Fluffy baked sweet potatoes are cut in half and topped with your taco filling of choice and some cheese, then baked for a bit until bubbly and melty. Then, just top with your taco favorite fixings like lettuce, tomatoes, olives, sour cream, guacamole, salsa … you name it!

These taco sweet potatoes make an easy and filling lunch or dinner, and they’re perfect for mixed-diet households. I love lentil walnut taco filling or vegan chorizo on mine while my guy is partial to taco-seasoned ground beef. Perfect for one-dish-two-ways life!

Table of Contents

• The Story Behind the Recipe
• Why You’ll Love Taco-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
• Ingredients
• Adaptations/Variations
• How to Make Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
• Tips for Success
• What to Serve with Taco Sweet Potatoes
• More Sweet Potato Recipes

• Jump to the Full, Printable Recipe
• Read Reviews & Comments

The Story Behind the Recipe

I’ve been making these Mexican stuffed sweet potatoes for quite awhile now, and I thought it was high time I shared them! I love that they’re super hearty and full of protein, plus, sweet potatoes bring some added nutrition over standard baked potatoes.

Also, they taste really, really good.

Why You’ll Love Taco-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

I think the best thing about these taco sweet potatoes, other than the fact that they’re easy and delicious, is that they’re super customizable. They’re already gluten-free, so yay! They’re easily made meaty, vegetarian, or vegan, and everyone can grab their favorite toppings.

Taco Sweet Potato bar, anyone?! I’m immediately adding that one to my game-day list!

Ingredients

• Baked sweet potatoes – I like to use medium-to-large sweet potatoes for these Mexican stuffed sweet potatoes. That way, one half tends to be just right for one generous serving. I make baked sweet potatoes just for these taco-stuffed sweet potatoes, or sometimes I’ll make them for another meal and throw in a couple extra sweet potatoes for this meal later on.
• Taco meat – Whether you choose ground beef with taco seasoning, vegetarian crumbles or chorizo, lentil taco filling, or simply some black beans or pinto beans, you’ll want about 1/2 cup per sweet potato half.
• Cheese – I use medium cheddar, but you can use Jack or even pepper Jack for a bit of a spicy kick. Or sub in a vegan cheese, or you can even skip the cheese altogether if you prefer. These taco stuffed sweet potatoes are still good without it!
• Lettuce – I like to use curly lettuce or romaine lettuce, sliced into shreds. Any crisp, mildly flavored lettuce will do.
• Cherry tomatoes – I like the juicy burst of flavor and color that they add. Diced larger tomatoes work, too.
• Salsa – For drizzling over the top. Use your favorite kind and heat-level.
• Sour cream – Adds a creamy, tangy touch that’s so good with everything else! If you’re eating vegan or dairy-free, try this vegan sour cream recipe.
• Toppings – Add any other taco-y toppings you’d like! Sliced or pickled jalapeños, fresh onions or scallions, pickled red onions, sliced black olives, micro-greens, cilantro, pico de gallo – sky’s the limit!

Adaptations/Variations

• Vegan Taco-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes: Use a vegetarian taco meat or beans, vegan cheese, and vegan sour cream.
• Taco-Stuffed Potatoes: If you’re craving a fluffy white potato instead of a sweet potato, just bake up some Russet potatoes and use those instead.

How to Make Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

First, bake your sweet potatoes. For fluffy interiors and crispy interiors, I rub cleaned and dried potatoes with olive oil and add a sprinkle of salt for good measure, then prick them with a fork and bake them at 400°F for about 40 minutes until they pierce easily with a fork.

While your potatoes are baking, prepare your taco filling. I tend to make my lentil walnut taco filling ahead of time and have it in the fridge, while my guy often has frozen leftover taco-seasoned ground beef that we can use. Easy!

Slice the baked potatoes in half lengthwise, and fluff them a bit with a fork, moving the potato over to the sides a bit while leaving some room in the center for filling.

Then add the filling to the sweet potato and top with cheese.

Bake until the filling is warmed through and the cheese has melted.

From there, it’s just a matter of topping them with all your goodies like lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and more, and serve ’em up!

Tips for Success

• Prep ahead: Bake the sweet potatoes, chop up your toppings, shred your cheese, and prep your taco filling ahead of time. Store them separately in the fridge in airtight containers for up to 3 days. Then, when you’re ready to eat, it’s just a few minutes prep time and you’re ready to go!
• If you’re short on time, you don’t strictly have to bake the filling and cheese in the sweet potatoes. This just helps to melt the cheese and really warm the filling, but these taco sweet potatoes are still plenty yummy if you skip that second baking step.

