[Vegan MOFO Day 5] Fast Food Friday: Jack In The Box Tacos

2 tacos for 99 cents? It seems like a dream come true for some. Actually I think some people were dreaming when they said Jack In The Box Tacos were vegan (Google search it). We know fast food is cheap and uses soy to replace some of the meat, actually JITB came under fire for it, but JITB tacos are not vegan....UNTIL NOW!!!!

Behold Jack In The Box 2 for 99 cent tacos - veganized! The are easy to make, cheap and in Matt opinion taste like the real deal. I vaguely remember the tacos - maybe even think I remember them.

[What You Need]
-one can of vegan refried beans (I used Amy's refried black beans)
-one package of corn tortillas
-shredded lettuce
-shredded vegan cheddar cheeze 
-hot sauce
-sea salt
-vegetable oil for frying

Heat up about a 1/2 inch of oil in the frying pan on medium  high heat. Get a tortilla, spread on a layer of beans (keeping it centralized - so it does not seep out of the edges). Add a tiny pinch of salt over the beans and gently fold in half. Do this till you have the number of tacos you want. Fry each taco for about 1-2 minutes per side, till they are crispy. Once removed from oil, place on a plate lined with paper towels and sprinkle with a bit more salt. Add a bit of lettuce and cheeze to each taco. Serve with hot sauce and if you are inclined some french fries like I did above!

My mom turned me onto this recipe! Matt was like "you can't make those tacos at home - no way" after his plate of tacos and fries he was very happy and content! My mom and I debated using a ground soy product with the beans - but honestly you do not need it! If you are using black beans - the dark look and bold flavor will be there. My mom said the salt is necessary and Matt said the taco sauce is a must...I think it all works out together! 

[Vegan MOFO Day 4] Good Enough To Eat: Coconut Lime Shower Wash

On a whim I picked up Tree Hut Shea's coconut lime shower while I was at Ulta. I liked how it smelled, kinda tropical but not over powering. I am a fan of things that smell like fruit or baked goods. After using it in the shower my skin felt soft and moisturized. The body wash is free of parabens which is important to me. It is under $10 for a large bottle - it is so creamy a bit goes a long way.

The line says there are no animal ingredients used but after looking around I see some items contain lanolin and bee products. However this body was is vegan and is a great buy! Oh and the scent, while tropical is very clean and great for a gal or a guy! It is not super fruity or perfume-y. 

[Vegan MOFO Day 3] Sandwiches & Soy Curls

Since I went to Whole Foods on Sunday I bought items I cannot find around here to try. I walked away with a lot of winners.

On Sunday after coming home from the film festival, hitting up the gym and then the store I was tired. I wanted something tasty and simple. A smoked jalapeno tofu sandwich with Daiya cheddar wedge cheese (new to me - I have only had the shreds!), vegan mayo, fresh organic veggies on a sourdough roll. Served with Matt's fave, crinkle cut fries (I usually by different fries but these were good!). I want more sandwiches for dinner!

We are no strangers to soy curls - I order them bi-weekly from Spencer's Market. However I usully prepare them the same way - pan fried in BBQ sauce, which is so soooo sooooo good but hey - I am trying to break out of a rut! So after trying buffalo soy curl pasta and liking it, I decided to do strait up buffalo soy curls. I just used my standard buffalo sauce Frank's + Earth Balance and after the soy curls re-hydrated I tossed them in the sauce and pan fried them. Served with steamed broccoli, mac & cheeze and left over oven toasted sour dough rolls. Another simple meal that is tasty and warms your insides!


I should note that these pics and the ones that might follow are of Matt's plate, in his office where he likes to relax with dinner after work. I am usually like "hey take a picture before I set it down!"...So ya that is my arm & Matt's skull plate! :)

[Vegan MOFO Day 2] Tea Time - Kusmi Sweet Love

 Last time I was in San Francisco I picked up a few Kusmi teas to try out and explore the brand. Sweet Love is my favorite out of the three I picked up. It is spicy and bold, very much like a chai spiced tea and like being in love it warms you up and gets you going! It is so flavorful I even drink it strait up, no sweetener or non-dairy milk  (I prefer tea strait up in the morning to get me going). The tea is bold and really flavorful, you can see the spice pods whole in the mix. I am not a fan of super ground up spices and leaves - I often think that this leads to a crappy cup of tea.

