By Toni Okamoto

The name Chilaquiles is derived from the Nahuatl (language of the Aztecs in Mexico) word chil-a-quilitl, which means “herbs or greens in chile broth.”

It used to be one of my favorite breakfast dishes as a child. It’s traditionally made with eggs and cheese, but since I no longer eat those things I did my best to improvise on this tasty plant-based version.

Like a lot of my other dishes, this Chilaquile recipe can be changed using the produce you have on-hand. I think as long as you have the tofu, the tortillas (or tortilla chips), and the spices, you can really add any other veggies (i.e. chopped spinach, corn, diced tomatoes, canned or fresh jalapeños, etc.). You can also replace the fried tortillas with a handful of crunched corn chips.

Ingredients:

• 4 corn tortillas in small strips or handful of tortilla chips
• 1 tbs vegetable oil
• medium onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 block of extra firm pressed tofu
• 1 can beans, your choice
• 10 sprigs of cilantro, chopped (save some for garnish)
• 1 tbs ground cumin
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp chili powder
• bottle of salsa, your choice of red or green
• one large avocado

Directions:

• In a large frying pan, heat the oil and fry the tortilla strips. Once tortillas are nice and crispy, add onions and garlic – saute until onions are translucent. If you’re using tortilla chips instead, you can just saute the onions and garlic.
• Once onions become translucent, add tofu, beans, cilantro, cumin, salt, pepper, chili powder and cook on medium-high for five minutes stirring frequently. If you’re using the crunched tortilla chips, add them last and mix them in.
• Serve and garnish with drizzled salsa, avocado slices and fresh cilantro. Yum!

By Josie Moody, Office Manager

I often refer to myself as the, “Everything-but-the-kitchen-sink” kind of cook. I look at what I have in the fridge, and see what I can literally throw together to make a delicious meal. For me, no dish illustrates this better than my vegan breakfast hash. I really think I’ve never had the exact same ingredients every time I’ve made this meal. The only ingredient that I always include is the pre-cooked polenta, which I buy at Safeway and has a long shelf life.

This is a hearty meal that can can be served at any time of day, and is easy to make for a group of people. The best part is that you don’t need exact measurements of anything and it’s a great way to use that produce in the fridge whose days are numbered.

Ingredients:

• Pre-cooked polenta
• olive oil or another plant based oil
• any variety of potato or sweet potato
• your choice of greens (such as kale or spinach
• canned beans
• fresh (steamed) or frozen vegetables
• salsa (optional)
• avocado (optional)
• vegan cheese (optional)
• vegan meat (optional)
• nutritional yeast (optional)

To prepare: Wash all of your produce. Skin and cube potatoes, chop veggies, cube polenta, de-spine greens and chop into strips. Open and rinse canned beans.

To cook: steam potatoes and fresh vegetables, if using, either with microwave steamer or in steamer basket over a pot of boiling water. Set aside.

Warm beans by either putting in microwave or heating on stove over low heat, stirring occasionally. Do the same with vegan meat, if using.

Put a dollop of olive oil on the bottom of a frying pan. Turn on to medium-low heat, and add polenta. Make sure the cubes are coated in oil, and cook until they start to turn golden, flipping occasionally. Add greens. Keep stirring and add more oil if needed. After greens start to shrink, add potatoes, then vegan meat and nutritional yeast (if using), beans and steamed vegetables. Continue to cook over medium-low heat until everything is warmed.

Put on a plate and serve. Feel free to top it with vegan cheese, salsa, avocado, vegan sour cream, or any of your other favorite vegan condiments. We even added tortilla chips here. Get creative, and enjoy!