What to Serve with Taco Sweet Potatoes

Because these Mexican stuffed sweet potatoes have protein, fiber, carbs, and veggies, I often consider them a meal-in-one. But sometimes it’s nice to round out the meal with a bit more. I also love to make homemade toppings. Here are a few ideas.

• Sliced avocado or guacamole
• Black beans or vegetarian refried beans
• Brown rice or Mexican rice
• Salsa, salsa verde, or pico de gallo
• Steamed, sautéed, or roasted vegetables like these roasted Brussels sprouts or sautéed green beans

More Sweet Potato Recipes

• Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries
• Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Quinoa Chili
• Whipped Sweet Potatoes
• Creamy Sweet Potato Soup

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Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes Recipe

Sweet potato halves stuffed with taco filling and cheese, plus an assortment of fresh toppings. These Mexican stuffed sweet potatoes are so versatile and easy, this is more of a method than a recipe! Perfect for mixed-diet families.

Keyword mexican stuffed sweet potatoes, taco stuffed sweet potatoes, taco sweet potatoes

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 504kcal

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 2 baked sweet potatoes halved
• 2 cups taco meat options include: black beans, taco-seasoned lentils, chorizo, vegan chorizo, vegetarian crumbles, or taco-seasoned ground beef; 1/2 cup per sweet potato
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 cups shredded lettuce I like romaine or curly
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes halved
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1/2 cup Sour cream or vegan sour cream

Topping ideas

• guacamole
• sliced jalapeños
• avocado
• corn
• sliced black olives
• scallions
• pickled red onions
• pico de gallo

Instructions

• Bake sweet potatoes and set them aside to cool for a bit. To bake them, scrub and dry sweet potatoes and prick them with a fork. Rub them all over with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, then place on a parchment lined sheet pan. Bake at 400°F until easily pierced with a fork, about 40 minutes.
• Cut the sweet potatoes in half and use a fork to fluff up the insides a bit, moving some of the sweet potato to the edges so that there is an indent for fillings in the center.
• Lower the temperature of the oven to 350°F. Top each half with 1/2 cup of the taco filling of choice. Divide the cheese between the four halves. Bake for about 15 minutes until warmed through and the cheese is melted.
• Remove from oven. Transfer to a plate and divide the lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, and sour cream between the four halves. Add any other toppings as desired. Serve.

Notes

Recipe time includes time to bake the sweet potatoes. If you have already-baked sweet potatoes, the prep and cooking time should be more like 25 minutes. 

Nutrition information assumes ground beef, green leaf lettuce, salsa, and sour cream, but does not include any other suggested toppings. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 504kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 329mg | Potassium: 782mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 17738IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 262mg | Iron: 3mg

The post Taco-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes Recipe appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

Tall sandwiches but not a tall order.

We’ve evolved a lot as a family since I first launched Kitchen Treaty all the way back in 2012. My husband has remained steady – meat all the way, but willing to eat just about anything, including tofu. Gotta love him. My kiddo is very … selective. And I, I’ve been a vegetarian for 20 years now, a vegan for some of those years, someone who ate eggs but no dairy for a handful of years, and now, I’m happy to say I’m able to eat some dairy again, which is pretty awesome, because I missed cheese. And that is the very high-level view of how my diet has changed over the years. 😅

My evolving diet has made it difficult to remain true to one niche – you’ll find a wide variety of recipes on Kitchen Treaty – but one thing that has remained true is that dinnertime in our house generally means two or three versions of a meal.

So I lean into my original One Dish Two Ways recipes pretty hard … and we make a lot of chicken nuggets, grilled cheeses and quesadillas for the kiddo. 

This sandwich is a great super fast, super easy meal for my hubby and I. My kid isn’t quite on board with sandwiches (other than grilled cheese), but sourdough and bacon are on the approved list, so we’re getting there.

What is a Club Sandwich?

The club sandwich is an iconic sandwich with turkey, ham, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayo. What sets club sandwiches apart are the layers – with two sandwiches in one and three slices of bread, club sandwiches need a toothpick to hold it altogether and an enthusiastic eater to make their way through the layers.

