[VeganMOFO] Resturant Meal

Whenever we eat at El Papagayo I crave quesadillas, chips and rice the next day. One never can have to much Mexican food right?

El Papagayo - Best Vegan Mexican Food!

I have labeled myself a vegan Mexican food snob and have taken Matt along on the ride. We grew up within miles of each other, had the same taco truck experiences and remember certain foods. We want those memories in our mouth just veganized with love!
When we talk to others about vegan Mexican food we ask them what their fave place is and often a certain northern CA location often comes up. At this point Matt and I look at each other and inwardly roll our eyes because we do not care for the place. People - El Papagayo is where it's at - you need to eat here in order to taste authentically awesome tasty Mexican food!

We plan our day around going to El Papagayo. Lately going up to Sacramento just to consume delicious food is why we are up there.

I always start off with a strawberry margarita, Matt gets a Tecate and I usually steal a sip or two. To go with our drinks we grab loads of chips and salsa from the chip station. My fave salsa is the tropical one with fruity bits and cilantro.

I have been getting the taco salad. It is a large flour tortillia that has been fried then stuffed with beans, rice, veggies, vegan cheeze and your choice of add in, my first go around was nopales.

Last time I had half tofu and half ranchero mushrooms (this is the only place I like mushrooms at!). The salad is so huge that I may need to rethink my eating game plan, almost passing out in a food coma is no fun!

There are so many vegan options that you will have a hard time choosing what to order. Everything from the tacos to the enchiladas have been legit! They even make a really tasty horchata that you must get to go!  The family that owns and runs this place is really top notch in services, kindness and cooking skills. The prices are really good, much food to money payoff! Make it a point to check out this place or I will roll my eyes at you next time we talk Mexican food!

Address: 5804 Marconi Ave Carmichael, CA 95608

Friday Night Nachos Revised

We have some food traditions around the house. I think the most anticipated one is Friday Vegan Nacho Night! Matt says it is the right way to kick off the weekend, I just like this quick, easy and delicious meal!

Updated Vegan Nacho Recipe

1 package of trader Joe's Meatless Crumbles

1 can of original Rotel 

1 can of black beans

1 big plop of Sriracha 

a bit of oil for cooking

a bag of organic white corn  tortilla chips

Food For Lovers Queso (a must here!), hot sauce, your fave toppings (optional)

In a large frying pan heat a bit of olive oil - enough to lightly coat the pan on medium heat. Add meatless grounds, cook for a few minutes. Open & drain the Rotel and black beans. Add those and Sriracha to the pan, mix and cook on a medium low heat for about 5-6 minutes. 

Place a bed of nachos on a plate, spoon on pan mixture and top with toppings of choice!

As you can tell I have made a few changes from my original recipe found here. As with most dishes it only gets better after experimenting. This meal was one of my original meals I started cooking. It is now a kitchen staple and something that I can't wait to make for tonight dinner! Happy Friday! Rock the weekend!

Vegan Carne Asada Frichos

To keep on the PMS food wagon this week I was craving salty and something Mexican inspired. I decided on vegan carne asada strips (seitan steak strips marinated in spices & citrus) but when I went to get tortillas my mind was like funk that! I walked over to the freezer section and grabbed a bag of thick cut steak fries. I believe I was inspired by something I saw online but made it vegan of course and added more fresh stuff. 

Fries topped with vegan carne asada strips fried with red bell peppers, 2 different types of salsa (hot red and verde), fresh smashed chunky guacamole, cheeze sauce and hot sauce! You needed to use a fork to eat this bad boy up! Dig in!

Power Greens & Tempeh Tacos

Power Greens & Tempeh Mix

1 package of tempeh

1 bag of Power To The Greens Trader Joe's salad blend (kale, spinach, chard)

1 package of taco seasoning mix

a squeeze of lime juice

1/4 cup water

oil

Crumble the tempeh into bite side chunks. Brown the tempeh in a bit of oil for a few minutes in a frying pan, add greens (I got most of the bag in my frying pan), sprinkle on taco seasoning, add water and stir. Don't worry if the seasoning packet asks for more water - the greens will let off water so no worries. Turn the heat to a low-medium, cover pan and cook for 10 minutes. Remove lid, the greens should be cooked down now, add a squeeze of lime juice, stir. Serve with salsa (we used green) and in your fave tortilla or taco shell. Easy and fast, healthy & cheap!

