Seven-Layer Taco Cups

Kudos to one of my best friends, for dropping this yummy idea into our laps on a recent visit to their South Carolina home. 

- Find a muffin pan. Press either filo dough or wonton wrappers into each muffin slot. 

- Prep either faux ground beef or extra firm tofu. If tofu, cut into teeny tiny cubes and season with low sodium taco seasoning. If faux ground beef, brown in a frying pan, also with taco seasoning. 

- Plop whatever meat substitute you chose into the bottom of each wonton or filo dough muffin section. 

- Top each with vegan shredded cheese. 

- Bake at about 375 degrees for around 10-12 minutes. 

- On the side, prep fresh pico with chopped tomato, onion, cilantro, lime juice and salt. 

- Also optionally prep fresh guacamole with the same ingredients for pico, plus avocado.

- Once the taco cups are through baking, top each with guacamole, pico, and a dollop of vegan sour cream. Add a whole black olive to the top of each if you'd like. 

It Doesn't Really Make Me Sneeze

Of course if it had any real cheese in it, this dish probably would make a lot of people sneeze. Most of us know by now that dairy products cause congestion. I used to be a Kraft mac and cheese addict... and I also used to be addicted to Afrin. 

But my mac and "cheese" is sneeze-free. I make this several times a month, and the included picture is admittedly not from a recent cooking adventure, but rather from when we lived in Lake Norman. However, this recipe stands the test of time, migrating from city to country life.  

I buy Road's End Organics dairy-free shells and chreeze from Healthy Home Market in Davidson. I just don't follow the instructions on the box. Remember, I told everyone in a previous post that following instructions to the T is chef suicide! Instead, I cook the noodles and after they're done, I use 1/3-1/2 tub of vegan cream cheese, chop it up a bit, and dump it in with the warm, drained noodles. Add some almond milk and stir. Once the cream cheese starts melting, add the powder packet included in the mac and cheese box. The powder is mainly nutritional yeast and salt, so if you want to make this without buying the boxed product, just experiment with nutritional yeast powder, salt, and spices on this step. Add a bit more almond milk to keep it all creamy. Taste, and see if you need to add any of your own spices. I often add either some garlic salt (I prefer garlic salt because it cuts back on total sodium to mix in the garlic), dill, or pepper. One box makes the large bowl pictured, and the leftovers are great the next day, warmed up in the microwave. Add some more almond milk to it before reheating to keep it moist. For this recipe, the cream cheese is the trick. Many vegans find mac and cheese recipes to be dry or tasteless. I tried adding cream cheese a year ago, and voila... it stays extremely creamy!