Hi there =)
We had a really tiring and physical day, but we also had a fun time today. We spent a couple hours in the basement sanding (no pics yet, too much dust) and then almost 4 hours doing yard work. Weeding, mowing the lawn, pruning, removing dead shrubs/vines, etc! Eric said I did a great job today. I beamed with pride (usually I have no confidence with renos and yard work type endeavors!)
A weed-free garden is a peaceful garden!
The weeds were out of control as we haven’t had any time to weed in over a month!
I think these beds need some flowers! All the perennials have come and gone this season. It is sad when their bloom is complete!
Blue Jay feather…we have lots of Blue jays around here.
I also discovered a love for pruning…
I went a bit crazy, as you would expect.
I sculpted, I designed, I made art. I love pruning because it appeals to my artistic side. I also love symmetrical objects. Very feng shui. Eric kept walking by and chuckling to himself because he said he’s never seen someone have so much fun while pruning before. What can I say, I whistle while I work!
While I was busy weeding and pruning, he was pulling out half dead shrubs and vines covering the house.
Even though the work was hot and sweaty and not ideal for a day off, we made it fun by enjoying each other’s company. We actually had a great time out there. Many hands make the work light, or however that saying goes! ;)
After admiring our work, we came in and were starving, so I got started on dinner right away.
I made a vegan version of my favourite 7 layer tortilla pie (aka Mexican Lasagna!). It is delish both ways and I highly recommend it!
Mexican Tortilla Pie
Adapted from 7 layer tortilla pie.
Ingredients:
- 2 (15 ounce) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup salsa, divided
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 (15 ounce) can refried beans
- 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
- 7 (8 inch) flour tortillas
- 1/2-3/4 cup Mae’s humnut cheese sauce
- Dried parsley, to garnish
- Enchilada sauce (I used for top layer)
Mae’s Humnut Cheese* (adapted)
- 2-3 tbsp hummus
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- A pinch of turmeric if you like your cheese yellow
- water to thin
[*Note: I tripled her humnut cheese recipe.]
Directions: Preheat oven to 400F. In a large bowl, mash pinto beans. Stir in 3/4 cup salsa and garlic. In a separate bowl, mix together 1/4 cup salsa, cilantro, refried beans and tomatoes. Place 1 tortilla in a greased pie plate or tart dish. Spread 3/4 cup pinto bean mixture over tortilla to within 1/2 inch of edge. Top with 1/4 cup humnut cheese, and cover with another tortilla. Spread with 2/3 cup refried beans, and top with 1/4 cup humnut cheese. Repeat layering twice. Cover with remaining tortilla, and spread with remaining pinto bean mixture, humnut cheese, and enchilada sauce. Cook for about 35 minutes. Serves 6.
I didn’t have 7 tortillas or refried beans, so I made an adapted version, but it still worked out!
I had two slices and Eric had THREE! We were hungry monstaaaaas. In our case, it did not serve 6 as the recipe suggests! lol. It depends on how hungry you are I guess.
Eric said ‘If you keep cooking like this I won’t ever need to eat meat again!’ , as he shoveled in the pie.
I’m not so sure that will ever happen, but he has cut down meat about 75-80% and he says he doesn’t really miss it. I get a TON of questions about Eric’s diet- in fact, it is probably one of the most frequently asked questions as of late. I think he needs to start a blog! ;)
Eric does love a good beef burger, so I don’t think he would ever give up meat entirely (or maybe I am wrong here)… and that is fine by me. I will support him, just like he supports my choices. I don’t think that everyone needs to be 100% meat-free to make a difference. The fact that he is now making healthier choices than he once did, is a positive step and makes a huge impact on the system and his health. Small changes add up to something big! I truly believe this. I don’t think that everyone’s ‘end goal’ should be a vegan diet, but I do support awareness and consciousness about our food choices and the opportunity to feel our best with what we put into our bodies. I guess you could say I am pro-educated choice!
