canned potato mexi burrito (breakfast burrito #2)

i'm a big fan of the breakfast burrito. it's the perfect hungry girl's solution to a ravenous morning. i like mine a variety of ways, but always overstuffed with my favourite ingredients, warmed up and super tasty.

• 1 can of potatoes (sliced)
• 2 cups bell peppers (any color)
• 1 teaspoon taco seasoning
• 1/2 cup black olives, chopped
• vegan cheese sauce (see recipe below)
• salsa
• 2 large 10" tortillas

for the vegan cheese sauce:

• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup soy milk
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon tahini

put the cheese sauce ingredients in a small mason jar and shake vigorously. if you read my recipes, you'll notice that i use the same ingredients for cheese sauces most of the time. in this case, i reduced the amount liquid so that it was thick and wouldn't create a super messy burrito.

in a large non-stick skillet, use only a light coating of cooking spray and then heat the sliced potatoes and bell peppers on high. after about 3 minutes, add the taco seasoning. continue cooking on high for about 5-10 minutes - until the potatoes brown to your liking (extra crispy in my case).

when done, add the potato mixture and rest of the ingredients in burrito. make sure you warm your tortillas first, or you will probably have a hard time folding them without tears.

this make about 2-3 large burritos (depending on how you stuff them). :)

vegan lasagna

our traditional christmas dinner is lasagna, and for years my mother and i have stood side-by-side in the kitchen on christmas morning assembling our italian dishes. this was the first time i attempted a vegan one, which brought on quite a few changes - from the mozzarella to the ricotta to the parmesan. below is my recipe. also, i tend to like my lasagna really saucy, so just make modifications to the amounts as you prefer.

• 12 lasagna noodles, cooked
• 6 cups mom's mushroom pasta sauce**
• 3 cups spinach
• 1 large head of broccoli florets, steamed
• 16 oz. vegan mozzarella, shredded
• 6-8 tablespoons vegan parmesan
• 1 batch vegan ricotta (see recipe below)

**if you don't have a favourite sauce, add mushrooms to this recipe

for the ricotta:

• 12 oz. silken tofu
• 6 oz. tofutti sour cream
• 2 teaspoons tahini
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 5 fresh basil leaves, minced
• 5-8 baby spinach leaves, minced
• 2 tablespoons oregano
• 2 tablespoons parsley
• salt & pepper to taste

to make the ricotta, blend tofu, sour cream, tahini, lemon juice and olive oil in a food processor. after mixture is creamy (add more oil or lemon juice if necessary), mix the rest of ingredients in by hand. chill until ready to use.

to assemble lasagna:
in a 8x11 glass or ceramic casserole dish, spread about 2 tablespoons of the sauce in the bottom of the dish to prevent noodles from sticking. place 3 noodles across the bottom, then use a spoon to spread about 1/3 of the ricotta evenly. now layer about 1/4 of the sauce in the dish, followed by 1/3 of the spinach and the broccoli. sprinkle a mozzarella layer and a parmesan layer, and then place another set of noodles in the dish. repeat the process, building up the lasagna until you have used up all ingredients. make sure to save enough sauce and mozzarella for the final top of the dish.


a few notes: make sure you buy vegan lasagna noodles (no egg). also, for the mozzarella, i used veganrella this time as i often have a hard time getting fyh vegan gourmet cheeses to melt. veganrella's cheddar cheese is really good, but the mozzarella was just average. i think next time i will try using tofutti mozzarella slices... just a thought.

bake lasagna at 375°f for about 45 minutes. the top cheese layer should be browning and the sauce should be bubbly. makes 6 large pieces of lasagna.

vegan feta

this is a recipe that i used to make a vegan feta. it's combination between a recipe in the uncheese cookbook and skinny bitch in the kitch. ok, so it's not feta, but it's not terribly too off in taste...

• 1/2 pack of silken extra firm tofu (about 6oz)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder, or fresh garlic (minced)
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

drain and gently squeeze excess water out of tofu. cut into small tofu cubes - the size of feta chunks. put cubed tofu in a bowl. whisk rest of ingredients in a separate bowl and pour on top of tofu. stir gently once or twice to make sure it is evenly coated, and chill for at least 1 hour.

use within a day or two.