It’s easy to make club sandwiches vegetarian or vegan! Just use meat substitutes, my delicious recipe for tofu bacon, and, if vegan, vegan mayo. Perfect!

More Vegetarian Sandwich Recipes

• Ultimate Veggie BLT
• Bahn-Mi Inspired Egg Salad
• Grilled Veggie Sandwich
• Chickpea Salad Sandwich
• Cauliflower Steak Sandwich
• Roasted Red Pepper & Goat Cheese Sandwich
• The Perfect Grilled Cheese

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Club Sandwiches

This epic sandwich is both tasty and easy to make. We love it for our mixed-diet home – my husband the carnivore gets the meaty version, I get the vegetarian, and everyone wins!

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

10 minutes minutes

Servings 4 sandwiches

Calories 376kcal

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 12 pieces thin-sliced sourdough bread
• 8 slices bacon or tofu bacon*
• 2 tomatos thinly sliced
• 8 lettuce leaves washed and dried; I like romaine or green leaf lettuce
• 8 tablespoons mayonnaise or vegan mayo
• 4 ounces sliced turkey or tofurky or other veggie turkey
• 4 ounces sliced ham or hickory-smoked tofurky or veggie ham
• 1 dash salt to taste
• 1 dash pepper to taste

Instructions

• Toast the bread. Smear each slice with mayonnaise – I find that about two tablespoons per sandwich (which would be two tablespoons divided between three slices of bread) is perfect, but I like a generous smear of mayo, so adjust according to your tastes.
• Top 8 of the bread slices with the turkey (or veggie turkey), then the ham (or veggie ham), lettuce, tomato, and bacon. Dash a little salt and pepper over the top if you like. Stack one filled slice on top of the other, then flip a piece of bread with just mayo over the top, mayo side down.
• Place toothpicks or skewers through middle top of the bread, the middle bottom, and on each side. Use a large knife to cut sandwich diagonally into four pieces. The sandwich pieces should stay together thanks to the toothpick/skewer.
• Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Vegetarian option

Use veggie turkey, veggie ham, and tofu bacon (or bacon substitute of your choosing). 

Vegan option

See the vegetarian option, but also use vegan mayo. 

* my favorite tofu bacon recipe is my own! Click here for the recipe. I love to make extra and freeze it for quicker and easier club sandwiches. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1sandwich | Calories: 376kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 1158mg | Potassium: 525mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 4102IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Club Sandwiches Two Ways (Vegetarian or Meaty) appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

Forget the Boys of Summer. Here we have the Side Salad of Fall.

I have no idea where I was going with that. Or why I even started with it. I should start again.

Really, what’s on my mind is something totally unrelated to salad. See, we’ve been through the wringer with one of our kittens, Blossom, over the past few days. She became deathly ill over the weekend and we didn’t think she was going to make it. As a last-ditch attempt to save her, we took her sister into the vet’s office to be with her. Fern snuggled up to her as always and within a few hours, Blossom’s body temperature began to climb. Two days later, both cats are – shockingly – back home with us and Blossom is slowly recovering. She’s not out of the woods yet but after a weekend of basically mourning our kitten and the roller coaster of it all, I admit it’s kind of hard to think of salad.

Salad, salad, salad. Thinking salad thoughts.

Okay, I’m there.

So, about this salad! We all need a good fall side salad recipe, right? To serve along with that hearty fall chili, to snack on at lunchtime, even to serve right along with our Thanksgiving feasts.

This Fall Green Salad with Apples & Pecans came from the desire to have a solid side salad recipe for this time of year. But I didn’t want it to be complicated. Because who wants to spend 45 minutes making a salad?! Not I.

And this one does start simply, with a light Maple-Cider Vinaigrette whisked up right in the salad bowl. Then we’ve got fresh greens, crisp apple matchsticks (I like Honeycrisp or Cameo best for this salad), and the crunch of a bit of celery. Toss it all up, toast up some pecans, top the salad, and voila!

Fall in a bowl.

My guy calls this side salad recipe “refreshing,” I call it “score!” Because not only is it delicious, it comes together in a flash. More time to snuggle with kittens.