Do you live with someone and if so, do you share the same ‘diet’ or do you have different eating habits, opinions on what you eat, and different taste preferences? Is it difficult, easy, fun, creative, annoying?
My husband is wonderfully open to a minimal meat diet, which most my friends find shocking. Neither of us are 100% vegetarian, and I think knowing that a food isn’t totally off limits makes you crave it less. If one of us wants meat, we’ll plan for it and wait a couple of days and see if we still want it. Like you, we try to buy organic/local meat. I think, for us, him seeing how great I was feeling (and how much happier I was when he got home in the pm) when I went high-raw made him want to try too.
I really appreciate and admire your outlook on food choices. I think you’re right, small choices do add up! If everyone just does what they see as “do-able” then it will make a positive difference in our personal and public worlds.
Lovely garden!
I used to be a vegetarian, but then when i went to college it was too hard and expensive to try to keep with that lifestyle because our university meal plan had very few vegetarian options. So i switched to eating meat again. Then i started dating my boyfriend and he is a big time meat eat and he’s a fantastic cook. I’ve been trying to get back into a healthy veggie-loving mode of eating but it’s really hard to in my relationship. But lately we’ve been compromising on food: I’ll cook vegetarian on night and he cooks his pot roast the next.
I made the Mexican Tortilla Pie for dinner (with some mods… didn’t have pinto beans, only black beans and vegan cheese as opposed to the hummus cheese) and my husband kept thanking me for making it. He ate about half himself and told me that he can’t wait to come home for lunch today to eat some more. Awesome dish! This is definitely going in the rotation! Thanks for posting and giving me some ideas for dinner!
I really like this way of thinking! My husband is a biiiig-time meat-eater. I, however, am slowly working my way towards vegan. I already don’t eat dairy because of an allergy (my son is allergic, too) and I don’t eat beef, pork, or fish. So we have had to adapt, and our choices are limited, but I think that learning to be flexible is the best thing you can do!
I definitly changed my boyfriend’s eating habits…he used to eat meat, pasta and potatoes all the time and was grossed out by most veggies. so nowadays he includes many new veggies into his diet and he even eats non-meat meals too! before, he *needed* meat for every meal-breakfast, lunch and dinner! but there are still many things that he will never eat, like beans, lenses, quinoa, couscous, tofu and so on. I was not eating meat for 2 years before we started dating and I have to admit that I started eating meat again, just to share a dinner with him, because I don’t like the separate cooking thing…however I don’t like meat that much and could easily live without it. Nevertheless, I could never become a vegetarian because I love fish so much! He does too, luckily. I don’t eat dairy though.
WOW!!! This is delicious! Mae’s humnut cheese tastes just like cheese in this dish! I love it! So good! Thank you!
I have been married for about 8 months. I am what you’d call a pescetarian- I eat fish and seafood, but no other forms of meat. My husband eats meat, and would probably never consider going vegetarian. Many times we will make similar meals, but we just add the meat/fish/veggies/tofu on the side. When plating, we add what we want. An example is tofu teriyaki with rice and veggies. In this case, he may cook some chicken, and eat the rice and veggies with teriyaki sauce- just no tofu. It’s really not that difficult- unless I want to surprise him with a meal. I’m not into touching or preparing meat/poultry. SO, if I am preparing the meal for the two of us, it will probably be a seafood dish. I realize it’s a little strange that I’m willing to prepare raw seafood, and not meat. That’s me. :)
Hi
I’ve made several of your recipes with great results (peanut butter cups etc) but never felt compelled to comment untill now. this tortilla pie is so great for three reasons.
My 22 month old son loves helping to spread on layers, including extra veggies like corn
Made with gluten free corn tortillas my sister enjoys it too
It’s quick and easy to make after work
Can this recipe be used for the Fast Metabolism diet…phase 3? I found it on a pinterest page for the FMD and wondered if you knew…thanks!