Vegetarian Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo is a big deal in our house. Any occasion that permits me to eat Mexican food is a big deal, so Cinco de Mayo, Tuesdays, and every third Sunday or so rank pretty high on my list of good days.

Originally I was to be spending tomorrow evening at an appreciation dinner. Due to sick contagious kiddos I will instead be spending tomorrow night at home, much to my husbands delight. Unfortunately I had nothing planned out, but a plethera of old recipes to choose from, so I think we will be ok.

Vegetarian or vegan burritos

Vegetarian tortilla soup, with spicy unmeatballs

Oh my! I almost forgot about this dish, it was so tasty! I can't believe I haven't made it since.

Vegetarian bean and potato tacos

These are so simple it's ridiculous, even my super A.D.D sleep deprived self can make them.

Avocado and black bean tacos

These are very tasty, and another great taco for hot days. Great for avocado lovers, and well received by those who have tried them.

Drunken Veggie Fajitas

After having some fajitas in California with just a hint of tequila in them I couldn't resist but try them out on my own. You could most certainly omit this ingredient if you like.

Pumpkin and black bean enchiladas

This enchilada sauce is super simple and (check your ingredients) gluten and soy free! Winning! You could use it as a substitute for any enchilada recipe you like.

Looking at this I am thinking I will be making ALL of these in my near future....perhaps I shouldn't blog while hungry.

Other ideas....

Nachos - This is another really simple idea, use beans you've made or if you must use canned check out Amy's brand organic refried beans. Let family members add their favorite toppings, jalapeños, avocados, olives, diced onion, grilled veggies....you get the idea. You can make it as simple or elaborate as you like.

Seven layer bean dip....or seven layer bean dip casserole Once again, you can totally customize this to suit your families needs.

Tamales! If you have access to tamales go for it. Be they from your freezer, your favorite restaurant, or your local farmers market (If this is the case I don't wan to hear about it, I'm so jealous you don't even know). Serve with beans and rice.

...No fooling.....I seriously just took a break to make some chips and dip....alright...I'm settled again...

Mexican "pizza"

You can easily make your own Mexican pizza in the toaster oven. Brush a corn tortilla with olive oil and toast until crispy. Add toppings such as refried beans, salsa, cheeze, cheese, and olives. Heat again until warmed through. Add more toppings such as chopped tomatoes, lettuce, onion, jalapeños...etc. This has always been a favorite in our house, it's quick, easy, and an excellent meal on a hot day as it doesn't require the use of an oven.

Now that I've made the decision that much harder for myself, I'd love to know what you are planning on making.

To my readers

Dear neglectarinos,


My poor blog, my poor readers. You all deserve a big apology, sprinkled liberally with some explanation (and a smidgen of excuses). I've been pretty absent ever since the start of this pregnancy, and I'm grateful beyond words for those of you who have continued to stop by and read my recipes. Thank you so much.


When I started this blog I was unsure of what I wanted to do with it, and where I wanted to go. I can tell you the sirens call of advertising and racking up readers has tempted me more than once. Neither of those are bad things, but I felt I should have an idea of where I was going before I started on that road. I think I mentioned that in my early blog days I was contacted by a website that wanted me to do an online vegetarian cooking show. I am not what you would call 'camera friendly'. I sweat and shake profusely when forced to talk in front of people, even in casual settings. If you are lucky I would make it off camera before vomiting......that would be a lot of luck. As much as "girl who makes a curry then vomits" would be a youtube hit I'm sure, I just didn't think I was ready for that kind of fame. Before coming to any conclusion on the matter one way or another, I deleted the email on accident......sigh.


The point of that confession being this, as much as having a cool company to back me in advertising, or the fame that would come with being "that vegetarian girl that vomits while cooking", what really warms my heart, and what makes me feel like I've accomplished something is hearing from you! When I hear that a child has tried a new veggie as a result of my blog, or that someone has made and liked one of my recipes or discovered a love for a meal without meat I'm overjoyed. That's why I will continue on with my blog, sporadic as it may be.


I'm not sure if I've complained about it on here or not yet, but we've been busy. After being away from home for quite a while we came back to pick up the pieces from stormageddon 2011. Our losses were nowhere near as much as some of our neighboring towns in the recent storms, and my heart goes out to those who lost their homes and their family members. We did however loose part of our chimney, a little of our fence, and our ENTIRE fridge and freezer contents. Anyone with children with allergies knows you need freezer meals, especially with a new little one on the way. So I have been busy in the kitchen restocking our freezer, and hoping, and praying that we don't lose power again before baby number three makes it's appearance. Meanwhile my two big kids are fighting off a stomach flu, and pneumonia/sinusitis, I fully expect them to trade illnesses by the end of the week. In short, I've been cooking, but not uploading photos, or properly documenting, and I don't expect to have any consistent blog routine set up again anytime soon as there are more pressing matters at hand.


I'd like to once again thank all of you. I have plenty of old recipes I'd like to invite you to try out, as well as the lovely ladies over on the right somewhere who have their own blogs that they post on quite a bit more frequently than I do. I'd also like to say that I'm working through about 600 emails in my inbox right now, I'm working on those as well. I do plan to continue when time allows. Baby sparkles is due May 25th, and you may see me once or twice before then, most certainly once in a while after that.

Sincerely,
Mama