Avocado season is upon us and I couldn't be happier. There's really nothing better than cutting into a perfectly ripe, bright green avocado and whipping it into a creamy, spicy dip. 

Guacamole really took off and people love to put a new twist on it, but I can honestly say that, to me, it still tastes best with a few simple ingredients. 

PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOK TIME: --
TOTAL TIME: 5 minutes
YIELD: Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:
3 large, ripe avocados
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1 small tomato, chopped
1/2 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
juice of 1 lime
(for added heat) 1 jalapeño, deseeded and chopped

DIRECTIONS:
1. Chop onion, tomato, and cilantro. Set aside. 
2. Slice and de-pitt avocados. 
*Be sure to save one pit to keep in the bowl to help avocados from browning*
3. Mash avocado in it's skin, then scoop into a mixing bowl.
4. Stir in onion, tomato, and almost all of the cilantro (you'll want to save some for garnish.)
5. Stir in garlic, salt, pepper, and lime juice. Top with cilantro.

Personally, I prefer a chunkier guacamole, but if you like yours really smooth, you may want to put it in the blender. Guac will stay good for about 2 days in the fridge. Feel free to add extra lime juice to help with browning. 

I know what you're thinking: "Fajita enchiladas? But aren't those two different things?" Well, yes, technically they are, but I decided to combine them. Earlier this week, I entered the Beyond Meat 15 Second Chef competition and I made a delicious vegan chicken philly sandwich (click link below), but needless to say, I have plenty of leftover Beyond Chicken, bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, and Daiya cheese. Right off the bat, I knew I wanted to make fajitas. However, when I went to get tortillas, I realized I had a can of green enchilada sauce and the rest is history...

Ladies and gents, I give you the #vegan Chicken Philly Sandwich - my submission for the #15sChef competition! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽@beyondmeat @15schef @daiyafoods @veganfoodshare

These Vegan Chicken Fajita Enchiladas are an amazing new twist on an old favorite. These enchiladas are total comfort food, yet they don't feel too heavy. They're filled with creamy, spicy refried black beans and sweet sautéd bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, and vegan chicken. 

PREP TIME: 25 minutes
COOK TIME: 25 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 50 minutes
YIELD: 10 enchiladas (serves 5 people)

INGREDIENTS:
1 package vegan chicken strips 
2 cups shredded vegan cheese
10 medium flour tortillas
1 can refried black beans
1 can enchilada sauce 
1 can green chilies
2 large bell peppers (any color)
1 onion (any color)
1 cup white mushrooms
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
cooking spray for baking and sautéing 

DIRECTIONS: 
1. Finley chop bell peppers, onion, mushrooms, and vegan chicken strips.
2. Heat a skillet over medium heat and preheat oven to 350. Spray baking dish with cooking spray.
3. First add bell peppers and onions to the pan. 
4. **Time saving trick** While the veggies are sautéing, begin to scoop one spoonful of refried black beans on to each tortilla. Be sure to do this just left of the center of the tortilla. 
5. Add mushrooms and vegan chicken to the veggie pan. Add cumin, chili powder, and garlic. 
6. Add green chilies to veggie skillet. Sauté until all veggies are well cooked and spices are well mixed. 
7. Once veggies are cooked, turn off heat. Add 2 small spoonfuls of filling into each tortilla right over where you place the refried beans and roll into enchilada. (The beans really help to bind the inside so that your enchiladas stay tightly rolled and don't cause a big mess.)
8. Pack enchiladas in a tight row length-wise in the pan. When you run out of room, fill in a second row where your enchiladas will fit. 
9. Pour enchilada sauce over your rolled tortillas trying to evenly coat each one. Top with vegan cheese and another coat of enchilada sauce if you have it.
10. Bake enchiladas at 350 for 25 minutes. ENJOY!

I remember doing show and tell in second grade. I was thrilled to share my tostada recipe with my whole class and the recipe was so simple that even at age 8, I could demonstrate how to make them. They were very simple - just refried beans and parmesan cheese on top of a toasty flat taco shell. They were a hit! 

I had basically forgotten all about tostadas until my boyfriend and I went to one of our favorite vegan restaurants, The V Spot, before I left NYC for the summer. We enjoyed the kale and black bean tostadas and I was so inspired to recreate them at home and add my own spin. 

The recipe today is an easy tostada recipe topped with a kale, avocado, heart of palm salad! I adore hearts of palm, and in the summer, they add the perfect fresh, crunchy, tangy taste to any salad. 

I also wanted to take the opportunity to try Beyond Meat beef-free crumbles for the first time. I have been reading a lot about Beyond Meat and was anxious to try this gluten-free, soy-free, meat alternative. Though the texture is a bit different from soy-based beef style crumbles, the flavor is fantastic. 

PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: 5 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 15 minutes
YIELD: makes 3 tostadas 
Note - you could easily double this recipe and serve as dinner for 2-4 without doubling kale salad recipe!