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Simple Fall Green Salad with Apples & Pecans

A refreshing (and refreshingly simple!) side salad with crisp apples, toasted pecans, crunchy celery, and a light dressing made with cider vinegar and pure maple syrup.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 1 batch Cider Maple Vinaigrette recipe below
• 1/2 cup pecans chopped
• 1 medium honeycrisp or cameo apple cut into thin matchsticks
• Juice of half a lemon about 2 teaspoons (optional)*
• 1 small head green leaf lettuce or your favorite mild greens, torn into bite-size pieces (about 6 cups)
• 1 stalk celery sliced (about 1/2 cup)

Cider Maple Vinaigrette

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Add all ingredients for the Cider-Maple Vinaigrette to the bottom of your salad bowl. Whisk until blended. Set aside.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread pecans on a rimmed cookie sheet. Place in preheated oven and cook, stirring once or twice, until fragrant and slightly browned, about 4 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
• If desired, in a small bowl, toss the apple matchsticks with the lemon juice. This will help prevent them from browning – see note below.
• Add lettuce, apples, and celery to the salad bowl. Toss until all of the greens are lightly coated with the dressing.
• Top with toasted pecans and serve.

The post Simple Fall Green Salad with Apples & Pecans appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

This salad is SPICY. But then you also have the icy cucumbers and that cool tahini-based ranch. And one sort of tries to counteract the other, but ultimately, the heat wins out.

No worries; just have a few more sips of beer, because it’s perfect with this thing. Then the burn will be gone before you know it and only the “WHEN will I get to have that again?!!” feelings will remain.

In this Article

• The Story Behind the Recipe
• Buffalo Chickpea Salad Ingredients
• How to Make It
• What to Serve with Buffalo Chickpea Salad

• Jump to the Full, Printable Recipe
• Read Comments & Reviews

The Story Behind the Recipe

I’ve been dreaming about this recipe concept for awhile. At first, I roasted the chickpeas and then stirred in the buffalo sauce, but it felt a little too overly laborious (and when you’re hangry, roasting takes way too long).

Then I discovered these buffalo chickpea wraps and saw how a quick saute made for spicy-hot sauced chickpeas in a fraction of the time. Duh!

That made this salad even easier to whip up, and the chickpeas this way add more sauce and sass to the whole endeavor.

Buffalo Chickpea Salad Ingredients

This vegetarian and vegan buffalo chickpea salad is made up of three components: The spicy chickpeas, the salad veggies, and the ranch dressing.

For the chickpeas, we have:

• Chickpeas – one can of them. Feel free to use cooked-from-scratch chickpeas too! You’ll want about two cups.
• Red hot buffalo sauce – Yep, the red stuff in the bottle.
• Garlic powder – you can use fresh garlic, too.
• Salt & pepper – the classic flavor enhancers.

For the ranch dressing, the ingredients are:

• Tahini – I love tahini-based ranch. It is so good! It lends a creaminess without needing any dairy ingredients.
• Almond milk – any non-dairy milk will do, just keep it unsweetened. Or if you’re okay with dairy, dairy milk will do just fine too.
• Lemon juice – a bit of acid gives a nice kick.
• Onion powder, garlic powder, salt, & pepper – flavor flavor flavor!
• Fresh parsley and fresh chives – homemade ranch calls for fresh herbs!

To make a faster buffalo chickpea salad, feel free to use store-bought ranch. Just stick with a dairy-free/vegan brand if you need to.

Then, we put it all together with these salad ingredients:

• Shredded romaine lettuce – feel free to sub in another favorite green, though romaine is nice and sturdy and holds up perfectly to a pile of buffalo chickpeas. I like adding in some red leaf lettuce for some color and variety.
• Celery – gotta have celery for the full buffalo experience!
• Cucumber – I love the cooling counterpoint that cucumbers provide.
• Avocado – for a creamy texture. So good!
• Red onion – I love the bite of red onion in this salad.

How to Make It

First, make the dressing (or skip this step if you’re using a store-bought ranch dressing). Just whisk everything together in a bowl and set aside.

Next, whip up those saucy-spicy chickpeas. You’ll add some olive oil to a saute pan and warm over medium heat. Add the chickpeas and all of the other ingredients, holding back a bit of the buffalo sauce. You’ll cook until they’re warmed through and golden, then remove them from the heat and stir in the remaining buffalo sauce.

Then, you’ll arrange your veggies in a big salad bowl and pour the chickpeas right over the top.

Drizzle with ranch and dig in!

What to Serve with Buffalo Chickpea Salad

This salad is pretty much a meal in itself, but if you’d like some bread alongside (and you’re okay with dairy), these Brown Sugar Garlic Mozzarella Breadsticks hit the spot.

