TACOS!

Hi, potentially non-existent readers!

I have been craving tacos for the last two weeks, but kept putting it off, saying they were "too expensive." It somehow all came together yesterday, though, when I got a phone call saying I finally got a job (!!!), and I happened to find Morningstar Beef Crumbles in my freezer, and refried beans in the cabnet. To top it all off, Compassion Over Killing mailed me a free tube of TEESE (!!! once again) for signing a petition to not eat eggs for 30 days. Then when I went to Stop & Shop and saw taco kits on sale for $2.50, how could I say no?

I sort of winged it (wung it?), but I'll do my best to give you a recipe as I go along.



First, I dumped the Morningstar Crumbles into a preheated pan, at around medium-high heat (like I cook just about everything at. You probably won't see an entry on pancakes here). As soon as I couldn't see any ice crystals any more, I dumped in the 2/3 cup water and package of seasoning like the taco box directed.



Make sure the seasoning you get is actually vegan, they aren't all. If you don't want to use a prepackaged seasoning (and who would blame you), the key ingredient is cumin. Garlic, onion, red pepper and salt are necessary, but cumin is what gives it the real taco kick!

About now is when I popped the tacos into the oven for about 7 minutes to perk them up. They are actually kind of greasy, so the heat turned them from a dry, crunchy block of yuck to delicious edible food holders.



I added refried beans to the taco "meat" to make it stretch a bit further (and because I was really hungry!). Some companies make ones specifically labeled "vegetarian," but the ingredients are the same as the ones labeled "fat free," so I just grab whatever is available.



I also shredded about half a tube of Teese into the pan of "meat" and refried beans. I tried just shredding it into a bowl, but we decided we were lazy, and that decorating our tacos with Sour Supreme, lettuce and tomatoes was enough. The pan, in the end, looked like this:



I chopped up 3 leaves of Romaine lettuce and 1 medium sized tomato, and threw them each in bowls, along side the container of Sour Supreme. In the back, you can also see the white package Ol' El Paso taco sauce.



Now, I pulled the greasy, glistening tacos shells out of the oven.



And then, WONDER TWINS, ASSEMBLE! FORM OF: TACO!



I hope you've been able to forgive the camera phone photos. I'm in the process of getting rechargeable batteries for my camera. It considers AAs to be a snack.

See you again next time I cook something worthy of photographing =] !

EDIT: My boyfriend would like acknowledgment for having consumed these delicious tacos. We didn't take pictures while actually eating, so here is a picture of him enjoying a refreshing Del's Lemonade:



Also, Del's, if you are reading this, a sponsorship would be super. Or some free samples. Coupons? Call me!

...They won't call.