So the liquid lunch was a bad idea.  It’s possible I said “I’m soooooo hungry” so many times this evening that the husband temporarily stopped loving me.  No worries, I’m sure my complaints about the cold won him back 😉

So far the vegan challenge has been easy breezy, but tonight, surrounded by the chicken wings and pizza logs of Wegman’s hot bar, it felt pretty challenging.  All I can say is thank God was able to find these (vegan) veggie wontons at the sushi counter.

If I hadn’t been able to eat before we started shopping I’m pretty sure I’d still be at the grocery store, wandering around in a haze and whimpering.

But the beast was not squelched, as my hand found its way (again and again) into this bag of tortilla chips while I prepared dinner.

It got so bad I finally took out another, smaller bag of chips so I’d have some built-in portion control.

Adam shared the bag with me, but not by much, and there might have been some growling.

It’s a good thing dinner was tasty.

It’s also a good thing that dinner was low-calorie and full of veggies, but that’s another story.

A few weeks I ago I was sent some Pace Picante Sauce (for free, via the Foodbuzz Tastemakers Program) with a note to create an amazing recipe for a chance to win a Super Bowl party.  Clearly I missed that opportunity, but I did make a tasty recipe –

Vegan Seven Layer Casserole*, serves 4

• 2 tightly packed cups baby spinach
• 3/4 cup canned corn
• 1 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1 cup crushed tortilla chips
• 1 medium avocado, chopped
• 1.5 cups pre-cooked, chopped veggies  (Use whatever you’ve got leftover, but we used yellow squash and broccoli and that’s what I’d recommend if you’re starting from scratch.)
• 2 8oz jars Pace Mild Picante Sauce

1. Preheat your oven to 400*.  Lightly grease an 8×8 casserole with cooking spray.
2. Carefully fill casserole with 7 layers, spreading each layer out smoothly.  Start with spinach on the bottom followed by corn – onion – chips – avocado – veggies – and finally salsa on top.
3. Bake 30minutes.

*Note – this will not come out in squares like a typical casserole, it’s more of a spoon out dish.

I’m finally full, and now I’m (finally) going to get in bed with a book!