What you need:

4 dried pasilla chiles, wiped clean, stemmed and seeded

2 dried chiles de arobl, stemmed
1/2 LB tomatoes, quartered
1 large white onion, coarsely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 quarts veggie stock
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon fresh epazote, chopped
3 cups canola oil for frying
12 corn tortillas cut into strips
1 avocado, cut into slices

Toast chiles in a dry pan over medium-high heat, turning with tongs, until pliable and slightly changed in color (about 30 seconds).  Don’t use a non-stick for this job.
Roast quartered tomatoes, onion and garlic in 350 degree oven for 25 minutes or until they are all nice and mushy.
Purée tomatoes, onion, garlic, chiles de arbol (including seeds) and remaining 3 pasilla chiles with 1/2 cup stock in a blender or with a hand mixer, you can do it directly in your soup pot.
Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat until it simmers, then cook purée, stirring often until reduced by half and beginning to stick to pot (15 -20 minutes). Reducing means to let half the liquids evaporate so that you end up with less product, but a heavier, more concentrated flavor.  Then,  stir in remaining 7 1/2 cups of stock, chopped epazote, and 1 teaspoon salt. Simmer uncovered for about half an hour or so.

While soup simmers, heat 1 inch of oil to 350 degrees (F) in a deep, 10-inch heavy skillet, then fry tortilla strips a handful at a time until golden (30-45 seconds per batch). Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain and season lightly with salt.
Divide tortillas and avocado among soup bowls and ladle in soup.

1 1/2  cups AP flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cup cold vegan butter

1 T cold water

Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and add the cold vegan butter in chunks.  Mix with your hands and in the middle of it, add the cold water.  Once you have a big ball of dough, you’re ready.  Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for about an hour before using.  You can do this up to 24 hours in advance, too.

When you’re ready to pull it out and use the pie crust, just sprinkle a little flour on your surface and remove the ball of dough from the fridge.  Knead it a few times with your hands to get some of the flour on it and then roll it out with a rolling pin to fit the pie pan that you are using.  Or, if you are making small pastries or empanadas, this would be your cue to cut it into the shapes you will be needing.

Happy Cooking!

Ingredients:
4 medium tomatoes (or one 16oz can)
1 tbs chili flakes
4 bell peppers any color
1 tbs coconut oil
1 medium shallot, chopped
one small potato, shredded
5 crimini mushroom, chopped
half lemon
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/4 cup chopped basil
1 cup chard, chopped
1 cup shredded vegan parmesan (optional)
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Directions:
1.Rough chop 4 medium tomatoes and place into a medium saute pan. Use medium heat until tomatoes get soft and start to break down. Add chili flakes to your taste. When tomatoes are squishy blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Set aside until peppers are stuffed.
2.Pre-heat oven to 350. Cut tops off peppers and remove seeds.
3.In large pan melt coconut oil, add shallot and sweat. Then add potato, mushrooms, lemon and garlic. Saute until warmed but still crunchy. Add cooked rice, basil and chard stir until incorporated together and turn off heat.
4.Stuff peppers with mixture in a glass baking dish. Add cheese, sauce and almonds to the top of each pepper. Bake for 15-30 minutes checking after 15 for your preference of crunch in the bell peppers.

What you need:

2 T  olive oil

1/3 cup  vermicelli

1 onion  roughly chopped

1 garlic clove  chopped

1 lb  tomatoes, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped

4 cups vegetable stock or broth

1/4 t  sugar

1 T  finely chopped fresh cilantro

salt and pepper

fresh chopped  cilantro to garnish

First off, heat the olive oil in a frying pan and gently saute the vermicelli over medium heat until golden brown.  Take care not to let the strands burn because they will not taste very awesome if this happens.  Remove the vermicelli with a slotted spoon and drain thoroughly on paper towels.

In a blender, puree the onion, garlic, and tomatoes until smooth.  Return the frying pan to the heat and add the puree.  Cook while constantly stirring for about 5 minutes.  Transfer the puree to a pan with the warm stock and vermicelli.  Season to taste.  Bring to a boil and add the first bit of cilantro.  Lower the heat and simmer until the vermicelli is tender.  Serve with fresh cilantro and a bit of chilli oil if you like!

4 Poblano peppers
1 package tempeh
nama shoyu as needed for coating the tempeh
sambal oelek
2 heads baby bok choy bulb diced-leafy green part shredded
1 tablespoon ginger minced
2 green onions minced
1/2 red bell pepper small diced
2 cups walnuts
1 tablespoon ancho pepper power
1 teaspoon cumin
seasalt
pepper
vegetable oil as needed

coat the poblanos in oil and roast them until the skin is blistering and black. Put them under a large bowl for five minutes or so. Peel the skin off carefully and cut a slit in the side taking the seeds out. Put aside. Cut the tempeh into cubes and combine the nama shoyu and the sambal. Coat the tempeh with this stuff and roast it for 15 minutes at 350. Put it aside. Take the rest of the ingredients down to the walnuts and saute them adding the green onions last. Don’t forget to season with salt and pepper. Then add the tempeh and toss through. Stuff the peppers with this stuff and roast in the 350 oven for ten minutes. Put the walnuts in a blender and puree. Add the ancho and cumin, salt and pepper. Add some water if it is too thick. When the peppers come out, top with the walnut sauce and enjoy.

