While we often make Mexican-inspired meals due to our penchant for hot stuff and the prominent place beans take in vegan foods anyway, we were doing it on purpose this time as we got together on Saturday using the excuse of Cinco de Mayo to cook up a feast.

Since we got a late start on the actual cooking and wanted to have things finished by the time the preliminary fights (UFC) got underway, we opted not to make the beans from scratch for a change and headed to the store for some refried beans.

If you’ve ever tried to find low sodium refried beans in the grocery store, you know it’s no easy task. Amy’s Organic Light in Sodium Refried Beans was the winner at 190 mg of sodium per serving (3.5 to a can — really?!) Most of were more like 580 mg, so it was an improvement. Thing is, they were in the natural foods section and cost almost $2.50! So, we passed on those and ended up going with a couple cans of pinto beans. Cheaper, to be sure, and “only” (ugh) 250 mg sodium per serving. Moral of the story, which we already knew: dried beans are the way to go!

To make them refried, we just mashed the pintos and “fried” and stirred repeatedly until we were satisfied with the consistency.

A simple homemade guacamole: two avocados, half an onion, lime juice (we used a splash of apple cider vinegar in lieu), garlic powder, a touch of cayenne, and a diced tomato (from a can, saving the ones above for the tacos). That stray carrot was from the salsa prep.

Chunky, homemade salsa, made mild heat-wise, with a liberal portion of onion that was perfect for accompanying the refrieds.

Taco salad minus the taco. We tried using my taco baking rack, but the all-corn tortillas were too brittle. So, we just cut them up and made tortilla chips with our own spices as shown in the last picture.

Another way to have the fixings, a classic burrito.

Taco salad with homemade baked tortilla chips and tequila. Cheers! Delicious and filling.

Sliced like thick sweet potato chips and baked on a lightly oiled baking sheet lined with tinfoil at ~450°F for about 8 minutes a side. Got a little burnt on the edges this time, but it’s all good.

Served with a tangy homemade ketchup made by combining tomato paste (1.5 oz), prepared horseradish (2-3 tsps), onion powder, an Italian herb blend, and adding water to reach the desired consistency.

A quick and easy treat before heading out to play poker with friends. Funny thing is they were just finishing up a dinner that included baked sweet potatoes!

Ethiopian Spicy Tomato Lentil Stew from Isa Chandra Moskowitz using the recipe from this entry on her blog at the Post Punk Kitchen (PPK).

Here are those awesome gluten-free vegan chocolate chip cookies I mentioned in the Vegan Polish Easter post. Being so quick and easy (and sinfully delicious), they make frequent appearances at our get-togethers. The recipe is based on the one in Vive le Vegan with just a substitution of flours.

This last dish was a red lentil and veggie dish Scott whipped up later. He described it as having “tons of onions, carrots, a few diced tomatoes (no salt added!), broccoli, zucchini, some maple syrup, and spices (basil, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and turmeric)… The broc and zuke went in last to preserve their crunch.” Then he split the dish up so his wife could have a mild version while he went on to add two habaneros and half a jalapeno to his. Yeah!

Saturday night we also made a double batch of gluten-free, vegan chocolate chip cookies (not shown) and only had one or two before the Sunday festivities — a restraint Scott and I failed to exercise when it came to the beer.

The traditional meal actually starts Sunday morning after church (we were eating by 9:30 AM), with noshing throughout the day. Then, if you have more friends and family to visit, you would join them on Monday to do it all over again.

Polish Easter

Only the hard-boiled egg, blessed at the morning service, was off limits for me.

kotlety ziemniaczane

These are made with potatoes, black beans, and onion, with flax seeds replacing the egg. They are baked to a nice golden brown crispy exterior, remaining soft and fluffy inside.

sos grzybowy

A gravy made with portabello mushrooms and onions intended for the above patties.

mizerio po Warszawsku

Cucumber salad Warsaw-style. Prepared and jarred in advance.

cwikla

Minced beets and horseradish.

salata jarzynowa

A cold salad made with Polish-style pickles, Granny Smith apples, and vegan, soy-free mayo.

bigos

Sauerkraut with tomato paste and quinoa, served heated.

Top it all off with a dessert of the aforementioned chocolate chip cookies and coconut ice cream and you’ve just experienced a vegan Polish Easter.

The good news, as the video reports, is the constitutionality of the law is now being challenged by a group of activists with the assistance of the Center for Constitutional Rights in Blum v. Holder. They say they have indeed felt that aforementioned chill on their advocacy work. Let’s wish them luck in stemming the eroding tide!