#tacobellwho?

[iwriteveganrecipesnottragedies]

Vegan Bean Burrito

I miss Taco Bell.  I’m a grown adult and I used to love Taco Bell before I became vegan.  There, I admitted it.  It was oh so unhealthy with its unnaturally orange cheese and high sodium content but I craved it.  Mexican food is fantastic and I suppose I liked it even more because it’s closely related to Indian food, the true love of my life.

On this vegan journey I found that I could easily order vegan food at Taco Bell and that was a saving grace for me because I still wanted to enjoy fast food at the time.  As time progressed I not only wanted to be just vegan, but I wanted to be healthier.  I could no longer turn a blind eye to Taco Bell.

Some of you might be thinking, “Why not turn to Chipotle?”  Valid question, since it’s ingredients are fresh but their sodium levels are off the charts and the portion sizes are too huge for me.  So with all this in mind I decided to try my hand at wholesome vegan Mexican food.

Some people like their beans in bean shape.  I prefer mine mashed like a paste.  I guess Taco Bell played a big role in the formative years of my taste buds.  I don’t buy canned beans because it’s easier for me to buy beans in bulk so I soak my kidney beans in water overnight and pressure cook them the next morning.  The key is to get the beans very soft so it’s easy to mash.

I initially used to buy a prepackaged taco seasoning but felt it was unnecessary and quite unhealthy.  They really do put sugar in all sorts of unnecessary things.  I don’t keep a mix of the seasoning ready anymore, I eyeball it as I go, instead.  I typically use cumin powder, coriander powder, black pepper powder, paprika, red chili powder, turmeric, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt.  That’s the great thing about cooking Mexican food.  I tend to have most of the spices because it’s pretty similar to my Indian food.

I’ve always got left over rice at home from the night before (we South Indian’s eat rice as a staple food) so I threw some of that in with cilantro and lime to make some cilantro lime rice.  Made some fajita veggies by cutting up different colored bell peppers (I mainly use red, orange, and yellow because they’re sweet) and a red onion and sautéed them with a bit of the same seasonings.  Threw everything together with some diced onions, tomatoes, lettuce, vegan cheese, and taco sauce and I was done!

I have to admit, I have not mastered (or even attempted) to make taco sauce.  Growing up on Taco Bell has made me dependent on Taco Bell’s Fire sauce and, like every Indian I know, I had a drawer full of those little packets.  Thank God they started selling them in bottles because as an adult I don’t know if I could hold my head up high while walking out with 20 extra packets of fire sauce with one burrito.

[theplantbasedintrovert]

Tried my hand at making veg-friendly crunch wraps. You can make these with fillings of your choice. Here I have Fiesty Beyond beef crumbles (with added seasonings), lettuce, tomatoes, Tofutti sour cream, So Delicious cheddar shreds, salsa and a homemade vegan cheese sauce. This was sooooooooo good. Eat your heart out Taco Bell. I’m definitely keeping this in the rotation. #dinnertime #yummy #homemade #crunchwraps #vegfriendly #vegan #vegetarian #meatless #tacobellwho #thevegswitchup #seasonyourfood https://www.instagram.com/p/Bnppuf2nTS4/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=xsmzddx2rseb