For dessert, something cooling is always welcome. How about some no-churn Sea Salt & Honey Ice Cream?

I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you tried it and loved it (or even if you didn’t!) please come back and leave a review. That helps others know that this recipe is worth making, and helps me make any needed adjustments to the recipes I put out in the world.

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Buffalo Chickpea Salad

Addicting chickpeas, drenched in red hot sauce, served over crisp lettuce, and drizzled with ranch. This Buffalo Chickpea Salad is SO good!

Course Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword salad

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 432kcal

Author Kare

Equipment

• 1 medium saute pan
• 1 small bowl
• 1 large salad bowl

Ingredients

Cool Tahini Ranch:

• 1/3 cup tahini
• 3-4 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt + more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper + more to taste

Spicy Buffalo Chickpeas:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas drained
• 1/4 cup red hot buffalo sauce divided
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder can substitute 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Salad:

• 5 cups shredded romaine lettuce or a combo of romaine and red leaf lettuce
• 1 batch Spicy Buffalo Chickpeas
• 1 celery stalk diced; [about 1/2 cup]
• 1/2 medium cucumber peeled and diced [about 1 cup]
• 1 medium ripe avocado peeled and sliced
• 1/2 small red onion sliced into half-rounds [soak in a bowl of ice water for 10 minutes if you prefer to reduce the bite]
• 1 batch Cool Tahini Ranch

Instructions

Make the dressing

• Add all dressing ingredients to the bowl of a small food processor or blender. Puree until blended, adding additional almond milk if needed to thin it. Set aside.

Cook the chickpeas

• Set a medium saute pan over medium heat. When hot, add the olive oil. Add the chickpeas, 2 tablespoons of the buffalo sauce, garlic or garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring, until warmed through and golden brown in places, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in additional 2 tablespoons buffalo sauce. Set aside.

Assemble the salad

• In a large salad bowl or on individual plates (your choice), arrange a bed of lettuce. Scoop the warm chickpeas over the top. Arrange celery, cucumber, avocado, and onion over each. Drizzle generously with dressing. Serve immediately.

Notes

A note on servings

I’d say this serves 2-3 as a hearty main course, and more like 4 as a side. 

Nutrition

Serving: 4g | Calories: 432kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Sodium: 792mg | Potassium: 899mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 5500IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 135mg | Iron: 5mg

‘Cuz it’s, well, grubbin’.

The post Buffalo Chickpea Salad appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

Table of Contents

• The Story Behind the Recipe
• Veggie BLT Ingredients
• Adaptations & Variations
• How to Make It
• What to Serve with this Veggie BLT
• More Vegetarian Sandwich Recipes

The Story Behind the Recipe

When I became a vegetarian a dozen or so years ago (where does the time fly?!), I just sort of gave up on BLTs. I mean, without bacon, they’re just a lettuce and tomato sandwich. And frankly, I have eaten a few of those. Not the best.

Then I laid my eyes on the Skillet Seared Tofu recipe in Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Suppers cookbook, I created my delicious Vegetarian Tofu Bacon based on that recipe, and a world of veggie BLT possibilities opened up.

Anyone who cooks much with tofu is probably vaguely annoyed, like I am, with the fact that you usually need to press it. I’m just not a fan of the extra time and fuss-factor that goes into doing so. So this method intrigued me off the bat – no pressing!

Just slice your tofu, saute it up, and spoon a little sauce over the top. Done and done – Tofu BLTs made easy!

Veggie BLT Ingredients

For the tofu bacon:

• Olive oil – for searing the tofu
• Tofu – Extra-firm tofu is what’s needed here. The magic in this cooking method, though, is that you don’t need to press it! Such a time-saver.
• Tamari – or low-sodium soy sauce. Use GF tamari if you need to keep this Tofu BLT gluten-free.
• Pure maple syrup – Adds a touch of sweetness for a sweet-and-smoky bacon sub.
• Smoked paprika – One of the most magical ingredients in a vegetarian’s cupboard! Just a little adds wonderful subtly smoky flavor.

