Vegan Tempeh Taco Bites

Boy oh boy do I have a recipe for you guys tonight! But first, backtracking to this afternoon...

I had some work to get done, so I walked around for a bit in search of a coffee shop and ended up at S'Nice, a cute little vegetarian sandwich shop in Soho with wifi.

I've eaten here twice before and love their sandwiches, but today I just got a decaf iced coffee and an "ugly bar"- a homemade granola bar made with seeds, pretzels, nuts and dried fruit.

Coffee tends to make my stomach hurt, but I was craving a cold one today. I immediately dumped three brown sugars in before tasting it (I like my coffee sans milk but sweet), and realized that it had already been sweetened. It's a good thing I have a sweet tooth!

Thankfully, the coffee was still okay and my stomach didn't seem to mind it. The bar was good, as well- I thought it was interesting that they added pretzels to the mix!

* * *

After a an hour or two I headed home to try out a new recipe for dinner: Vegan Tempeh Taco Bites.

Ingredients (for one serving, or eight bites):
   - 1/2 block of tempeh, cut into eight equal rectangles
   - two whole-wheat flour tortillas, cut into quarters (I used 6" ones from Trader Joe's)
   - 1/4 cup salsa
   - 1/4 cup non-dairy cheddar shreds (I used Daiya, regular cheese would work as well)

Start by covering the tempeh with salsa and letting it marinate in the fridge for at least an hour. Preheat the oven to 400*F Next, I created the bites by placing a piece of tempeh and a pinch of cheese onto each tortilla triangle, then rolling them up as tightly as possible. Place them on a baking sheet lined with tinfoil and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until tortilla edges are slightly crisp. Remove and serve with salsa for dipping!

These were a cinch to make and tasted awesome. They'd be a great fun finger food for a party or for kids! The only thing I would change next time is to use slightly bigger tortillas, since the 6" ones were just a smidge to small to close completely.

I ate them alongside a pile of steamed broccoli with salsa.

Can't wait to make these again! I had a grapefruit with some dates and almonds for dessert- nothing exciting there.

Time to go settle down with the Monday night usual: homework. Have a great evening!

What are your favorite finger foods or hors d'oeuvres? As a kid I always made a beeline for the mini hot dogs, but now I'm more into the cocktail shrimp and mini crab cakes. Seafood all the way!

PS- Don't forget to enter my favorite things giveaway!