Sunny Days in Texas: King Ranch Casserole

This might be the recipe from the zine that I was most excited to try. Who wouldn’t be interested in peppers, mushrooms and seitan drenched in Food For Lover‘s queso sandwiched between layers of fresh corn tortillas and then baked to a tender perfection?

I think another reason that I have been thinking so much about Chris & Crystal’s lovely recipe is because it is in the exact middle of the Sunny Days in Texas zine so every time I print another one-off or staple another pile it is right on top. I see it over and over again, begging to be made. Dan, especially, was really excited to try the recipe because the omni versions of King Ranch casserole he has tried have been pretty lackluster and he was sure a vegan version would be far tastier.

Believe me when I say, that, with the food for lover’s queso, this dish was the most tex-mex vegan creation I can remember trying. Although I am a huge fan of the queso, using two cups of it for the recipe overwhelmed even me with it’s cheesiness and reminded me of my pregan days eating cheese enchiladas with queso on top. The recipe said to use vegan cheese or the queso and next time I think I will use cheese and then just drizzle some queso on top. I also topped it with green onions and used Upton’s plain seitan which worked really well. I hadn’t tried their plain seitan yet and I am glad that I did because it was really tasty, the best store-bought version I have tried. I think if I was making the casserole again for the two of us I would probably go totally inauthentic and add some greens and maybe even some potatoes as well, because I love them baked into casseroles and eating them makes me feel a little healthier. But, if you are looking for the real deal in tex-mex authenticity give this recipe a try. It will amaze you.

Every post this month for Veganmofo will be celebrating the recipes in the zine Sunny Days in Texas, a fundraiser cookzine to help Sunny Day Farms Animal Sanctuary.

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