For the Veggie BLT:

• Bread – I like a good crusty artisan bread for my veggie BLT. You can grab a GF bread if needed.
• Tofu bacon – two or three slices per sandwich.
• Tomatoes – The bigger, juicier, and fresher, the better!
• Lettuce – I like green leaf for my veggie BLTs, but romaine, butter lettuce, or another fave lettuce will work too.
• Mayo
• Salt & pepper

Adaptations & Variations

• Veggie BLTA: Add some sliced avocados to your sandwich for a creamy addition.
• Chipotle Veggie BLT: Mix up a teaspoon or two of diced chipotle peppers and a bit of the adobo sauce with the mayo before smearing it onto your sandwich.
• Gluten-free option: Use GF soy sauce/Tamari and GF bread.
• Vegan option: Just make sure you use a vegan mayo and you’re all set!

How to Make It

First, sear your tofu by cooking it in a large skillet until the tofu is browned. Then, mix together the remaining veggie bacon ingredients and pour it over the tofu. Cook until reduced and set aside.

From there, it’s just a matter of assembling your vegetarian BLTs! Toast some slices of bread and smear them with mayo.

Pile one side with lettuce, tomato, and tofu, then sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Top with the second slices of bread mayo-side down, cut it in half, and dig in!

What to Serve with this Veggie BLT

• Try a pasta salad such as Greek Orzo Pasta Salad or Classic Creamy Macaroni Salad.
• Bake up some fries – butternut squash fries, sweet potato fries, or classic potato French fries.
• To drink, how about some lemonade? Try my single serving lemonade or blueberry lemonade.

More Vegetarian Sandwich Recipes

• Vegetarian Club Sandwich
• Bahn-Mi Inspired Egg Salad
• Grilled Veggie Sandwich
• Chickpea Salad Sandwich
• Cauliflower Steak Sandwich
• Roasted Red Pepper & Goat Cheese Sandwich
• The Perfect Grilled Cheese

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Ultimate Veggie BLT

Tofu, quickly seared and seasoned, is the "meat" of this hearty, comforting vegetarian and vegan sandwich. (Of course, actual bacon can be subbed in for any meat-eaters in the house!)

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4 sandwiches

Calories 335kcal

Author Kare

Ingredients

For the Tofu Bacon:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 14-ounce block extra-firm tofu, cut in 1/4-inch slices (no need to drain)
• Pinch kosher salt
• 1/4 cup Tamari or low-sodium soy sauce* for gluten-free choose a GF Tamari
• 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

For the sandwiches:

• 8 slices of your favorite crusty artisan bread toasted) (for gluten-free use your favorite GF sandwich bread
• 2-3 slices Tofu bacon
• 2 large ripe tomatoes sliced
• 8 green leaf lettuce leaves washed and dried) (butter lettuce is another fabulous choice
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise vegans use a mayo alternative such as Vegenaise
• Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

• Set a large saute pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the olive oil. When the olive oil is hot, add the tofu along with a pinch of salt. The tofu will hiss and jump around a bit, so watch out! Cook, flipping occasionally, until golden brown on both sides, 8-10 minutes. While the tofu cooks, mix the Tamari, pure maple syrup, and smoked paprika in a small bowl. When the tofu is done, reduce the heat to low and pour the Tamari mix over the top. Cook, flipping occasionally, until the sauce has reduced and thickened, about 1 minute. Transfer the smoky seared tofu to a plate.
• Toast the bread then smear each piece with mayonnaise, as little or as much as you like – 2 teaspoons to 2 tablespoons or so. Top four pieces of bread with tomatoes; sprinkle with a touch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the tofu, then pile with the lettuce. Top with remaining slices of bread. Cut in half and serve.

Notes

*I find that I prefer the lower-sodium options for soy sauce – if you use regular soy sauce, you may want to go a bit lighter, as the end result might be rather salty.

Meat option:

Pretty self-explanatory – just use bacon instead of tofu for the meat-eaters in the house! But I uphold that the carnivores are missing out. 😉

Vegan option:

Use a vegan mayonnaise.

Gluten-free option:

Choose gluten-free Tamari and your favorite gluten-free bread.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sandwich | Calories: 335kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 1206mg | Potassium: 330mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 2794IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 219mg | Iron: 4mg

The post Ultimate Veggie BLT appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

Another thing I’m not sure about? How to pronounce “Niçoise.” For me, it’s one of those words that I read occasionally but have never, to my recollection, actually heard out loud. That “ç” must make it sound really fancy, but yeah. No clue. I need Eminem to use it in a hit song so that I can finally learn how to correctly pronounce the word. Not that that’s, um, ever happened before.

