Vegan Enchiladas

Ingredients (use vegan versions):


* Meat Substitute (I prefer Harvest Direct's Protean)
* 1/2 cup rice
* 1 can vegetarian refried beans (normal or black beans)
* 10 tortillas
* 1 packet of vegan taco seasoning
* 1 can enchillada sauce
* taco sauce
* crushed tortilla or nacho chips



Directions:



1. Prepare meat substite according to directions.


2. Add rice and taco seasoning and follow directions on seasoning for preparation.


3. Spread beans on tortilla.


4. Spoon rice and meat substitute mixture down center of tortilla.


5. Drizzle taco sauce onto mixture.


6. Roll tortilla and place in greased casserole dish.


7. Repeat 3-6 until ingrediants run out or casserole dish is full.


8. Cover rolled tortillas with enchillada sauce and sprinkle with crushed chips.


9. Cook for 20 minutes at 375 degrees or until hot. If using microwavable dish,
enchilladas can be cooked in microwave as well.


Use mild or hot seasoning, and sauces as taste desire. If no meat substitute is
available, increase the amounts of rice and beans in recipe to suit taste.
No nutritional information available.


Serves: 3-5


Preparation time: 20 minutes

Banku & Kenkey

Banku and Kenkey are two more Fufu-like staples from Western Africa, served with a soup or stew or sauce. They are particularly popular in Ghana. Both are usually made from ground corn (maize), as are Sadza and Ugali, though Banku can also be made from a mixture of maize and grated Cassava tuber. Unlike Ugali, making Banku or Kenkey involves letting the maize (or maize and cassava tuber) ferment before cooking, as is done with cassava tubers when they are made into Baton de Manioc. Banku is cooked in a pot; Kenkey is partially cooked, then wrapped in banana leaves, maize or corn husks, or foil, and steamed.

What you need

• six to eight cups of corn (maize) flour or cornmeal (ground corn or ground maize); (White cornmeal is preferred, it should be finely ground, like flour. Latin American style corn flour, as is used in tortillas, tamales, pupusas, etc. is the right kind); for Banku only: a similar amount of equal parts corn flour and grated cassava tuber may be substituted
• for Kenkey only: banana leaves, or maize or corn husks, or aluminum foil to wrap dough in (the leaves or husks may be available at African, Asian, or Latino groceries)

What you do

• Prepare the fermented cornmeal dough: Traditional Method:
  In a large container combine the corn flour (or corn flour and grated cassava) with just enough warm water to dampen all of it. Mix well. Cover the container with a clean cloth. Set it in a warm place, such as a warmed oven or on top of the refrigerator, for two to three days. Fermentation may take longer than two days, especially in cool climates. (Note: a warmed oven is an oven that has been heated for a few minutes then turned off. The flour should ferment, not cook.) When it is properly fermented, it should have a slightly sour, but not unpleasant, aroma -- like rising bread dough. Overly fermented corn flour will not taste right. Alternate method:
  Prepare the corn flour as described above, and let it ferment for about six hours. Then mix one tablespoon of vinegar into the wet corn flour. Once the fermented dough is ready, prepare Banku or Kenkey according to the following methods.
• To prepare Banku:
  • Knead the fermented dough with your hands until it is thoroughly mixed and slightly stiffened.
  • In a large pot, bring one cup of water to a boil. Slowly add the fermented dough. Cook for twenty minutes or more, stirring constantly and vigorously. The banku should become thick and stiff. Add water as necessary, if it becomes too dry. Form the banku into serving-sized balls (about the size of a tennis ball). May be served hot or cool (room-temperature).


• To prepare Kenkey:
  • Knead the fermented dough with your hands until it is thoroughly mixed and slightly stiffened. Divide the dough into two equal parts.
  • In a large pot, bring one cup of water to a boil. Slowly add one part of the fermented dough. Cook for about ten minutes, stirring constantly and vigorously. Remove from heat. This half of the dough is called the "aflata".
  • Combine the aflata with the remaining uncooked dough. Mix well.
  • Divide the aflata-dough mixture into serving-sized pieces. Wrap the pieces tightly in banana leaf, maize or corn husks, or foil. Banana leaves are more flexible if they have been briefly warmed in a hot oven or a pot of boiling water. The wrapped dough should look like burritos or tamales. Cooking string can be used to tie the wrapping closed.
  • Place the wrapped dough packets on a wire rack above water in a large pot. Bring to a boil and steam for one to three hours, depending on their size and thickness. Serve room-temperature.
• Serve banku or kenkey with Palaver 'Sauce', or any fish, fowl, or meat dish from Western Africa.

Note: ready-to-use fermented cornmeal dough made especially for banku and kenkey may be available at African import grocery stores and should be prepared according to package instructions.

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Vegetarian Tacos

This recipe uses store-bought salsa and taco seasoning to make a super-quick vegetarian taco 1filling from TVP2. The TVP has a texture similar to shredded chicken when cooked. Wrap in a flour tortilla or stuff in a hard shell with lettuce, tomatoes and beans.


* 2 cups TVP
* 2 cups water
* 2 tbsp soy sauce
* 2 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
* 1 package taco seasoning
* 1 red or yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
* 1/4 cup salsa
* flour tortillas or taco shells

Preparation:
In a large skillet, heat the water over medium heat, and add the TVP, stirring well. Allow the TVP4 to reconstitute for 2-3 minutes.

Add oil and soy sauce, then peppers and taco seasoning, stirring well. Allow to cook for another 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Mix in salsa and remove from heat.

Serve wrapped in a flour tortilla or hard taco shells. I like to eat this as is, but you could also add tomatoes, lettuce, beans and sour cream to your tacos.

Chicken Fajitas Recipe

Ingredients:

* 2 tablespoons canola oil
* 3 boneless chicken breast halves, cut in thin strips
* 1 medium onion, cut in wedges
* 2 cloves garlic
* 4 mild green or red chile peppers, seeded and sliced
* 1 sweet red bell pepper, seeded and cut in strips
* 1 green bell pepper, seeded/cut in strips
* 1 zucchini, trimmed, cut in strips
* 8 flour tortilla, warmed
* 1/2 cup sour cream
* guacamole
* 1 bunch green onions, trimmed, sliced

Preparation:
Heat the oil in a heavy skillet; cook the chicken strips over high heat, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes, or until cooked. Drain and serve.

Add the onion, garlic and chile peppers to the oil in the pan and sauté over high heat for 2 minutes. Add the bell peppers and zucchini; cook over high heat for 4 minutes, or until the vegetables have begun to have a blackened look around the edges.

Return the chicken to the pan and heat until sizzling hot. Serve right away, with warm tortillas, sour cream, guacamole, sliced green onions, and chopped tomatoes. Serve with hot cooked rice and refried beans, if desired.
Serves 4.