Vegan Taco Dip Recipe in 5 Minutes or Less! (Gluten-Free, Wheat-Free)

"What do you want for your birthday?" my sister asked, standing next to me with a phone in her hand. "I want vanilla cake and nachos! Miriam will love them!" I excitedly replied.

It was my ninth birthday, and my best friend, Miriam, and her dreamy brother, Josh, came over to celebrate with me! We played Selena, and I kept obnoxiously asked if I sounded like her (No, no I didn't.) until Miriam relented, looked away, and said "Kind oooof," I continued to sing badly to more of Selena's music throughout the night.

I played with an amazing mermaid doll she gave me and I remember there was a cake with a plastic Barbie on it! She sat on in a princess dress while Miriam and I helped my mom arrange the candles on our cake. But that was just the afterthought. The real prize was nachos.

On our nachos, we put our Taco dip - and it goes like this!

*Cheezy Tortilla Chips
Taco Dip
Onions
*Cheeeeese

*Vegan, of course!

It's so yummy, Miriam and Josh ate huge amounts! They went home stuffed, and I went to bed thinking that I sounded "kind of" like Selena.

Ingredients
Refried Beans
TVP Crumbles (I used Boca Crumbles)
Vegan Cream Cheese
1/2 tsp Homemade Taco Seasoning
Water

Toppings
Onions
Tomato
Lettuce
Olives
Avocado
Rice Cheese

This recipe is soooo simple and you can make it in less than five minutes, in a microwave or on a stove top. Just add the ingredients in any order, in any amount. If there isn't enough seasoning - increase the amount by 1/4th until it's perfect!

Serve on top of nachos, melt some vegan cheese on top and serve! Yum!

How To Take Care of the Summer Flu (Stomach Flu)

Love and self-care go hand in hand! Unfortunately, my mother is sick again, and so is another friend...so I decided to give them a list of what they can do while I'm out.

It's seems to work so far - try it out! They're all great at boosting your immune system and keeping you from getting sicker.

Hope you all have a great day!

Tostones with Garlic Sauce

I love tostones - they're perfect! You use the best green bananas and don't even need a dipping sauce, but they're great with the one I made.

Usually when I make fried plantains, I cut the skins off and then cut into slices but I was watching Guy's Grocery Wars on the Food Network and saw a woman cut them into rounds before peeling. I was appalled - how come I never thought of that? They don't lose any bit of the plantains, and it's fun to slice a little notch in the green skin before rolling the deliciousness out.

These plantains are warm, crispy and so simple to make. The sauce is simple but SUPER flavorful. My mom complained that they were "too spicy" at first from all of the garlic, but she kept dipping more...hmm. Haha, oh mom!

Tostone Ingredients:
3 Large Green Plantains
1 Cup of Olive Oil (or enough to fill cooking vessel)
Salt

Garlic Aioli Recipe:
3 - 5 Garlic Cloves
1 bunch of Cilantro
1/2 bunch of Parsley
3 tbl Vinegar
1/4 cup of Olive Oil or Water

Step 1.
For the sauce, pour everything into a food processor except for the oil/water. Slowly stream in and once it is completely smooth and emulsified, move to a bowl and cover in plastic wrap. Chill for 1-2 hours.

Step 2. Cut the ends off of your plantains, then slice into rounds. Either pop the plantains out, if you can, or cut a knotch in the skin and roll away from the flesh. Set aside until all are done and get two plates and a stack of paper towels for draining.

Fry your plantains in batches until they are a light brown, and while still warm, smash them between the two plates until they are thin. Use plastic wrap or paper towels to keep the plantains from sticking or being crushed. Repeat until all of the plantains are flattened, then fry them again until they are crispy. Serve immediately with the sauce.

It's so delicious! Muy delicioso - hope you enjoy it!