Mini Taco Wonton Cups

Hi! Happy Thursday - only one day left until a long weekend for us Canadians....not that I'm counting down or anything :-)

My complete obsession for all foods with a Mexican flare has continued for a second consecutive week. I can't get enough of spicy meals smothered in white cheddar queso, black olives and guacamole. It's surprising how versatile all these foods are; they work with eggs, in wraps, on salads or can be all mixed together to make a most excellent salsa....let's face it, can you really get too much of a good thing?? I would have to argue that when it comes to food (healthy food that is) you cannot.

I've had the idea for this recipe for a while now and since I only had a few things left to use up from my Mexican food craze, I knew that it was time to make my vision a reality. I was so happy with how these little cups of deliciousness turned out. They're so easy to make and are very versatile.  I topped mine with the leftovers that I had in the fridge, but you can certainly use any and all of your fave taco toppings. I've listed a bunch of toppings below to give you some ideas. I think these would be fun for a family dinner night where everyone could "dress" up their own taco cups. It might be a wee bit messy, but definitely fun for all! I was also thinking that you could cram a whole bunch of taco cups onto a platter and serve them as an appetizer for a group. Visually they are super cute and they are really tasty. I'm thinking a total crowd pleaser for sure!

Mini Taco Wonton Cups
Makes 12

12 wonton wrappers
2/3 c refried beans
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
pinch crushed red pepper flakes

Toppings (you choose your faves!): shredded lettuce, green onions, salsa, tomatoes, shredded cheddar, olives, guacamole, sour cream, black beans, corn, diced jalapenos

Preheat your oven to 350. Spray a mini muffin tin with non-stick spray.

Press one wonton wrapper into each mini muffin cup.

Mix the refried beans, cumin, chili powder and red pepper flakes together. Spoon the bean mixture evenly into each wonton cup.

Bake the wonton cups for 11 - 13 minutes until the wonton wrappers are crispy around the edges and the bean mixture is warmed thoroughly.

Add your desired toppings. (mine had cheese, guac, salsa, lettuce and black olives)

Press

Stuff

Bake

Garnish

Serve....and EAT!!

As a meal, I would think that 4 to 6 cups with a large salad on the side would be a perfect size, however if you're like me, you might intend to to share the cups with your wonderful and hungry spouse, but accidentally eat them all before they get home. Whooops!

Just make sure you clean up the evidence and they'll never know what they missed ;-)

My husband is just so happy that the dishes are done and he didn't have to help that he never questions what exactly I used the dishes for ~  hehe!

*Note: if you are aiming to please a meat eating crowd,

you could substitute spiced up taco meat for the bean mixture.*

Do you ever use wonton wrappers for things other than wontons?

What is your favourite taco topping?

Happy Thursday!

Andrea
xoxo

Portobello Mushroom Pizzas

TGIF ~ we have finally made it to the weekend!! Is it me or was this one long week?? Perhaps for you St. Patty Day revelers, today felt like a week :-)

Southwestern Ontario is experiencing some amazing Spring weather! Our snow is almost gone and there are green shoots poking up all over my flower beds. Unfortunately, melting snow also equals a very muddy backyard, which my dogs love.

The dogs played and played and when I saw them waiting to be let in at the back door, I almost died!! Straight to the bathtub we went. My pictures don't even show half the mud that went down our drain tonight, but taking photos and keeping the dog from jumping out of the tub was no easy task!!

Yes, that is mud spatters all over Hank's face...and everywhere else for that matter!

We now have a very muddy track along one side of our fence where the dogs run with our neighbours' dogs - it's quite an attractive sight <sigh>.

I had an entirely different dinner planned for tonight, but by the time I got home and got this mess all cleaned up it was getting late and I was getting hungry, so I opted for a quick and easy dinner I had come across on Oh She Glows.  

This recipe is quick and easy and tastes very similar to pizza! Have I mentioned how much I love pizza??? Pizza is not allowed on a cleanse (which I might add is finished - yahoo!).

Portobello Mushroom Pizza with a Cashew Basil Cheeze Sauce

Adapted slightly from Oh She Glows. I only had 3 mushrooms, so I cut the original recipe down to accommodate my ingredients. I also started the cheese sauce before I actually read Angela's directions, so mine is a little different than hers. Check the link above to see how she did hers.

