Plant based food, if one is trying it for the first time, can be intimidating. The ingredients list, techniques, and tastes can feel foreign for someone who is new to it. But we found this week that trying out a new way of cooking and eating is a whole lot simpler when you’re making foods you already love. Here we are- all about vegan Tex Mex. A little heat, some salsa and beans, and a whole lot of taste. This time it’s plant based. Whether you’re making the full time switch to vegan eating or are looking for some whole foods recipes, any of these recipes would be a tasty addition to your weeknight rotation.
Vegan Tofu Crumbles, Chipotle Cauliflower Nachos, and Instant Pot Enchilada Rice
Vegan Tofu Taco Crumbles: It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken
A crunchy taco with ground beef, taco seasoning, and plenty of cheese was our favorite part of taco night growing up. If you’re looking for a plant based alternative, we thought these chewy, spiced bits of browned tofu were a great idea. Load up a taco with the crumbles, lettuce, and salsa and you’re in business.
Tips:
- Dial the spice up or down, depending on your audience.
- Don’t expect the crumbles to get crunchy. The oven step browns them but doesn’t quite get to the crunchy stage.
- Simmering in salsa at the end makes the crumbles sing- don’t skip this step.
Chipotle Cauliflower Nachos: Love and Lemons
Nothing like a plate of gooey, cheesy nachos...even if you’re eating plant based. We thought that if we were doing Tex-Mex, nachos have to be in the mix. Turns out that a list of unlikely ingredients: potatoes, cauliflower, and cashews get you pretty close to the traditional. Add a little kick of chipotle in adobo and you might just find yourself reaching for just one more chip.
Tips:
- Soaking the cashews helped soften the nuts and make blending easier. We’d recommend this if you don’t have a high speed blender.
- We used a stick or hand blender and were satisfied with the result. However, we do think a high speed blender would make this extra creamy.
- Vegan Tofu Taco Crumbles wouldn’t be a bad idea for the top of these, just saying.
Instant Pot Enchilada Rice: The Simple Veganista
A big pot of beans and rice is a Dinner Sisters favorite. (We won’t even list them all…) The Simple Veganista has a plant based twist with lots of veggies, beans, and plenty of that Tex-Mex flavor we crave.
Tips:
- The Instant Pot and stove top versions took almost the same amount of time. As per usual, the Instant Pot offered a more hands off experience.
- Again, the Vegan Taco Tofu crumbles came in clutch and were delicious here.
- If you aren’t plant based for every meal, this was a delicious side for a rotisserie chicken.
From the Smorgasbord:
Vegan Yack Attack has a fantastic round up of Black vegan creators.
A Homecoming by Amirah Mercer. A fascinating long form article about the author’s experience with being Black and vega and the history of vegan food in the Black community. Joy Manning’s amazing plant-based Instagram