Good evening! I'm behind in sharing my recipes so I wanted to give this one to you all tonight, while I'm in the middle of perfecting the manuscript for Summertime Sippers and trying to figure out how to put it on sale.

In March 2010, Chris and I took a trip from Midland (where we lived at the time) to San Antonio. I had never been. We spent a lot of time along the Riverwalk, which is a manmade river that winds itself around the touristy area near the Alamo. Hotels open their in house restaurants to it, and there are many other places to eat and shop on the edge of its greenish waters!

Anyway, we were both just vegetarian back then, eating wherever we wanted so long as they had an option for us. We had dinner at a place called "The Original" Mexican Restaurant and we both ordered dishes called "calabacitas" something-or-others. Our waiter described calbacitas as squash with corn and other veggies. In any case, we ate it as mariachis serenaded us and talked about how we HAD to find out how to make something similar at home.

The recipe we base our usual at-home version on comes from somewhere on the Internet. Chris found it but didn't write down wherefrom and I have tried to seek out a URL to no avail. So, this is how I made it the last time we had some. I apologize for the picture; I was just getting my photo studio set up back then. The lighting leaves something to be desired!

INGREDIENTS
1 small yellow squash, quartered and sliced
2 small zucchini squash, quartered and sliced
1 1/2 cups frozen yellow corn
1 large tomato, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons diced sweet onion
3 tablespoons Earth Balance stick butter
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup Daiya vegan cheddar shreds
6-8 six inch soft tortilla shells (I like whole wheat)
Shredded lettuce, to taste

DIRECTIONS
In a large, nonstick pot, warm water on medium heat. Add butter and let melt. Add remaining ingredients except cheese, lettuce, and tortillas, and let simmer, nicely bubbling, on medium to high heat for about 20 minutes until the water is considerably to totally evaporated. Remove from heat and let stand 2-3 minutes. Mix in cheese and stir until melted.

Spread a couple of spoonfuls of calabacita mix onto one half of a tortilla shell. Add a handful of lettuce and fold closed. Serve with refried beans and tortilla chips. Yum!

Makes 6-8 tacos.

I have to admit, I'm enjoying cooking vegan food more and more every day.

As Chris and I explore gluten-free options, we're having to come up with more recipes from scratch. We've used "soyrizo" in the past, but haven't had much success with it. The other day, Chris realized why; we were probably cooking it for too long. The instructions basically tell you just to warm it, not to cook it until it browns which is unlike other meat substitutes. So, since coming to this realization, we have had a lot of wonderful successes with soyrizo and "soy taco" options.

Tonight, I made what I am calling "Cheezy Soyrizo Enchiladas." I haven't made any sort of enchiladas in awhile. They're kind of labor intensive compared to what I usually make. While I really do enjoy cooking, I genuinely prefer dishes that only require one pot. I'm a small kitchen cook. I don't have enough drying space for so many pots! That being said, though, sometimes all those dishes are worth it! Like today. These were num-er-iffic! Will definitely have to make these again. Feel free to tell me if you make them and, of course, what you thought!

INGREDIENTS
1 package "Soyrizo" cooked according to package instructions
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup sweet onion, chopped
1 zucchini squash, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 cup frozen yellow corn kernels
1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained
1 teaspoon dried parsley
2 more tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 cup oat flour
1/4 cup tomato sauce (with or without seasonings)
1 vegan bouillon cube dissolved in 14 ounces hot water OR 14 ounces of vegetable broth
1 package cheddar flavored Daiya vegan cheese
Approximately 15-20 small corn tortillas

DIRECTIONS
Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook for several minutes until the vegetables start to brown. Add the zucchini and pepper and cook for several minutes more. Add the diced tomatoes, corn, and parsley. Increase the heat to medium high and cook until the water from the tomatoes has evaporated, approximately 10 minutes. Turn off heat and let cool while making the sauce.

In a medium sized saucepan, warm the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the cumin, flour, and tomato sauce and stir until it forms a paste. Add the water and whisk until combined. Simmer, continuing to whisk, until thickened, approximately 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Combine the soyrizo and sauteed vegetables in a bowl or in the pot you used for cooking the veggies, if cooled to the touch. You don't want to burn your fingers! Add 3/4 cups of the Daiya cheese. Mix until all of the goodies are well combined.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish lightly with olive oil spray. Wrap the corn tortillas in some damp paper towels and microwave for one and a half minutes. To assemble the enchiladas, scoop 1/3 of a cup of the soyrizo vegetable mixture into the center of each tortilla. Fold one side of the tortilla over the mixture and then fold the other side over it and place it seam down in your baking dish.

Whisk your sauce one last time before pouring it evenly over the tortillas. Top with the remaining Daiya cheese and bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Then, enjoy the cheezy goodness!

Makes 6 servings.