1/2 t  salt

1/2 C  Soy butter, cut into small pieces

1 1/2 t  Egg replaces and 2 tablespoons water

1/3 C  cold water

1 T  apple cider vinegar

Mix the flour and salt together and then add the soy butter, all while mixing it with your hands until the mixture forms little pebble-sized lumps.  Set aside.  In a seperate bowl, combine in the egg replaces, 2 t water and mix together.  Add the vinegar and the rest of the water.  Combine dry and wet mixtures and mix well.  On a floured surface, knead the dough 2 or 3 times just to bring it together.  Cover and chill for 1 hour.

Heat the oven to 350 F and roll out the dough on a floured surface.  Make your empanadas whatever size you like – I usually cut my dough in circles with a 6 inch diameter.  Place the filling inside and then fold the dough over.  If its a little dry and doesn’t want to stick together around the edges, use a little water to soften it up and seal with a fork.  Brush the tops of the empanadas with a little olive oil and bake until golden brown.

Serve with whatever dipping sauces you like!

What you need:

1/2 c  chopped onion

1 clove minced garlic

1 t  oil

2 c  shredded (you can do this on a cheese grater!) carrots, zucchini, parsnip

1 c  canned black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 c  bottled salsa, as spicey as you want it!

1/2 c  shredded vegan cheese (I prefer Monterrey Jack!)

2 T  fresh chopped cilantro

cooking oil for frying (enough to fill a frying pan or stock pot almost 2 inches)

3 c  shredded lettuce or cabbage

small – medium sized corn tortillas

toothpicks (cut about 1/3 of the length off so they are shorter)

First, wrap the tortillas in foil and place them in a hot oven to keep them warm.  The warmer they are, the easier they are to roll without breaking.

Saute your veg (onion, garlic, carrots, zucchini, parsnip) in the teaspoon of oil until its cooked, then add the black beans and lettuce or cabbage.  Stir in the cheese, salsa, and cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pull the tortillas out of the oven and place a bit of the veg mixture into each tortilla and roll it as tightly as you can and secure it with a toothpick.  Once you have finished all of this, pour your oil into the frying pan and heat it up to over 300 degrees.  You can test this by waiting about 5 minutes and throwing a piece of a tortilla in.  If it starts frying instantly, you’re ready to go.  If not, give the oil a few more minutes to heat up.

Depending on the size of your frying pan, you can cook about 2 or 3 of these at a time.  Just drop them into the oil and use tongs to turn them around.  Fry until they are crispy and golden brown.  Allow them to rest on a plate with a few paper towels to soak up some of the excess oil.

Serve with vegan sour cream, salsa, guacamole, or whatever you like!  This recipe is great for an appetizer or a main course, and the best part is, if you want, you can make them ahead of time and keep them in the fridge until you are ready to fry them.  They will hold for about 5 days in the fridge.

What you need:

6 – 8 fresh or 1 – 11 oz. can  tomatillos

1/4 c  chopped cilantro (can be rough chopped)

2 T  fresh red onion, finely diced

1  serrano pepper, seeded and rough chopped

1/4 t  vegan sugar or agave nectar

fresh lime and salt to taste

Basically throw it all in the blender except the onion.  After you have pulsed everything to a nice consistency, add your onion, a bit of fresh lime and some salt.  Have the tortilla chips ready cuz you’re gonna need them!  Goes great over vegan enchiladas, too!  Also, try this salsa with my vegan Tamale recipe!

This recipe is great as a main course, but can also be used as an appetizer to a Spanish or Mexican meal.  Your choice!

What you need:

1 large bulb garlic, peeled and chopped into large chunks

1/3 c  extra virgin olive oil

5 c  vegetable broth or stock

4 slices  firm texture or day old bread, cut into 1/2 in. cubes

1 ripe avocado, cubed

1 large ripe tomato, cored, seeded, and diced

4 green onions, broiled or grilled and chopped

fresh cilantro and lime for garnish

dash of cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper to taste

All you need to do for this is heat up your stock in a large pot.  Roast the garlic in the olive oil until it is tender and golden brown.  Drain the oil from the garlic, reseving the garlic oil.  Toss the garlic into the stock.  In a hot oven, toast the bread cubes after you have tossed them with the garlic oil, cumin, and chili powder.  When they are crispy and golden brown, add them to the soup along with the avocado, tomato, green onions, cilantro,  and a sqeeeze of fresh lime.  Season with salt and pepper and you’re ready to go!  See how easy that was? 

What you need:

3 C  flour

3/4 T  oil

1/2 t  salt

1 t  baking powder

3/4 C  warm water

Just combine the dry ingredients and the oil.  Slowly add the warm water and mix with your hands until the dough is the right consistency for rolling out.  Let it stand 10 minutes before rolling.

Roll out half of your dough on a well-floured board until it is a little less than half an inch thick.  Cut into egg-shaped pieces, about 6 inches in diameter.  Fry in hot oil in a saute pan until brown and crispy on both sides.  Toss the hot sopapillas in sugar and serve with dark agave nectar!

**Note – you can save half of your dough if you don’t want to make them all at once, it will hold in the fridge for a few days!