacho, close up.

Pre-baking and pre-soy-cheese.

Hard-shell Taco

Tostadas, garnished.

Tostadas, naked

My $0.03 Serrano Pepper. The cashier at the grocery story was really amused by this.

Notes

Recipe and Substitutions

I followed the Viva la Vegan! Black-Eyed-Butternut Tostadas Recipe, substituting Black Beans for the black Eyed Peas. I also followed the Viva la Vegan! The Only Guacamole Recipe I Ever Make Recipe, but was consternated by its lack of tomatoes(!) and didn't have any cilantro.

Cornmeal-Crusted Seitan and Balsamic Roasted Petite Brussels Sprouts

Cornmeal-Crusted Seitan and Balsamic Roasted Petite Brussels Sprouts.

Cornmeal-Crusted Seitan.

Balsamic Roasted Petite Brussels Sprouts.

Notes

Preparation

Cornmeal-Crusted Seitan

Prepared according to The Candle Cafe Cookbook Cornmeal-Crusted Tempeh Recipe, with the following substitutions:

1. I used White Wave Seitan instead of Tempeh.

2. I used regular soy sauce instead of Shoyu or Tamari Sauce.

3. I used the Wholesome Sweetners Organic Blue Agave Syrup instead of Maple Syrup.

Balsamic Roasted Petite Brussels Sprouts

1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar (I used Whole Foods 365 Organic Balsamic Vinegar of Modena)

1/2 tsp Coarse-grained Sea Salt

1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper

1/2 pound of Brussels Sprouts (I used Whole Foods 365 Brand Frozen Petite Brussels Sprouts, thawed; if you use larger sprouts, they should be halved).

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cover a baking pan with raised edges with foil.

Mix the first five ingredients in a medium sized bowl and then add in the Brussels Sprouts, gently tossing until coated. Spread the mixture in one even layer across the foiled pan. Roast for 45 minutes, until crispy and caramelized. Serve immediately.

Tasting

Cornmeal-Crusted Seitan

The cornmeal crust was awesome and held up well while cooking. However, the dish was unbelievably salty, almost to the point of being inedible. I think it was probably the combination of too much sodium in the soy sauce and store bought seitan.

Balsamic Roasted Petite Brussels Sprouts

The high temperature cooks out all the bitterness and they come out crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside, and delicious all over. The resulting caramelization is mildly sweet but savory, a perfect foil to any residual bitterness. The combination of balsamic and olive oil is classically Italian, but the dish will work with most anything.

Conclusion

Cornmeal-Crusted Seitan

I liked the texture and visual result enough to might try this again, but with Tempeh and the proper soy sauces to determine the source of the salt problem.

Balsamic Roasted Petite Brussels Sprouts

The Brussels Sprouts recipe is my favorite preparation. In fact, it's converted a few Brussels Sprouts atheists to Bassicaceae devotees. It's also Quick and Easy, so long as you have 45 minutes to let them cook, i.e. while preparing a protein.

Latin Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Mango

Cooked Quinoa with Mango, Black Beans, Piñata Apples, and Whole Foods's Salsa Fresca over Organic Field Greens.

Notes:

1. This is loosely based on the Veganomicon Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Mango, omitting the suggested dressing and adding the salsa and additional ingredients.

2. The salad can be prepared even more quickly than the recipe suggests because the quinoa is microwavable.