Last night we had a surprise fiesta for my husband’s 30th birthday. We had about 25 people come to our house and he was shocked! I wanted to make it a fiesta since Mexican is his favorite cuisine, and his birthday is so close to Christmas I wanted it to be something non-Christmasy. We made the food and had a buffet of vegan and non vegan options. Here’s what vegan party food that we made, and it proved we could still have a party and eat our fill without feeling left out or deprived. We had chips, salsa, guacamole, cowboy caviar, veggies, vegan taquitos and burritos, and cookie cake! Not to mention the margaritas and winter sangria that we made. Yum!

I ordered a vegan cookie cake from a local bakery (Gluten Free Cutie) and it was great!

Vegan Taquitos Recipe

1 bag frozen Beyond Meat “chicken” strips

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 tsp taco seasoning

2 tbsp So Delicious cheddar style shred

1 pack of flour tortillas

1 tbsp salsa

Spray olive oil

1. Preheat over to 350*. Sauté the strips with taco seasoning until warmed through and remove from the pan to chop.
2. Chop in to small pieces and then add back to the pan with black beans, shreds, and salsa. Cook until mixture is warmed through.
3. Spray a baking sheet and fill each tortilla, roll and place on pan.
4. Spray the rolled taquitos and then bake for 20-30 minutes until tortillas are golden brown and crisp. Dunk into salsa or guac and they’re tasty!

Vegan Mini “Beef” Burritos

1 bag of frozen Beyond Meat “beef” crumbles

1 tbsp taco seasoning

2 tbsp So delicious cheddar style shreds

1 tbsp salsa

Optional: 1 tbsp vegan yogurt for a creamier filling

1 pack flour tortillas cut into quarters

Spray olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 350* and sauté crumbles with taco seasoning until browned. Add shreds and salsa to the crumbles.
2. Spray a 9×13 pan with olive oil and start assembling the mini burritos. Have the quarter tortilla with the pointy end facing away from you. Add about 1 tsp of filling in the middle of the triangle and then fold the outside corners in and roll towards the pointy end until it’s closed and add to the pan.
3. Pack them in close together to make sure they stay rolled and bake for 20-30 minutes until warmed through. They’re great for a party because they’re small and easy to eat.

Cowboy Caviar Recipe

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can black eyed peas, rinsed and drained

2 small cans of white shoe peg corn, drained

1 container of grape tomatoes, quartered

2 avocados, diced

4 scallions, thinly sliced

Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

Packet of dried Italian dressing

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tbsp Apple cider vinegar

Squeeze of fresh lime juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and let marinate a few hours before use. It’s always a hit at any gathering and it’s a healthy and delicious appetizer.

Bryan’s Margarita Recipe

These were a hit! Each recipe makes a pitcher and we went through 5 pitchers during the party. I added a ton of thinly sliced limes to the dispenser and they are so easy to make. Keep the limeade can because that’s what you measure the other ingredients with.

1 can of frozen Limeade

1 can (limeade can) of tequila

1/2 can of water

1/2 can of 7 Up

1 beer (We used Corona light)

Fresh lime juice

You can taste to see if you need to add more tequila or 7 Up depending on your taste, and depending if your guests are driving home.