Eats Of The Week

Almond milk cappuccino from Timeless Roasters in Oakland.

 

Salad for lunch at Golden Lotus - random lunch since it was not our first option in Oakland. 

 

Dosa at Udupi  in Berkeley for dinner, I loved the coconut chutney but the service needed improvement.

Avo-Toast (Crazy Sexy Kitchen  - gift from a friend) with red pepper flakes on Judy's Breadstick bread - omg so good!

Taco night Tuesday, tempeh tacos from the I love Cooking With Trader  Joe's Vegetarian cookbook (my fave cookbook lately!). I topped them with avocado and Daiya shreds. Served with red rice and chili and lime spiked jicama.

What have you been eating?

This Weeks Eats: Tex Mex & Peach Tofu

The Tex-Mex plate:

Chili lime rubbed tofu (Appetite For Reduction), black beans in a simple sauce (2 cans of rinsed & drained black beans, a dash of Mexican spice blend and a couple of shakes of hot sauce), red rice with lemon and salsa on the beans! Tasty, spicy but not crazy so and comforting!

East meets East sweet & savory plate:

Smoky peach  tofu (from Cooking With Trader Joe's Vegetarian - I love this book!), coconut water lime basmati rice (cook white basmati, replacing 1/2 of the cooking water with coconut water, juice of a lime and slices of lime floating on top (pick 'em out after cooking). I served pakoras from Trader Joe's on the side baked in the oven and toped with the sauce. Sweet and savory, comforting and tropical!

I love tofu, it is comforting and pretty cheap. I go for the super firm pressed stuff. That way no roll of paper towels goes down the drain and no extra prep. You can just use one paper towel to dry it off and cut and get busy with your dish. 

Rice is another cheap staple. I go for basmati, it has a texture and nuttiness that I enjoy. I buy my rice from Trader Joe's or go for something in the natural foods section. I check over my rice carefully because pantry moths are known to go for it in stores, especially in the bulk area. Icky right?

 

Beer Battered Tofu Tacos & Moco Loco

I was inspired by a Dean boy to beer batter something...Well, I modified the recipe, no fish (duh), extra seasoning and I made the meal a taco meal! Beer battered tacos with Sriracha slaw (Matt is warming up to the slaw!)...

 

I wish the beer batter stuck a bit more, but it was really tasty, fluffy and puffy batter! So puffy that some of my tofu looked like Twinkies at one point! Served with red rice and fresh off the tree lemons! 

  

By now you know I watch a lot of cooking shows. I always get inspired by non-vegan food to recreate it and make it vegan and easy. Moco Loco was one such dish that screamed to be made vegan. 

I made these black bean burgers with a slight spice modification, served it over organic basmati with a packet of vegan golden gravy mix...If I had planned a week or so in advanced I would have maybe bought and added a Vegg Egg on top to make it a true Hawaiian classic...Matt called  this meal interesting, I thought it was good and was way easy to put together after the gym!

BBQ Tempeh Tacos With Sriracha Slaw

 

We like tacos, we like BBQ and I was craving the texture of tempeh (am I the only one who finds comfort in the texture of food?) so the BBQ tempeh taco with Sriracha slaw was born! Served with red rice and lemon and you are good to go. 

I just pan fried the tempeh (cut into long fingers) in olive oil till browned. Added some BBQ sauce to coat, turned the heat down low, covered the pan and steamed the slices in the pan for about 10-15 minutes. The slaw is pretty basic: broccoli slaw mix, a dollop of  Vegenaise, a hefty squirt of Sriracha and a drizzle of lemon juice. Everything was served up in warm corn tortillas.