Enchilada Casserole

The theme of my last vegan cooking class was beans. Along with the theme, we made these enchilada casseroles. You may have also heard of this dish called Mexican lasagna. Essentially, it sort of takes like enchilada, but without all the frying and cheese. The cheese is replaced with strongly complementing ingredients such as roasted tomatoes, olives, green bell pepper, pinto beans, corn, and cayenne pepper.

If you're looking for an equally satisfying alternative to a traditional enchilada without all the fat and cholesterol, give this dish a try. Another great thing is that it's a quick and easy meal. It'll literally take you less than 30 minutes to make it. I made some steamed broccoli to add some color and vitamin C to the dish.

Ole!

3 layers of corn tortilla, full of beans and veggies, topped with some fresh cilantro


Steamed broccoli tossed in some soy sauce, sesame oil, and toasted black sesame

Coffee Crunch Cake

After much encouragement/harassment, I am posting my first post in a long while. A lot has changed since my last post. I live on the East Coast now! My daily activities have changed from being stuck on the I-10 and binge shopping at 3rd Street Promenade to trudging around in 8-inch snow in my rubber boots and stealing free bus rides everyday. I started going to a vegan cooking school in NYC called the Natural Kitchen Cooking School, and I will be selling it short by saying that it has transformed my life.

To meet the demands of my loyal readers, I will be changing my food blog format going forward to a primarily PICTURE food blog. Since everyone nowadays is too busy to read or pee, I'll just be posting the pictures to the food that I cook and/or eat. Of course, I will still include short snippets of my much-acclaimed humor and opinions. If you're a vegan food connoisseur like myself and would like to also venture into the wonderful world of cooking your own wholesome vegan dishes, please send me a message or comment demanding the recipe.

Before I post my first Food Pic post, I have to dedicate this post to my awesome blossom friend, CK. If it weren't for her constant encouragements, be it in forms of motivational speeches or straight-up threats, my blog probably would have fell into the abyss of a lazy blogger. For my birthday, CK gave me a perfect gift. It was a Kitchenaid 7-Speed Hand Mixer of the Cook for the Cure Collection, with complementing pink measuring spoons and cups. Needless to say, I was ecstatic when I got it. To show CK my gratification of her awesome gift, I am posting this blog with the first thing that I made with this mixer.

Coffee Crunch Cake
Veganized version of the cake I saw in the most recent issue of Bon Appetit. The crunchy texture is a fun alternative to the fluffy pastry that's everywhere. Not only does it go great with a cup of warm tea, it can also serve as a good snack for those caffeine addicts.

Contains espresso, almonds and chocolate chip


Yummy with a cup of green tea

Max enjoying a piece of Coffee Crunch Cake :)