I have been trying to hang on to my little tin as long as I can. I think I have two more scoops for my tea diffuser till I am out. No fear - there are more Kusmi blends I feel that I need to try!

[Vegan MOFO Day 1] Weekend Roundup - Coffee Day - East Bay

Friday night started off right with Matt buying me a bag of those new coconut chips from Trader Joe's - love them, so good in soy/coconut yogurt...Plus Friday night is always nacho night here!

Saturday was coffee day ( A StarBucks barista told me that SB invented the "holiday"!)- after heading down town and finding the independent places closed I went to my go to StarBucks. I like my coffee with a splash of non-dairy milk and a tad bit of sweetener! Matt said that hot coffee was not good when it was 95 degrees but we were in the air conditioned mall and I was craving it...I get coffee cravings! Oh - and for the record I usually (98%) use my reusable cup - only when I am having a random coffee fix I do not have it on me.
Now for a coffee rant - well a StarBucks rant - I do not like them taking away the soy option for gold card members...All my drinks are custom - either with soy or syrup. I wish SB would put out a soy carafe for those just needing a splash...Pete's & Whole Foods both let you do it! Whole Foods even has almond milk!

Sunday we got up early and headed to Oakland to see Matt's short film in a film festival! I do not think it ever gets old seeing a project that you saw behind the scenes in it's bare state up on a screen. I am very proud of Matt - he even shared some words of wisdom! After he talked we headed out to find some food - we were starving!
We headed to Nature's Express in Berkley. It was pretty crowded - we are used to quite Sundays in town...The food was worth it though!

I ordered the Avo-Kale wrap. I added some sriracha to it (I love creamy avocado with spicy sriracha!) and it was so good. Also it is a really good sized wrap - considering it costs $6.50 - it is a good deal.

Matt got the classic reuben with sweet potato fries (I stole a few!). His sandwich was yummy - we sampled each others food and liked both items.


We then went to Whole Foods in Berkeley - I did not like how cramped it was, or the layout, maybe I am a store snob but I told Matt I wanted to go to the Oakland one...So we went to the Oakland location (more spacious!) and bought everything from local marinated tofu to doughnuts! I have some new products to review in the upcoming week! By then we were tired and needed to head back home...


I had a great weekend and hope you did too!

Vegan MOFO 2012

I am taking part once again in Vegan MOFO! I will be blogging M-F and this year I will try to stick to daily themes. Here they are:

Monday: Weekend round up - grocery shopping, restaurants and more will be explored.
Tuesday: Tea time Tuesday - what is in my cup, because I love trying out tea!
Wednesday: Try something new, to help me break free from food ruts, I will explore new recipes.
Thursday: Good enough to eat - vegan skin care & DIY recipes.
Friday: Fast food Friday - veganizing fast food classics!

I already have ideas and I am trying things out! Please check back starting Monday! Have a great weekend!

End Of Watch

I am not one for doing movie reviews - I figure if you want to see a movie you will see it no matter what. I just had to share that this is one of my favorite movies of the year and want more people to go see it! Matt and I went and saw it on Saturday - not feeling so good (Matt just getting over a cold and me just feeling blah) we decided to hit the theater...
A few months back we saw the preview and I said I wanted to see it, if you know me, you know I have a thing for gang movies and TV shows. I am not a cop-action movie type person but it looked appealing. I do not want to give anything away but the acting is really good, the characters are very believable, the cops are not good or bad - just average dudes which we often do not see acted out or on the news and the chemistry between the lead actors makes it seem like a real friendship. You will laugh, close your eyes and may cry...Just go see it!