Refried Bean & Salsa Quesadillas / Blueberry Breeze Smoothie

A couple of days ago, I prepared easy quesadillas from Robin Robertson's "1,000 Vegan Recipes."

They sure were easy to make!

I liked them a lot! They were simple and can be easily modified according to how spicy you prefer. The funny thing is that the original recipe did not call for faux cheese. I can't blame Robin though; it's not easy to not call a cheese-less quesadilla a quesadilla. Below is the recipe:

Refried Bean and Salsa Quesadillas

serves 2-3

1 tablespoon canola or grapeseed oil, plus more for frying

1 1/2 cups cooked or 1 (15.5-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and mashed

1 teaspoon chili powder
4 (10-inch) flour tortillas
1 cup tomato salsa
1/2 cup minced red onion (optional)

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the mashed beans and chili powder and cook, stirring, until hot, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
2. To assemble, place 1 tortilla on a work surface and spoon about 1/4 cup of the beans across bottom half. Top the beans with the salsa and onion, if using. Fold top half over the filling and press slightly.
3. In a large skillet heat a thin layer of oil over medium heat. Place folded quesadillas, 1 or 2 at a time, into the hot skillet and heat until hot, turning once, about 1 minute per side.
4. Cut quesadillas into 3 or 4 wedges and arrange on plates. Serve immediately.

I also tried it with Daiya cheese!

I suggest adding onion only if you want extra spiciness and/or crunch. The spice was honestly too much for me (and, surprisingly, Rick) so I skipped it when I tried the quesadilla a second time with Daiya cheese. Yum!

This afternoon, I found a smoothie recipe in Carole Raymond's "Student's Go Vegan Cookbook." Banana? Berries? Smoothie? I'm down. =)

 

 So down.

The smoothie was really good. I thought the hint of vanilla gave it a warm taste that toned down the tartness of the fruit. Also, walnuts! They added a nice nutty flavor and omega-3 fats. I was left with purple streaks on the creases of my mouth.

Blueberry Breeze Smoothie
makes about 2 cups

1 frozen ripe banana
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 cup soy milk
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons toasted walnuts

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.

So yum. I will be making this again!
By the way, if you don't have just blueberries on you, feel free to use frozen mixed berries, which is what I used instead. However, blackberries and raspberries have tough seeds so you can strain the smoothie if you'd like for a smoother feel (but it didn't bother me at all, so I left them be).
Plus, if you don't have or don't like soy milk, you can use almond milk, which is what I used. I also left the walnuts untoasted. So good. =)

Hmm... not sure if you've noticed in my pictures, but almost all of them are taken near a window. Do you see that? You guessed it; it's for lighting. Admittedly, I don't use a high-quality DSLR camera like all of the other lovely bloggers out there, but I try to make the pictures look as good as possible. I usually have problems with grainy pictures and lighting. Sad face.
I don't need an awesome camera at the moment though (and I am NOT hinting at a potential Christmas gift!); I just need to work with what I already have. Thanks to everyone who doesn't care that much about my camera situation. Haha. =)
At least I'm getting my point across: veganism should be easy and delicious!

Tomorrow, Rick and I will be making black bean burgers for either lunch or dinner. It's my first time making a bean burger so cross your fingers!