Seitan and Black Bean Tacos

 

My husband and I love Mexican food.  My husband especially loves the tacos he can get from the restaurant Los Betos.  He loves adobada, carnitas, carne asada, chicken and fish.  So to better suit his needs, I have come up with a seitan taco which turned out so good!  He loved it (I found him in the kitchen eating just the seitan)!  The marinade gives the seitan a very delicious flavor and grilling it makes it that much better! 

If you need a seitan recipe you can use my recipe for baked seitan on my blog.  However, instead of making a log, I flattened the seitan (kind of like steak) and then wrapped it in tin foil and baked it.  That way I could cut thin "steak-like" strips.

We like to make our tacos nice and full as you can see in the pictures, but our kids tend to make them smaller.  So, it's up to you - whatever you like!

Seitan and Black Bean Tacos
makes 4 servings

Ingredients

½ cup orange juice
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 Tbsp chipotle in adobo sauce
1 tsp cumin
4 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb seitan cut into really thin strips
Corn tortillas
½ cup shredded Daiya pepperjack cheese 
Guacamole
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
Pico de Gallo
Shredded cabbage

 

Directions

Combine the juice, oil, chipotle, cumin and garlic in a blender and puree.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Place seitan and marinade in a plastic bag or in a dish with a lid and marinate for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.
 
Preheat grill over medium heat (cast iron).  Oil the grill when hot and place seitan on it, turning occasionally until it nicely browned.
 
Heat a skillet over medium heat.  Place a tortilla in the center and warm on both sides.  Place in folded dish towel to keep warm.  Continue with more tortillas. 
 
Place cheese, guacamole, beans, seitan, Pico de Gallo, and shredded cabbage on tortillas.  Fold and eat!

 

BBQ Beans and Macaroni

One of my favorite things to eat growing up was my Mom's hot dog casserole - one of many yummy comfort foods she'd make me! (We were a family of 6, but I like to think she made it for me!)  I was a major hot dog lover.  I still (secretly) have pains for hot dogs.  I know there are vegan versions, and I've only tried one brand, but it just wasn't the same.  Anyway, I have been cooking many recipes from my childhood (my Mom is a great cook), but now that I am a plant eater I've had to put on my thinking cap on and try to veganize my favorite home cooked meals.  Some are much easier than others.  The longer I've been doing this though, the easier it has been getting.  Besides leaving out the hot dogs, I was on a mission to make this a healthier, less processed meal for my family.  So, I believe I have come up with a good substitution for my Mom's hot dog casserole and now call it BBQ Beans and Macaroni.  AND since my family scarfed it down for dinner last night, I think it is a success.  I didn't even miss the hot dogs!  One little note for thought - you could use mustard powder instead of yellow mustard.  I didn't think of that until now!  I will definitely try it next time!

BBQ Beans and Macaroni
Serves 4-6

2 cups whole wheat macaroni
2 ribs celery, chopped
3/4 cup onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
15 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 16 oz. can chili beans
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed (or YOUR favorite)
2 tsp yellow mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 Tbsp oregano
1/4 cup molasses
fresh ground pepper, to taste

Cook and drain the macaroni according to your package's directions. 

In a large pot saute the celery and onions in about 2 Tbsp water.  Cook until they start to look translucent adding more water if needed to keep from sticking.  Add garlic and saute for about 30 seconds. 

Stir in the rest of the ingredients and cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the cooked macaroni, stir and serve.

Black Bean-Pineapple Soup Stew Chili

I seem to have a thing for pineapple and black beans.  It just sounds so good AND tastes so good together.  Recently I discovered a new recipe from http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/ and I absolutely had to try it.  It was delicious!  For those of you who think pineapple would be weird in a bean soup - you can't really taste it - the pineapple just adds a nice sweetness.  My kids didn't even notice it.  It is a fun way to make chili, soup or stew - you chose!  Mine turned out like chili and was very good.  Be brave and give it a try, you won't be sorry!  More recipes with black beans and pineapple to come in the future!

Black Bean Pineapple Soup Stew Chili

Cooking time (duration): 40 

Number of servings (yield): 6

Ingredients

1 large onion, diced

1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced

4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 to 2 jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded and finely diced

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted

2 16-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups vegetable broth (or water plus bouillon cubes)

1 tablespoon Ancho chili powder (or other pure, mild chili powder)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder (or to taste)

2 teaspoons Mexican oregano (optional)

generous grating black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1 pound yellow squash or zucchini

1 cup crushed pineapple and juice

Instructions

Heat a non-stick pot and spray with cooking spray if desired. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until golden and beginning to brown (a pinch of baking soda will speed up this process). Add the bell pepper and jalapeno and cook until softened, about two minutes. Add the garlic, stir briefly, and then add tomatoes, beans, broth, and seasonings (but not squash or pineapple). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

While the beans are cooking, trim the squash and cut into small cubes.

Add the squash and pineapple, increase the heat a little, and cover. Simmer until squash is just tender. Check seasonings, adding more to taste, and serve.

Add more broth to make this stew more like soup and less to make it more like chili. Or, use even less to make a thick filling for tacos or a dip for tortilla chips