Cinco de Mayo Triple Decker Quesadillas

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Yummy crispy salty tortillas filled with creamy cool avocados, a spicy black bean mixture and the BEST vegan queso you will ever eat!

Black Bean Mixture

1 red bell pepper chopped small
½ big yellow onion chopped small
1tsp celery salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 clove garlic diced fine
1 tiny red chili pepper seeded and diced
½ tsp cumin
1 can of drained and rinsed black beans
Kernels from one can of corn
1 Tbsp of dried chives
½ tsp chilli powder
-In a drizzle of olive oil over medium high heat in a large frying pan cook the bell pepper, onion, celery salt and black pepper for five minutes
-After five minutes add garlic, chili pepper and cumin and cook for another 2 – 3 minutes
-Add can of beans and corn kernels, cook for a futher 2 – 3 minutes
-At this point I usually quickly toss this mixture into a colander and drain the excess liquid and then store it into a bowl until I am ready to assemble the quesadillas
-Once in the storage bowl toss in the chives and chili powder

Avocado Mixture

5 large avocados
Pinch of salt
Zest and juice of 1 lime
-Combine all of the ingredients and set aside until you are ready to assemble the quesadillas

Best Vegan Queso EVER

*A variation on the cheese sauce I make for macaroni and no cheese, but with different spices and a much thicker consistency to recreate the taste and texture of traditional mexican queso

½ big yellow onion chopped small
2 cloves garlic diced fine
½ cup vegan butter
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp celery salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ cup of whole grain flour or all purpose flour
1 and ½ cups of hot water
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp deli style mustard
½ cup nutritional yeast
2 Tbsp pickled jalapenos, chopped
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1/3 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
¼ cup chopped green onions

-In a drizzle of olive oil fry the ½ onion on medium heat in a large frying pan
-After 5 minutes add the garlic and cook for another 2 or 3 minutes
-Add the butter, cumin, celery salt, black pepper and stir slowly until the butter is completely melted
-Once the butter has completely melted slowly add in the flour, stirring continuously
-Continue stirring for about 3 minutes, making sure the flour is completely incorporated
-Slowly add in the water, stirring continually
-Once the water has been completely incorporated and the mixture is uniform add the soy sauce, and mustard and cook for a minute
-Add in the nutritional yeast slowly, stirring continually
-After cooking for another minute or two add in the jalapenos, cilantro, green onions, sun dried tomatoes and continue to stir and cook for another minute, then remove from heat and serve

Assembling your Quesadilla

-Take your flour tortilla and on half of it spread a few generous spoonfuls of the avocado mixture
-On the other half of the tortilla spread a few generous spoonfuls of the queso
-Spoon a few big spoonfuls of the black bean mixture on top of the queso side
-Now fold the tortilla in half, bringing the queso and black bean side up to meet the avocado side.
-Now lightly butter the outside of the entire quesadilla and place it in a frying pan on medium heat with a bit of vegetable oil in it and cook until both sides are golden

There is something so comforting about a big bowl of hot, steamy soup. It reminds me of chilly winter days curled up in bed with a thick, juicy book or maybe a good movie. Slow Sundays, late night meals by the fireplace, lazy lunches with friends and family. Usually this is what soup brings to mind. But this soup…ah, this soup is something else entirely. You won’t be lying in bed placidly sipping on this soup, my friends. No, relaxation is impossible with this soup. If you tried to eat this soup in front of a cozy fireplace you might just melt! It is a hot and spicy south of the border treat for your senses. Tons of veggies, even more spices, and a thick, creamy broth of enchilada sauce, tomatoes and vegetable broth, make this an enchilada extravaganza that you can eat with a spoon!

Ingredients:
1 white onion chopped
3 bell peppers (any color) chopped
1 squash chopped
1 zucchini chopped
4 cloves garlic chopped fine
¼ cup pickled jalapeno slices chopped
2 —-400 gram jars of enchilada sauce
2 —-400 gram can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 —-400 gram can of kidney beans (no need to drain)
1 —-8oz jar of tomato paste
2 —-400 gram cans of stewed tomatoes
6 – 8 Cups of veggie broth, depending on how thick you like your soup
1 bunch of fresh green beans
3 cobs of corn, kernels removed
3 limes, juice and zest
½ bundle of cilantro, chopped
Pinch of celery salt and black pepper
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
Toppings: sliced avocado, green onions, sour cream

-In a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a huge soup pot sauté the chopped onion, bell peppers, squash and zucchini with the pinch of celery salt and black pepper

-After five minutes add the 4 cloves of garlic and continue cooking for 3 or 4 minutes

-Add the 2 jars of enchilada sauce, the ¼ cup of jalapenos, cumin, chili powder, paprika, beans, stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, vegetable broth, green beans and corn kernels

-Continue cooking on medium high heat until the green beans are tender

-Remove from heat and add the cilantro, zest of one lime, juice of two limes and serve topped with sour cream, avocados and green onions.

Chili Lime Fry Bread

And there are no words for me to describe how much I love the chili lime fry bread. The taste was inspired by a recipe that my mom made only once, back when I was a little kid, but it was so good I have remembered it all these years. She took corn on the cob slathered it with a compound butter made with chili powder and lime juice and roasted them until they were tender and delicious. This fry bread is my version! So crispy and spicy, they are the perfect accompaniment to this delicious soup.

-Sliced bread of any kind (I used French bread)
-earth balance, at least 1/3 – 1/2 cup
-zest of two limes, juice from one lime
-several pinches of chili powder
-small pinch of salt

Combine the butter with the spices and slather some on both sides of the bread slices and in a big frying pan in a drizzle of vegetable oil fry the bread on medium low heat until they are golden and crispy.