quesadilla | One Small Vegan

Just some random meals for you in honour of What I Ate Wednesday #118. Enjoy!

Loaded Veggie Pizza: whole wheat pita, lemon dill hummus, spinach, red pepper, roasted butternut squash, artichoke hearts, pickled jalapeños, Daiya Jalapeño Garlic Havarti, italian seasoning.
Tofu Scramble: medium firm tofu, red pepper, green cabbage, spinach, Cajun seasoning, turmeric, soy sauce. Whole wheat ciabatta bun with lemon dill hummus.

Black Pepper Tofu & Broccoli: 1/2 block medium firm tofu, broccoli, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp red chill jam, 1 tsp minced garlic, splash of water, lots of fresh ground black pepper. Over leftover vegetable yakisoba.
Baked Yam: with avocado, lime juice, and Sriracha.

Quesadilla: (this is before I cooked it obviously) whole wheat wraps, mashed avocado, hemp hearts, lemon dill hummus, Daiya Jalapeno Garlic Havarti.
Wrap: Yves Veggie Chicken Burger on a whole wheat wrap with lemon dill hummus, cucumber, yellow pepper, green leaf lettuce, hot sauce.

Improvised Breakfast Sandwich: Yves Veggie Chicken Burger, Daiya Cheddar (wedge), Sriracha, Vegenaise, on a toasted whole wheat English muffin. An apple.
Curried Chickpea Quinoa Burger: on a whole wheat bun with melted Daiya Cheddar (wedge), spicy chile pepper hummus, spring mix.

Spicy Chick’n Salad: romaine, cucumber, avocado, Vega Antioxidant Oil Blend, lemon juice. Sautéed Gardein Chick’n Scallopini with hot sauce.
Two Semi-Failed Ideas Make A Great Meal: Greek roasted potatoes and green beans. Salad is romaine, orange pepper, cucumber, balsamic vinaigrette, and crumbled Casbah Falafel.

Yesterday when I started hearing things about it being National Grilled Cheese Day (in the U.S. I’m assuming) I knew exactly why I’d been craving a grilled cheese for two days, and exactly what I should have for lunch! The only problem: I didn’t have any Daiya on hand. Or hummus. Or avocado. Nothing creamy, rich, and even remotely cheesy! Major problem! Until I realized how quick I could make a cheesy hummus with canned beans and nutritional yeast!

This Nacho Cheez White Bean Spread is what I came up with. Spread thickly between 2 slices of whole grain bread this made for a great grilled ‘cheese’. Totally satisfied my craving! Plus, it is super quick to throw together, uses ingredients you most likely already have on hand, and unlike any store-bought vegan cheese, is oil free (tahini doesn’t count). This spread is also soy free, and gluten free (as long as your mustard is).

Nacho Cheez White Bean Spread (Yields 2 cups)
1 19 oz can white kidney beans (or other white beans), drained and rinsed
3 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp water
1 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp prepared Dijon mustard
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne
Salt & pepper to taste

Just blend together all ingredients in a food processor, blender, or with a hand/stick blender. You may need to add a little more water for it to blend smoothly, but you want the result to be a thick spreadable consistency.

This spread is nice and cheesy with some smokiness and spiciness. You could definitely add some more spices to round out the ‘nacho’ flavour, but the two spices do the trick if you want to get a quick cheesy fix. And if you don’t have smoked paprika (though you really should) just use regular paprika. You won’t get the smoky flavour, but it should still taste great.

Obviously you don’t just have to use this spread for grilled cheese. I made a quesadilla with it for lunch today, with just some parsley and pickled jalapeños, and I’ll be using it as a veggie dip for the next couple days.