Wednesday, June 17, 2015 – The Elf in the Kitchen

Wednesday, June 17, 2015 – The Elf in the Kitchen

I cooked a vegan dinner last night.  Which part of that sentence caught your attention – I cooked or vegan? Unless you lived in a hippie place like Austin, which I did, the term vegan in blasphemous in Texas. I mean, just ask Oprah W. I was born in a state whose economic foundations lie in beef, ranching and cattle. So what’s up with the vegan thing?

At the Sweet Potato Queen Zippity Do Dah parade I met a lovely SPQ who keeps a blog called The Elf in Kitchen.  http://the-elf-in-the-kitchen.blogspot.com/ The recipes are all vegan. When I asked how she defined vegan, this was her response:

“There are as many definitions of vegan as stars in the sky. Typically, vegan refers to more than an eating regimen. It is a way of life that eschews the use of all animal products including, leather, honey, Jell-O or any product where animal derivatives may be used. This includes dairy and eggs.”

That takes an intense commitment. But I thought in an attempt to intake more vegetables into my diet, I would try a vegan recipe and bloggers like to promote each other. I asked The Elf for something a Texan might enjoy. She graciously sent the recipe for roasted cauliflower and lentil tacos with a creamy chipotle sauce.

Roasted cauliflower and lentil tacos – cookieandkate.com

Here are my pictures from the recipe:

The Seasoned Lentils

Cauliflower florets roasting in olive oil.

I used a chipotle salsa to make the sauce. With the mayo it probably took away from pure vegan, but only slightly, I hope.

Corn tortillas on a comal – a flat cast iron griddle type used for warming tortillas.

Bottom Line – As skeptical as I was, they were delicious. Easy to prepare; the total time of 50 minutes from prep to cook was right on the money.  The only thing I would change is the addition of more chili powder and peppers – only because we do like our food hot and spicy in Texas.

So click on over to The Elf in the Kitchen http://the-elf-in-the-kitchen.blogspot.com/ and give the animals a day off. You can always have that hamburger tomorrow night.

Thank you Elf. I look forward to more healthy recipes.