So, this salad! Classic salad Niçoise generally boasts tuna, hard-boiled eggs, Niçoise olives (a small, bold black olive), tomatoes, baby potatoes, and green beans or, if you’re fancy, “haricots verts” (yeah, I’m not sure how to pronounce that one, either). It’s all piled atop a bed of crisp lettuce. A drizzle of Dijon-spiked vinaigrette brings the whole thing together.

But, as I mentioned before, no tuna in this vegetarian salad Niçoise recipe – instead, we’ve got chickpeas! Chickpeas are, incidentally, my favorite sub for tuna – they’ve got protein, they’re healthy, and they’re delicious on their own but also transform into all kinds of various forms of otherworldly goodness.

Once I got the tuna substitution issue out of the way, another pesky problem popped up. I couldn’t find Niçoise olives anywhere! Even at high-end grocery stores with olive bars. No bueno. So I subbed in kalamata olives instead. Is it blasphemy? I’m not sure. But I am sure that it’s very, very delicious.

Olive this Chickpea Salad Niçoise.

You know I had to.

(more…)

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Last week, the sandwich of choice was – you guessed it – gyros! These Hummus, Avocado, & Roasted Red Pepper Gyros, being vegan, are pretty far from your typical meat-filled variety, but they’re utterly delicious nonetheless. Inspired by a vegan gyro at a nearby Greek restaurant, I’ve stuffed these pitas with garlicky hummus, creamy avocado, and smoky roasted red peppers. Cucumbers and lettuce lend a bit of green crunch.

Basically, you stuff your pitas, fold ’em up taco-style, and go to town. But don’t actually go to town. Stay home, have a picnic, and eat your gyro.

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Vegan Hummus, Avocado, & Roasted Red Pepper Gyros

These fresh and easy vegan gyros make for a light and simple – yet satisfying – dinner (or lunch)!

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4 gyros

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 4 pita breads I use whole wheat
• 1 cup hummus prepared or homemade
• 1 8- ounce jar roasted red peppers or about 1 cup homemade
• 1 avocado pitted and sliced
• 1/2 medium cucumber peeled and sliced
• 1/2 small red onion sliced
• 1 cup romaine or leaf lettuce shredded
• Salt & pepper

Instructions

• Set a saute pan or indoor grill pan over medium-high heat. Warm pitas on each side until golden and heated through, about 2 minutes.
• Lay all four pitas flat. Spread 1/4 cup hummus in the middle of each pita. Top with roasted red peppers, avocado, cucumber, onion, and lettuce. Top with a dash of salt and pepper, if desired. Fold in half and serve.

Notes

Meat Option:

Add chicken. For my carnivorous guy, I whipped up some chicken using this yogurt and lemon marinated chicken recipe from Shockingly Delicious. Chicken in his + none in mine = happy campers, both of us!

The post Vegan Hummus, Avocado, & Roasted Red Pepper Gyros appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

Anyway, we are without Internet access at the new place, and so here I am at Starbucks, hands and quite possibly eyebrows dotted with Benjamin Moore Gray Owl, readying this brand new post to share with you.

Today I have a quick and easy dinner – which just happens to be the story of my life right now. Quick meals are the name of the game for us, eaten usually standing up, and then it’s back to work.

Taco salads are one of the easiest dinners around, but you know what? They kind of warrant taking a seat and savoring. I know they’re about as far from gourmet as you can get, but dang, they’re good.

We like taco salads in our house because, well, they make for a quick and easy dinner, of course. But they’ve also got that super-awesome one-dish-two-ways thing going for them – because you dish them up individually, they’re easy to tailor for vegetarians, vegans, and meat-eaters alike.

I’ve got a neat little trick for making the taco salad tortilla “bowl” – and you don’t need any special pans to make it happen. Just flip over a muffin tin and neatly tuck the tortillas into the center opening between four tins, like so:

Then all you do is bake them for a few minutes, and, voila! Taco shell bowls.

Then just fill those bad boys with whatever you like. I usually brown and season some ground beef for my guy, and warm up some plain black beans or vegetarian lentil taco “meat” for myself. Those usually go on first, then some cheddar so that it can get nice and melty.

Add some shredded lettuce – romaine, green leaf, baby greens, whatever you desire – and top with whatever you want. Black olives, more cheese, diced avocado, cherry tomatoes, corn, scallions, diced red onion, salsa, sour cream, easy homemade guacamole … the taco salad is your oyster. Or the world is your taco salad. Or your taco salad is … oh, never mind. Just do what you want. It’s yours! And it’s yours in oh, about 15 minutes or so. Bonus.

