Vegan Enchilada Casserole

This is really tasty.

I have been getting up early and working outside before it gets to warm. Today, when I came in from outside I decide to make this recipe. I change quite a bit from the original recipe as I did not want to use a vegetarian ground beef substitute. I used Portabella mushrooms with other additions to the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 4-5 large portabella mushrooms-chopped like the consistency of hamburger




• 3-4 clove garlic minced




• 1 onion -chopped




• 2-15 oz cans enchilada sauce




• 1 packet taco seasoning-I used my home made seasoning




• 15-18 corn chips




• 2 15 oz. cans pinto beans drained-pulsed in food processor about 4-5 times




• 2 cups daiya mozzarella cheese




• 1-4 oz. can green chilies




• 1 small can sliced black olives

Directions:

1. Saute portabellas garlic and onions until translucent.




2. Add 2 Tablespoons taco seasoning- I used home made-recipe below.




3. Lightly spray a 8" square glass pan.




4. Put 3/4 cup enchilada sauce in the bottom of the baking pan.




5. Top with half of the corn chips




6. Spread the beans over the top of chips.




7. top with half of the cheese and half of the chilies.




8. Spread another layer of enchilada sauce and the rest of the chips.




9. Add portabella mushroom mixture on top of the chips, then the black olives.




10. Add more sauce over this.




11. Add the rest of the cheese and the rest of the chilies.




12. Bake at 375 degrees about 45 to 50 minutes.

Taco seasoning-no preservatives

• 2 Tablespoons chili powder




• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika




• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste




• 1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano




• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram




• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper




• 1 tablespoon garlic powder




• 1 teaspoon cumin




• Mix, put in glass jar label and refrigerate

daiya cheese

The daiya mozzarella and cheddar shreds have been at Festival Foods in the Natural food Aisle, and Free Market on Wisconsin Ave. for some time.

I thought you would like to know that the pepperjack is new, and very good. Sue does not have it at Festival Foods yet but I am sure she will have it in very soon.

If you have not tried this cheese it is excellent. It is a non-dairy product, it melts nicely and tastes great.

Give it a try, I am sure that you will enjoy it also.

Some one in the last class asked me, What do you do all day???

I removed my Hosta's from other areas and planted them around this tree. there will be lots of grass planted here when all is prepared properly.

This entire area was about 4-6" deep with pea gravel. My bike riding friend Mary who is also 71 years old and I removed most of this and put it around my garden, grape vines. flower beds etc. Thank you Jim T, and Donny K. for giving us some help. You have no idea how much I appreciate all your help.
Some young friends, Debbie and Ron H. came to help out when we started this project. At that point we where all overwhelmed with the project at hand. It has all been rotter tilled and waiting for a load of black ground to plant this area into grass.

Behind the shed was a dumping ground for old tires, bricks, large rocks, you get the idea or anything where I didn't know where to go with it. This last winter a woodchuck decided to make his home in that menagerie of a mess. To get rid of him, I decided we needed to get rid of his home. With a lot of help from Mary, we cleaned it all out and planted it in grass. Yikes what a job!!!

This is my 6 foot fence that Mary and I put up the end of May. Noticed the gravel we put all the way around the garden. We needed this high fence to keep the wild turkey and deer out. We then put up a lower fence to keep the rabbits out. My gate is a screen door that I picked up for $2.00. I just slide it too and fro when I want to get into the garden.

More gravel that we put around a flowerbed, transformed into a Rhubarb, veggie bed.

Off to the right is a waterfall that my Mike is taking down. This path went around the side of the house.
Everything is going to be removed to put this all back into grass. Can't keep it all up anymore.

There was a fence off to the right. Yesterday Mary and I got this far with taking down the fence. Mary has been such a huge help, everyday she has been here helping me with her big muscles to get this project finished.

Early this morning I removed
the 7 fence post that where around the flower garden. Thank God they where not cemented in.

I can't believe that I was able to do that.
This evening I took the pile of pavers off to the left and put them in my Herb Garden. These pavers where in the path and needed to be removed.

Why am I telling you all of this???

In the last class someone asked me what I did with myself all day.
Besides doing this I have been making garden ornaments to sell, keeping my house clean.

Oh yes, also trying new recipes to put on my blog . Plus bike riding and trying to have a life!! What is that again ????? I am not sure I know what a life is anymore.

I usually find myself more work then I can handle.

So back to the question, what do I do all day?

It may not always be yard work. But needless to say, I find myself always need deep in some project.

If this is the kind of energy CHIP gives me, I will never go off the program. Can you believe I am 71 years young (some days feel like a thousand) and have done this!! Miracle of miracles!

Just an update on Verna's summer!

New Products

I went to see Sue (in the Natural Food Aisle) at Festival Foods today to see if she got any new product's in. She showed me these chips.

They are made from beans. Isn't that cool!!! Plus this is NOT a GMO product. That is even more exciting!!!!

Give them a try. I am sure you will enjoy them.

Strawberry Picking-Oakridge Farms

Yummy Yummy!!!!

Mary, myself and Jenny on the way to picking strawberries.

This is what the tractor had to take us through on the way to the strawberry patch!

Yikes!!! So glad we had an experienced driver!!

In the strawberry patch.


We went strawberry picking this morning. We got out their really early. Oakridge Farms opens at 7 o'clock in the morning. When we got there only a few people where in the fields. By the time we left
lots of people where picking.

The strawberries tasted so wonderful. Why is it when you are picking you always see the biggest berries in the next row. Tried to snitch one from my friends row just to find out it was rotten after I picked it.

I guess the berries are not always better on the other side of the "fence."

Oakridge Farms will be picking berries for another 2-3 weeks depending upon how much rain we have. Wanted to let you know that it is berry picking time.

Have a super wonderful day!

They will have raspberries after the 4th of July, plus other produce.

Have a great day!!!