Cashew Basil Cheeze Sauce

1/3 c raw cashews

pinch of sea salt

1/4 tsp olive oil

1/4 tsp chopped garlic

1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast

1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

4 tbsp water

1/2 fresh basil leaf

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.

Pizzas

3 large portobello mushroom caps, cleaned and stems removed

6 tbsp pizza sauce

4.5 tbsp cashew basil cheeze sauce

1/4 each red pepper and orange pepper, finely diced

1 small onion (the size of shallot would be perfect), finely diced

2 basil leaves, finely chopped

pinch of nutritional yeast

pinch of spicy Mrs. Dash

Turn your oven to broil. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place your mushroom caps on the baking sheet.

Spread 2 tbsp of pizza sauce on each mushroom cap. Follow with 1.5 tbsp of the cashew basil cheeze sauce. I chopped all of my veggies up together in a mini food processor. They were diced very fine, but you could leave them a little chunkier if you want.

Spread the diced veggie mixture on each of the mushroom caps. I used all of the veggie mixture and split it equally between the 3 caps. Top each mushroom pizza with a pinch of nutritional yeast (you could substitute parmesan cheese) and spicy Mrs. Dash.

Place the pizzas under the broiler for approximately 8 minutes. Keep an eye until the mushrooms are soft and the toppings start to lightly brown because our broilers may differ slightly.

Before baking.

After baking.

Let the pizzas sit for 3 - 5 minutes and then serve and enjoy.

Scrumptious!!

These pizzas were delicious. Did you notice that they are vegan (sans parmesan cheese of course)?? I am definitely going to make these as an appetizer next time we have people over to visit. I always like to wow our friends & family with amazingly delish vegan dishes.

I hope you have wonderful Friday evening!! Tomorrow I am off to the gym for a meeting with a trainer about weights ~ yikes! I figure if I am going to use them, I might as well make sure that I'm using them right :-)

What's your favourite pizza topping?

Do you have a favourite vegan appetizer you like to wow your friends with?

Cheers to a wonderful evening!

Andrea 

Friday Night Snacktime!

Happy Friday!!!

Well we have made it through another week - woo hoo!!  I think that calls for an amazing and delicious snack. I've had an eggplant sitting in my fridge for over a week and all day I have been pondering about what I should do with it ~ so I thought I would try making some Baba Ganoush. I love this dip, but I've never made it....I'm a Baba Ganoush virgin ;-)

Best Baba Ganoush
Adapted from recipe by Winky on http://www.allrecipes.com/

1 medium eggplant
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 c tahini
3 tbsp raw sesame seeds
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp Spicy Herbamare (sea salt)
1 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 375. Wash eggplant and stab with a fork. Place on baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes or until softened.

When done roasting, dunk the eggplant in a large bowl filled with cold water. Once it is cool enough to handle, peel and cut into chunks. Put chunks into blender.

Add lemon juice, tahini, sesame seeds, garlic and sea salt to blender.

Blend until smooth.

Pour mixture into bowl and add olive oil. Mix.

Refrigerate dip for 2 to 3 hours. (for me the waiting time is excruciating....I want to eat it NOW!!)

Serve with your favourite crackers or vegetables. It would also be very tasty in a wrap! I just discovered Mary's Organic Crackers, so that's what I'm having - can you believe that they are wheat free and gluten free....& most importantly full of seedy deliciousness?!?!

Why would you fill up on fatty chips & dip when you can snack on such a divine, healthy snack?

Have I told you how much I love Friday nights :-)

You might remember that tomorrow is a big day for me....it's Day #1 of my 21 day cleanse. I have started stocking up for the coming week....check out some of my purchases so far. I've also purchased some organic fruits and veggies for my first green juice tomorrow morning. I can't tell you how excited I am ~ I am so looking forward to inspiring you & sharing my cleansing journey with you.

Make sure you check back to see how things are going - I'm going to be posting lots of awesome recipes and photos and I am hoping that after doing a bit of research, I can give you some helpful information on some of the things I am trying out over the next few weeks.

Until then....I bid you goodnight!!

Do you reward yourself with a little treat at the end of the work week??
What kind of dips are your fave???

Andrea