Just try not to eat it over the sink, standing up, with paint in your hair.

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Quick & Easy Dinner: Taco Salad (Any Way You Want It!)

Super fast, super easy, super delicious. Taco salads make for a great dinner, and they’re perfect for mixed-diet households – make ’em just the way you want ’em. Vegan, vegetarian, full-on meat – whatever floats your boat.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes minutes

Total Time 18 minutes minutes

Servings 2 taco salads

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 2 6- or 8-inch flour tortillas
• Lettuce of your choice I like shredded romaine

Filling/topping ideas:

• Cooked drained beans such as black, pinto, or kidney
• Ground beef browned, drained, and flavored with taco seasoning
• Shredded chicken
• Shredded beef or pork
• Shredded cheese such as cheddar pepper jack, or Monterey jack
• Chopped tomatoes
• Diced onions
• Diced scallions
• Diced avocado
• Black olives
• Green chiles
• Salsa
• Sour cream
• Guacamole

Instructions

• Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Flip over a standard-size muffin tin and tuck two or three shells in between the muffin cups to form a “bowl.” Bake for about 8 minutes, or until the shells are golden brown and fairly hard.
• Place shells on a plate and fill with whatever fillings and toppings you like.

The post Quick & Easy Dinner: Taco Salad (Any Way You Want It!) appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

I’ve been putting my daughter in short sleeves (finally!) and attempting to apply sunscreen to her chubby little arms and the little space on the back of her neck, which is really, really difficult to do on a wriggly one-and-a-half-year-old. Training her to wear a sun hat when she wants nothing (ever!) on her head is a challenge, too.

We’re just not used to this bright yellow orb in the sky, but we welcome it. Oh, how we welcome it.

It was so warm yesterday that a nice, crisp, simple salad sounded like the perfect lunch. So I tossed together some spring veggies and topped them with a wonderful, creamy avocado ranch dressing that made me even giddier than I was already feeling.

A simple bed of spring baby greens holds sugar snap peas, sliced scallions, tender asparagus, tangy marinated artichoke hearts, and snappy radishes. A drizzle of garlicky avocado ranch and a sprinkle of sunflower seeds completes the scene.

Oh, salad weather. How we missed you so.

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Spring Veggie Salad with Creamy Avocado Ranch

A simple bed of spring baby greens holds sugar snap peas, sliced scallions, tender asparagus, tangy marinated artichoke hearts, and snappy radishes. A drizzle of garlicky avocado ranch and a sprinkle of sunflower seeds completes the scene.

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 minutes minutes

Total Time 17 minutes minutes

Servings 2 as a main dish, 4 as a side

Author Kare

Ingredients

Salad:

• 1 small bunch asparagus washed and cut into 2-inch sections (about 1/2 cup chopped)
• 4 cups spring baby greens well-dried
• 3 - 4 small radishes sliced
• 1/2 cup sugar snap peas cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 4 - 5 green onions sliced
• 1 5.5 ounce jar artichoke hearts drained
• Sunflower seeds

Dressing:

• 1 avocado about 1 cup chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt I use 2% for this dressing, but whole-milk Greek yogurt or sour cream would work too
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 small garlic clove finely minced
• 1 tablespoon minced chopped scallions
• 1/4 cup minced fresh chives
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme or 1/2 teaspoon fresh
• 1/2 teaspoon salt + more to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Couple dashes of Tabasco sauce optional

Instructions

• Make the dressing. In a food processor, whir the avocado and lemon juice until smooth. Add the Greek yogurt, milk, and garlic and puree until completely blended. Add additional milk if you prefer a smoother dressing. Move mixture from food processor to a small bowl. Stir in the scallions, chives, parsley, thyme, salt, black pepper, and Tabasco if using. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if you like. Set aside.
• Bring a medium saucepan half-full of water to a boil. Add asparagus pieces and cook for two minutes. Meanwhile, prepare a medium-size bowl with cold water and ice. Lift asparagus out of the water and immediately plunge into the cold water. This helps keep the asparagus from cooking any longer and keeps that nice, bright green color. Lay asparagus on paper towels to drain any excess water.
• Place spring greens into a medium salad bowl. Top with asparagus, radishes, sugar snap peas, green onions, and artichoke hearts. Drizzle with ranch dressing and sprinkle with sunflower seeds. Serve.

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