White Soy Sauce Glazed Pasilla Pepper, Kale, Chickpea and Chorizo Quesadilla topped with Cilantro Creme Fraiche

I believe that the majority of my readers are under the impression that I must eat like a gourmand on a daily basis. Let me dispel this notion immediately: I am one very apathetic home chef. For example, tonight for dinner I threw some ramen noodles, mushrooms, spinach, vegan chicken and no chicken broth base into a pot and called it a night. It took about ten minutes to prepare, and my lazy ass is completely satisfied. If i made a cookbook of what I actually ate on a daily basis, I think I'd sell about 10 copies. And no one would read my blog.

When I write recipes, I like to not only think outside of the box, but outside of what's considered appropriate for a trained professional chef. I have no training besides what I've read in books. i let my palate do the teaching. I find that I usually have a great deal of success when I test a recipe, and the feedback I receive is 90% positive.

The biggest complaint I receive is that my recipes seem just a tad to overwhelming for novice home chef, but I promise that my book will break it down into easy step-by-step processes that even include shortcuts to eliminate a great deal of the dirty work that goes into the preparation process.

The recipes I'm posting today is one of my more simple ones, that way I don't have to listen to you all bitch and whine...haha how I kid. Actually, the only thing I'll allow you to bitch about the fact is that Whitey McWhiteGirl is making a decent attempt to create an authentic Mexican recipe.

The funny think is, I threw this recipe together with much less forethought than I do most of my other recipes, and I actually believe it to be one of my better ones. It was one of those "what do I have lying around the house that I can throw together" creations. Or, what my grandpa would affectionately refer to as a "Garbage Can Recipe".

I really enjoyed it, so did my roommates, and hopefully you will, too.

Oh, and one last thing. I've created a Facebook page for my book, "Veganize This!". On the left hand sidebar, you can click a pretty little link that will allow you to "Like" the book on Facebook. So get your mouse in gear and show me some lovin'!

Have a great week!


2 TBSP Canola Oil4 cloves Garlic, minced1 White Onion, chopped1 14 oz can Chickpeas, drained and rinsed12 oz package of Vegan Chorizo (I used Yves)1 Pasilla Chile Pepper, seeded and finely chopped4 cups chopped Kale (any type)2 TBSP White Soy SauceSalt and Pepper, to taste2 cups Vegan Cheddar Cheese, shredded4 Large (Burrito Size) tortillas
In a large skillet over medium high heat, heat the canola oil. Add the garlic and onions to the pan, and saute until the onions are translucent but not browned. Add the chickpeas, chorizo, and pasilla pepper to the pan, and saute until the chorizo is browned, the chickpeas are cooked and the pepper is softened.

Add the white soy sauce to the pan to deglaze, then stir in the kale and saute until wilted. Taste to see if salt or pepper is needed, then remove the pan from heat and set aside.

Take your tortillas, and add equal amounts of the chorizo mixture to one half of the tortilla. Spread the mixture out evenly over half the tortilla. Sprinkle 1/4 cup (or more, if desired) of the vegan cheddar over the filling on each tortilla, then fold the tortilla over to make a sandwich.

You have two options for cooking the quesadilla. One is to cook it in a pan on the stove, the other is to use a George Foreman Grill-type device.

If you're cooking stove top, grease a grill pan with a touch of oil and heat the pan over high heat. Cook the quesadillas one at a time for about 4 minutes on each side, or until all the cheese is completely melted.

If you're cooking on a Foreman Grill, cook the quesadillas individually until the cheese has fully melted and the tortilla is brown.

Cut the quesadillas into 4 slices, then serve immediately garnished with Cilantro Creme Fraiche. These also taste great with pico de galo salsa or guacamole.



2/3 cup MimicCreme (or sub 2/3 cup Soymilk mixed with 1 TBSP White Vinegar)1/3 cup Plain Soy Yogurt1 small bunch Cilantro, finely dicedMix the MimicCreme and plain soy yogurt together well, and leave out un-refrigerated for 12 hours. Yes, you read that correctly. It won't kill you...I promise.

Stick in the refrigerator until just before you're ready to make the quesadillas.

Remove from the refrigerator, stir in the cilantro, the place back in the refrigerator until you're ready to eat.