KALE SALAD INGREDIENTS:
2 cups finely chopped kale
1 cup chopped hearts of palm (canned)
1 small avocado, chopped
1 jalapeño, chopped and deseeded
juice of one lime
salt and pepper to taste

TOSTADA INGREDIENTS:
1 cup kale salad (see ingredients above)
1 cup vegan beef-style crumbles, I used Beyond Meat
1 cup vegan refried beans (canned)
1/3 cup vegan cheddar cheese shreds 
3 corn tostadas (Mission sells flat, crispy taco shells called tostadas. Find them in the Mexican food section of your grocery store)
1 tsp taco seasoning (or make your own using garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and chili powder)
coconut oil spray for cooking

DIRECTIONS:
1. Chop all veggies and assemble kale salad. *Note: you will definitely have leftover kale salad, I recommend serving on the side of the tostadas. 
2. Heat vegan beef crumbles over medium heat. Add taco seasoning to pan and stir. 
3. While the vegan beef crumbles cook, heat refried beans in a microwave-safe dish.
4. Once vegan beef crumbles are finished, assemble tostadas. I lay a layer of beans first, followed by beef crumbles, and then cheese. Top with kale salad and serve. 

Hello wonderful TVN followers! I wanted to be sure to share some exciting things I am up to this summer, so that you never miss a recipe. If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you may know that I am now a contributor for Peaceful Dumpling and Further Food. 

Peaceful Dumpling is one of my new favorite vegan blogs. The site is constantly updated with amazing vegan recipes, work out tips, and even cruelty-free beauty tutorials! I am creating ORIGINAL recipes to be featured on PD, so be sure to follow them as the recipes will not be published on my site. 
Click the photos below for direct links to my PD recipes!!

Furtherfood is a wonderful online community dedicated to wellness and healing through food. This is not just a vegan website, but rather a vast online source with the best tips and recipes for almost any disease/health issue. 
You'll recognize some of my best recipes from The Vegan Nugget being featured on their site revamped with comments from a Further Food nutritionist! 

I am so thrilled to be sharing my recipes with these two unique sites and I hope you'll follow them to see all the exciting things featured on their websites! 

As you may or may not know, I am home in St. Louis for the summer! I am playing Luisa in The Fantasticks and couldn't be more excited to spend six weeks at home! My mom is fabulous cook and I was thrilled to collaborate with her on this post to publish her famous salsa recipe. It just wouldn't feel like summer in St. Louis without it. 

This salsa is chunky, like a pico de gallo, but packs a lot more heat. Eat it with chips, top tacos/burrito bowls, or just eat it plain out of the bowl! It's fresh, spicy, and flavorful. 

PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOK TIME: n/a
TOTAL TIME: 15 minutes
YIELD: 10-12 servings

INGREDIENTS:
10 campari/vine-ripe tomatoes
1 cup white/yellow onion
1/4 cup red onion
2 serrano peppers
1 jalapeño pepper
1 banana pepper
1 bunch fresh cilantro
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. Finley dice tomatoes and transfer into a large bowl. Add the juice of the tomatoes as well.
2. Carefully clean/deseed hot peppers. Depending on your heat-tolerance you could leave some seeds in.
3. Chop hot peppers and onions, add to bowl. 
4. Finley chop cilantro.
5. Add salt and pepper and stir. Chill salsa before serving for best results. 

Everyone loves take-out, myself included. The problem is that by the time I end up adding brown rice and extra veggies, I'm paying almost $5 on top of the price of the dish. Not to mention, ordering Asian food can be especially tricky as a vegan as many times ingredients can be cooked in fish oil and other hidden non-vegan ingredients, so the process always requires extra research.

This simple Asian-inspired dish is my new favorite because I control exactly what goes in it. I can load it with veggies AND tofu AND brown rice and I love the act of mixing the rice and toppings together in the same sauce which makes this dish a fried rice and not just a stir-fry. It is everything I love about take-out but even fresher, healthier, and cheaper. 

PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: 25 minutes 
TOTAL TIME: 35 minutes
YEILD: 3-4 servings 

MARINADE/SAUCE INGREDIENTS:
4 tbsp soy sauce/tamari/shoyu
2 tbsp sriracha
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil 
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 cloves garlic, chopped

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 block extra firm tofu, pressed
3 cups cooked brown rice 
1 head broccoli, chopped 
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1 fresh jalapeño, deseeded and chopped
green onions to taste for garnish
1 tsp olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine all marinade/sauce ingredients. 
3. In a smaller bowl, 2/3 of the marinade with the tofu. 
4. Allow tofu to marinade while you chop the rest of your veggies (broccoli, mushrooms, red onion, red bell pepper, and jalapeño.)
5. Spread tofu on a baking sheet and place it in oven. Allow to cook for 15-20 minutes or until edges have browned. 
6. In a large pan or wok, sauté your veggies in olive oil over medium heat. Add a splash of water if pan is too dry - this will help the broccoli to steam a bit and cook faster. 
7. Once veggies are cooked, add rice and the rest of marinade. Add baked tofu. Sauté everything together for 3-5 minutes. Serve immediately for best taste.