World Wide Vegan

Well the other day while shopping I discovered "Tortilla Bread" near the pita bread in my market. It looked intriguing so I bought some. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it and there were no serving suggestions on the package so it sat in my refrigerator for two days before I finally came up with a recipe to try. Indian Tacos - sorta.

Every Spring our little country town has a rock and gem fair called the Pow Wow. There we celebrate and support local Indian tribes. And the most popular food booth is Indian Fry Bread. We love it. I always order 3, one for my husband, one without meat for me and one without veggies for our sweet and spoiled dog.

They fry a batter in grease and top it with plain pinto beans, meat, cheese jalapenos and lettuce. So instead I created a zesty pinto bean recipe with TVP, tomatoes and taco seasoning to top the taco bread - tostada style. It was so delicious that it immediately made it into my man-friendly and guest-friendly menus.

The best thing about it is that it's very low in fat and very high in healthy proteins veggies and fiber. It is both quick and easy to make, as well as satisfying and filling.

1 Tablespoons Canola Oil for sauteing
1 whole onion finely chopped separate half for sauteing and half for topping tacos
3 cloves fresh garlic minced
1 large can (30 oz.) of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 10 oz. can diced tomatoes with green peppers (I use Ro-Tel)
1 Tablespoon Taco Seasoning
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup Plain, Bob's Red Mill, Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
1 package tortilla bread.
8 ounces shredded, vegan Cheddar cheese
1 cup of your favorite salsa
homemade or purchased guacamole
Shredded Iceberg lettuce
Chopped tomatoes if desired
Other options may include sliced olives, vegan sour cream or pickled jalapeno peppers slices.

Heat Canola oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add half of the chopped onion and 3 cloves minced garlic. Saute for about 15 seconds - just enough to release the flavors but not long enough to brown. Quickly add the drained beans, tomatoes with green peppers, water, TVP and taco seasoning. Stir gently to blend. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the water is absorbed by the TVP.

Place the tortilla bread on a plate. Top generously with bean mixture. Top with cheese, lettuce, additional onions, guacamole, salsa, tomatoes and whatever additional items you prefer.

Eat with a fork or fold over to eat with your hands. We pile ours too high to be eaten by hand. I guarantee you and your family will love this meal.

Labels: baked beans, cholesterol free, diabetic healthy, easy, healthy, heart healthy, Indian taco, low fat, quick, tortilla bread, tostada, vegan cheese

So, I decided I wanted to try cooking with a solar oven. I thought, "why am I heating up my kitchen cooking when I could be using free energy from the sun to cook outside? First I spent several hours researching differing styles of solar ovens and then I went to my husband and asked him to make a prototype. Like me, he loves a challenge and so we set out to make our first solar oven. It was great fun.

We decided to make a sloped-top box oven out of cardboard and aluminum foil. We painted the bottom black to retain the heat and fixed a polycarbonate lid to keep in the heat. Although it cooked just fine at an average temperature of about 220 degrees I would like to have an oven that is a little hotter, so we are redoing our initial design - something smaller and double insulated.


Solar ovens are ideal for vegan cuisine. Because there are no animal products in our foods, slow cooking is both healthy and doable. The first day I made some vegan baked beans with veggie bacon, onions and BBQ sauce. They turned out great - hot and steamy.

The following day I decided to make a simple stew with veggie beef strips, potatoes etc. What I loved about the results was the way the potatoes and other vegetables retained their fresh original colors.



This weekend we are going to make our second prototype and I hope to bake cornbread in a can and black beans. My kitchen will remain cool, I will have reduced my carbon footprint by using less electricity and I still get a great meal - vegan style. Can it get any better than that?

Labels: baked beans, solar oven, stew, vegan vegetarian